Options for chest mounted bag

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nidding

Senior Member
Hello ya'll.
I have this gift certificate from a 365 that I want to swapp for some nice gear ;D

What I have in mind is a small bag for carrying on the chest along with a backpack, for instance for hiking. It's important to me to be able to access the camera and preferably an extra lens or two without having to take off the backpack. So what I'm looking for is a bag that can be fastened on the chest and is easy accessible.
I have found a few that might work. but the best one so far seems to be the Lowepro Toploader Pro A65 which is nice since it can both be carried on the chest and comes with a harness to carry it on the hip. It also comes with a nice rain cover, which is more than nice to have here in Denmark. I'm concerned that it might be too large for my d3100 and attached lens (a 85mm macro being my longest and 10-20mm being my my most bulky). I guess I could add lens carriers on the side, but I would prefer to have room for one or two lenses inside of the bag. I also like the price of the Toploader Pro (Amazon.com : Lowepro Toploader Pro 65 AW : Camera Cases : Camera & Photo), although shipping will be quite hefty to have it shipped to Denmark.

So within a reasonable price, does any of you have ideas for just the right back for me?
 
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TedG954

Senior Member
I don't know if you've looked at these, but I highly recommend the sling type bag for easy access and comfort.

http://store.lowepro.com/slingshot-102-aw

Slingshot102_left.jpg
 
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nidding

Senior Member
Thanks Ted :)
I haven't looked at the sling bags. My concern with those would be the strap. While it looks really nice and padded, I would imagine that it would get rather uncomfortable worn under the straps of a heavy backpack. There might be ways around that. Have to look into those :)
 
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PapaST

Senior Member
I think I've been in your boat before when I looked at this situation. I'm halfway tempted to redo my entire backpacking/hiking rig to accommodate the camera and lens setup. I looked at a Lowepro Outback 300AW to attach to my backpack hip belt but never warmed up to the idea. I think I'm going to try Aarn bodypacks. It's a front and back system and I wish there was a way to marry the front to an existing hiking backpack but I haven't found one.

Regardless, if I think it's the best option available if you're looking to hike with gear in the back and camera stuff up front for accessibility.

Aarn backpacks, tents, lightweight load carrying
 
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nidding

Senior Member
PapaST said:
I think I've been in your boat before when I looked at this situation. I'm halfway tempted to redo my entire backpacking/hiking rig to accommodate the camera and lens setup. I looked at a Lowepro Outback 300AW to attach to my backpack hip belt but never warmed up to the idea. I think I'm going to try Aarn bodypacks. It's a front and back system and I wish there was a way to marry the front to an existing hiking backpack but I haven't found one.

Regardless, if I think it's the best option available if you're looking to hike with gear in the back and camera stuff up front for accessibility.

Aarn backpacks, tents, lightweight load carrying
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Wow. Those look awesome. But also a bit (okay; FAR) out of my budget for now.
Maybe one day when I'm done studying ;)

MIght look into the outback 300AW as well :)

Thanks!
 
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PapaST

Senior Member
nidding said:
Wow. Those look awesome. But also a bit (okay; FAR) out of my budget for now.
Maybe one day when I'm done studying ;)

MIght look into the outback 300AW as well :)

Thanks!
Click to expand...

Yeah, I haven't jumped on it yet because it's a lot of money and effort to get rid of my old setup just for a "specialized" camera carrying solution while hiking. I like the premise though where you're balancing weight in front and back.

If your backpack has a good hipbelt (1.5 inches thick) the Outback could be a great solution and shouldn't interfere with your stride.
 
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nidding

Senior Member
PapaST said:
Yeah, I haven't jumped on it yet because it's a lot of money and effort to get rid of my old setup just for a "specialized" camera carrying solution while hiking. I like the premise though where you're balancing weight in front and back.

If your backpack has a good hipbelt (1.5 inches thick) the Outback could be a great solution and shouldn't interfere with your stride.
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Exactly. I don't hike nearly enough to justify using that much money on a new backpack!
For my proper hiking bag, I have a really good thick belt, so I think it would fit great on that. I will want to use the system with two different bags though, and the small backpack does not have a belt that would support the Outback even nearly. So I have to rely on strapping it to the shoulder straps, or hanging from a rather slim set of straps of its own.
 
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PapaST

Senior Member
nidding said:
Exactly. I don't hike nearly enough to justify using that much money on a new backpack!
For my proper hiking bag, I have a really good thick belt, so I think it would fit great on that. I will want to use the system with two different bags though, and the small backpack does not have a belt that would support the Outback even nearly. So I have to rely on strapping it to the shoulder straps, or hanging from a rather slim set of straps of its own.
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Does your small backpack have a sternum strap? It could attach to those. Some backpacks also have a standard 2cm strap running down the padded shoulder straps. If you google backpack fasteners you should find a ton of fasteners that could attach to that and anchor your camera bag. Let us know what you come up with because I've played around with it but haven't pulled the trigger on anything yet.
 
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nidding

Senior Member
It does have a sternum strap, yes, and I do believe that it would be useful to strap the chest bag unto. It might be uncomfortable to put a lot of weight on the strap, though. So the straps should probably mostly be used to keep the bag in place.

I'll be sure to post when I've come up with a solution :)

...and suggestions are still more than welcome :)
 
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Eyelight

Senior Member
The Toploader type bag with shoulder strap rings, quick disconnect straps hooked to the rings and attached to the backpack shoulder straps is what I'm thinking. And a strap of some short to keep it against the chest so it doesn't bounce as you walk (or run if needed) and serve as a backup in case a quickie lets go.
 
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nidding

Senior Member
Eyelight said:
The Toploader type bag with shoulder strap rings, quick disconnect straps hooked to the rings and attached to the backpack shoulder straps is what I'm thinking. And a strap of some short to keep it against the chest so it doesn't bounce as you walk (or run if needed) and serve as a backup in case a quickie lets go.
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Sounds about right to me :)
 
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