Thursday, August 16, 2012

Fashionable camera bags

Nobody ever accused me of having great fashion sense.  I once dressed my son for church in plaid shorts & a striped shirt, and saw nothing wrong with it.  I also carry all my camera gear in old bags that I pick up at thrift stores and garage sales.  You, however, may be blessed with a little more style in your wardrobe (and I hope this includes most of you women out there).  If you'd like that style to carry over into your camera bags, your options today are much broader than they were even a few years ago.  Gone are the days when you were stuck carrying your gear in a rectangular, black, nylon bag like those that line the shelves at Best Buy.  Since I've been asked to recommend storage options to several friends lately, I figured I'd post what I've found publicly for your shopping enjoyment.

When I started forming this list of manufacturers, I had absolutely no idea that the market had exploded this much.  I was aware of Jill-e and Domke, but that was pretty much it.  It didn't take me long to realize how far my head had been buried in the sand.  Below you'll find some 28 manufacturers of designer camera bags, plus another handful of more traditional bags that may offer a fashionable model here or there.

The following are listed in alphabetical order, with one sample of their product line pictured.  Note that I obviously have no first hand experience with any of these bags, so don't take the following as an endorsement for any of them.


Still can't find something you like?  Slap one of these padded inserts into your favorite bag, and you've got an instant camera bag:


Of course, if your tastes are bit more traditional, you've always got these other bag makers.  Some of them make a couple of stylish bags, but that's not what they're primarily known for.



If you're looking for a retailer with good prices, many of these bags can be found at Amazon or Adorama.  Purchasing through either of those links will help support the Prairie Rim Images blog.

I won't pretend that these are all the options available, and I'm sure more will appear as time goes by.  What's your favorite bag?  What other companies am I missing?  Do tell in the comments below.

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