WillCAD
03-11-2007, 11:38 PM
I always take my laptop to WDW with me so I can download my pics each day. And although I have an SLR (Canon Digital Rebel 300D), I don't have a large collection of lenses for it; in fact, I only have 2 lenses, plus a Speedlite flash, one spare battery, and a few other odds and ends.
I don't need a huge camera gear bag, nor do I need a huge laptop bag. But I've been looking for a single carry-on-size bag that I can use to pack my laptop and camera gear together, and I haven't found many that fit the bill. But I've looked at dozens over the last 3 years, and here are the highlights:
Last year I bought an Adorama Commander from Adorama for about $40
http://www.adorama.com/GBCBK.html
http://www.adorama.com/images/large/GBCBK.JPG
This is a wonderful bag that is just big enough for a 14" laptop, an SLR with one or two lenses and a few accessories, and the various power cords, etc. It's well padded, built very tough, and has lots of useful pockets and compartments to efficiently store all the gear, plus my cell phone, travel documents, etc. I used it on 2 WDW trips and the only drawback I could find was that it does not have wheels and a handle, so it had to be on my shoulder all the time. And loaded down with all my gear, it's fairly heavy.
But then, last month, I bought a new laptop. And wouldn't you know it, the new laptop doesn't fit in the Adorama bag! So I was off again, searching.
What I wound up with was this:
http://www.samsclub.com/shopping/navigate.do?dest=5&item=330159
http://graphics.samsclub.com/images/products/0002357242986_L4.jpg
It's a Samsonite wheeled overnighter with laptop compartment, small enough to be a carry-on but large enough to hold my laptop and camera gear. It cost me $55 from Sams Club, and is apparently a Sams Club exclusive - it's nowhere to be found on Samsonite's web site.
Since the overnighter compartment is designed for clothes instead of fragile camera gear, I had to add a folded towel as padding to protect the gear; and for some reason this bag doesn't have shoulder strap hooks for those times when you have to take it off the floor, so I clipped a shoulder strap to the top mounted carry handle.
I will get some use of of this bag over the summer, as I have 4 cousins getting married this year and two of them are out of town. Then of course there's MouseFest, which will be not only out of town but require flying. Getting through the airport is the real test of the bag, since it will require easy access to my travel documents, easy access to the laptop when I go through security, and I hope that the bag will fit under the seat in front of me so I won't have to put it in the overhead bin.
I don't need a huge camera gear bag, nor do I need a huge laptop bag. But I've been looking for a single carry-on-size bag that I can use to pack my laptop and camera gear together, and I haven't found many that fit the bill. But I've looked at dozens over the last 3 years, and here are the highlights:
Last year I bought an Adorama Commander from Adorama for about $40
http://www.adorama.com/GBCBK.html
http://www.adorama.com/images/large/GBCBK.JPG
This is a wonderful bag that is just big enough for a 14" laptop, an SLR with one or two lenses and a few accessories, and the various power cords, etc. It's well padded, built very tough, and has lots of useful pockets and compartments to efficiently store all the gear, plus my cell phone, travel documents, etc. I used it on 2 WDW trips and the only drawback I could find was that it does not have wheels and a handle, so it had to be on my shoulder all the time. And loaded down with all my gear, it's fairly heavy.
But then, last month, I bought a new laptop. And wouldn't you know it, the new laptop doesn't fit in the Adorama bag! So I was off again, searching.
What I wound up with was this:
http://www.samsclub.com/shopping/navigate.do?dest=5&item=330159
http://graphics.samsclub.com/images/products/0002357242986_L4.jpg
It's a Samsonite wheeled overnighter with laptop compartment, small enough to be a carry-on but large enough to hold my laptop and camera gear. It cost me $55 from Sams Club, and is apparently a Sams Club exclusive - it's nowhere to be found on Samsonite's web site.
Since the overnighter compartment is designed for clothes instead of fragile camera gear, I had to add a folded towel as padding to protect the gear; and for some reason this bag doesn't have shoulder strap hooks for those times when you have to take it off the floor, so I clipped a shoulder strap to the top mounted carry handle.
I will get some use of of this bag over the summer, as I have 4 cousins getting married this year and two of them are out of town. Then of course there's MouseFest, which will be not only out of town but require flying. Getting through the airport is the real test of the bag, since it will require easy access to my travel documents, easy access to the laptop when I go through security, and I hope that the bag will fit under the seat in front of me so I won't have to put it in the overhead bin.