What's in your bag, but what bag do you have and why? What about Survival equipment? Other than your cell phone.

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Mark Garfinkel

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Getting close to the holiday season and I'm thinking of getting a backpack (or one being gifted, once I decide). I know Steve has 2 video's on "WHAT'S IN MY BAG" for Africa, Costa Ric and explains the reason for his selection of his bag and what he has in it. Presently I have my Z9 with my 200-500mm (with a TC generally attached)in my Nikon CL-L2 in my truck ready to go with my monopod and looking to larger. I like the idea of having the lens attached with either my 200-500 or my 200-400 attached ready to go. So what is your bag of preference and why?

Happy Holidays and Happy Shooting,
Mark
 
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Mark Garfinkel said:
Getting close to the holiday season and I'm thinking of getting a backpack (or one being gifted, once I decide). I know Steve has 2 video's on "WHAT'S IN MY BAG" for Africa, Costa Ric and explains the reason for his selection of his bag and what he has in it. Presently I have my Z9 with my 200-500mm (with a TC generally attached)in my Nikon CL-L2 in my truck ready to go with my monopod and looking to larger. I like the idea of having the lens attached with either my 200-500 or my 200-400 attached ready to go. So what is your bag of preference and why?

Happy Holidays and Happy Shooting,
Mark
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That’s a pretty small rig so you have hundreds of options. I really enjoy MindShift backlight series bags, from Think Tank. Great quality, comfortable wearing, open from the back and fronts that hold a decent amount clothes, food, etc.
 
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which bag? where am I going? ThinkTank Street walker Pro V2 a body and a few lenses. Sling bag for Z 9 or Z 7 w/ 24-120 and possibly 14-30. Gura Gear Kiboko V2 or think tank rolling bag for traveling
 
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I use an F-stop Tilopa with XL Pro ICU. The bag is large enough to hold a Z6ii w/FTZ attached to a 200-400VR (or D500 w/200-400) and a second body w/ wide angle zoom.
More recently, I've been able to pack my Z9 attached to the 500PF w/ hood in shooting position, Z6II w/ 100-400 w/hood reversed, and Z6 attached to the 24-120 w/out hood. All three bodies on 3 lenses... My bag and Gitzo tripod are the one thing that has not changed through the years.
 
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I use a Gura Gear 18L with the 100-400mm on a camera and it works very well. What I love about the old Gura Gear bags is their outer pockets that work to hold a filter wallet and other items so I need to open the main compartment a lot less.

Suggest deciding on interior dimensions of the bag for your kit and then go to B&H and use their filters for the inside length, width, and depth, to get a shorter list of bags to choose from.
 
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Mindshift 26L for smaller loads (for example Z9 + 70-200 + 400 4.5 + TC or Z9 + trinity) when not going very far from the home/car.

F-Stop Tilopa with L or XL ICU depending on the gear I'm taking with me when going on a longer day hike (fits 10 hiking essentials as well). Original one lasted 7 years, recently sold it in perfectly working order and 'upgraded' to the newer version.
 
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I use my trusty old Lowepro Phototrekker AW for wildlife stuff with a D500 and 200-400 VR1, TC-14E, 70-200 F4 VR. My travel and landscape bag is a Billingham Pro Hadley Small with a D810 & 24-120 VR attached, 16-35/4 VR and 70-200/4 VR.
 
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BLev65 said:
I use an F-stop Tilopa with XL Pro ICU. The bag is large enough to hold a Z6ii w/FTZ attached to a 200-400VR (or D500 w/200-400) and a second body w/ wide angle zoom.
More recently, I've been able to pack my Z9 attached to the 500PF w/ hood in shooting position, Z6II w/ 100-400 w/hood reversed, and Z6 attached to the 24-120 w/out hood. All three bodies on 3 lenses... My bag and Gitzo tripod are the one thing that has not changed through the years.
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45 day return policy and a 20 year warranty isn't bad
 
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For my international travel, where I usually take M43 gear, the Mindshift Backlight 26L has proven fantastic, just right.

For domestic travel with my FF gear, or if I am flying internationally on big planes operated by American carriers (hence no real limitations on carry on weight; hooray USA!), I still use my now-battered ThinkTank International, as having wheels while hiking endlessly through airports remains a big plus, especially as I get older.

