What bag to carry the M-11 in?

[Marc B-C]

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2 hours ago, JackieMac said:

I

+1 for these.

I can't say enough good things about Retrospective series bags and have used them for years (I have an R5, R7, and R7 2.0). It has that minimalist not-a-camera-bag vibe that I like, but also has lot more. I really love the workhorse look of these bags in pinestone (although YMMV). Crazy amount of storage pockets/pouches inside. Little loops inside to clip on a carabiner for keys or memory card wallet. "Silencers" for the velcro that make it easy to access. And an incredibly handy waterproof "raincoat" that easily slips over in case you're caught in the rain.

+1.

Whilst not an M11 owner, I too have a couple of the ThinkTank Retrospective bags (30 and 7). Absolutely love them - I even used to use one as my EDC to the London office. I also have the Mirrorless Mover 20 which just about fits my Q2, house keys and iPhone 12 pro Max.

[RMF]

21 hours ago, idusidusi said:

I just bought an Oberwerth Q Backpack, it has an M11 + lens + 135mm + iPad and I haven't figured out what else could fit other than umbrella and spare battery. Comfortable and a small backpack and well thought out. Not overly heavy leather either.

@idusidusi I would love to see some pics of your Oberwerth loaded out as it’s difficult to gauge the true size of the interior from Oberwerth’s site. It looks like the ideal size for a small kit and I think a backpack is one of the least conspicuous forms of carry since they are so ubiquitous on the street. 
 

[Jeff S]

6 hours ago, colint544 said:

The Billingham bags are undoubtedly great. Beautifully made, watertight, reliable. I have the small Hadley Pro, and I would always use that for any sort of travel. But because it's so solidly constructed, it's heavy, even with nothing in it.

So if I'm just wandering around town, I'll use my ThinkTank Retrospective 5. Surprised nobody else has given this bag a shout. It's light, unobtrusive, nobody can even decide if it's grey, or if it's dull green. The manufacturer calls the colour 'Pinestone'. It's a bag that nobody looks twice at. It's made of canvas, has a decent padded base, a big front pocket, zip compartment at the back, plenty of space for a Leica M, a few lenses, accessories, and more.

I've had mine since 2010, used it in all weather conditions. Never lets me down.

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Funny how tastes vary. I’ve found the Retro line  material too thick and heavy, without the secure top flap protection of the Hadleys.  The Retro 5 is 2lbs, while the Small Hadley Pro is 1.76 lbs despite being bigger.  I took my gear to my local stores for trial carry, but preferred the Billinghams to the Think Tanks, especially with the FiberNyte material, not the denser canvas.  My shoulder bags are black without loud logos, regardless of brand, for a discreet appearance.  
 

Choices are good.   Whatever works.

Jeff

[idusidusi]

1 hour ago, RMF said:

@idusidusi I would love to see some pics of your Oberwerth loaded out as it’s difficult to gauge the true size of the interior from Oberwerth’s site. It looks like the ideal size for a small kit and I think a backpack is one of the least conspicuous forms of carry since they are so ubiquitous on the street. 
 

Just sent you some images via message.

[Herr Barnack]

+1 on the Think Tank Retrospective bags. 

I have the Retrospective 7 v.2 and it is outstanding as @colint544 observed about the Retrospective 5.

[tom0511]

Am 28.5.2022 um 12:45 schrieb colint544:

The Billingham bags are undoubtedly great. Beautifully made, watertight, reliable. I have the small Hadley Pro, and I would always use that for any sort of travel. But because it's so solidly constructed, it's heavy, even with nothing in it.

So if I'm just wandering around town, I'll use my ThinkTank Retrospective 5. Surprised nobody else has given this bag a shout. It's light, unobtrusive, nobody can even decide if it's grey, or if it's dull green. The manufacturer calls the colour 'Pinestone'. It's a bag that nobody looks twice at. It's made of canvas, has a decent padded base, a big front pocket, zip compartment at the back, plenty of space for a Leica M, a few lenses, accessories, and more.

I've had mine since 2010, used it in all weather conditions. Never lets me down.

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I also own a bag of this type which I often use for Leica M.

