How do you guys travel your leicas?

[colonel]

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Im curious to know how everyone caries their leicas for everyday commuting, as well as the travlers on the forum how they go abroad with their cameras ?

 

Im traveling to Peru this year an want to brnig my CL and M4-P and am looking for ways to properly bring them without feeling too overemcumbered - as well as new way to carry my M4-P around

 

Thanks!

 

I have lots of bags

 

I use a Domke F803 in tan for everyday commuting. Doesn't look like a camera bag but light and spacious and cool.

I also keep a cheap tiny sandstrom bag in the office if I want to pop out with the camera in a smaller bag.

For the weekend and holidays I generally use a very small but reinforced Manfrotto Amica 10. this is good enough for the MP and attached lens and one extra lens.

If I want to carry more photo equipment, e.g. two bodies, i use a Hadley Billingham Small

If I want to take a DSLR I use a Kata Nimble-3

 

In terms of bags to buy:

I am thinking of a small back pack for holidays and am considering the massively well made and small Kata 3N1-10

I am also thinking of a more stylish replacement for the Amica 10, which might be a ONA Bowery canvas

 

have fun!

[McGirton]

I tried a ton of bags, including all Domke and other brand bags because I was looking for something that suits the small size of the M bodies, takes everything I need and is still small. I personally didn't like any of the Domke bags, but I know many people love them. I was rather disappointed by the quality.

 

In the end I stuck with the Artisan & Artist ACAM 7100 (link) because the A&A build quality is vastly superior to Domke and every small detail is just a joy. The size of the bag is perfect for at least 2 M bodies, lenses, film case, flash and all the small stuff I need. It's a bag that feels very safe to carry, is very low profile and you just forget that you are carrying it around because it's really comfortable to carry. There are bigger versions of the bag if you need more space. Overall I can really recommend Artisan & Artist bags in general.

Edited June 19, 2015 by McGirton

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[colonel]

I tried a ton of bags, including all Domke and other brand bags because I was looking for something that suits the small size of the M bodies, takes everything I need and is still small. I personally didn't like any of the Domke bags, but I know many people love them. I was rather disappointed by the quality.

 

In the end I stuck with the Artisan & Artist ACAM 7100 (link) because the A&A build quality is vastly superior to Domke and every small detail is just a joy. The size of the bag is perfect for at least 2 M bodies, lenses, film case, flash and all the small stuff I need. It's a bag that feels very safe to carry, is very low profile and you just forget that you are carrying it around because it's really comfortable to carry. There are bigger versions of the bag if you need more space. Overall I can really recommend Artisan & Artist bags in general.

Yes I didn't like most Domke as they bizarrely have unprotected zips which are a devil for scratching cameras, but the F803 doesn't and is really beautiful. Also Domke have a completely new range out now. Worth checking out, some really nice designs.

 

That A&A bag looks nice but very expensive for canvas. For that money I can get a leather Bowery !!!!

 

I also like some of the new Leica sponsored bags, particularly the ones they launched for the T, X113 and Q cameras, but the prices are nutty

Edited June 19, 2015 by colonel

[McGirton]

I used the F803 for a while but it felt like a laptop bag. The cheap inlays put me off as well, it was my favourite out of the Domke batch though.

 

I think the price for the A&A is okay for it being canvas because of the other features. It has high quality inserts (unlike the cheap grey stuff in Domke), leather lining over every edge, leather zipper pullers, smart spaces for smaller stuff, feels really safe closed because of the additional clips inside, the canvas is thick and the lower part of the bag has a really thick fabric different from the canvas. The strap is really thick and has a comfortable anti-slip part in the middle. The zippers won't scratch your gear and all other parts are metal not plastic. 

[SBC]

Thrown it in the top of your backpack wrapped in a clean T shirt. Always works for me. I found it is very hard to take pictures when I treated my gear like it is precious. *

 

*Insurance is key. I have never had to use it but 

[friedeye]

My M9 travels with a lens mounted in a camera pouch in my backpack. I also carry an M2 or M3 with a body cap in the middle of my carry-on, and an extra lens in a pouch tucked into a shoe.

 

I tried a dedicated camera bag and have several -- but the backpack allows me to carry my other non-camera gear and is kinder to my back.  Of course, I'm not a guy who likes carrying a camera bag on the street. I prefer one camera, one lens -- with maybe an extra battery or a couple of roles of film in my pocket.

