Going for the gold… or yellow, to be specific.
I’ve talked a bit in the last post about some of the new camera equipment I’m adding to my travel kit. What I didn’t mention yet, is that I’m also planning to try out a new backpack system.
I’ve had multiple ThinkTank bags, most recently this Airport Essentials. They never seem to wear out, or show any signs of wear at all. I’m sure they won’t be retired any time soon. They’re still perfect for trips where I need to take a wide variety of gear.
I’ve used ThinkTank camera backpacks for years. Their Airport Essentials has been my go-to bag for long-haul travel. I like that it is manufactured to meet the specifications of most airlines carryon baggage requirements. It’s boxy and rectangular and makes the most of the space available.
It gives me so much space, in fact, that I tend to overpack. It’s perfect for getting to and from foreign locations but it can be a heavy pack if the trip demands I have it with me every day — as when I have to change hotels nightly. If I stay in one hotel multiple nights I can “base camp” the big bag in my room and just take what I need for the day in a separate shoulder bag or sling.
But that’s really my problem: I overpack. I can’t blame ThinkTank for that. I have the same issue with checked bags. Recently I transitioned to a smaller Monos suitcase that actually could be used as a carryon. The advantage of a smaller checked bag is that it’s almost impossible to get it over the weight limit. It forces me to pack light, and that’s a good thing. It’s also easier to manage when traveling by train, on subways, etc.
Transferring that thinking to my camera bag/carryon now, I’ve purchase a Wandrd PRVKE Lite backpack. It’s slightly smaller than the ThinkTank and quite a bit thinner. A lot of pro camera bags are built with a depth to fit pro camera bodies with vertical grips and expanded batteries on their base. I tend to use “pro-sumer” cameras that aren’t as tall, therefore I don’t need a bag that deep. I think the thinner bag will be better for navigating crowded spaces as well, since it sticks out from my back less.
The PRVKE bag has a smaller camera cube built in. This will help force me to take less. It may not be enough for all trips, but it should work for most.
And about that yellow color — it’s yellow on the inside as well. After years of black and dark grey bag interiors, I am looking forward to a bag interior that separates itself from its contents better. It’s easy to lose black gear in a black bag when you’re operating in dimly-lit locations.
I bought two tech bags as well, that nest into each other and fit nicely in the space above the main bag’s camera cube. These should hold all my chargers, card readers, cables, hard drives, etc. They can also be broken out and used as small sling-style camera bags themselves, for smaller cameras like my FujiFilm X-Pro 3 and X100VI.
I’ll be testing this new system out soon. I have a trip coming up in a couple of weeks that will allow me to road test everything. I’ll be sure to post my findings, and I’ll do my best to use the new Fujis to get some behind the scenes shots of everything in action. It’s not a hosted trip so I’ll have a lot more time to fiddle with the gear and work the kinks out. I need to work the kinks out because a few weeks later I’ll be leaving on a highly-scheduled, complicated itinerary press trip. I’ll need to have my act together on that one.
This is the Wandrd PRVKE Lite I ordered. Smaller camera cube, but an expandable roll-down top that should be handy for things like a rain jacket or snacks purchased at the airport. I plan on leaving it as empty as possible most of the time so that the space is available for things I pick up as the day goes on (often on press tours, you’re given brochures or swag at each stop and stuff just accumulates).
In this image, you can see that the camera cube only accounts for about two thirds of the inside of the bag. I can fit my two DSLR bodies in with the 17-35 and the 70-200, but not much more. I’ll have to be really efficient and minimalistic when I approach packing this bag.
My apologies to Wandrd (and ThinkTank) for using these images from their site. Once I get my bag configured, I’ll replace these with shots of my own.
Thoughts on gear
No matter how much gear I take on press trips, I find that I shoot 90% with either my 17-35mm or my 70-200mm. I often take other lenses just for when I want a little different character, shallower depth of field, or closer focus abilities. But, honestly, I can really do about everything I need with these two lenses.
I’m thinking my small kit will now consist of the 17-35, the 70-200, my Nikon D850 and D810. The D810 is mostly for backup, but also I can go out with two bodies and not carry a bag at all.
My new Fujifilm X100VI will go along either in the side access pocket of the backpack or in a jacket pocket.
It remains to be seen if I take my X-Pro 3 on many international outings. I’ll just have to see how the Fujis end up fitting into the scheme of my shooting. I could see at some point leaving the D810 home and covering the wide end with the Fujis and use primarily the 70-200 on the Nikon. That could make for a very small Fuji kit in a bag and the Nikon just on a strap.
It’s going to depend trip-by-trip. Some locations I like to have my super-wide Irix 11mm and in other situations (birding, for example) I might need my 150-600mm. But on the majority of press trips I really think I can get by with this smaller kit. I’ll try it out over next month and see how it goes.
