Another bag thread

[popum]

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I've been very happy with my A&A Day Bag. Just perfect for going out with my M8 and a couple of extra lenses, batteries, etc. Now I have a new need. I just bought a MacBook and need a bag that I can travel on an airplane with the MacBook, charger, backup hard drive, camera, lenses, charger brick, cell phone, charger, ipod, etc.

 

I prefer shoulder bags but would consider a backpack. Any thoughts?

 

Thanks, Mike

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[marknorton]

I'm travelling at the moment with a Lowepro Stealth D650 which takes a laptop, my Lowepro Omni Traveller bag inside it (two cameras, 6 lenses, flash, charger and batteries) plus all the other stuff needed when travelling - iPod, Phone, Travel Dox, notebook, and the rest. I check a much smaller Crumpler bag to decant stuff from the bigger bags for individual use "on the day".

[RMF]

I use a Billingham Hadley Pro to carry nearly the exact gear you mentioned (except I use a small Dell XPS 1210 whcih is about the same size as the small Macbook). In addition I attach a Billingham Avea 6 on the side of my Hadley which carries an M6 body and my Nexto downloader). Once I get to my destination I have the option of detaching the Avea and just carry what I need for the day in my Hadley. The Hadley+Avea+shoulder pad = lots of $$$$ but its a good system that should last a very long time. Overall it's perfect for carry-on with your M's and a laptop plus the necessary misc stuff; passport, tickets, ipod, headphones, etc..

 

Another option that I am looking in to is the Lowepro Omni Traveler. It works with the Pelican 1450 and looking at the lowepro omni traveler dimensions it appears that it would hold a small laptop.

[popum]

Mark

 

Do I understand that you've taken the dividers/padding out of the Stealth and use it as a carrier for the Traveler and the laptop?

 

Mike

[glenerrolrd]

I've been very happy with my A&A Day Bag. Just perfect for going out with my M8 and a couple of extra lenses, batteries, etc. Now I have a new need. I just bought a MacBook and need a bag that I can travel on an airplane with the MacBook, charger, backup hard drive, camera, lenses, charger brick, cell phone, charger, ipod, etc.

 

I prefer shoulder bags but would consider a backpack. Any thoughts?

 

Thanks, Mike

I use the Billingham Hadley Large....which can hold a MacBook Pro 15, 2 M8s with smaller lenses and 2 additional lenses stacked . Plus front pockets for additional gear or lenses. I feel it works perfectly for airtravel. Its a little heavy and tightly filled with everything..but you typically unload the MacBook and at the hotel. Once you take the out one M8 ...its light and balances nicely either on your hip or you can sling it around back. I used this for 12 days in Germany ..worked perfectly. IMHO ....trying to get the smallest possible bag ..doesn t do much for you . The advantage of the Hadley is that its thin and tall ..so it stays on your hip verses bouncing around like the normal sized bags. Another finding...I found my perfect vest.. its a new model by Filson(they make hunting and fishing gear) called the Traveler. Nice feature is a very large front pocket that you can easily put a lens or even a M8 with lens. Its a side entry with a deep pocket . With the vest and a Hadley you should be set .

[marknorton]

Mark

 

Do I understand that you've taken the dividers/padding out of the Stealth and use it as a carrier for the Traveler and the laptop?

 

Mike

 

Mike, the Stealth has a grey foam insert which I leave in place - it takes the Lowepro Omni Traveller, a laptop and a pair of Leica Duovid binoculars. I do remove the internal partitions within the grey insert which I can put back in if I'm taking dSLR stuff. The Omno Traveller is ideal because it opens like an attache case and everything-M is there for easy access.

 

If you remove the foam insert entirely, you have more space but less padding. It's a big bag but in a world of one-carry-on-only, it works well for me.

[popum]

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Thanks Mark and all.

 

Mike

[jrc]

I've got a lot of photo bags and none were quite right for long-distance travel -- too much for photo, not enough for other stuff. So for my next trip (Minneapolis to Vienna and then on to Tel Aviv) I have a new Tumi carry-on bag, rather like a very large briefcase. It'll carry a laptop, an M8 and several lenses, earphones, books, magazines, cell, a jacket, pens and pencils, notepads, prescription medicine, etc. I could probably get a pair of sandals in there. My biggest problem is that I suspect I could fill it up with so much stuff that it becomes a nightmare to carry -- no wheels, only a shoulder strap. I will also carry a simple Domke F6, folded flat, in my checked luggage for daily carry with the M8.

 

When I was shopping for this bag, I came across several varieties by different makers, both backpack and shoulder bags, wheeled and unwheeled. They're not made specifically for photography, but they are readily adaptable. I suspect they are being produced in answer to the growing restrictions on carry-ons -- they're big enough to hold just about everything you'd normally carry separately, but you've only got One Bag.

 

JC

[tbarker13]

I've been working on a 2-bag setup.

I use the hadley pro as the main bag. Holds my M8 with a lens, as well as 4 more lenses in the main compartment along with Dell xps 1210. Memory cards, batteries and a book fit in the outer pouches.

I toss a smaller bag in my checked luggage to use when I'm walking around traveling light - the M8 and 1 or 2 lenses.