[thrid]

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Anything but a camera bag. Preferably something old and worn, like a messenger bag. You can put Domke inserts into pretty much anything.

As an American I tend to avoid any military related clothing or accessories, when traveling abroad.

 

I often use a large plain waist pack that I fitted with a padded insert. Got it for $20 from some travel shop. It will hold two bodies,lenses and film. The nice thing about the waist pack is that if I feel the need I can just pull my shirt over it and transform into a fat guy, while I depart for safer grounds.

 

Real camera bags signal two things. Tourist and a payday for anyone with criminal intent. I love my Billingham, but it has its time and place. You just want to blend in with the population.

[sblitz]

I disagree,  use my black Billingham. Sturdy, can't razor the straps, inside pockets good for documents, and once the camera is in my hand I look like a tourist anyway. BTW, I use my bag everyday in NYC and haven't had a problem except for the guys trying to sell me a bus tour. To which I respond -- "Do I look like a tourist to you?" 

[sblitz]

Ah yes, and if rains or storms or snows, everything inside is quite dry

[thrid]

I disagree,  use my black Billingham. Sturdy, can't razor the straps, inside pockets good for documents, and once the camera is in my hand I look like a tourist anyway. BTW, I use my bag everyday in NYC and haven't had a problem except for the guys trying to sell me a bus tour. To which I respond -- "Do I look like a tourist to you?" 

 

NYC isn't exactly South America, where the OP is headed.

 

NYC isn't even what NYC used to be (New Yorker here). Manhattan is like Disney Land these days.

[erl]

The bottom line of all these arguments/comments is, should you pack your camera for your own benefit or for the benefit of some would be thief?

Last month I was travelling in Saigon with a friend. I had a Fogg bag with Leicas in it. A good looking bag whereas my friend had an ordinary looking shoulder bag. A thief attempted to rob her bag, not mine! Who knows what the motivation was but the fact is you can't pretend to know what would be thieves are looking for.

 

Insure and travel freely with your gear.

Pack it the way that suits you, not for the unlikely robbers.

That's what it is for. It works.

[sblitz]

Couldn't agree more

[erl]

As a corollary to 'bag safety' the biggest risk I have experienced, and I have travelled a lot, is at home!

I foster rescued dogs and the current one, a 2yr old German Shepherd, has a taste for leather. Last night she chewed the leather straps off the front of my Billigham Bag. Replacement cost is 11 UK pounds. Shipping cost (to Aust) is 13UK pounds! Now that (shipping cost) is real robbery for something that can safely be put in an envelope, stamp licked and posted.

 

Considering an alternative somehow.

[FrozenInTime]

 Replacement cost is 11 UK pounds. Shipping cost (to Aust) is 13UK pounds! Now that (shipping cost) is real robbery for something that can safely be put in an envelope, stamp licked and posted.

 

 

Amazing how we now take for granted the miracle of being able to order items online and have them send them half way around the world in a couple of days for the cost of a few beers.

[thrid]

The bottom line of all these arguments/comments is, should you pack your camera for your own benefit or for the benefit of some would be thief?

Last month I was travelling in Saigon with a friend. I had a Fogg bag with Leicas in it. A good looking bag whereas my friend had an ordinary looking shoulder bag. A thief attempted to rob her bag, not mine! Who knows what themotivation was but the fact is you can't pretend to know what would be thieves are looking for.

 

The bag wasn't the deciding factor in that case. In all likelihood he went after her bag, because he thought she would be an easier target than you. The odds of her turning out to be Gina Carano are pretty slim and pound for pound you were the more difficult target.

 

I've seen this myself on several occasions. Criminals seize up their targets and go after the ones they perceive will put up the least amount resistance. Or if they do fight back can be overwhelmed or fought off, before making an escape. Obviously that doesn't give all men a free pass and imply that all woman are pushovers.

 

 

Insure and travel freely with your gear.

Pack it the way that suits you, not for the unlikely robbers.

That's what it is for. It works.

I agree that insurance is a must.

 

I don't agree with the advice to just go ahead and do what pleases you. The world around you is not going to accommodate you.

 

Not all of these encounters end as harmless as yours did. Sometimes things go bad when people are desperate, nervous, panic or are on drugs. Sometimes they don't want witnesses. Sometimes they simply may not like the way you comb your hair. They don't always just take your bag and leave.

 

The best advice is to avoid such a situation in the first place by keeping a low profile and blending in with the locals.

