Shortly before I left for Europe I realized that I had no bag for my camera! I’ve been hauling thousands of dollars of equipment loosely in a backpack whenever I fly somewhere, and something told me that wasn’t going to work when I was walking around Vienna and Poland. I tweeted about my search and Thais wrote me this amazing email detailing all of the research she had done.

Here are the links for all the bags I found:

1. http://shootsac.com/

2. http://www.emerabags.com/

3. http://kellymoorebag.com/shop/

4. http://www.epiphaniebags.com/

5. http://martilena.com/index.shtml

6. http://kettihandbags.com/

7. http://www.jototes.com/

8. http://www.etsy.com/shop/janinekingdesigns?section_id=6585125

9. http://www.etsy.com/shop/PorteenGear?section_id=7144437

10. http://www.etsy.com/shop/xcessrize?ref=seller_info

I ordered mine from Jo Totes. I have their Missy bag in black. I took it to Paris with me and recently on our Boston trip. There a detachable cross body strap that comes with it and 4 inserts that you can arrange how you feel like. Since I’m new I only have the kit lens that’s always on the camera so I only use one insert. I have a Canon 7D. For Boston I rented the 24-105mm lens, but didn’t take my kit lens with me. I’ve never used the bag with multiple lenses in it like you would. I dedicate half of it for the camera with the lens attached and the other half I use as my purse.

Here are my main problems with the bag and why I don’t recommend it: 1. The empty bag is heavy! When you add in all the photography stuff then it’s almost unbearable to carry. In fact my husband (sweet as he is) ends up always carrying it while I shoot away. In Boston I carried it as a purse all day long on the first day while we did Harvard and Cambridge and the Boston temple and the next day my shoulders were sooo sore it was sad. Husband carried it the rest of the time. 2. The little zipper pull leather thing broke on the first day I had the bag. Now while that’s been fixed by me just adding a cute charm to the hook, it’s still not cool that it’d break that fast. 3. While it’s neat that you can change the inside to fit your needs. I find that the inserts aren’t sturdy enough and bend easily making it that a lot of little knick knacks will slide over to the camera slot, underneath the divider on the bottom of the bag, and things don’t stay organized like I’d like them too. I think I’d personally prefer one that has sewn in slots so that things aren’t crossing over. 4. The cross body strap is too thin for the size and weight of the camera and it’s uncomfortable to carry it around like that for me. My husband said it wasn’t a problem for him. But I dislike it a lot, I always carry is as a purse, but if he’s not around it makes for a nightmare to shoot since it’s hanging on my shoulder. 5. It’s not leather. It’s def fake leather, and it squeaks from time to time (you should have seen me trying to get it into the lockers at the Boston temple). Although I feel like the outside material is durable enough and it doesn’t look fake to other IMO. I have no dings or scratches on it yet, and I squeezed into the temple locker. lol

Here are the good things about it: It’s very deep. I think you could easily get a telephoto lens attached to the camera in it and be able to close the bag. There is plenty of room in the bag for 4-6 lenses because it is so big. I like it that even after the equipment is in you also have room at the top and I sneak in a scarf and a cardigan for when it gets late in the day and evening when it’s cooler. It’s pretty. It looks very professional and discrete enough that most people would call it luggage and never know there’s a $2,000 camera in it. I love the outside little pockets bc I can put my lens cap in it, along with chapstick and my cell phone and anything else that’s small and I use often. Easy access. I feel like my camera is safe in there. It’s padded throughout and I don’t worry about anything breaking. I think that’s about it. I can’t think of much else right now. I really hope all these links help you decide. Some of the bags are super expensive, some of them are cheaper.

Lynn has the Martilena bag, here’s her review on it: http://lynnlostinlove.blogspot.com/2010/01/lynn-in-love-with-camera-bags-and.html

And I know Naomi Davis has the Ketti bag, I saw her carrying it around at the photo retreat in Beynac that I attended. Naomi has a Rebel camera with a kit lens. She said she loves her ketti bag, but it’s much smaller than the other ones, so I’m not sure how well it’d work for us with much bigger bodies on our cameras.

Thais, you are amazing for writing this up for me!

I was looking for a bag to fit at least three lenses, and preferably have a way to stuff my body inside as well. Bare minimum I needed to be able to take some memory cards, lip gloss, extra battery, and my phone as well.

After yet another stellar recommendation for the Kelly Moore from Chelsea I decided to take the plunge. I was sure to love it, right?

Unfortunately this is not a positive review.

First a few pictures of the bag in action:

Krakow

Krakow

Vienna

First a few things that I like about the bag. The color is gorgeous and I’m so happy I went with purple instead of black. It’s a nice little pop of color to my usually black wardrobe. It has two pockets on the side which are a perfect, nice and tight, fit for my iPhone. It’s slim but still roomy, and as comfortable as you could expect a bag to be when it’s hauling around 3 L series lenses and a 5d body. I personally wouldn’t shoot with it because I think the Shootsac works much better for that purpose, but I wasn’t looking for a bag to do photo shoot with, I was looking for a bag to help me travel with my expensive equipment safely, that would allow me to casually shoot as I went along my merry little way.

This purchase was a mistake though, and I would never, ever recommend this particular bag to anyone who is travelling to any location that could be defined as a tourist location (i.e. a place where theft of valuable items like wallets, cameras, and phones is common). You can see it better in the pictures on the Kelly Moore site, but this bag doesn’t have a zipper closure. Which means I spent the majority of the trip clutching the bag anxiously, scared out of my mind that a pick-pocket was going to dip in quickly and snag one of my lenses (lenses that it would take me two whole weddings to replace!) when I wasn’t looking. I really wanted to like this bag, but due to this design choice, I hate it. I’d sell it, but the resale value is so much lower than what I paid that I figure it makes more sense from a financial standpoint to clutch desperately at my bag whenever I travel somewhere. Also, not to be all bitter, but mine didn’t come with a shoulder pad, which I should probably email them about because it might help the bag be a bit more comfortable.

If I had a do-over, I might buy the Posey from Kelly Moore instead. Unfortunately though, this experience has left me a little turned-off toward that particular brand of bags, so I think I’ll look into one of the Epiphanie bags for my next purchase.

If you’re written reviews on camera bags please go ahead and link to them below! Or if you haven’t posted about anything but you would be willing to share your experience. Maybe you can tell me about a bag I haven’t heard of yet that will be the right fit for me!

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