Traveling in April and am shopping for a day bag. I prefer the messenger bag style for comfort and security. It will largely operate as a camera bag. I enjoy photography and am bringing my DSLR. I want it to be big enough and not look like a "camera" bag. Has anyone purchased the RS Euro Flight Bag? What were your experiences with this bag? Any fellow photophiles on here who regularly
use a messenger style bag as a camera bag while traveling and have recommendations?
thanks
If I take my DSLR on holiday, I take only one lens (24-105mm zoom) and no flash. Hence, I don't need a bag - the camera is slung over my shoulder whenever I'm out and about.
I assume you need a bag because you're taking more than this and so the bag has to match your kit. What will you be taking?
Bags are a constant irritation for me and most photogs. For some reason, we pretty quickly decide what make/model of body we need, what lenses we need, which flash, which filters, etc. We rarely manage to settle on the ideal bag however. Though my DSLR kit has been largely unchanged for seven years, I have owned six or seven bags in that time.
I am not a photographer, but I have the EuroFlight bag. I used it a few times. I got tired of it rather quickly because it is "boxy" bulky when full and hard to carry. You end up leaning to one side. This is a tough bag to lug. It's okay if you are just going to attach it to a suitcase handle.
I believe LLBean has a few backpacks designed for wildlife photography. You may want to check those out. LLBean has a couple of carryall accessory bags and a sportsman bag that is smaller than the RS bag and may be useful.
Good Luck.
I use the RS Euro Flight bag on my trips, it is great as an overnight bag in case my checked bag does not arrive with me. It would be too big and bulky, as another poster said, for a day bag.
I have this bag, and I agree it is quite large. My husband had a two day business trip and he used it for his trip. It was large enough to carry his clothing, business casual, hygiene products, work tablet and other assorted gear. His gripe: it got heavy.
Hi - This is what I've used for my day bag for traveling and at home. It's a purse, so i don't know if that matters to you, but it's perfect for me. It fits my basic necessities, and my Nikon dslr. I usually just take my prime lense, but it does fit my larger lense too. I have a nylon camping sak that I use as a liner to keep my camera separate from my other stuff.
I love it because it looks like a purse, slings crossbody, has good pockets, and is lightweight.
Here's the original model that I have in black, but they have a newer model, second link. my bag
The euro flight bag was my first RS purchase. I bought it specifically for my DSLR. I don't recommend it at all. Felt as though my camera would fall out of that bag. I have the cavita bag and it works better and fits my 18 to 140 len, but it's not perfect. Gives my neck a break from the weight of the camera. There is no padding so you have to be watchful about putting it down or banging into something. I lay a light sweater on the bottom for cushioning. You wouldn't be able to carry much more than that though in the main compartment of the bag. I do put my mini iPad in the back pocket. The front pocket worked well for maps, small travel books, tickets and such. But it gets very heavy. My neck takes a beating. RS products are not DSLR friendly. I keep looking at recommendations on this site for a new backpack. I love my camera and don't want to give it up but it is the hardest thing to pack.
I use the Euro Flight Bag as my personal item and find it to be great for that purpose and as my only bag if I am traveling for just a few days, but it is much too large for a day bag. I use the same bag as Shawn, the old style which I really like except for the water bottle pocket because it is too short for a water bottle. I ordered the new model a couple of weeks ago thinking it would be just like the old one except with better pockets for a water bottle. Alas, even though the website lists the sizes as being the same for both bags I thought the new one seemed smaller. When I measured the bottom panel that provides the width to the bag, the new one is a full inch narrower than the old model. I am not willing to give up that much space for a better water bottle pocket so I am sending it back. Unfortunately, the old style is no longer available.
I used the Rick Steves Euro bag on my trip to Sicily last fall. I did carryon only and had a spinner bag in addition to the Euro bag. I didn't like the Euro as much as I had hoped due to some of the reasons already stated. For my day bag I have a Baggalini crossbody bag which has two storage areas with zippers. I put my Nikon D7100 in a gallon size ziplock bag and put it the larger area of the purse. The purse also has pockets on the sides for water bottles, etc. I kept my purse with camera inside with me at all times. I got the purse from Amazon.
