Let's keep it compact

[jaapv]

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Now this is s perfect travel kit:

CL, Summicron 40, Voigtlander Color-Skopar 25 and Zeiss Tele-tessar 85. SF 40D and a few batteries. It can handle just about anything one might encounter on the road, and fits into a small Billingham Stowaway Airline ( https://billingham.co.uk/products/airline-stowaway ) and leave room for your passport.

 

 

 

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[grahamhoey]

For me it is the CL with the TL 18-56 and the 35 1.4. A few batteries. Gives me the auto focus capability. Probably about the same size pack. Realize it doesn’t have the reach of yours but quality is usually good enough to crop image. 

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[Marac]

Nice tight, light kit with a good variety of quality glass. All fits into that little billy bag, mind you, I've never been a fan of flash.

[jaapv]

I mostly use flash for fill. 

[berkdirt]

For me, it's a CL with a 24mm Elmar and 35 and 50 Summarits.  It fits nicely in a Peak Design 5L bag.  Small and light and I really like how this camera handles manual focus.

[scroy]

My compact kit, is my TL2 + 35mm Summilux-TL, 60mm Macro-TL with an old Billingham Alice bag.

I go through phases where the 35mm Summilux is replaced by a 35mm Voigtlander Nockton, or a 55-135mm-TL zoom.

 

[RickP]

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My travel kit is usually TL2, 18-56, 40 VM 1.4 and one of the following : 55-135,-  85 Zeiss ZM, - 18 Zeiss ZM - depending upon whether or not I think I will need a short tele, a long tele, or just have fun with my 18 Zeiss.   I will admit, having just returned from a Thailand trip, the 18-56 was certainly the most used lens in my bag .. 90%!.  The 40 VM 1.4 was for low light situations.  I did not anticipate any need tele wildlife photos 55-135 so I brought the18.

 

Rick

[Jim-St]

For me, CL + 18mm Elmarit-TL, Summarit-M 35mm or Voigtlander 40mm f/1.4, and Voigtlander 90mm APO-Lanthar works well, in a cheap multi-pocket bag I bought years ago in Chiang Mai.

Now if I could just find a way to get out the front door without that pesky LX100 jumps into my pocket.... well, I guess that's never gonna happen 

Jim

[lct]

Digital CL, Summarit 35/2.5, Summarit 50/2.5, Skopar 21/4. The tiny combi case for film CL is almost too big for them.

 

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[ramarren]

Leica CL, Color Skopar 28mm f/3.5, Pentax-L 43mm f/1.9 Limited, M-Rokkor 90mm f/4. Three batteries, two 128G cards, Peak Design "Leash" neck strap, RRS tabletop tripod and ball head, Nitecore battery charger... No flash needed. Fits in a tiny bag (like a Wotancraft Mini Rider), weighs about a kilogram and a half. Would cover what I want when I'm on the road nearly all the time. 

It's amusing because I haven't carried that kit yet. Lately, I've been carrying the CL with a two lens setup: Super-Elmar-R 15mm f/3.5 and Pentax-L 43mm f/1.9 Limited. That jams and fills a Peak Design Everyday Sling 5L and weighs about 4kg, is a bit of a lump on my back when I'm cycling, but I love what I've been getting with it.

[stevegaskin]

I found this Domke case which is strong but lightweight and holds most of my kit including the CL with 23mm, 11-23,18-56, SF26 Flash, spare batteries and SD cards, plus other bits and pieces.  I also have a 90mm Tele-Elmar which doesn’t fit with all of this, but as I seldom need every lens when I go out, I can just leave one lens at home. 

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[Ricard0]

This is a great thread - you guys are giving me plenty of bags to check out, but I'd like to narrow this down a bit based on your experience.  (And yes, I know the subject is "Let's keep it compact" and maybe I'm wandering off-topic just a bit, but I'd argue my question still fits.

