dave lackey
Veteran
There is no perfect bag.
I can honestly say this after wearing all day and sleeping with a Hadley Pro, a Domke 5XB Rugged Wear and several other bags from recent days past. Either one is too small. Or too big. Or not casual enough. Or too formal. Or something.
However, I am slowly realizing that well-chosen bags for the gear owned can work into a nice system which comes closer to being "perfect" in the sense that it works and I like it.
Here is the system as it has evolved so far.
The Hadley Pro is a great bag for a lot of stuff or not so much. I have used it for a lot of stuff and it gets sooo heavy. Therefore, I have designated it as a system bag/multi-use bag. For instance, I can fit all of my Leica R gear in it and keep it in storage, in the car, or even carry it if I am so stupid...errr...inclined to punish my back. Or I can fit the R + M + X in the bag or any combination including a single camera and lens. I like the fact that I can carry a tablet (if I had one), notebooks, file folders, important papers and such. But it is also a large bag which means it cannot be perfect.
So, a smaller bag like the 5XB will handle the Leica R + lens + film + journal, etc. for the one camera carry. Or add the a small p&s. Now that I have two 5XB bags, I use the rugged wear only for the Leica X1. The black 5XB only for the Leica R4 with an extra lens or not. That leaves the Hadley Pro with the M3 or anything else including my Nikon FE2, etc.
Recently, I have found all of these bags are good sleepers, providing good armrests while sitting up in a chair or even a pillow when semi-horizontal. Snacks, water, wallets, glasses, and many small things can be accommodated with these bags.
So, using them as part of a system, dedicating each bag to particular camera model works perfectly well for me. Did I say, perfectly? There is no such thing as Joe said. But this has served me well the past 2 weeks 24/7. All I have to do is decide whether digital or film. Each bag is ready to go and I don't have to think which truly is perfect for me.
I can honestly say this after wearing all day and sleeping with a Hadley Pro, a Domke 5XB Rugged Wear and several other bags from recent days past. Either one is too small. Or too big. Or not casual enough. Or too formal. Or something.
However, I am slowly realizing that well-chosen bags for the gear owned can work into a nice system which comes closer to being "perfect" in the sense that it works and I like it.
Here is the system as it has evolved so far.
The Hadley Pro is a great bag for a lot of stuff or not so much. I have used it for a lot of stuff and it gets sooo heavy. Therefore, I have designated it as a system bag/multi-use bag. For instance, I can fit all of my Leica R gear in it and keep it in storage, in the car, or even carry it if I am so stupid...errr...inclined to punish my back. Or I can fit the R + M + X in the bag or any combination including a single camera and lens. I like the fact that I can carry a tablet (if I had one), notebooks, file folders, important papers and such. But it is also a large bag which means it cannot be perfect.
So, a smaller bag like the 5XB will handle the Leica R + lens + film + journal, etc. for the one camera carry. Or add the a small p&s. Now that I have two 5XB bags, I use the rugged wear only for the Leica X1. The black 5XB only for the Leica R4 with an extra lens or not. That leaves the Hadley Pro with the M3 or anything else including my Nikon FE2, etc.
Recently, I have found all of these bags are good sleepers, providing good armrests while sitting up in a chair or even a pillow when semi-horizontal. Snacks, water, wallets, glasses, and many small things can be accommodated with these bags.
So, using them as part of a system, dedicating each bag to particular camera model works perfectly well for me. Did I say, perfectly? There is no such thing as Joe said. But this has served me well the past 2 weeks 24/7. All I have to do is decide whether digital or film. Each bag is ready to go and I don't have to think which truly is perfect for me.
robklurfield
eclipse
One trick with a bag the size of the Hadley Pro is to not pack it full. I always ask myself if I need to fill up every inch of it with stuff I'm not going to use.
dave lackey
Veteran
Absolutely true!
With just the M3, light meter and maybe the X1, it molds to the body and is light enough!