Camera Bags in the Field

What can camera bag xyz really hold?

Have you ever asked this question?
I know I have and have spent many hours researching camera bag xyz on the net.

Well this is the first in a series of articles in which I take an in depth look at whats in my camera bag xyz.

First up my trusty Lowe Pro TopLoader 75 AW


In a previous article: Camera Bags, How big is too big
I looked at bigger picture of what bag for what activity. Today I am going to delve deeper into my well travelled TopLoader.

WHERE: In the field is this bags main purpose, be it the wilds of Africa or the streets of Rome. I would not use it for point to point travel it is designed for carrying your camera gear at your destination.

Before we delve into the contents I must mention I also have a couple of lens cases attached on the sides. The top loader has loops on each side to accommodate the LowePro lens cases with velcro loops. These add a great deal of versatility to the TopLoader.


The whole point of this type of camera bag is to have your camera ready for action, by that I mean with a lens attached. So when the shot presents itself you can have the camera out quickly.

So whats in the bag:

Canon 100-400 F4.5-f5.6 IS L & Hood
20D or 30D with grip
Filter pouch
2-3 spare BP-511 batteries
lens cloth
3-4 Compact Flash Cards

So this is what is physically in the TopLoader. The Filter pouch and batteries live in the external pocket on the front. While the lens cloth and flash cards are in the zippered pocket on the inside of the opening flap. Of course the hood is not attached to the lens but sitting in the bottom of the bag.

So whats in the Lens Cases:

550ex Flash
17-40 f4 L
50 f1.8

The flash lives in the right side case and the 2 lens the left.

If the 17-40 or 50 are on the camera the 100-400 goes into the lens case, while the not in use small lens goes in the main bag.

With the arrival of the 70-200 f2.8 IS L the other day I did take the kit out with the Flash on one side and the 70-200 on the other. With the Better Beamer folded flat behind the filter pouch. Needless to say with 2 big L zooms the bag was a tad heavy for the single shoulder strap and you wouldn't want to carry this around all day.

TIP: Always carry your Top Loader draped across your body, not hanging on one shoulder. Hanging on one shoulder will do you a serious injury and it is way more likely to fall off and is also an easy target for bag snatching thieves.

TIP: When in large crowded cities I often use a waist belt with this camera bag. This holds the bag closer to your body and makes it all the more harder for would be thieves to get it off you. They can slash the shoulder strap but the waist belt is still in place.

Another Security tip if you are using the lens cases on the side is to have the zipper pulls close to your body when the zip is closed. Again this makes them a bit harder to open without you knowing about it.

I am rather fond of my TopLoader and have dragged in through Rome, All across North Africa and on more than one safari. I give it the big thumbs up!

Do you have a TopLoader? then share your load with the readers. The more variations we have the more useful a resource this becomes.

Next I will look at the Lowe Pro SlingShot 200 AW: Adventures in Packing: LowePro Slingshot 200AW