Perfect bag for two Leica M's, lenses attached, one extra lens and laptop

[rob139]

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I am very happy with the Timbuk2 snoop camera messenger. It will fit everything you are describing. It's my day bag, and it has a removable padded insert. Very sturdy, inconspicuous. I have the small version.

 

http://www.timbuk2.com/tb2/products/snoop-camera-messenger

 

Rob

[skovbo13]

Wow, thanks a lot for the many recommendations.

 

Right now for me, the Hadley Pro, Artisan&Artists and dothebag look interesting.

I see the Hadley Pro comes in Fibrenyte, does anyone have experience with that material?

 

Is it lighter than their canvas? Water resistant?

[!Nomad64]

I have direct experience as I have also the Hadley original (non pro). Lighter than canvas I don't know, water resistant yes. It's pleasant at the touch and seems to be pretty tough and elegant.

 

Cheers,

Bruno

[thighslapper]

Just got the smallest of the Dothebags and am very impressed...... nice soft leather, excellent closure method, does not look like a camera bag, with some modification of the inserts this will take an M9 + 4-5 lenses plus other bits and an iPad just fits between the insert and the case..... perfect !

[skovbo13]

Bag threads are fun ;-)

 

For your purpose, I cannot advise on a A&A Oscar's Daybag (ACAM7100) more.

Artisan & Artist* Bags

It looks like the original, the one, you linked tries to copy.

 

I use mine as my daily office bag:

 

15" MBP early 2008 (these are actually more compact than the 2011 15", but still more bulky than your 13")

M8.2 + Noctilux

MP + 35 Lux ASPH

external hdd + cable

wallet

passport

spare batteries

film

keys

 

+ enough space for another lens or two

 

The quality of material and workmanship is outstanding.

I have been through a lot of bags from 10 EUR to 300 EUR.

This is the best in regards of nice materials, clever thoughts and best overall quality.

 

I didn't try the bag, you linked to.

I am looking now for a slightly larger bag, to travel more comfortably and potentially adding a new 15"MBP, A&A are my first choice, looking for bags after this experience - they do not seem to make the exact size, I would want though ;-)

 

The 7100 looks very nice indeed, and I might just go ahead and order one of those.

 

While further researching the A&A bags however, I found the ACAM-7000, the GCAM-7000 (Sabastios Reporter Satchel), and the DCAM-7000 (which is listed as water resistant!)

 

I'm wondering if the 7000 series might be better suited for my purpose, or does the 7100 you mention really have enough space for a 13" laptop? Has anyone had any experience with 7000s?

[menos I M6]

The 7100 looks very nice indeed, and I might just go ahead and order one of those.

 

While further researching the A&A bags however, I found the ACAM-7000, the GCAM-7000 (Sabastios Reporter Satchel), and the DCAM-7000 (which is listed as water resistant!)

 

I'm wondering if the 7000 series might be better suited for my purpose, or does the 7100 you mention really have enough space for a 13" laptop? Has anyone had any experience with 7000s?

 

I never had the other bags of A&A in my hands, to try them out (buying bags on the internet is not ideal, you have to go to a shop with your own best bag and compare by repacking a potentially new bag).

The ACAM-7100 was at that time the better solution to my already best solution, I owned.

The ACAM-7000 looks like the same bag, but slightly different material (leather flap) - size looks the same.

 

I have two Leica bodies with big lenses plus a lot of accessories (hdd, mouse, other lens, writing stuff, film, etc).

When I stuff in an early 2008 15" MBP, it is a tight fit. You can access each item separately, but without any room around it.

This is not a solution, to work from in the field, but to carry this stuff from A to B (for me, it is home to office and back).

 

When using the ACAM-7100 without the laptop, I often have three Leica M bodies with lens on each (mostly one with Noctilux, one with 35 Lux and one with a 90mm or a super wide) + film + wallet, keys, etc.

This package is very comfortable to use, as there is enough room in the bag, to grab, shove and work from quickly with this gear.

 

Any bag bigger would be too much lugging around, while any bag smaller would not allow me, to comfortable handle three cameras.

 

I don't shoot with two cameras around my neck - I always have just one body out and the others in the bag, so shuffling cameras from and into the bag must be easy and comfortable.

The rather tight and stiff enough compartments in the bag allow me, to use the cameras with lens hoods attached, but without caps while shooting - this makes for very quick and fluid working.

 

The lens caps for all three cameras are in one of the two front compartments with the film - simple.

 

If you have to be shooting with the ACAM-7100 sized bag with a computer inside, a 13" + maximum two bodies is the absolute tolerable, but far less convenient.

A Macbook Air or iPad instead would be perfectly fine (the 13" is still a fairly "heavy" computer, compared to the super slim solutions).

Add heavy, fast Leica glass and lugging this stuff ends up not very comfortable all day shooting.

 

For me the ACAM-7100 is the ideal bag for this specific size (two to three M bodies plus film and n extra lens).

For anything else, it is a compromise as any other bag - the saying is right on "there is no perfect bag" (which makes bag threads pop up endlessly and following each others experiences so fun to read up).

 

The one, who owns the most bags, when he dies wins!

[Ed_K]

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If i really want to cramp 2 Ms with 2 lens, the Donke F-5XB can give a really tight fit. If i have other accessories to bring along say on a trip, i do have the Donke J-803 as an alternative; guess it boils down to the number of accessories (and bulk) you wish to carry.