I also always take along a good-sized "personal item," more and more the very good TravelPro Bold computer backpack, which fits under the seat in front of me. I can put my laptop in there and also maybe my binoculars or a last-minute-added lens. For my destination I now pack a packable backpack. For a few years I took the Eddie Bauer one, but its crap pack straps tend to stick to my back and I end doing a hootchie-kootchie dance to get it off. I now have an L.L. Bean packable pack. I also usually throw a small waist bag into my suitcase for quick access to TC's and extra batteries in the field.

I will add that I do own multiple bags that are currently "not in the rotation," including an excellent GuraGear Bataflae 32L, a wonderful bag but I just am not using at atm.

Doug Greenberg
 
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Palouse said:
Just for the record, I have 5 bags and a Pelican case.
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I have, not counting bags I intend to sell, Sling bag for minimal outing, Thank Tank street walker for larger local outing, F stop Tipolia (for hiking), Gura Gear 30L for travel, Think Tank Airport ? roller for travel, Gura Gear City commuter (evaluating it to see if there is a reason to keep it), shoulder bag for overflow when I drive somewhere and shoot from the car, couple of airport taxis to store long lenses in, think that is all. Good reason for all (except GG city commuter which is a ?). My wife thinks I am wasting $.
 
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I mostly use a Lowepro that holds a D850 with a 500 pf attached and a Z7ii with a 24-120 attached. There are also a couple of lenses and TCs but I prefer not to change things in the field.

The other day I was hiking in the Oregon Coast Range and it dawned on me that I was way off course. Fortunately, I have a gps with backtracking set and google maps/earth. So, no harm done other than realizing I had avoided deep kimchi.

In my hunting days I carried a backpack with enough gear to spend a night or two in the wilderness and be none the worse for wear. It weighed about fifteen pounds and had pretty much the usual stuff - ten essentials, poncho, space blanket, food, etc.

On that day my pack was filled with camera gear and not much survival gear. How do you handle the need for survival gear and camera gear? Adding fifteen pounds to my camera pack would be crushing at my stage in life but I don’t want to be that crazy old coot on the news either.
 
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pnbarne said:
On that day my pack was filled with camera gear and not much survival gear. How do you handle the need for survival gear and camera gear? Adding fifteen pounds to my camera pack would be crushing at my stage in life but I don’t want to be that crazy old coot on the news either.
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Good question. I often wonder the same thing
 
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pnbarne said:
I mostly use a Lowepro that holds a D850 with a 500 pf attached and a Z7ii with a 24-120 attached. There are also a couple of lenses and TCs but I prefer not to change things in the field.

The other day I was hiking in the Oregon Coast Range and it dawned on me that I was way off course. Fortunately, I have a gps with backtracking set and google maps/earth. So, no harm done other than realizing I had avoided deep kimchi.

In my hunting days I carried a backpack with enough gear to spend a night or two in the wilderness and be none the worse for wear. It weighed about fifteen pounds and had pretty much the usual stuff - ten essentials, poncho, space blanket, food, etc.

On that day my pack was filled with camera gear and not much survival gear. How do you handle the need for survival gear and camera gear? Adding fifteen pounds to my camera pack would be crushing at my stage in life but I don’t want to be that crazy old coot on the news either.
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Great topic to add to this tread, what about survival gear. Last time I was 4 wheeling in Vermont and Utah, my cell phone didn't have signal on certain trails and areas.
 
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pnbarne said:
I mostly use a Lowepro that holds a D850 with a 500 pf attached and a Z7ii with a 24-120 attached. There are also a couple of lenses and TCs but I prefer not to change things in the field.

The other day I was hiking in the Oregon Coast Range and it dawned on me that I was way off course. Fortunately, I have a gps with backtracking set and google maps/earth. So, no harm done other than realizing I had avoided deep kimchi.

In my hunting days I carried a backpack with enough gear to spend a night or two in the wilderness and be none the worse for wear. It weighed about fifteen pounds and had pretty much the usual stuff - ten essentials, poncho, space blanket, food, etc.

On that day my pack was filled with camera gear and not much survival gear. How do you handle the need for survival gear and camera gear? Adding fifteen pounds to my camera pack would be crushing at my stage in life but I don’t want to be that crazy old coot on the news either.
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What type of GPS do you have?
 
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Lots of great bag suggestions already. For survival I always have water with me, typically a Glock 19 however depending on season and clothing I might go bigger or smaller. If I’m going significantly further than normal and or an area I don’t know I’d have some navigation tools, an emergency space blanket and possibly a few energy bars. I’m not hiking distance for over nights away from the vehicle so I don’t go crazy. Those younger days are well behind me.
 
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