So now vacation time is over us and that means travel for many of us. If you travel with car it is no problem, the challenges arise when you need to pack a limited amount of things. So for my vacation this is the case I am flying to NYC, and will spend vacation in the Capital region of NY State. Since I fly economy I cannot take limitless of stuff with me. For a photographer what counts is to be able to get the equipment you think you will need with you in a safe as possible way. I do only pack tripod and  chargers in my checked in luggage. It basically drills down to, what can I live without and what can I afford to replace. It isn’t given that the travel insurance covers unlimited amount of pro grade equipment lost in the luggage.

So I have purchased myself a bag with the intention of travels. Well that was the intention, the result is that it is the main bag I use for everything. I went with a larger bag, and I read some reviews of it before buying it and one of the cons with it was that it was to easy to fill it, which again will hurt your back. For me it is genius when it comes to travel, I can have it with me on the plane, it takes most of what I would consider brining on a travel, it doesn’t scream photographer, and it has good space for other stuff I need, like sun glasses, my Bose Headphones, a novel to read, a notebook (analog) to write on, some pens, some food, some water bottles, a laptop. In addition I have for this vacation packed my main camera body Canon EOS 1D Mark IV attached is the Canon EF 16-35mm F4L IS, and I have also with me the Canon EF 24-70mm F2.8L lens. I have some filters from Lee and the brackets for this. I could also have packed some flashes, but decided I didn’t need that this time, will see if I am right there. I think it takes things really nice.

The bag I have bought  myself is the Think Tank Retrospective 50, I got it in the black color. I would highly recommend this bag for others that need a bag for similar tasks. And yes the review I read that time that said it could make your back hurts is right, I can easily pack it that heavy.

The problem I saw with going with a too small bag was exactly the same reason it said many places not to go for a bigger bag,  “You will never use it” And I feared choosing a too small bag would just make me end up having two bags when traveling.