I currently have a CL with the TL 35 and TL 11-22 and HOPE to have a 55-135 (and although a stretch, an 18-56) by mid-April, when I'll be taking a trip to Spain and Portugal for a few weeks.  Immediately after purchasing the CL I saw a review of the new, smaller Wotancraft Ryker bag and loved the looks and design, so ordered one.   It is definitely a quality bag and holds the CL + + 35 + 11-23 lenses and batteries, etc.  but it will not be big enough to hold 3 lenses plus my iPad, tickets, etc. for the longer trip.  So I'm looking for suggestion on the best travel bag for this purpose.

Based on jaapv's  Billingham bag I've been looking at the Hadley Pro ( https://billingham.co.uk/collections/camera-bags/products/hadley-pro?variant=8866662776875 ) and the Peak Designs 5L messenger bag - although I've ruled out the messenger bag 'style'.   Anyone here have the Hadley or similar and if so, would you recommend it for the above described purpose?   Other suggestions?   

I'm really learning a lot from you 'old pros' and hope the questions I keep coming to this forum with generate answers and suggestions that others find as useful as I do!

Thanks!

 

-rich-

[jaapv]

Billingham for Leica.

[ramarren]

2 hours ago, Ricard0 said:

This is a great thread - you guys are giving me plenty of bags to check out, but I'd like to narrow this down a bit based on your experience.  (And yes, I know the subject is "Let's keep it compact" and maybe I'm wandering off-topic just a bit, but I'd argue my question still fits.

I currently have a CL with the TL 35 and TL 11-22 and HOPE to have a 55-135 (and although a stretch, an 18-56) by mid-April, when I'll be taking a trip to Spain and Portugal for a few weeks.  Immediately after purchasing the CL I saw a review of the new, smaller Wotancraft Ryker bag and loved the looks and design, so ordered one.   It is definitely a quality bag and holds the CL + + 35 + 11-23 lenses and batteries, etc.  but it will not be big enough to hold 3 lenses plus my iPad, tickets, etc. for the longer trip.  So I'm looking for suggestion on the best travel bag for this purpose.

Based on jaapv's  Billingham bag I've been looking at the Hadley Pro ( https://billingham.co.uk/collections/camera-bags/products/hadley-pro?variant=8866662776875 ) and the Peak Designs 5L messenger bag - although I've ruled out the messenger bag 'style'.   Anyone here have the Hadley or similar and if so, would you recommend it for the above described purpose?   Other suggestions?   

I'm really learning a lot from you 'old pros' and hope the questions I keep coming to this forum with generate answers and suggestions that others find as useful as I do!

Thanks!

I had a Billingham Hadley Pro and replaced it with a Black Label Bag "Oskar's One Day Bag Mark II" from Photo Village in New York. This bag feels a bit smaller than the Hadley Pro but holds more. Its interior pocket/padding is all one piece, unlike the A&A bags it's modeled on) so you can quickly pull all the photo gear out and keep it all nicely together, repurpose the bag for use as a day bag when traveling and you don't want/need all the photo gear along with you. It's about as weatherproof as the Hadley Pro as well, plus or minus, and easier to get in and out of. The selection of pockets and such makes it very handy. The black canvas with leather trim is both inconspicuous and very comfortable when you're wearing it. An iPad Pro 11" fits into it easily. On my last trip, I carried it with the CL, Summilux-R 50mm, Elmarit-R 28mm, and all the various papers, chargers, cables, cards, and things I needed for six weeks of travel as my every day use bag. (A 22L rollaway carried all my clothes and such.) I've used this bag on every long trip since 2011 and it's still looking like new. Nicely made, quality materials, good design. 

The Peak Designs "Everyday Messenger" bags are not sold by the 5L designation so I'm not sure which bag there you're talking about. They're sold in a 13" and 15" sizes, and are larger than a 5L capacity, I'm pretty sure. They're very good bags, however, with a more modern, technical feel and design than the Black Label Bag. I don't have one, but recommended them to a couple of friends who have used them happily for several years now.

