Digital Home Thoughts: Building an Urban Messenger Camera Bag

Padding it Out
I had a little difficulty deciding which inserts to purchase. The forum article mentioned Domke brand but not the specific type. I looked at B&H and Adorama and found a few options before settling on two different inserts, the FA-230 3-Compartment and the FA-233 3-Compartment combination.


Figure 4: Domke FA-230 3 Compartment (slimmer) and Domke FA-233 3 Compartment Combination.

I was fortunate to have a bunch of extra padding from my Tamrac bag which I use on the bottom and sometimes on the sides for extra support. I don't know if you can buy these types of pads individually however you can probably find something comparable even if it is not made specific for cameras.


Figure 5: Tamrac padding with heavy bottom pad on the left.

Loading it Up
On a casual shoot or while traveling I primarily carry my 20D body, Canon 17-40mm, Tamron 24-75mm lens, Canon 70-200mm/2.8, and Canon 50mm lens, 580EX flash, omni-bounce diffuser, flash TTL cord, remote shutter cable, polarizing filter, graduated neutral density filter, extra batteries for camera and flash, and extra CF cards. I also typically carry an umbrella, books, energy bars, light jacket, iPod and/or PSP (usually when traveling).


Figure 6: The gear listed above minus the umbrella, light jacket and 50mm lens.

Having the two different inserts allows me to setup the bag in two configurations. The FA-233 is wider which allows me to keep more non-camera equipment but makes the bag bulkier. I tend to use the FA-230 more because it makes the bag slimmer. The lens slots are quite wide on both inserts which is nice for the 70-200 lens. For the other slots I use some of the Tamrac padding to fill out the space so things don't shift around. On the store web site the inserts advertise the ability to keep a lens and body however my 20D does not fit comfortably in the slots with a lens so I keep it between the insert and the side of the bag. I was concerned it would not be as protected this way but have not had a problem with this setup yet.