Best Camera Bags

Let’s take a look at some of the best camera bags available.

If you’re here it’s likely that you’re looking for a new camera bag for your gear. You’re in the right place because I’ve made a list of several camera bags I like, and I was looking into before buying mine.

Choosing the right camera bag is easier said than done. Whether you wake up before sunrise for a hike or you’re walking through urban spaces with your camera, you need to transport your expensive gear and accessories, in a safe way. So you have to make sure that they don’t get damaged and that it’s easy to access them at any time.

Let’s get started.

Related:

• Cheap Camera Bags
• Waterproof Camera Bag

What to Look for When Buying the Best Camera Bags

First, let me say that before buying a new camera bag you have to make some considerations about the use you are going to make of it.

Your Photography Genre

I should consider what is your photography genre before getting a new camera bag. Are you a street photographer, wedding photographer, or landscape photographer? Will you bring your bag to a long hike or you need something stylish to carry your gear in the studio for your next portrait shoot?

It’s important to have clear in your mind the use you are going to do of your bag since you want to avoid wasting your time and money!

Weather Conditions

Another aspect you should consider is the weather you think you are going to experience during your photo shoots. Some of these bags are made for rainy weather, some others aren’t.

I found myself under heavy rain and carrying not only my gear but my laptop and hard drive too. Weren’t my bag able to protect my equipment I would have lost a lot of money that time.

Backpack vs Shoulder Bags

Which one is better? Well, I wouldn’t go to a long hike with a shoulder bag, but often I wished I had one when wandering around in the streets.

It’s a matter of preference and how you feel comfortable with the type of adventures you are going to embark on.

Best Camera Bags

Let’s start with the list, as I’m writing this article I’m still continuing with my research so I’ll update it soon with some new items I’m keeping an eye on.

Peak Design Every Day Messenger 13 V2

Not a cheap bag, but hey it’s Peak Design! Every detail of this bag’s design and construction has been well thought out. From the materials to it’s usability and how you can organise your accessories inside of it.
The Everyday Messenger has been designed to be your workhorse bag. Good for everyday, great for regular office commute and for your photography expeditions. You can fit pretty much everything in it. Laptop, cables, hard drives, water and so on. It has two semi-rigid dividers cleverly designed to stop your lenses and camera bodies hitting each other. They can be folded and orientated in different ways and can become vertical dividers to provide a rigid platform and stack and separate your items. You can also remove the dividers and free the space to store whatever you need. Need to carry a tripod? You can. The tubular sleeve in the inner surface of the lid will allow you to slide your portable tripod into it. The Everyday Messenger is a really clever bag, very functional and versatile with a lot of emphasis on design.
See it on Amazon US 
See it on Amazon AU

Manfrotto Street Medium Backpack

This is the one I own so I’m biased. This great quality backpack from Manfrotto presents two main internal compartments that have the ability to merge into one, plus a rear laptop sleeve. There are also four outer compartments. Two side pockets, one with the ability to hold a tripod and two front pockets. It also features a nicely padded laptop sleeve, which is perfect for 13” and would fit 15” laptops too. The two main internal compartments of the Manfrotto Street Medium backpack have the ability to merge into one and are nicely padded as well.
The top compartment is fairly sized and it has several pockets and documents or credit card holders. The bottom compartment is where you would store your camera gear. It features a removable insert with nicely designed Velcro dividers that can be configured according to the shape of your gear or your needs. It comfortably stores a mirrorless or DSLR with a lens on and two other lenses or accessories. As you grow as a photographer or videographer, your gear will change and by having the possibility to adjust your bag continuously is a pretty nice feature to have.
See it on Amazon US
See it on Amazon AU

Manfrotto Advanced Travel Backpack

The Manfrotto Advanced Travel backpack has been divided in two compartments similarly to the street backpack. The top half is used to carry personal items, such as clothings, wallet you smartphone or all the objects you might need to keep handy. Once again, the bottom half is designed to store your camera gear. A DSLR or mirrorless body with attached lens or similar sized accessories. A lateral back sleeve will comfortably accommodate a 15” laptop and the internal divider can be removed to allow for more space and use as a daily bag.
The side pocket is built to carry a tripod, but there are also other strategic points on the bag to carry a second one. The Advanced Travel Backpack is available in four colors, blue, brown, grey and black and it comes with a water propellant rain cover.
See it on Amazon US
See it on Amazon AU

