Best Backpack Style Bags for A1?

[Bill Busby]

Originally Posted by Nagisa Kodama

how about making a camcorder bag out? anyone know anything about that?

can you elaborate?

[Nagisa Kodama]

i'm trying to make a camcorder bag out of a normal bag (been looking at ogio bags due to their sturdy build). so while everything depends on the bag i use, there are many factors i don't know of such as setting up the interior padding.

i was hoping on information if anyone had attempted to do as i am now and if there are any sources online that would be of help to me.

[Josh Glowicki]

tanner
hey man i just took a 38 day trip to europe. i bought a back pack from wolf camera and it is the perfect size for the xh a1, i have plenty of room for the camera and all the accessories (lens, charger, lot of tapes, cleaner, 2 extra batteries. it was only 8 dollars. it is a black bag by Quantaray Pro. its sick and was only 80 bucks. it held up really well through my travels and i put some miles on that bag. look into it, i think its the best value out there because i searched everywhere for bags. good luck.

josh

[Luke Ross]

I went with the Kata 103 like a few other people and here is my setup. I just got it today because I wanted something portable to take to Red Bull Flugtag in Portland this next weekend. It is setup great for something smaller and is very durable. I am able to fit my NTG-2, accessories, and other items. Only downside is that I havent figured out a safe way to keep the hood on..

The reason I bought this primarily is that it has room for my laptop which you can see in the bottom picture.

Thanks,
Luke

[Denys Pyevtsov]

For me is the Lowepro Nova 5 AW the way to go. Very good for its price (not a backpack though:-).

[Annie Haycock]

Yep, that's what I keep mine in when I've got the Lowepro naturetrekker loaded with stills camera gear.

[Andrea Ruffini]

My Delsey Gopix, paid £30, fix: XH A1 with battery charger and 6 batteries, Me66, steadycam Merlin, Macbook pro 15" + 2 additional batteries. It also comes with its rain-cover. A nice price for all that...
Pros: small and light, very cheap. Cons: the zippers are weak, it's too warm on the backside, especially for African climates...

[Steven Glicker]

This medium Tenba Shootout backpack has worked out well for me. Have had it for about a year. (That first photo was taken when it was new, the others were taken minutes ago). I usually hang a shotgun in the tube below the pack. A MacBook Pro with a 'wide' 17" screen slides in nicely. (It gets heavy when fully loaded).

When I travel without the camera I pull out the lining and pack it with clothes and a notebook computer.

[Douglas Joseph]

Hey, Steve. I'm getting a A1 here real soon. Is this the same Timba backpack you have?
http://www.adorama.com/TBSBPMBK.html
To me, this one looks slightly different.

[Michael Wisniewski]

Check out the Crumpler Karachi Outpost and Whickey Cox. Took an XH A1 down to their store, and they fit pretty well.

[Steven Glicker]

Originally Posted by Douglas Joseph

Hey, Steve. I'm getting a A1 here real soon. Is this the same Timba backpack you have?
http://www.adorama.com/TBSBPMBK.html
To me, this one looks slightly different.

Hi Douglas, that one is a 'mini' and mine is a medium. On the Adorama site I see a Black Medium and a Silver-Black Medium. I don't know why they are priced differently. I just came across a YouTube sales video on the Shootout Backpacks (which is a little much) but does go over the interesting features. If you can, take your A1 into a store where you can check it out with various backpacks. Doing this was extremely helpful for me. I had been using a Tamarac and never heard of Tenba but after spending some time with a few backpacks the choice was easy.

[Steven Glicker]

The arrows in this pic point at a divider section that is used to velcro the A1 handle to the center compartment divider (click on the image to enlarge). When the backpack is vertical the camera is suspended so the hood does not touch the bottom of the compartment. This suspension scheme is one of the things I discovered in the store when checking out backpacks and is now my standard procedure.

[Douglas Joseph]

Did you modify that at all, Steven? Or did it come that way?

[Steven Glicker]

I've not made any special modifications. These kinds of backpacks (not just the Tenbas) come with section dividers that you arrange to house your camera body(s), lens, etc. The first pic below shows a small divider that fits nicely around the handle of the A1. It has velcro at the top and bottom. The next pic shows the general organization that I use. (All of these dividers come out). The small curled divider (from the first pic) is attached to the long central one where I put the A1 handle. Notice the velcro areas. The third pic shows access into the backpack via the pod. The last pic, from the www.Tenba.com, shows a different organization of the dividers for the same model backpack.

It somehow seem appropriate at this point to state that I am in no way affiliated with Tenba or any kind of marketing or selling of backpacks. (Hahaha).

[Douglas Joseph]

Hahaha. I think you might wanna send them you resume. You can say you sold one on your first pitch. I plan on getting one for sure now. Thanks a lot, man. You did a lot of work with taking pictures and whatnot. Props to ya.