[adli]

I have the Oscar's Daybag (ACAM7100). For me, it's a perfect bag, but there is no way I can fit my 13" Macbook Pro in there.

 

I also looked at the Sabastios Reporter Satchel,which will fit a laptop nicely, but it is way to big for my use.

[skovbo13]

This one and this one here look rather promising too.

[menos I M6]

I have the Oscar's Daybag (ACAM7100). For me, it's a perfect bag, but there is no way I can fit my 13" Macbook Pro in there.

 

I also looked at the Sabastios Reporter Satchel,which will fit a laptop nicely, but it is way to big for my use.

 

I put two Leica M with lenses attached in two compartments in the bag.

Accessories go into the middle compartment.

Lenses show not to the front, but to the outside.

A early 2008 15" MBP fit's in easy enough.

The 13" of my fiance easily flips in - it has the same hight as my 15", but is quite a bit smaller, making it much easier to fit.

 

I have seen several slightly different versions of the ACAM-7100 - some of them with an additional zippered compartment inside the flap.

 

It might be, that the bag's dimensions varied over time, as does the material.

 

The computer cannot be fitted with a "protective sleeve" , but directly between the inner compartment and the bag.

[skovbo13]

The Thinktank Retrospective 30 would be perfect, but it doesn't seem to have space for a laptop.

[adli]

Oscars One Day Bag dimensions according to producers website

(outer) 300mm long x 200mm tall x 100mm

(inner) 270mm long x 160mm tall x 90mm wide

 

13" Macbook Pro dimensions according to Apple:

325mm x 227mm x 24mm

 

 

Obviously, the 13" Macbook does not fit inside the bag....

 

 

 

 

I put two Leica M with lenses attached in two compartments in the bag.

Accessories go into the middle compartment.

Lenses show not to the front, but to the outside.

A early 2008 15" MBP fit's in easy enough.

The 13" of my fiance easily flips in - it has the same hight as my 15", but is quite a bit smaller, making it much easier to fit.

 

I have seen several slightly different versions of the ACAM-7100 - some of them with an additional zippered compartment inside the flap.

 

It might be, that the bag's dimensions varied over time, as does the material.

 

The computer cannot be fitted with a "protective sleeve" , but directly between the inner compartment and the bag.

[menos I M6]

Oscars One Day Bag dimensions according to producers website

(outer) 300mm long x 200mm tall x 100mm

(inner) 270mm long x 160mm tall x 90mm wide

 

13" Macbook Pro dimensions according to Apple:

325mm x 227mm x 24mm

 

 

Obviously, the 13" Macbook does not fit inside the bag....

 

My 15" MBP is:

 

357mm x 243mm x 27mm (obviously bigger than the 13" unibody dimensions, you stated)

 

Obviously, I must be fantasizing or A&A (as I have written previously) might have changed bag dimensions during production.

My computer fits fine, I do this everyday, as the ACAM-7100 is my daily office bag with described computer and two Leica M.

 

I neither have the computer folded in half nor did I modify the bag.

Additionally, I am sober, as I write this.

 

Is this the equivalent of pixel peeping in bag thread terms

[skovbo13]

Ok, I just tried to renew my love for the Billingham Packington, and walked with it around town for half an hour. Even only packed with one Leica M, my laptop, charger and a magazine, the thing is HEAVY. I guess that's the trade-off for excellent weather-resistance and durability.

 

This bag quest is harder than I thought.

 

I might just settle with the Packington for transport, and throw the insert into a basic tote-bag while out and about abroad.

[adli]

Then you have the wrong bag I guess......

 

My 15" MBP is:

 

357mm x 243mm x 27mm (obviously bigger than the 13" unibody dimensions, you stated)

 

Obviously, I must be fantasizing or A&A (as I have written previously) might have changed bag dimensions during production.

My computer fits fine, I do this everyday, as the ACAM-7100 is my daily office bag with described computer and two Leica M.

 

I neither have the computer folded in half nor did I modify the bag.

Additionally, I am sober, as I write this.

 

Is this the equivalent of pixel peeping in bag thread terms

[menos I M6]

Then you have the wrong bag I guess......

 

Sure, that must be it then.

[skovbo13]

I presume all the posters above recommending the Billingham are referring to the Hadley Large Camera Bag?

 

If yes, that one does seem quite nice.

 

Regarding the A&A's, I think I would rather size up and get a 7000 model instead, which seems the safer bet for including a 13" laptop (or eventually a 15"). Apparently A&A released a new line called DCAM-xxxx, made completely out of supposedly water resistant material. (link is in german).

 

Does anyone here have any experience with those?

[skovbo13]

This does look pretty close to what I am looking for:

 

(Image from www.overgaard.dk)

[skovbo13]

So I decided to go ahead and ordered a black Billingham Hadley Pro, directly through the Billingham website.

 

My payment went apparently through and I got a "order processing" e-mail sent back, but have not heard back from Billingham since. Note that this is a week ago now. I did send about four e-mails to their customer service address on their website, no answer, nothing. I can't get through to their phone-number either.

 

Has anyone made this experience by dealing directly with Billingham?

 

I find this rather strange behaviour for a company priding itself in producing top-quality equipment, and selling it at this price.

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Hallo,

Look here: Interesting Leica gear

[LeicaPassion]

Any suggestions for a bag for a M9 and one lens (35 cron)? It should be well padded and rain proof. I've looked at the Hadley digital but it seems a bit large. Sometimes one lens is enough for a shoot. Many thanks.