Shoulder bag?

[rfesk]

I have an old Photoflex (discontinued.) It has the shoulderstrap but also a waist belt that transfers most of the load to the hips. As long as you aren't hiking a long distance it is very confortable.

The top flips away from the body which allows easy access.

[Steve Goldstein]

Thanks for the tip on the Tamrac Velocity. The #7 is just the thing for my Mamiya 7 plus lenses and other necessities when circumstances dictate travelling light.

[David McNiven]

I used to like Billingham for the fact that the soft canvas didn't ruin expensive clothes in five minutes like the cordura bags did.
Then the foam they used in the padded separators turned to dust. I'll never buy another.

[David de Gruyl]

Courierware Messanger Bag. If you want padding (i use lens wraps), that is available from extra-small to medium. If you don't, be careful how big a bag you get. Remember, a bags normal state is full... I worked as a courier, a while ago, and swear by these bags: I own two, and a third which is made by them for someone else's label.

The inside pockets on the front fit 4-4x5 film holders or one grafmatic + 1 standard.

[gnuyork]

I use a domke satchel and everything I need fits in there just barely, though not now that I got a multiple lens case and more lenses, it's a tighter squeeze and I can't fasten the bag shut. Also with the lens case there is no room for the camera in the bag with film holders (I have 8). No big deal. I just did a hike up some steep climbs (with steps) with that and my Berlebach tripod - with camera attached (folded) slung over my shoulder. Worked fine.

I still always put the bag down though. There is no way I can practically set up with that thing hanging on my shoulder.

[Daniel_Buck]

I like my Domke f2, but I've never used it for large format, only 35mm and medium. Very well made, and comfortable

[gnuyork]

I switch with my domke between LF and my Leica rangerfinder. It's more suited to the RF, but I used to really like it for LF, though now that I have a couple more of the bigger lenses I may switch to using one of my back packs since most of the LF images I take require hiking into somewhere.

my only complaint lately is that it seems using it with my Leica, is that the lens cap is not one of those that seals closed, but rather clips on, and that bag seems to get dusty inside the canvas material and thus I have a pretty filthy lens right now. I may see if I can change to a different lens cap and it should be fine.

[hiroki]

I was in the same dilemma before. I purchased a LowePro Vertex 200 and 300 AW II. Then, occasionally I'd find it troublesome to have to put the backpack down, zip it open completely to be able to access all the gear. That uses quite some space on the ground, too. It's especially troublesome in areas with lots of pedestrians walking by or just limited area to 'spread'.

Out of that experience I went to the shops again and bought 2 shoulder bags. A Kata H-14 for my DSLR + 3 lenses + filters and a National Geographic shoulder bag (NG 2475) for my medium format camera (Rolleiflex 6008 + 3 lenses + filters). I didnt even think of my large format equipment at that point, but I quickly noticed that even the Linhof (Master Technika) + 3 lenses (5.6/75, 5.6/150, 5.6/300) fit in easily.

However, after some time I noticed that the shoulder bag was bothering me in another way. Resting on just one shoulder, walking around with the heavily loaded shoulder bag would become quite painful. One shoulder would end up hurting, then I'd have to switch to the other shoulder, which would hurt, too. Then I end up switching from side to side. At the end of the day both shoulders would hurt quite badly. Especially long city walks (2-3+ hrs) are impossible - at least for me...

Recently then I needed a daypack for my trip to Paris. Its purpose was to hold my large format equipment, if possible 1DSLR body + 1lens, a tripod and maybe have some space left for other not camera-related stuff. I looked into the Kata DR-467i. I bought it and quite like it. Yes, it is a backpack, but the camera-compartment opens in a way that you can access the gear from the top and not from the front of the bag. The bag kinda unites for me the advantages of both worlds: 1) it's as convenient to carry as a backpack, 2) you don't need to put it on the ground to access your gear.

Of course I often put the new bag on the ground anyway, just to have the weight off me. But even when on the ground, to access my gear I dont need to open it all the way.
So now, I'll get rid of my Vertex 200 and shoulder bag and just keep this one. Obviously it's not a huge bag, which means I still need a bigger backpack (Vertex 300) when I want to bring both my large and medium format equipment.

[Brian Stein]

I use the domke f2 for my crown and stuff which fits in well, is easily accessible, but as mentioned above I find it way too heavy for comfortable carrying more than a few hundred metres. The "where do I put the bloody tripod" problem is perennial. For anything more than that I go to the backpack

[Doremus Scudder]

I carry a Wista DX, four lenses and two sets of six filters plus a darkcloth in a fanny pack. The pack has a shoulder strap so that when I go to work I can simply unfasten the belt, sling the pack over to one side and work out of it as I would a shoulder bag. I carry meter and small accessories in a fly-fishing vest. Film holders go in a separate pouch slung over my shoulder. The tripod gets carried or, when the going gets rough and I need all fours to scramble, gets strapped on under the fanny pack.

When I set up, the film pouch goes on the tripod centerpost lock knob to add a bit of weight and stability as well as be convenient, and the fanny pack turns into a shoulder bag so nothing ever has to touch the ground.

Here's a photo of my kit in action on the Oregon coast: http://www.doremusscudder.com/?m=9&s=40

Best,

Doremus Scudder