Part 4 of a series (Part 1 Part 2 Part 3)

Camera bags are one of those items which are guaranteed to evoke strong reactions amongst photographers, as everyone has their favourite brand and bag, or bags. Invariably, it is bags in the plural, as I have yet to come across one bag that suits every scenario and don't know of another photographer who has so you can easily end up with a collection.

My favourite is a Lowe Pro Lowepro Stealth Reporter 550 AW shoulder bag, which holds all of my lenses except the 300L, as well as a 15.4" Apple MacBook Pro, both camera bodies, a small flash plus a few filters, angle finder, extension tubes, remote release etc. When used with a Lowepro Street & Field belt, pouch and various lens cases, this makes a very portable system which is ideal for working out of the car, providing a comfortable "walk around" set up for anywhere within a relatively short walking distance or for indoor assigment work. 

The Stealth Reporter is also ideal for when I do sports, event and corporate photography assignments as it looks the part, is extremely roomy and carries various extras such as power supplies, card reader, cables, batteries etc with ease. The zipped top makes for quick and easy lens changing and being able to hold the laptop is very useful indeed. Front pockets hold phone, business cards, batteries etc and the entire bag can be protected by an all weather cover stored away discretely. It also makes a good 'permanent' home for keeping everything for carrying back and forth to a studio.

For long hikes, field trips, crawling around in the undergrowth or when the longer lens is needed, a different approach is needed as a shoulder bag quickly become uncomfortable and muddy. A Lowepro Mini Trekker Classic backpack did the job admirably for a while but once I added the 1DMkII it was no longer suitable, as I discovered when the bag hit the floor.

The Mini Trekker was replaced with a LowePro Photo Trekker, a larger backpack which is more suited to the large ID body size and with curved shoulder harness, making it much better suited to the female form and more comfortable to wear although it is heavier as it carries more. This bag can hold almost all the equipment I have and had space for a Thinsular woolly hat and gloves (essential when sitting in a hide in the winter), knee pads, bottle of water, snack, hazelnuts (for squirrels!) and a lightweight showerproof jacket! Plus, of course, iPod and mobile phone. The PhotoTrekker became too bulky and too heavy with 2 Pro DSLR bodies and everything else so I was soon back to looking for another solution.

The next and last everyday photography bag I bought was a Lowepro Fastpack 250 -  quite a neat bag, not as bulky as the trekkers yet quite roomy inside and I liked the side access which was very useful. As it was smaller, I had to think a bit more about what gear I was likely to use so only carried what I needed(!). It was better for when doing a lot of walking or when out for the day as it will hold a flask and sandwiches and a lightweight jacket but it is still quite heavy to wear for any length of time - such is the nature of the beast.

Whilst on a hike in Scotland, sweltering in the heat and struggling under the weight of the backpack, I suffered a shoulder injury which severly affected my ability to carry much equipment for quite a while. It was an ephiphany, as I suddenly realised that I mostly carry a lot of equipment and accessories that I never use and often haul about lenses that rarely come out of the bag. I stopped using the backpack completely, sold it and went back to using my old Lowepro Street & Field belt and pouches, thinking much more about what I actually needed to take. Wearing is much better than carrying!

This also provided the impetus to downsize some of my equipment and go back to enjoying photography again.

Part 5 - Support