Canon bag and lots of equipment
 

I was given a deal on a Canon soft-case bag (uncertain of model) with my camera. It's about 1 1/2 ft long by about 10 inches tall and wide. I thought it less than an ideal size at first. It is not quite long enough for the XH-A1, so I have to set the eyepiece at an angle, and I am careful not to squish the microphone. But, over time, the case has become molded to the camera's contours and it is a snug fit.

It had a bit of extra room on the sides. I just bought a 8 inch Ikan budget monitor. I also got a small HV-20 as a deck and b-camera. Now, I have room to get all of these things, with padding, all the cords, several tapes and accessories, in the one bag with some creative packing.

I'm able to carry around my primary kit, including my tripod, a basic light assembly, and my giant bag of stuff. I don't think I could add anything else, though.

I do think I could have found a practical off-brand bag at a clearance store (like Ross) for much cheaper if I hadn't felt I needed one right away.

I use the r102 kata rucsack and it is the bomb. Comes complete with reinforced padding and adjustable sections.

i can fit the camera, tapes, cables, extra battery, light & light battery in it all at the same time...

in addition to that, it also has a place to mount your tripod

Kata 207
 

I decided on a bigger backpack because I intend to do some hiking to get to some shot locations. I also wanted to have the security of "on my back" when traveling. As you can see there is plenty of room for the A1 plus gear. The harness is fully adjustable and most of the weight is on my waist/hip band.

I'm using a Kata OC-82 (http://www.kata-bags.com/Item.asp?pi...d=4&ProdLine=4) which they market as an SLR case but it makes an excellent XH-A1 case if you're looking for something compact. It's about as small as you can go, but it will hold the camera & charger, cables, tapes, etc if you don't have a lot of large accessories. It also has a front pocket which will accommodate up to a 15" powerbook or similarly sized laptop. Though technically it's a soft bag it has very rigid internal reinforcements and protects the camera well. It's also small enough to work as a carry on, even on smaller commuter planes I've taken in europe.

It can be heavy fully loaded with camera & laptop but the small size makes it easy to manage. It runs about $150 at B&H, just search for it by model number as it's not classified as a video camera bag.

Hey Evan, just came across your A1 bag suggestions. Sounds like what I'm looking for: as small as possible, sturdy but light weight and can fit it in most backpacks (for mountaineering). Do you have to take the lens hood off to fit it or do you just place it diagognally in the pack (since the interior length is listed as only 13.3")? Thanks.


[QUOTE=Evan Donn;732037]I'm using a Kata OC-82 (http://www.kata-bags.com/Item.asp?pi...d=4&ProdLine=4) which they market as an SLR case but it makes an excellent XH-A1 case if you're looking for something compact. It's about as small as you can go, but it will hold the camera & charger, cables, tapes, etc if you don't have a lot of large accessories. It also has a front pocket which will accommodate up to a 15" powerbook or similarly sized laptop. Though technically it's a soft bag it has very rigid internal reinforcements and protects the camera well. It's also small enough to work as a carry on, even on smaller commuter planes I've taken in europe.

what do you guys think would be the best/cheapest bag for an xh and an m2 attatched with rails? Can anyone fit this setup in there bag?

No, it fits perfectly lengthwise with the lens hood on and the eyepiece flipped to the vertical position. I'd post a picture but I'm just about to head out the door for a weekend trip and my camera is already packed - I'll try to put one up when I get back next week.

It might be too large to put into another bag for mountaineering - though it's small it's also noticeably deeper than the camera due to the front laptop pocket and ribbed protection on the front panel.

I use the Kata Shell-03. It is not that much bigger than the camera itself but will hold the charger, cables, tapes, etc. It isn't really a hard shell case like a Pelican. The walls of the case actually have a bit of flex to them.

[QUOTE=Westberg Onder;736337]Hey Evan, just came across your A1 bag suggestions. Sounds like what I'm looking for: as small as possible, sturdy but light weight and can fit it in most backpacks (for mountaineering). Do you have to take the lens hood off to fit it or do you just place it diagognally in the pack (since the interior length is listed as only 13.3")? Thanks.