Peak Design Every Day 30L

This beautiful bag is another awesome product from Peak Design. It’s a very stylish backpack, designed to let you grab things quickly and comfortably and when it comes to pull out your drone or your mirrorless camera, it’s probably one of the best bags on the market. The Peak Design Every Day 30L is very adaptable to different situations, from hikes, outdoors to your office and in each scenario the pack is able to accomodate an insane amount of gear. It’s waterproof and very resistant, you can bring it under heavy rain and it will hold very well.
The left side of the Peak Design Everyday Backpack 30L has 2 medium pockets and 2 large ones. The right side had 3 small pockets and 2 long pockets. The main compartment has different sized slots to fit camera batteries, hard drives and various accessories. On the bag’s back there’s a dedicated zip-top sleeve for your laptop.
See it on Amazon US
See it on Amazon AU

Think Tank Turnstyle

The Think Tank Turnstyle sling bag is available in three sizes and two colors. With one single camera strap, the advantage of this backpack is that it’s pretty easy to access your gear by simply slinging it around to your front and comfortably access your camera accessories, without the need of to take the bag off.
It has a cross strap for your waist, to keep nicely stable and secure on your back.
All three sizes come with stacking dividers and pockets for documents and personal items.
The 5L is mainly for mirrorless cameras, it fits 3 lenses plus the body.
The 10L fits a DSLR body with a lens mounted and two extra lenses.
The 20L is able to fit bigger lenses and and in the back, it features a sleeve for a 10” iPad. The 5L and 10L also have a back sleeve where you can fit an iPad mini. A rain cover is provided and it lives in a pouch at the bottom.
See it on Amazon US
See it on Amazon AU

Lowerpro Whistler BP 450 AW

This very rugged and durable All Weather (AW) pack is made of very thick nylon and it’s a very resistant companion for your outdoor photography adventures. The almost weather sealed based is rigid enough to allow the pack to be stood upright. On the outside the Lowepro Whistler features several straps to attach gear and accessories.
At the front it has a protected pocket that thanks to a waterproof barrier is very useful to store your wet gear and keep it separate from the rest of your equipment. A top pocket contains the weather cover that comes included with the pack and it can contain various personal items. At the back it meets your body with a comfortable Active Zone system which is a padded zone that maximize comfort, breathability and air flow. Padded shoulder straps and really supportive, it had a waist belt with pockets built, in order to provide an all day comfort as you would expect from a professional graded backpack. The main access to the camera gear compartment is on the back and inside the customizable configuration is very spacious as a professional graded camera backpack should be.
See it on Amazon US
See it on Amazon AU

Domke F2

This old line of bags have been on the market for a while. There are a lot of different colors combination you can get with the Domke F2 depending on the style you like. The single camera backstrap is very thick and it’s adjustable and very secure and cleverly attached to the bag. The material of the bag is thick, not padded at all but it feels robust. The bag has a spacious pouch on each side where you can store lenses or flash triggers for example. On the back a non zipped sleeve will allow you to easily access your iPad.
Inside there are more pockets on the front and more pouches in the back. The main compartment is very spacious, you can fit a DSLR camera body and four big lenses or similar size accessories.
See it on Amazon US
See it on Amazon AU

Thule Aspect DSLR backpack

Thule has really overloaded this pack with features. They have thought of everything for what regard a hiking backpack.
The main area of the Thule Aspect is accessible from the side. The bag is spacious enough to fit a DSLR, three lenses, accessories and personal items. The large laptop pocket lives at the back within the padded panel. It’s overall a good quality bag, but this pack doesn’t present highly customizable internal gear compartment.
See it on Amazon US
See it on Amazon AU

Conclusion

I hope this list will help you out making a more informed purchase.

So what is your favorite camera bag? Do you own one or you’re looking to buy a new one? Let me know in the comments, now.