EVERY insert available

[MelanieC]

OK, I swore I would NEVER start a bag thread and this makes two in the last few days.

It has been established that I hate every camera bag on the market for reasons of awkward design, outlandish price, or butt ugliness. Therefore, I am now searching for inserts that will make my messenger bags into worthy camera bags, that will protect my cameras and make them easily accessible. I am tired of digging to the bottom of my bag and opening up a zip pouch or undoing three layers of velcro to get to a camera. I want to be able to open my bag and just pull the damn camera out.

So who makes these things?

Domke -- I have one of these, a mini single compartment in my everyday bag. I don't like it. It's cheaply made, collapses too easily, and isn't padded on the bottom. (Anyone want it? I'll let it go cheap. I even sewed a pad into the bottom of it.)

Billingham -- I am intrigued by the insert for the small Hadley bag, which looks like it would fit into my small Timbuk2 perfectly but wow, nearly $70 for an insert that small is a bit beyond my budget at the moment.

Tenba -- It looks like the PP12 insert is the only one they still make. It looks promising and like it would fit neatly into my smaller bag. Is it padded on the bottom?

Crumpler -- The medium Bucket looks like it would fit a regular-sized messenger bag (a bag the size your average laptop fits in) and the price isn't bad for something that size. Unfortunately the smaller inserts are odd sizes suited only for the Crumpler brand messenger bags, which I do like but I need another messenger bag like I need a hole in my head.

Does anyone else make inserts that are worth looking at?

And no, I am not going to make my own, by the time I get the materials together and sew it I may as well have paid for one.

 

[thomasw_]

roots in canada makes a fine camera bag for 2 bodies, 2 lenses. i picked mine up at london drugs. black, stylist, rugged, and fits in my bicycle basket.

 

[nikon_sam]

Melanie,

I'll respond to this thread too...
Years ago I met this young lady who owned a craft store...she made custom pillows, handbags, jackets and things like that...I bought a few items from her then came up with the idea of a Tripod Case...she made one for me and it worked out great...
You might try doing the same thing...find a local arts & craft show and look for someone who sews bags and such...throw out some ideas and work with them...

 

[back alley]

i use domke inserts, the double and the 4 section, they seem fine for me, no toppling over at all.
i use cut closed cell foam on the bottoms and they help keep the shape.

 

[jbf]

Im in the same boat as well. I've got a medium sized timbuk2 bag that I carry everywhere with me. I usually just throw my camera in my bag but i'd much much rather have dividers to keep everything in. Especially when carrying multliple cameras such as my rangefinder and slr or tlr.

 

[goo0h]

I've thought it could be interesting if Naneu Pro offered their inserts separately. I got the Tango when I needed something for my laptop. I was too impatient to hunt separately for inserts and try to piece together the prefect bag. The tango had all of that packaged together, so that's what I ended up with for the laptop:

http://www.naneupro.com/products/mo-t/

The inserts are nice in that the partitions are totally movable and flexible, so can be arranged any way I wish. They also come out easily. In fact a Domke 5XB will entirely fit into the bag main compartment.

 

[andyturk]

What do you want for the Domke insert?

 

[goo0h]

It's interesting how the large is less expensive than the small. I guess the small is for Leica users, and we all know they're loaded.

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/240295-REG/Billingham_520847_Large_Hadley_Insert.html

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/240289-REG/Billingham_520447_Small_Hadley_Insert.html

 

[akptc]

These seem to work pretty well, nearly any configuration appears possible.

 

[MelanieC]

I've thought it could be interesting if Naneu Pro offered their inserts separately. I got the Tango when I needed something for my laptop.

Whoa, wait a minute.

I had never seen the Naneu Pro "Military Ops" line. The Tango is a bit large for my needs, but the Lima looks like it might be perfect -- it looks cool (enough), the inserts come out and can go into my other bags, and it comes in black. The logo will probably have to be removed, but I like it and the price is right -- it's cheaper than the Hadley inserts and only about $10 more than the Tenba insert I was looking at.

I knew you guys would have good ideas! Keep 'em coming!

For the Domke insert, not sure -- maybe $10 including shipping? I can't let it go until I have a replacement though.

