Hi,
As always, thanks for the great input regarding my question, some comments:
> For increased stealth factor, buy a medium-to-small
> (which should fit what your Option 1/2 requires
> subtle photo backpack, like the small Tenbas and
> sew a patch over the name (get a patch at a record,
> rollerblade etc. store).
Yeah, the patch is actually not such a bad idea, besides, by putting an Iron
Maiden one on it as Hans already suggested, the thieves might even be scared
of the bag, and I'd be supporting my favourite group (no Mozart nor Paul
Simon for me ;) ) and yes, IM is indeed a Heavy Metal group, although they
at times are also referred to as being Heavy Rock, let's just hope that
doesn't directly translate into added weight of the bag ;)
> befriend your camera store dealer and take your
> stuff there. It is the only way to really gauge the
> usefulness of a camera bag/pack.
Yeah, I considered doing that, but I don't know any camera dealers well
enough in order for them to provide me that kind of service on a Saturday
(as I have to work on all the other days that the shops are open), but maybe
bringing a little bit of equipment might be accepted.
> For me, it depends on how often I'll be needing
> access to the hardware. If a lot, then I'll choose a
> bag. If little, then the backpack. It's a bit of a
> pain with the latter.
This is a nasty trade-off, typically I have my stuff in a small camouflage
backpack which can also easily be worn over the shoulder. Normally when I
travel there are big stretches during which I don't take a single picture
and merely use the bag for transporting the gear, on other days (esecially
when exploring a city) I more or less find myself needing access to the gear
all day, so then a shoulder bag would make more sense...
> Also, backpacks are HOT to carry, as in they'll make
> it harder for your body to dissipate heat.
Yep, gives you a nice sweaty back and a p/o'ed girlfriend because of that ;)
> Many friends of mine have had perfectly good results
> by cutting a big piece of closed-cell foam to fit
> their existing non-photo backpacks and then cutting
> the blosk to fit their stuff. Cheap and very
> stealthy.
This is actually a very good idea, the only issue there is that there's only
so much stuff you can easily load from the top in my little backpack, hmmm,
still this is an option well worth exploring further...
> Hahahahahhahahaaaa....Any of the major bag/pack
> makers fit the above two requirements. Tamrac,
> Tenba, Domke, Lowe-Pro & F64 all make 1st rate
> bags & packs. Billingham has the best rep, but it
> screams "Steal me". ALL photobags do, though. In
> that sense, the backpack is stealthier.
Hmmm, yeah :(
Also, I really love Latin-America, and some places over there are high-risk
places for having stuff stolen. So far I've managed to avoid that pleasure,
by using common sense and the camouflage backpack; not that I cover the
thing with sticks, leaves and mud in the futile and naive hope that the
people won't see it, but much rather the camouflage seems to say: "hey I'm a
crappy back-pack, I'm not even worth considering being stolen", hehehe :)
> Olaf didn't say whether this was for urban or
> wilderness use (or both),
Oops, I should have mentioned that. Typical use: cities, especially in Latin
America and Europe. Also at times I take it on a nature trip, but that
doesn't happen very often, so I'm not too scared of squirrels running of
with the 4Ti, but much rather by having the backpack slashed with a
razorblade on a Peruvian market...:(
Now for some specific types that were mentioned:
-Lowe-Pro Orion Trekker (mentioned 2 times)
-Tamrac
-Custom converted Coleman cooler (available in The Netherlands?)
-Lowepro Nova 1
-Domke F2
-LowePro Orion AW
-Lowepro Mini Trekker
-Domke F6, F3x, F2, F3x
-Camera Satchel F803.
-Lowepro Nova 4 bag
Indeed, lots of Lowepro bags mentioned... O.k., thanks for the suggestions,
I'll do my best to check out some bag at camera stores and then see what I
like best.
Cheers!
Olaf
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