I think you might be referring to the Peak Design "Everyday Sling" bags, which are sold in 5L and 10L variants. The Everyday Sling 5L is my most used bag at present: it's a lovely design that I carry the CL and usually 2 lenses around in. It *can* fit the iPad Pro 11" but is a tighter fit than I'm comfortable with... works better with the iPad mini up to the iPad Pro 9x7". Switch to the compact CL kit (with three lenses) that I mentioned before, it would all fit easily along with the iPad mini. It's a little tight as an all around travel bag, however. The Everyday Sling 10L I have also ... Haven't used it much yet, but it's significantly larger and would fit everything you've mentioned plus up to a 13" MacBook Air or Pro, and most of the miscellany you need for travel too. It's another very nice design with an expansion feature that keeps it slim if you aren't carrying quite so much, and has a place to sling a tripod along as well. 

Yes, I have way too many bags... LOL! 

[Ricard0]

41 minutes ago, ramarren said:

 

The Peak Designs "Everyday Messenger" bags are not sold by the 5L designation so I'm not sure which bag there you're talking about. They're sold in a 13" and 15" sizes, and are larger than a 5L capacity, I'm pretty sure. They're very good bags, however, with a more modern, technical feel and design than the Black Label Bag. I don't have one, but recommended them to a couple of friends who have used them happily for several years now.

I think you might be referring to the Peak Design "Everyday Sling" bags, which are sold in 5L and 10L variants. The Everyday Sling 5L is my most used bag at present: it's a lovely design that I carry the CL and usually 2 lenses around in. It *can* fit the iPad Pro 11" but is a tighter fit than I'm comfortable with... works better with the iPad mini up to the iPad Pro 9x7". Switch to the compact CL kit (with three lenses) that I mentioned before, it would all fit easily along with the iPad mini. It's a little tight as an all around travel bag, however. 

Thanks for the suggestions.  I'm checking out the Oskar's now...  If I might ask, why'd you move from the Hadley Pro to the Oskar's?

I like the tech features of the Peak Design 5L (yes, I was referring to the Everyday Sling) but not keen on messenger / sling style bags.  And the 10L looks to big, while the 5L isn't much bigger than the really nice leather Wotancraft, which I'll use when I'm only using 1 or 2 lenses.   FYI,  I'd considered getting the 'pancake' lens for the CL but since I also have a D-Lux (typ 109) if I REALLY want to travel light (back to the theme of this thread!) I can just carry that camera in it's *really* small carry case.

Yes, it sounds like you DO have too many bags - wanna sell one?  :^)

[Dippy]

4 hours ago, Ricard0 said:

This is a great thread - you guys are giving me plenty of bags to check out, but I'd like to narrow this down a bit based on your experience.  (And yes, I know the subject is "Let's keep it compact" and maybe I'm wandering off-topic just a bit, but I'd argue my question still fits.

I currently have a CL with the TL 35 and TL 11-22 and HOPE to have a 55-135 (and although a stretch, an 18-56) by mid-April, when I'll be taking a trip to Spain and Portugal for a few weeks.  Immediately after purchasing the CL I saw a review of the new, smaller Wotancraft Ryker bag and loved the looks and design, so ordered one.   It is definitely a quality bag and holds the CL + + 35 + 11-23 lenses and batteries, etc.  but it will not be big enough to hold 3 lenses plus my iPad, tickets, etc. for the longer trip.  So I'm looking for suggestion on the best travel bag for this purpose.

Based on jaapv's  Billingham bag I've been looking at the Hadley Pro ( https://billingham.co.uk/collections/camera-bags/products/hadley-pro?variant=8866662776875 ) and the Peak Designs 5L messenger bag - although I've ruled out the messenger bag 'style'.   Anyone here have the Hadley or similar and if so, would you recommend it for the above described purpose?   Other suggestions?   

