Best Backpack Style Bags for A1?
 

I will be taking a trip here pretty soon, and I will be doing a lot of walking, so I was looking at buying a backpack style bag for my A1. I am looking at a price range of $100 - $250. Any suggestions?

Petrol makes several, so do Portabrace and the other upscale bag manufacturers. Check B&H for listings on all of them. Also, Camrade bags are nice. I'm not sure if they do a backpack, but if they do it probably will be lighter than the others because their regular bags are. Go to the sponsors section here for a link to Tapeworks Texas and talk to Scott Cantrell for info on those and others. Sometimes they're cheaper than B&H and have excellent customer service (though their website isn't much).

i just bought an OGIO Ty Video backback for mine and i like it. its padded well and all the compartments are adjustable. its made for slightly smaller cameras like the hvx-200's and the fx-1's of the world but you can make it fit. i got mine online for $150

Back Pack
 

It may be on the upper end of your price range, but I went for the Tamrac Expedition 7. It has a great lumbar support system with the ability to attach other components (water bottles, pouches, even a lower storage pack). It has customizable liners, a tripod strap, and clear internal pockets for viewing components. Seems to hold the basics well. I've used it on a limited bases but it seams to work as expected. Out big trip will be to Mesa Verde, CO in 2 weeks to give it a final test.

I really like it so far.

Sean

I've also seen several of these backpacks that have the removable/customizable dividers, but the descriptions say that they are for SLR cameras. Would it be possible to make mine fit?

http://www.camrade.com/
Check out the Travelmate Handy 1. There's a photo of it with a Z7, which is about the same size as the XH A1 (maybe just a bit longer):
http://camrade.alphatron.com/upload/...ndyiopen-0.jpg

One thing I like about Camrade bags is that they're lighter in weight that Petrol and Portabrace. The tradeoff is that they probably aren't as rigid. But for a backpack, light is good.

Kata CB20 is a cheap option
 

I'm cheap, so I got the Kata CB20. If you remove the lens hood, it will fit in the bag on its side. When it's put in right side up, the microphone holder protrudes enough to make it a tight fit. I don't use it, so removed mine.

http://thebrownings.name/photo/cb20/img_0641.jpg
http://thebrownings.name/photo/cb20/img_0642.jpg
http://thebrownings.name/photo/cb20/img_0643.jpg

If you want to get really cheap, you can use an ordinary backpack. A couple of months ago I wanted to shoot some things downtown when I was in Chicago. I had an old Eddie Bauer medium size backpack, and with the lens hood off and mic shoved back a bit, the camera would sit upright, left to right, in the bottom of the bag, with the lens hood in a pocket. If I were going to do that on a regular basis, I'd cut some foam to put in, and maybe a piece of 1/4" plywood for the bottom.

Hi,

I just got a KATA R103...... I think its perfect!

The Kata site was very helpful too...

kata-bags.com

Shawn

I really liked that bag, but unfortunately, I couldn't find it anywhere.

Sorry, I gave you the wrong information. It's not Kata, but Cinebags. I paid $130 for the CB-20, but it is discontinued now and the CB-22 has taken its place for $160.

HPRC Hardpack
 

Has anyone seen one of these in the flesh?

http://hprc-usa.com/3500.htm

They seem almost perfect for what I need (watertight hiker for sailboat use) but just slightly too shallow to hold an A1. 12.59"x16.22"x6.29" vs the A1's 6.4"x7.4"x13.8" From the photos it looks deeper towards the bottom. Any comments or experience out there? will it fit?

$350 is a lot of cash for a case but better than buying a pelican 1510 plus a Portabrace. Oh and yes, I honestly NEED a watertight case, we're headed to the Aluetians by sail boat ;)

by the way this is my first post... should I have started a new thread for this?

Cheers,
Josh.

G'day Josh.

I use a Pelican 1520 waterproof/shockproof case for my A1.

Came across a real find in a local tackle store. It's an Abu Garcia backpack.

Did a quick Google. This looks like the same one and you can get it online locally. At $45.00 it's a bargain and the Pelican 1520 fits snuggly inside. Good quality too:

http://www.discountfishingsupplies.c...906ee21bd06260

It's got two long side pockets, a top pocket and two front pockets for accessories.

Kata HB-207
 

I've taken this bag hiking in Costa Rica, on planes, and to documentary shoots. It is awesome. Holds my laptop, lots of camera accessories, and even the A1 camera fully assembled with lens hood and shotgun mic (it sticks out a little). Not the smallest bag, but it's all I ever need. It protects the gear very well and is very comfortable as well.

portabrace backback
 

hi, i was wondering if anyone ownes the portabrace backpack BK 1N? i am going for a while to cambodia and was thinking to invest in the best around...??

looking on the portabrace folder they say it will fit the canon xh A1 but if i compare to the dimensions of the camera i wonder how it will fit in. anybody some info on this?

http://www.libraprobroadcast.co.uk/p...ckpack&cat=233

http://www.zgc.com/zgc.nsf/product/E...2572D5006DE136