Thread: Bag, bags, and more bags

I recently bought a Wotancraft Ranger camera bag, and I'm thrilled about it. It's a bigger bag than I am typically used to, and I can easily carry three XPro1's in it (not that I have three XPro1's to carry). In all likelihood, I'll carry two bodies plus two to three lenses. Even after that, there's still room for a 11" or 13" Macbook Air and a tripod!

It's pricey, but in my opinion, worth every penny. The construction is simply awesome. The attention to detail is unsurpassed even by the likes of Billingham (I use the Hadley Pro). There's literally protection's galore for the gear. 99% waterproof too. The bag is stylish, and yet, utilitarian.

Strangely, I used to think women were crazy for spending so much money in purses. But ever since picking up photograph as a hobby, the GAS I suffer from encompasses not only cameras and lenses, but camera bags as well! I probably have more bags now than my fiance has purses.

Here's a link to a very detailed good review of the Ranger:

Scription: Wotancraft's Traveler's Notebook and City Explorer Camera Bag Review - Part 1

Scription: Wotancraft's Traveler's Notebook and City Explorer Camera Bag Review - Part 2

And the link to the online shop:

Ranger | Wotancraft Atelier



So let's see some bags folks!!! Share them!!

I love those "what's in your bag" photos. So I'll plan to post some of those in the feature!

Looks gorgeous... but it seems HUGE.

It is pretty big, specially when using the waterproof insert that comes with it. The insert is made out of hovercraft material! I'm planning to use it with a Billingham insert for the most part, which is smaller and lighter. But if I need the extra space and protection, I'll use the hovercraft one!

Very cool bag, thanks for the link I might order a watch strap. But for bags I am liking the Think Tank Retrospective bags at the moment, I have the 5 which hold 2 Xpro1s each with a lens mounted, but I am looking forward to their 7 model which is a little longer and wider, should be perfect my 2 bodies plus 3 or 4 lenses and has a space for Ipad or MacBook 11' air . They also make larger ones.
While not as nice as yours, it works well for me, I now want the smallest bag I can put my stuff into
Retrospective 7 (Black)

I was actually contemplating about Wotancraft's Messenger bag but found it a wee bit too big for my gear. Like Bob I'm currently using the Think Tank Retrospective 5, it holds my NEX-7 with a 35mm, a NEX-5 with the 16mm, 1 extra lens, and all my accessories (cleaning gear, charger, batteries, filters, etc..)

I haven't tried out the Retrospective bags, but I've always wanted to. The bag that i've used the most is the Billingham Hadley Pro, which is much smaller and lighter than the Wotancraft Ranger. The Ranger will be my travel bag while the Hadley Pro will stay on as my carry around every day bag. For now anyway!

I almost feel guilty saying this but I bought a small Billingham bag years ago for my G2s ended up not liking the snap and buckle closures so it became my freshwater stream tackle bag

One expensive tackle bag! At least it's waterproof!! :)

That's a seriously pretty bag and looks very functional but, you're right, the price scares me off. To my surprise, the two bags that have really served me during my stay in NYC have been a small Domke that I already had (an f10) and a much larger Tamrac messenger style bag that I found at B&H (in those ill-fated trips that kept landing me with new cameras!).

The Domke is perfect for either the X-Pro with its one extra lens (I think it could stack both if I had them) or the EPL3 or then OMD with a couple of extra lenses stacked. But I didn't have a bag that was comfortable carrying both the X-Pro with the extra lens AND the m43 with 2-4 lenses - the full kit. I've never been a particular fan of Tamrac bags - they do, after all, LOOK like the standard camera bags they are - but this one carries a lot and is really comfortable even with a fair bit of weight over a long day. I have larger Domke's at home and they hold a lot and both take and give back gear very easily (a big requirement for me after wrestling with bags that protect it a little TOO well and don't want to seem to let you actually GET your gear), but I haven't found their bigger bags a particularly comfortable carry over a long day (and I've given them more than a chance). I've tried a couple of Think Tank Retrospective bags (the 5 and 10) and they'll be for sale soon - they look nice and are well made, but I find them excessively bulky for what they carry and they're the prime culprits in making me really dig for my stuff - tough to get it in and out - very well protected though!

But the Tamrac holds the gear, gives it up easily, protects it well, and is remarkably comfortable to carry all day. I tried a smaller Rally 4, but ended up with the Rally 5 after completing my camera purchases and needing a bit more room. I'd used the smaller one hard for two hard weeks, didn't keep the receipt or packing material and didn't ask B&H to take it back - I asked if they'd give me a few dollars for it and take it for their used department. But they basically insisted on taking it back and giving me the full refund to apply toward the larger bag. WAAAAAY above and beyond the call of duty, IMHO - I'd used the bag pretty heavily and even basically argued with them that they shouldn't. A good place to do business, I'd say.

Its not an expensive bag at all - the small one was $50, the large one $70. The large one also has a padded pocket for an ipad or small notebook. There are a couple of mesh side pockets too that look like they'd take a water bottle or small umbrella comfortably, but I haven't tried them yet. The strap slides through the shoulder pad so its really easy to slide around to the front without binding. And the fabric is just slippery enough to move where it needs to around your back and side without catching or binding (which the Domkes, love 'em as I do, have a bad habit of doing - and the Domke straps grip a little too well also). Its a pretty large bag (although I don't think as large as that Wotancraft, which looks pretty enormous!), but it doesn't carry like a large bag at all. I really never considered such a standard looking bag before and I was prepared to spend more (but not into Hadley or Wotancraft territory). But these bags, to my surprise, just really work perfectly for me. I could have saved a lot of bag money if I'd tried one of these sooner - maybe Tamrac has made a lot of money in the camera bag business because they know what they're doing? Shocking concept! I'll be having a fire sale on bags (as well as cameras) once I get home.

Or, I guess I could send BACK the X-Pro and then I would feel OK to splurge on something as beautiful as this Wotencraft!!

-Ray

I'm using a Bare Bones Bag for my GXR gear. Room for my iPad in the rear zipper pouch. I could easily carry 3-4 lens with my one body and the bag does not scream expensive camera gear.