 

There is no point in taking a $400 luxury bag into an beautiful, but relatively poor country, where you are going to stick out like a sore thumb and advertise to the universe that you are lugging around the equivalent of several years of their salary. I think you're just asking for trouble with that tactic. But if that's how you want to approach things be safe and the best of luck to you.

 

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Edited July 25, 2015 by thrid

[Manoleica]

I use a 10year old Barbour messenger like canvas bag plus a nice old cap.. 2Rules, (1) keep away from noisy tourists.. (2) check out the area before you start shooting..Be aware/Stay safe..

[erl]

 

........

 

I don't agree with the advice to just go ahead and do what pleases you. The world around you is not going to accommodate you.

 

 

 

The best advice is to avoid such a situation in the first place by keeping a low profile and blending in with the locals.

 

There is no point in taking a $400 luxury bag into an beautiful, but relatively poor country, where you are going to stick out like a sore thumb and advertise to the universe that you are lugging around the equivalent of several years of their salary. I think you're just asking for trouble with that tactic. But if that's how you want to approach things be safe and the best of luck to you.

 

IMG_0711c.jpg

Strangely enough, the world around me has accommodated me, particularly well IMO.

 

I agree with keeping a low profile, but blending in with locals is a joke. I definitely cannot look like an Arab or a Turk or an Indian etc.

 

My "$400 luxury bag" as you describe it has a bout the same ambience as the one you have posted. I don't believe that is the the big attraction to thieves, because it 'looks" expensive. I don't think it does. I think the camera that is in one's hand is the bigger risk. Even then, I suspect these days they would be more intested in stealing my mobile phone. After all, who takes pictures with a camera these days?

 

Over many years I have only ever been treated with respect, kindness and generosity by people in poorer third world countries, with the exception of authorities in those countries, who did rob me, literally.

 

I shall persist in enjoying my gear with its sensible bags and using it for the reason I have it. I will always be alert, particularly around officialdom.

[jsjxyz]

I always travel light. I used to bring MM with 35/75 combo. With Ricoh GR to cover the 28 angle. Since owning A Leica Q. Travel kit change o Q with MM and 50 apo.

 

My travel inside my Artist and Artisan Oskar One Day Bag include iPhone 6, Kindle, Powebank, and two cameras.

 

[Mark T]

 

There is no point in taking a $400 luxury bag into an beautiful, but relatively poor country, where you are going to stick out like a sore thumb and advertise to the universe that you are lugging around the equivalent of several years of their salary. I think you're just asking for trouble with that tactic. But if that's how you want to approach things be safe and the best of luck to you.

 

IMG_0711c.jpg

 

I agree with Erl here. You and other members of this forum might be able to tell the difference between an expensive brand camera bag and a not so expensive brand camera bag but to most other people on the planet, they're just bags. Think of womens handbags. Can you tell the difference between a cheap knock off and an expensive one? I can't.

 

In the developing world, the fact that you are there in the first place indicates that you are more wealthy than most of them could ever hope to be. They know it and bag or no bag, you ought to know it too.

 

Having said that, I liked your idea about avoiding military style clothing. That make good sense. :-)

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Hallo,

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[thrid]

I agree with Erl here. You and other members of this forum might be able to tell the difference between an expensive brand camera bag and a not so expensive brand camera bag but to most other people on the planet, they're just bags. Think of womens handbags. Can you tell the difference between a cheap knock off and an expensive one? I can't.

It's not necessarily about people recognizing a specific brand. It's about perceived value. People are not oblivious to the difference between a cheap or average bag and something expensive, even if they don't recognize the brand. We all make that kind of an assesment daily basis.

 

If you had a choice between stealing one of these two bags, which one would you take?

 

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In the developing world, the fact that you are there in the first place indicates that you are more wealthy than most of them could ever hope to be. They know it and bag or no bag, you ought to know it too.

Of course. But again, who are you going to go after? The average tourist / discount traveler or the high roller? Going to jail in a developing country is no picnic. If you're going to take that risk, you're going to go after what you believe is going to offer the biggest payoff.

 

Having said that, I liked your idea about avoiding military style clothing. That make good sense. :-)

Nothing against the military, but it's good advice.

 

 

All, I'm saying is that when in Rome, do like the Romans. I love my Rimowa suitcase and Billingham bags, but doesn't mean I would take them to a developing country.