A Bag
I've been on the prowl for a new bag for my camera crap. I've been unsuccessful in being able to carry my camera gear around while riding my bike. I can take it easily enough in the car, but I want to be able to ride out into the woods and stop at some of the more interesting scenic areas.
My current camera bag is a large rectangle with padded dividers that I can place where I want with velcro. This bag is good for packing a body, a selection of lenses, a flash and a few other doodads with relative ease. The problem is that it's bulky. It's OK for carrying to and from my vehicle to single destination, if I plan on setting the bag down or not going into it.
However, it is dreadful when I plan on being entirely mobile. While walking around, the flap makes on-the-go switching a pain in the butt. When I try to cinch the bag close to my body, the awkward shape of the bag makes it stick out from my body.
I have a plethora of other bags, but none of them have a particularly elegant mix of ease of access and capacity large enough to store my camera. I have a couple shoulder bags (1 laptop and 1 plain) that are fine for grabbing stuff while walking around, but have little space for a camera. I have a pair of backpacks. 1 is only just large enough to hold my camera, but is a bit thin and uncomfortable. The other is much larger and more comfortable. Neither gives me easy, quick access.
I've also decided NOT to get a camera bag. Most are too compartmentalized for my taste, making them difficult to use for other purposes. Moreover, they're ugly. They stick out like a sore thumb most of the time, making them easy targets for thieves or making people leery of me. I want something that blends in.
So, I was looking around at sling backpacks. I assume that they would be roomy, have ergonomics that would suit walking around and bike riding and would give me the ability to swing the bag around and pull a camera out. The problem is that the sling backpack selection is VERY low. There are a few out there, but of what I see, few are large enough or sturdy enough. Some look like they might work, but stick out like a sore thumb (typically with camo print).
So, I'm currently looking at messenger bags. A few messenger bags look attractive, but I'll take a look at REI tonight before I make a choice of which bag to eventually purchase. I know that it would not have the compartments like a typical camera bag, so I'll have to improvise how to carry my gear around without it whacking into each other. I'm thinking a combination of makeshift lens pouches (socks!) and foam should be enough. I'm hesitant to purchase lens and camera covers for now.