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Bags of Space

by Mike McNamee

Bags - General

For the photographer, picking a camera bag is a little like a lady picking a handbag - you invariably need more than one because no single bag fulfils the need! This is one reason why the bag manufacturers have such big stands at trade shows, it is just about the only way to make a best, first guess at what you need - there is nothing like trying a bag on and nothing beats a trained sales person fitting one to you. Before you start the quest for your camera bag you need a realistic list of what you NEED to carry. Note the capitalisation, it's what you need to carry, not what you think you might like to carry from the comfort of your living room. The list must include consideration of the following:

Camera Bodies
Computer Gear
How many?
Laptop
What size format?
Power Pack
Is the lens to be attached?
Chargers
IPad
Lenses
Mobile Phone
How many?
How big are they?
Living & Survival
Do you want lens hoods on or off?
Food
Tripod, Monopod?
Drink
On the top of the bag?
Waterproofs
On the back of the bag?
Hat
In a separate bag?
Gloves
Shelter
Accessories
First Aid
Filters
Compass
Flash Guns
Maps
Flash Modifiers
Whistle
Cable Release
Batteries (flash and camera)
Storage media
GPS Devices

Once you have written your list out (and it may, by now, contain everything you own in the photographic line!) it is time to start weighing things, deleting things and questioning how much you really want to take them. Again, what seems like a worthwhile 'just in case' item in your lounge will not be regarded in the same way half way up Snowdon. That 3kg panoramic-head is of no use if you turn back before the summit because your shoulders cannot take any more! Note also that the list will change in accord with the likely terrain; you can comfortably carry much more on the flat than going upwards. In taking advice you also need to consider your strength, size and fitness. Your pack needs to be in proportion to your body size.

Booq bags

This feature sprang to life at Focus, when Gallagher and McNamee were standing idly by the Colour Confidence stand. "Have you seen our new bags?" they said. "No," we said, "send them to us for a look."

And so it was that a rather large box containing the Python range of bags arrived at Editor Towers. There are four 'Python' bags comprising the Booq range (although they make lots of other bags for laptops). Leaving the small Toploader aside for the moment, the other three will hold and iPad, or MacBook as indicated in the table. All bags have a metal tag riveted to them, with details of the lost&found websiteTerralinq.com which enables the company to contact the owner of the lost property and put them in touch with the finder. It will at least recover the bag from an honest finder.

All the bags are sturdily made, using ballistic nylon material. The zips are quite small and we did note some trouble opening them once the bags had become distorted with heavy, awkward-shaped loads. They use large plastic fastening clips where appropriate and glove-friendly zip pulls. They are all discretely labelled and neat in appearance (eg not festooned in straps, clips and 'rob me I am a photographer' logos!).

The Python TopLoader

This is more of a secure pouch than a carry bag. The top loading leaves the camera and (usually) attached lens ready for rapid extraction and use. The bag is slightly bigger than others we have seen but does not quite extend to a full-size, pro-DSLR and a 70-200 f2.8. However,, the body can be placed on the adjustable top shelf and a lens stored below. For an afternoon stroll with a DSLR and a short zoom it is ideal. It is equipped with a shoulder strap but not belt attachments. There are two side pockets for slim items such as a phone, filters or storage cards.

The Python Courier

This is designed for a DSLR (medium sized, ie without a battery pack) and between two and four lenses. A camera and 200mm lens will not fit vertically, the lid will no longer close, however, a 70-200 f2.8 or a 300mm f4 would fit, flat, along the width of the bag. There is a zip-sealed compartment at the back of the bag for an iPad although the base of the compartment is not padded so some care would be need in placing the bag down on hard surfaces. The interior may be arranged in a flexible number of configurations (on all the bags in fact). It is classic courier shape.

Overall the Courier is the type of bag that you might take to a meeting when you also need a camera but not a full kit, a briefing or reconnaissance for example. If you are travelling there is a utility loop so that the bag may be anchored to the handle of a pull-along suitcase or carry-on bag.

The Python Sling

This is the first of the range you might consider taking along on a serious photographic assignment, rather than a meeting to which you also took a camera. It has capacity for one or two DSLRs, four lenses and an 11-13" MacBook.

The single, 'sling' carry strap is well padded and remarkably comfortable. It also has the advantage that the bag may be rotated around the shoulders so that the side opening becomes a top opening, with the flap away from the carrier. This is useful when putting the bag down is inappropriate but access to all the contents is required.

The bag is neat overall with a tripod attachment but no other dangling straps. It lacks the space for wet weather gear or food and drink. Perhaps it is best regarded as a bag for carrying kit short distances on site but where you are unlikely to be caught out in the open or too far from shelter. There is no attached rain cover.

The Python Pack

This is the largest of the series but is still not a massive, obtrusive pack. It has room for one or two DSLRs, up to four lenses (or lenses plus flash) and up to a 15" MacBook. It is sufficient to hold the gear needed at a wedding without your every turn threatening to bump into guests or wipe the cake off the table! The slightly understated design is also discrete - you don't really want to pitch up at a wedding looking like a gap-year backpacker! A rain cover is attached to a side pocket for heavy rain use; this also provides a useful mat should you have to put gear down on wet ground. We did manage to stuff an anorak into the top pocket which is normally reserved for fast access to a DSLR and lens.

