Domke bag alternative ?

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totifoto

totifoto

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Do you guys and gals now about any Domke alternative bags.

The Domke price tag does not suit my wallet :eek:

I´m looking for something that does not look like a camera bag, something low profile like the Domke bags.

I need to fit my M6 with a lens+another lens and some rolls of film, my thin wallet, cellphone and keys and maybe my Lomo LCA and my small notebook (the old kind that you write in using a pen, note the computer kinda type ;))
 
Alternative is to buy Domke's inserts and build your own camera bag out of your favorite non-camera bag. Domke bags are quite discrete but you can make it even more "stealth."

For example, this is my Timbuk2 XS messenger bag with two Domke inserts (plus some loose paddings that I had). I just went to a local RFF meet up (SF Gear & Beer) with this tiny bag, carrying all shown in the pic plus some more small stuff.

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Get a Safrotto. Much better made than the current Domkes, better inserts, strap, stitching, blah, blah, blah. Oh, half the price too.
 
peter_n said:
Get a Safrotto. Much better made than the current Domkes, better inserts, strap, stitching, blah, blah, blah. Oh, half the price too.
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Of course, built by slaves. I have a couple of real Domke bags. Worth every penny to keep a people working for living wages.
 
Chriscrawfordphoto said:
Of course, built by slaves. I have a couple of real Domke bags. Worth every penny to keep a people working for living wages.
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Gimme a break. Pretty much everything we have here in the First World, we gained from exploiting "lesser" countries/economies.

And those people who work for real wages? Bolt turner #5 who worked for $80/hr did GM a lot of good, eh?

Anyway, this is off topic. I will second the vote for the Safrotto bags. They are quite nicely made, and I think mine will quite easily be around 10-15 years from now.
 
Alpacaman said:
I have heard Crumpler bags are fantastic, they have a large selection, are pretty tough, and look casual.

https://www.crumplerbags.com/flash/...ct-details/4-million-dollar-home-md0406a.html

They are more DSLR oriented, though.
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Tried and really dont like Crumpler ...again, way too expensive for what they are and the internal space is much too small for the overall size of the bag. Yes, I know its padding but its just unnecessary overkill

Another vote for the Safrotto. As Peter_n says better all round
 
I own a lot camera bags; Domke, LowePro and NaneuPro bags. & they all needed some kind of repairs and replacements after a few years. broken buckles, ripped padding in straps, dead elastic. Every time I needed something fixed, each company delighted me with outstanding service.

Its good to know that if anything happens to my equipment, customer service is there. It may be not worth the double in price compared to the Safrotto, but I'd sure be happier to know that I support companies that understand us.
 
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I know you're seeking an alternative, but I recommend that you get the right thing. I have two Domkes, have no regrets, and figure they'll be in use forever.
 
If you want something that does not look like a camera bag, buy a normal bag and add some inserts for your camera.
 
So what domke insert fits a Leica with a lens and another lens? Would I need one with two compartments? I plan on putting inserts into my Chrome messenger bag.
 
Bags are a personal thing. If you want to go cheaper than Domke, I suppose Safrotto will do the trick, but for me it's the details that make a bag worthwhile, and that's where Domke consistently nails it for me.

The price thing can be rather funny. First off, how much is the gear you're going to carry in that bag? Second, how long do you intend to use that bag? The longer the bag can remain in relevant service, the better the value of the bag, never mind the price.

(This puts me in mind of an old Bell bicycle helmet ad: "If You Have a $10 Head, Buy a $10 Helmet.")

Like Fred, I had one Domke (original F-2) for 20+ years, and actually sold to someone who (presumably) is still using it. My canvas F-803's been toting my two-body, three-lens Hexar kit for over eight years now; it's traveled with me hafway across the country numerous times, and developed a nice, shopworn patina as a result (more or less the way I like it), and it still does the biz. Will a Safrotto do the same? Possibly, but the matter doesn't particularly interest me.

You might also consider a Bare Bones Bag, which goes for a bit less, and is also hella-strong.


- Barrett
 
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I bought a Safrotto Satchel years ago when it was first discussed here. Except for the gaudy labels which I removed immediately, I've had no problems with it.
 
I think the bag thing is a personal thing. I've used Domkey and Lowe stuff for a long time. I guess I've had Domkeys since the 80s. I know that Tiffen owns them now and can't comment on the current production. The bags I own have held up well over the years. I use a J803 that is of black Ballistic cloth construction. It doesn't weigh much empty. It doesn't look like a camera bag and I can slip it into a shopping bag to hide it in transit. It holds a F3 body and 3 lenses with lots of film and stuff. It would hold a lot of Leica gear + lunch. I too try to avoid the off-shore stuff. Sometimes it's tough to do. It's getting hard to tell where stuff is made. p.
 
My favorite bag is my 23+ years old Domke F-2. It's been all over the world, had a new Domke strap stitched into it this year and I reckon it's good for another 23 years as it's in very good shape for an old bag.

A few years ago I bought a Domke F-803 satchel. After a year or so the stitching started unraveling on the flap and I began to hate the plastic stiffener under the handle, so I got the bag repaired and sold it. Bought the equivalent Safrotto CF700 with no plastic stiffener and I'm still very happy.
 
I've been using LowePro and Tenba bags over the years. My current RF bag is a LowePro Nova2 designed for a small SLR, but I've set it up so that I put my CL and 40 in one slot, my cell phone in the middle and either a spare RF lens or a digital P&S in the third one.
 
My bag solution is for a different camera but the scheme is similar. As much as I like the nice bags, they are not priced where I want them (to put it mildly), so I like to root around at thrift stores for what can be adapted to work. Some of the women's black leather bags look very doable, but what I usually end up using comes from the bins that have backpacks, lunch bags, laptop bags, etc.

My 'blad turned out to be a handful on a strap, so I found this nice little bag for $3 and put one of those elastic type camera straps on it to make the weight a little easier to tote. It worked almost as well w/ the strap that came on it though. The bottom is reinforced w/ a small bottom reinforced liner that was inside an old side bag.

The nice thing is the bag is insulated, which helps in the summers. I would prefer that it open from the top rather than the side, but it's worked so well that I'm happy w/ it just as it is. The camera sits firmly in it even when opened, and the webbed pouches work for holding the dark slide, lens cap, filters, light meter and film .

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