 

[drewbarb]

Get some lens wraps and fold them into cups like little lens sized- and shaped- buckets to hold your camera and a lens; make smaller ones for lenses, flash, whatever you carry. Attach the hook-and-loop tabs to hold the shapes, and do it in such a manner as to never need to tear them open. (Those tabs will stay there if you should ever need to wrap something tightly). Put these little flexible padded sacks into any pockets or pouches you do carry.

I use a varitey of bags for different things, but I always carry a body, lens and film with me in these, dropped into whatever I'm carrying. If the padding is stuffed with film (maybe an extra lens, maybe a small flash) and the camera is in my hands, my bag is light and small. If the camera needs to get shoved in the sack, fine.

 

[goo0h]

I had never seen the Naneu Pro "Military Ops" line. The Tango is a bit large for my needs, but the Lima looks like it might be perfect....

Yeah, the Tango is pretty large and boxy. They are very well made and the inserts are rather handy. They're nice for rangefinders because they are totally customizable. The interior surface is all fuzzy, so the velcro partitions can be moved around to make one side bigger than the other, whatever. I also have some of those Domke wraps and use those for the lenses, so can stack them up without worry about them banging around into each other.

 

[MelanieC]

Well, I just ordered the Naneu Pro Lima in black from Amazon.com (the only place that seems to have black in stock and is not some operation I have never heard of). At the price ($39.95) it's a win-win situation -- even if I end up just using the inserts it's still cheaper than most of the insert options I liked and the bag seems promising.

I will post a full review when I get the bag and carry it a bit.

 

[goo0h]

I will post a full review when I get the bag and carry it a bit.

Yes, please do. I deliberated for quite a while between getting the Lima and the Domke 803 for my "camera-centric" bag. I really like the Tango for my "laptop-centric" bag, but ended up going with the 803 because I thought that the flap might be easier when "working-out-of-the-bag." Though, the somewhat odd-ball 5XB has BOTH a flap and a zipper, and I tend to use that a lot when I want a really small package. Anyway, hope it works out, and look forward to the review. What's another bag, right? 🙄

(Sometimes this site is a bad influence. I don't think I would have developed such a collection of these damn bags already if it weren't for this site. 😀 )

 

[meeker]

Weird, I just posted a very similar question in another (wrong!) forum - now deleted. I also use a Timbuk2 bag and usually stick my rangefinder in the front inside pocket. I put a beanie in the pocket, that gets held by the velcro in there. Then I just slide the camera into the beanie. Works well for 1 camera, but I'd like to carry two sometimes. I look forward to hearing how this bag / insert works out.

cheers,

meeker

 

[MelanieC]

My largest Timbuk2 bag is a medium, so the front pocket is not large enough for my rangefinder.

It does seem that the Crumpler medium "bucket" insert would fit my Timbuk2 bag perfectly and I'm not ruling out that option entirely, but on the other hand for carrying two bodies I don't need to tote a bag that large either.

My Lima bag should be here early next week. I'll take photos of it with various cameras in various configurations for everyone's perusal.

I spy a Border Collie in your avatar! Your username doesn't have anything to do with the Meeker Classic, does it?

http://www.meekersheepdog.com/

 

[JohnL]

Domke also make pouches which I have found useful in lieu of (or as well as) separators.

 

[meeker]

I spy a Border Collie in your avatar! Your username doesn't have anything to do with the Meeker Classic, does it?

Good eye! Here's a bigger photo taken on a hot summer afternoon:

Meeker refers to Mt. Meeker, which I used to be able to see from my office. However, I often go to watch herding trials when they're close - borders are truly amazing dogs, and seeing them go to work is something special.

 

[MelanieC]

It's the lazy sleepy tongue!

My dogs both work, but we are only weekend warriors. One trials and the other is perpetually "in training."

Solo working sheep

Fly and me competing at a trial that used Boer goats

 

[meeker]

I bet your dogs love it - even the one "in training". Border's certainly need a job. Charlotte (my dog) has been around sheep a little (a couple of instinct tests) - not sure she's got the drive, that's TBD. Now, if sheep were yellow, round, and had Penn written on their side, she'd be all over them.