[Ouroboros]

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For my Leica cameras it's a Billingham Hadley Digital and Hadley Small (front), a CCS Heritage and Barbour leather Tarras with a Tenba BYOB 10 insert (the insert can also be used as a stand alone bag with a Peak Design strap attached).  I also use an assortment of CCS pouches.

I use the CCS Heritage bag for carrying medium format cameras, it will take a Hasselblad 503cw, a spare back and a couple of lenses, light meter and film with ease.  Unfortunately CCS went out of business a few years ago, a great shame as their products were (still are!) amongst the best around and this Heritage bag is subjectively better in some ways than a similar size Billingham.  It's a relatively heavy bag but it has never let in rain or become damp inside even during the torrential downpours and gales that we often have here in the Western Isles.

The Barbour Tarras bag is primarily aimed at the shooting/angling mob, but it doubles up as a useful bag for chucking stuff in for a day out, such as a waterproof jacket, snacks, phone Leica M etc.  It becomes a camera bag with the addition of the Tenba or any other suitable insert which transforms it from it's normal soft and floppy state to a more stable structure.  It's relatively heavy in leather, but comfortable to carry.

A camera bag for me is not a fashion statement, it has to be functional, reasonably weatherproof and the strap should go around and under the bag for secure carrying.

 

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[DoubleE]

I’m on the hunt for a smallish new bag myself.  Something just for an M body and a few lenses, with a bit of extra room for personal stuff.  I’ve owed  lot of different bags over the years, and really nothing has been perfect… well maybe the Fogg Bee, but mine wore out and they have priced themselves out of my consideration.   I had several Bellingham’s, but my Hadley was appropriated by my wife to use as a purse and my 225 was stolen at an airport. I had the 550 too, but it was just too big and floppy.  Maybe it was trauma from the theft, but now in my mind any Billingham has Steal Me written on it in big letters and really none of them was quite right for me.  I also have a Think Tank Retrospective 11, but it’s too deep to be convenient for M cameras.  I hate the way the velcro TT uses  is so aggressive you have to shake the bag violently to get it open and it sounds like you ripped a bedsheet in half.  For me the best bags are the kind that you can close securely, but are also designed to left open and worked out of.  If you can get in and out of it silently, that’s a big plus.  The most all around useful, well designed and discrete bag I’ve owned was the Domke F-2.  You could set it on a cart or the floor and with the top open it became a sort of mini work station.  Unlike Fogg and Billingham, the carry handle works the same whether the bag is open or closed.  It was comfortable to carry and didn’t advertise that you have expensive stuff in it.  There were a few negatives, I felt like mine wore out faster than it should have and also the steel clips that hold it closed look like they could do some damage to gear, though they never did.   Anyway, in spite of my minor criticisms, I guess my next bag will be another F-2 or the smaller F-6.

[fisheess]

Sounds like Wotancraft is a possible choice for you. I placed an order for their new scout bag and will report once it arrives.

[DoubleE]

 

5 hours ago, fisheess said:

Sounds like Wotancraft is a possible choice for you. I placed an order for their new scout bag and will report once it arrives.

Wotancraft looks very nice for sure.  Maybe too nice for me, but I look forward to hearing your impressions.

[Eugene Young]

I recently bought Oberwerth m11 edtion. It is compact and light also beauty. But the weak point is that the size is a liile bit small only to carry the camera and only one extra lens.

Edited June 2, 2022 by Eugene Young

[stefanusj]

On 5/28/2022 at 5:45 PM, colint544 said:

The Billingham bags are undoubtedly great. Beautifully made, watertight, reliable. I have the small Hadley Pro, and I would always use that for any sort of travel. But because it's so solidly constructed, it's heavy, even with nothing in it.

So if I'm just wandering around town, I'll use my ThinkTank Retrospective 5. Surprised nobody else has given this bag a shout. It's light, unobtrusive, nobody can even decide if it's grey, or if it's dull green. The manufacturer calls the colour 'Pinestone'. It's a bag that nobody looks twice at. It's made of canvas, has a decent padded base, a big front pocket, zip compartment at the back, plenty of space for a Leica M, a few lenses, accessories, and more.

I've had mine since 2010, used it in all weather conditions. Never lets me down.

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What a beautiful "patina" there!!! LOVES it!

