People often ask me what I carry my camera gear in, so here is an honest run-through of the bags I actually use and when I reach for each one. There is no perfect camera bag. What works depends on your gear, how you travel, and whether you would rather check your gear in or carry it on. So treat this as how I manage my own kit, not as a shopping list.
My standard safari setup is two Nikon Z9 bodies, the Nikkor F-mount f/2.8 trinity (14-24, 24-70 and 70-200), and the Nikon Z 400mm f/2.8 TC. Alongside these I usually carry a drone, an Osmo mobile, a monopod, a tripod, a DJI mic and a GoPro. Between them, these bags cover everything from a tight carry-on to a fully protected check-in case. I have added the manufacturers’ listed specs for each bag below.
Think Tank XT cabin roller
This is my preferred cabin bag. It swallows all the lenses and bodies above and still comes in at cabin-baggage size. Empty it weighs about 3.2 kg, and loaded with my gear it comes to roughly 13.2 kg. Size-wise it clears the cabin limit; the weight is another matter, so how strict the airline is on the day decides whether it goes overhead or not.
Maker’s specs:
- Model: Think Tank Airport Advantage XT rolling case
- Exterior: 35.6 × 53.3 × 20.3 cm
- Interior: 33.8 × 45.7 × 16.5–19.1 cm
- Laptop pocket: fits up to a 17-inch laptop and a 10-inch tablet
- Empty weight (maker): about 3.2 to 3.6 kg, depending on dividers
- Holds up to two gripped bodies with several lenses
Gura Gear Kiboko 30L
The Kiboko is my backup cabin bag. It holds all my camera gear too, and empty it is barely 2 kg. It is a touch smaller than the Think Tank, which is exactly why I switch to it when cabin scrutiny is tighter and I need something that reads as a smaller bag. It also keeps my gear safe out on safari. Loaded, it comes to about 12 kg, which is still over the cabin weight allowance most airlines set, so it is not a guaranteed carry-on either.
Maker’s specs:
- Model: Gura Gear Kiboko 2.0, 30L
- Exterior: 32 × 52 × 17 cm
- Interior: 30 × 51 × 15 cm
- Volume: 30 litres
- Empty weight (maker): 1.77 kg
- Holds two DSLR bodies and about seven lenses, or a body with a 400mm f/2.8 attached
Lowepro Nova 200
This is my in-vehicle safari bag for the trinity and the two Z9 bodies. The 400mm I keep on my lap, ready to shoot, while the Nova sits below the seat or by the armrest for easy reach. Its top access is the point: when a sighting happens, I can get to a body or lens quickly without digging through the whole bag.
Maker’s specs:
- Model: Lowepro Nova 200 AW II shoulder bag
- Exterior: 39 × 26 × 24.5 cm
- Interior: 34.5 × 20 × 18.5 cm
- Weight (maker): 1.2 kg
- Holds a body with two to four lenses, a flash and accessories
Lowepro 350 AW
I use this one only occasionally, mostly on landscape-only trips. It takes all my cameras except the long 400mm lens, so it is a neat, lighter option when I am leaving the big glass at home.
Maker’s specs:
- Model: Lowepro Pro Trekker BP 350 AW II backpack
- Exterior: 48 × 32 × 24.9 cm
- Interior: 41.9 × 27.9 × 15 cm
- Volume: 24 litres
- Weight (maker): 2.4 kg
- Laptop compartment: fits a 15-inch laptop and a 10-inch tablet
- Holds two bodies with a 70-200mm attached, plus three more lenses
Casenfoam EW4625
I bought this case empty and made the inserts myself from PU foam, cut to fit each piece of my gear. Empty it is about 3.7 kg. Loaded it runs to 12-13 kg, and even with a monopod, GoPro and the odd extra thrown in it usually stays under 15 kg. That makes it a very safe case to check in.
Maker’s specs:
- Model: Case N Foam EW4625
- Exterior: 54.1 × 42.2 × 30.2 cm
- Interior: 46 × 34.5 × 25 cm (bottom 25 cm deep, lid 5 cm)
- Shell: polypropylene, waterproof, dustproof and crushproof, with a pressure-equalisation valve
- Empty weight: the maker lists the bare case at about 4.5 kg; mine, with my own cut PU-foam inserts, is about 3.7 kg
Pelican 1615
I bought this one empty as well and cut my own inserts for it. With the inserts it weighs about 7.2 kg dry. It is rock solid, and it comfortably fits all my cameras along with the drone, tripod, mic, GoPro and Osmo. Even fully loaded it stays a little under 23 kg, which is the single-piece limit on most check-ins, so everything travels in one protected case.
Maker’s specs:
- Model: Pelican 1615 Air wheeled case
- Exterior: 82.8 × 46.7 × 28.0 cm
- Interior: 75.2 × 39.4 × 23.8 cm
- Shell: waterproof, crushproof HPX2 polymer
- Empty weight (maker): about 6.4 kg bare, or 8.0 kg with the full foam set
How I actually travel with all this
On international flights, my preferred way to move gear is to check it in, in a hard case — the Pelican or the Casenfoam. I would rather not haggle at the check-in counter over a few kilos, and I do not enjoy pulling every body and lens out for security checks, so wherever I can, I check the gear in and travel light through the airport.
On safari it is the opposite: I want the gear within reach. I keep it in the Lowepro Nova 200 by the armrest for quick access, or in the Gura Gear Kiboko when I want everything in one place. I pick a camera up only when a sighting happens; I do not like leaving gear out on the seat, exposed to the jerks and dust of a safari vehicle. Once the shoot is over, it goes straight back into the bag.
That is the whole system. It has come together over a lot of trips and a fair amount of trial and error, and it suits my gear and the way I travel. Yours may well look different, and that is the point.
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