I'm really learning a lot from you 'old pros' and hope the questions I keep coming to this forum with generate answers and suggestions that others find as useful as I do!

Thanks!

 

-rich-

I live between two different cities so my dilemma is that I would always want to have everything with me. I bought the new Billingham Hadley One https://billingham.co.uk/collections/camera-bags/products/hadley-one  which allows me to carry all my kit between my two homes. When I go out shooting I simply pack what I want into a Peak Design 5L sling (which I like a lot) and I'm off. If I'm driving around different places I'll just throw the big bag into the car and I have everything to hand when I decide which lens I want. I have all the lenses you mention plus a couple of Voigtlanders and they all go in along with charger, filters, spare batteries, a rocket blower etc. etc. and there is still room to spare  (or if you prefer - room for more lenses, a second body, a laptop, etc. ) 

Make no mistake it is quite a big bag. I am female, quite slight and not particularly strong (I won't even mention the age thing!) so lifting the bag when fully loaded is something I can only do for a relatively short distance but there are some specific reasons why I chose it over the smaller Pro:

• it has a cusomisable interior which means that if you want to you can use half for camera gear and half for all the other stuff you carry when travelling. Frankly - even with all my camera gear in it there is still plenty of room for other stuff. 
• It has one of those things at the back that allows you to slip it over the handle of a suitcase so that you don't actually have to carry it!
• it has a detachable strap 

I find that combining it with the Peak Design 5L Sling gives me total flexibility. 

Hope that helps. 

[jaapv]

Note that Billingham has a quite good backpack harness that fits most of their bags. Not that the word "compact" comes into it

[Ricard0]

4 hours ago, jaapv said:

Billingham for Leica.

Beautiful bag, but the Billingham for Leica is about the same size as the Wotancraft bag I already bought, so that rules it out.

I happened to find the Oskar's One Day Bag Mark II at less than half price ($100) on Amazon, so I've ordered one of those.   I may yet wind up with a Peak Designs bag as well - possibly even breaking ramarren's record for # of bags owned.    ;^)

And thank you, Dippy, for the Billingham One recommendation.  I may get one of those some day too.  I'll just need to 'acquire' more Leica gear so I can justify it!

 

[ramarren]

9 hours ago, Ricard0 said:

Thanks for the suggestions.  I'm checking out the Oskar's now...  If I might ask, why'd you move from the Hadley Pro to the Oskar's?

I like the tech features of the Peak Design 5L (yes, I was referring to the Everyday Sling) but not keen on messenger / sling style bags.  And the 10L looks to big, while the 5L isn't much bigger than the really nice leather Wotancraft, which I'll use when I'm only using 1 or 2 lenses.   FYI,  I'd considered getting the 'pancake' lens for the CL but since I also have a D-Lux (typ 109) if I REALLY want to travel light (back to the theme of this thread!) I can just carry that camera in it's *really* small carry case.

Yes, it sounds like you DO have too many bags - wanna sell one?  :^)

The Hadley Pro always felt a bit large and heavy to me, and didn't carry as much as I expected it should for its size. The Oskar's bag feels a lot smaller and seems to hold more, and it's lighter. 

Comparing the Wotancraft Mini Rider with the Peak Design Everyday Sling 5L is interesting: the major portion of the two bags is quite different in shape. The Mini Rider fits the M-D and its lenses better; the Everyday Sling 5L fits my Polaroid SX-70, CL, or Light L16 better. I couldn't fit the iPad Pro 9x7 into the Mini Rider at all, where it fit nicely in the 5L. The Mini Rider's straps hold it securely in place when I'm cycling, where the Everyday Sling 5L will move around a bit. 

I have too many bags because I have accreted too much equipment, I fear. I do want to sell some of them, but I haven't gotten to organizing what's for sale yet so that I can do it. After mid-February, there should be time to get to that.

 

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