Please Help Finding New Gear Backpack

I have 3 lenses (see my signature for exact lenses) and a D3100 camera. I also have a pretty compact lightweight tripod (about 18" long and maybe 3lbs) I'd like to be able to attach or put in a backpack if possible. I would also love to have room for future smaller lenses (macro & fisheye). Any suggestions on bags? I went up to bestbuy just to get an idea of sizing and kept running into issues with my 55-300mm as it is so long especially with the lens hood.

Anybody have a known solution that has similiar lenses? I'm looking for <$100 if at all possible but am open minded if I find the right bag at spending more.

I should also note I am going to be using this on vacation in a few weeks so I'd like to have the backpack for portability both on a plane and walking around national parks/cities.


Thanks in advance!

You will have to reverse your lens hood to make it fit or you will need a very large bag. I have a case logic back pack that works great but I store the camera w/lens and hood in the reversed position. A I also have a messenger bag, but the camera is stored in the same position.

Also there are a lot of discussions on here about bags that you might to review for other opinions. I also recommend getting your hands on as many as you can before you purchase. Most on here have multiple bags.

Well for starters, reverse your lens hood when stowing a lens to save room. That being said, if you want to go cheap (and make no mistake sub-$100 is cheap when talking camera bags) the Amazon Basics Backpack camera bag is only $30 and it's amazing. I have one and it gets used a lot despite owning far more expensive camera bags; what works for me just works for me regardless of price.

For not a whole lot more money there's the Case Logic DCB-308 sling bag.


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reverse the lens hood, hadn't learned that trick but glad I did now! This is why I put noobie and not hobbyist as my experience, lol...

That amazon back looks pretty nice and says it's 5" deep internal (the 55-300mm is 4.6") so that's a huge relief. I might just pick this up because for the price it looks like a great deal.

Percussionman11 said:

That amazon back looks pretty nice and says it's 5" deep internal (the 55-300mm is 4.6") so that's a huge relief.

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You can store lenses lying down, too. Some of mine are stored upright, some lie on their sides. I always arrange things in my bag so the weight is properly distributed for the mode of carry.

Percussionman11 said:

I might just pick this up because for the price it looks like a great deal.

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I will tell you it will *NOT* withstand the wrath of baggage handlers, neither human nor mechanical, but then you should know better than to let baggage handlers anywhere near your camera bag as a general rule. The Amazon bag will provide your gear with modicum of protection against the elements and rough handling; not outright abuse. It's a very *good* bag; not a fantastic, Pro-Grade bag, so don't expect that for $30. Mine gets tossed in the car, bounced around a bit and carried a lot. I don't go out of my way to abuse my gear, but I don't treat it like it's Ming porcelain either. For that sort of life, the Amazon bag would serve you well.



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Horoscope Fish said:

I will tell you it will *NOT* withstand the wrath of baggage handlers, neither human nor mechanical, but then you should know better than to let baggage handlers anywhere near your camera bag as a general rule. The Amazon bag will provide your gear with modicum of protection against the elements and rough handling; not outright abuse. It's a very *good* bag; not a fantastic, Pro-Grade bag, so don't expect that for $30. Mine gets tossed in the car, bounced around a bit and carried a lot. I don't go out of my way to abuse my gear, but I don't treat it like it's Ming porcelain either. For that sort of life, the Amazon bag would serve you well.

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I will be keeping my camera as a carry on right next to me. As stated, I don't trust checking it worth a darn. I make a point of taking my camera with me almost everywhere so it will be in the car a lot outside of this vacation so as long as it can fit everything comfortably and is easy to transport that's all I'm really looking for. Just need something to get me by for a year or two till I really want something more serious anyways so this is perfect. Thanks again!

I suggest you go to Lowepro's site and check out their wide assortment of bags. If you find a bag that fits your needs, surf on over to amazon and place your order. You might want to check out "thinkTank", also. I recently purchased one of their units, which is also a very good bag.

My suggestion would be a Mountain Smith Borealis AT, This is what I use and it suits me just fine. Its just over $100.00 and I have had mine for a while. I fly About once a month and it still looks new but i also carry mine on. I carry a Gripped D600 with a 24-70 f2.8 Lens attached, A 70-300mm F4 Lens , a 24-85mm F3.5, D7000 with kit lens attached, A D50 Body And a Nikon 700 Flash. Along with a iPad and 13" macbook pro and the battery chargers and cables to go with them... along with a Go-pro Hero.... so yeah I carry too much stuff and weight in around 40 lbs on my back lol, It will also carry a tripod... I just don't own one...

take a look at it... the best thing to do is if you live near a big camera place is go in there and try them out, thats what i did. I went through 10 camera bags till I found the one that fit me and my style . Bestbuy is one of those places you go if your in a pinch, they dont carry much..

​Good Luck

I bought a Tamrac Evolution 8 for similar reasons and I have to say I haven't looked back. It has enough space for everything I have and room for future gear. It is both a backpack and a sling pack, providing easy access points for camera with lens mounted and additional lens.

​Well worth checking it out on Amazon.

I use the Lowepro Slingshot 302 aw, it's a hybrid between backpack and messenger bag and the 302 is the biggest in the series and it'll fit what you have and more.