[nilsen]

Here's a picture of the Wotancraft pilot 7L. It fits the same camera gear as a hadley small pro, but way more of "other stuff" because of its multiple pockets and external modules. I'm very impressed.

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[Archiver]

The Hadley Pro, with its the infernally cumbersome overflap, has the distinction of looking like every other Leica shooter's bag. So much so that when I visited my local secondhand Leica dealer, I thought the tan Billinghams sitting on the sofa were stock, when they actually belonged to customers who put them there.

For the past five or so years, my preference for a M kit has been the Crumpler Dry Red Boarding Bag in black. It's low profile, soft enough to mould to your body but not so soft as to deform when a camera is inside. It doesn't look like a camera bag, making it less of a target. The bottom is not padded, so I use a long Billingham foam strip to create padding and add a bit of structure. Other Billingham foam bits can be used to create dividers for lenses. The Dry Red Boarding bag is discontinued, but the nearest equivalent from Crumpler is the Dynamo. The Dynamo is even better in some ways, with a waterproof reinforced base, a padded divider for a tablet inside, and water resistant zips.

[nilsen]

2 hours ago, Archiver said:

The Hadley Pro, with its the infernally cumbersome overflap, has the distinction of looking like every other Leica shooter's bag. So much so that when I visited my local secondhand Leica dealer, I thought the tan Billinghams sitting on the sofa were stock, when they actually belonged to customers who put them there.

😂 very true

[idusidusi]

13 minutes ago, nilsen said:

😂 very true

I can agree that as Billinghams sell more and more, they are now definitely recognised as a camera bag. I don't find the overflap cumbersome at all. I do find the zip to the inside on the eventer cumbersome though. So I have the Oberwerth Sling for light outfit and Q-Backpack for times when I need a tablet with me as well. Neither Oberwerth look like camera bags as much as the Billinghams. However, how well will the zips everywhere Oberwerths cope with rain?! The Billingham in that respect is King, in 20 years almost of Billingham bags not once have they allowed rain inside and I have been out at car meetings when it literally bucketed it down.

[Photoworks]

I have a few Billinghams for many years. the bit plus over the years is that even the 10 year old one still look clean and presentable. can not say that about any other camera bag that I have..

My favorite for the M cameras is the Billinghams F 1.4. small and light 

[idusidusi]

22 minutes ago, Photoworks said:

My favorite for the M cameras is the Billinghams F 1.4. small and light 

Oberwerth Sling for me now. Before Hadley Pro.

[DoubleE]

I just bought a Domke F-6.  It seems pretty all around excellent, though maybe slightly too large for an M system.  I almost always have other stuff with me when I’m bringing the M along, so actually it’s about the perfect size for me.  It won’t fit an iPad, though, and also won’t fit a water bottle so in fact not that perfect.  I still like it.  Has that quality of being very accessible while still protecting your gear—Domke has nailed that aspect better than any other bag I’ve tried.  I also ordered a Domke F1-x which is one of their bigger bags.  My plan is to replace the Think Tank backpack that currently holds my Sony A7S III which is the camera I use for my professional videography (if client won’t rent me an Alexa or Red).  I’m kind of over theThink Tank system, I want more flexibility and less pockets…  

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Hallo,

Look here: Interesting Leica gear

[Photoworks]

11 hours ago, DoubleE said:

I just bought a Domke F-6.  It seems pretty all around excellent, though maybe slightly too large for an M system.  I almost always have other stuff with me when I’m bringing the M along, so actually it’s about the perfect size for me.  It won’t fit an iPad, though, and also won’t fit a water bottle so in fact not that perfect.  I still like it.  Has that quality of being very accessible while still protecting your gear—Domke has nailed that aspect better than any other bag I’ve tried.  I also ordered a Domke F1-x which is one of their bigger bags.  My plan is to replace the Think Tank backpack that currently holds my Sony A7S III which is the camera I use for my professional videography (if client won’t rent me an Alexa or Red).  I’m kind of over theThink Tank system, I want more flexibility and less pockets…  

I like the domke style... they don't hold up to well in the rain, and the unit slip rubber from the straps is crumbling of like snow. not a good look on a white shirt.