We had trouble getting a pro DSLR and a 70-200 f2.8 into the bag; it actually went in OK but getting it out was a fight. The double straps and waist belt provided reasonably secure carrying and remained comfortable during a mixed walking, driving and shooting day in the Lake District, over mixed terrain. The back also has straps for attaching a tripod although you would find it strained a little, as well as applying quite a lot of force to the zips on the back of the bag. A sternum strap is provided for additional stability.

Booq Range Overall

The range covers almost all eventualities for attending meetings, reconnaissance trips and shortish walks. It does not really cover all-day mountain walks, rough weather and nature field trips; there is insufficient room for either waterproofs or big lenses or any of the other paraphernalia that these demand (although it would do for a botany or insect field trip, with their more limited demands on kit).

f-stop Satori

This bag moves up a gear from the Booq series and is intended for serious field work, outdoors, in all weathers. The bag is impressively light for a camera bag, with many features taken from mountaineering rucksacks. It is also designed for versatility and expansion with clip-on pocket facilities to a universal design. The design is modular to the extent that a number of internal camera units (ICUs) may be interchanged for different trips and occasions. For example on a day's walk you might install the large ICU and bear the weight of a lot of camera gear whereas for a longer trip you might need more protective gear, food and drink, at the expense of camera gear. At 62 litres there is plenty of inherent space, but the bag is literally festooned in straps and attachment points for adding other bags, another 20 litres would not be out of the question. The straps will also hold walking poles, ice axes or a tripod.

It is instructive to compare the Satori with regular walkers' and climbers' sacks. Generally 25-32 litres is consider 'day sack' size. Over 50 litres they tend to be called backpacks and above 60 litres the expression 'expedition pack' is used. These packs are frequently extendible via a top-tube of material and a 55 litre sack may be billed as 55+10 extension+6l of side pockets. Generally these walkers' sacks are less padded than camera-specific bags and weigh less - for example a Berghaus 60 litres ladies' sack weighs in at 1.73kg. On a website such as Cotswold you will find 130 day sacks (including colour variants) and 17 back packs (four women's sizes, three men's and three unisex). They range in capacity from 65 to 80 litres and in weigh from 1.8kg to 2.8kg. The women's sacks have specially cut-away shoulder straps to clear the bust and make for more comfortable carrying. This class of sacks is also available in a variety of back lengths and, universally, the waist belts and shoulder straps are highly adjustable. This is vital; 80% of the weight should be carried on the waist so the strapping and belt arrangements have to suit the wearer. Smaller photographers (which includes many women and also your editor) can have a hard time finding a suitable size of sack. If you are outside the normal size range then adapting a walking sack is a serious consideration, especially as it will also save you money. The Satori retails at £310 whereas you can pick up a day pack or back pack from £69 upwards (but never

Choosing a walking pack loses one of the key features of the Satori and this is where its pedigree as a photographer's sack starts to show. The opening to the ICU is through the back of the bag, ie from the strap's side. This is sensible; the outer faces of the sack are likely to be the wettest and dirtiest and so placing the back down on wet or muddy ground is less of a problem. The kit is then very accessible. If such rapid accessibility gets you a shot of a rare sighting you might otherwise have lost, then the additional cost suddenly becomes irrelevant!

The ICU arrangements cover every possible contingency including packing two bodies, a 100mm lens, a short zoom and a 500mm f4. Therein lies a danger with a bag such as this, it must be very easy to over pack - pack in haste repent at leisure and all that! One arrangement has a total of 13 lenses packed in - you'd have to avoid boggy ground with that lot in your pack.

Overall then the Satori is a nice, if not slightly pricey, bag designed by outback photographers for outback photographers. This pedigree is obvious once you start to pack, carry and use the bag in the field. It has tremendous utility and flexibility, with a vast amount of expansion potential (there are, for example 14 ICU variants). This is perhaps what you pay the extra for; you are buying into that future flexibility. There is an accessory rain cover which costs around $30 (accessory? Have these people never been to Borrowdale!). This might just be the best 30 bucks you have ever spent, after you have bought the bag itself!

f-Stop Satori Summary features:

• 62 litres volume
• Camera gear is accessed via back panel by heavy duty YKK zipper
• Compression straps allow airline carry-on travel - below the legal size limits for major airlines
• MOLLE attachment points on both sides of the waist belt works seamlessly with products from our Dakota Component System and the internationally standardised MOLLE System. The system will also accept third party accessories (Think Tank, LowePro)
• Belt and shoulder tension adjustments for customising a balanced fit
• Internal padded laptop sleeve fits most 17" laptops and smaller
• Accepts optional seam taped water bladder sleeve and has sealed routing for hose

• Accepts optional f-Stop seam-taped rain cover
• Lightweight Nylon 330 Double Rip-Stop shell stands up to foul weather and reduces unneeded weight
• Full-sized EVA-padded hip belt, EVA-padded shoulder straps, and adjustable integrated whistle sternum strap, allow you to carry heavy loads with ease and send warning for wildlife
• Optional f-Stop GateKeeper system can hold tripods, snowboard, and almost anything else you want to carry. The Satori EXP includes 14 mounting points
• Accepts all f-Stop ICUs
• The ICU is an accessory and not included in the basic bag



Updated 27/04/2026 16:44:22 Last Modified: Monday, 27 April 2026