The “Ari” camera bag

There is no perfect bag: the stuff I need a bag to carry and do changes from one day to the next, and may not overlap with what you think very much at all. However, I’m pretty enthusiastic about my new camera bag, so I thought I’d do a quick writeup in case it’s useful for anyone wondering about buying it. There’s a full selection of photos and video on the InCase website, so I’ll limit myself to describing whether it lives up to what I wanted it to do:

Fits and organizes the tech that I haul for nearly every flight?

YES – it’s got those padded dividers with velcro sides that let you reorganize sections as you want and fit my GF1 and lenses with room to spare for headphones and three mobiles. My iPad goes in a specially designed pocket and a full length and width document pocket is padded and fits my MacBook Air perfectly. Bottom, back and sides are all padded too, so no worries about shoving it under my seat on the plane.

Easy access to passports and travel docs, computer and ipad for airport security?

YES – the sling design lets you quickly swing the bag around to the side, undo the top zip without any awkward elbowing of people behind you in the queue and access whatever you need to. Much better than handbag rustling or backpacks that need to be plonked on the floor while you bend over to search inside, or indeed messenger bags (I always end up holding the flap under my chin while searching the cavernous depths). The document pocket keeps paper reservations and passports tidy.

Practical to take on weekend city breaks for urban trekking?

YES, MOSTLY I haven’t had a chance to really test walking with it yet (at least not to my normal standard of 7 hours pavement pounding, sightseeing and museums). But the shoulder strap is very padded on both ends and the buckle doesn’t cut into my chest at all. It is a one-shoulder design, which may be an issue for girls not quite as pancake-like as me, but I find it comfy. The strap is super-adjustable and reversible and has a quick-release system over the chest which loosens and tightens the strap within certain limits. This means that it’s easy to go from “walking mode”, with the bag pulled tight into the back and slightly diagonally orientated, to “lens changing/rummaging mode” with the strap looser and the bag to your side, ready to open the top zip.

The fabric is urban, a textured grey weatherproof canvas that would look perhaps even more at home with skinny jeans and biker boots than with waterproof trousers and trekking shoes. Certainly it’s not going to look out of place in Hoxton among the likes of Chrome messenger bags.

One downside: it’s a little big for my build – I’m 5′ 7″ and fairly slim and it does extend beyond my back on both sides, even when tightly fastened at an angle. As a day bag for a Micro 4/3rds system, it’s a bit oversized – the joy of these small cameras and lenses is that they can be stuffed in a small handbag rather than needing a big tote. But since I inevitably end up carrying around camera plus accessories, iPad, water, snacks, wallet, maps, guidebooks and phones when on a city break, I don’t think a little extra room is a huge biggie. Yes, to be a proper city bag, it’d need to be about 6 inches narrower. But, as I keep telling myself, there is no perfect bag and this one is darn close.