Waterproof Camera Bag for DSLR and Lens

For years now I have been using a Lowepro TLZ1 top loader to carry my camera when tramping. The bag is not waterproof and although it keeps out a bit of drizzle, I often find myself putting the camera in my pack and leaving it there for hours at a time and therefore missing a lot of interesting shots. I am looking for a new bag and have been trying to get something waterproof or with a rain cover. I have found that a lot of the bags with rain covers are difficult to put on and off quickly and most require taking off the strap to put them on! I am struggling to find something that is going to do the job! I am interested in what other people use or do? These are the things I want:- 1. A belt loop - I wear it both on the belt of my pack and the shoulder strap 2. Either a rain cover that can come on and off easily or a waterproof bag 3. Small and light as possible - I take a Canon 5D with a 24-105mm lens, a spare battery, memory cards and that's it. I have thought of the following options - 1. Spray waterproofing another bag 2. using a lightweight dry bag for the camera itself and keeping the battery and cards in a zippy bag and just letting the bag get wet. Does anyone have any suggestions? (Please don't suggest a smaller camera... so far it's the only suggestion I have had from both camera shops and tramping shops! I really want to use my 5D)
My 'point & shoot' is attached to my pack strap by a carabiner through it's carry case. In light 'wet', I put a zip-lock plastic bag over it. If it gets too wet for usage, I unclip the carabiner & totally seal the bag.
I haven't tried it but have you looked at the Aarn offering? One of their front pocket options is designed specifically for SLR cameras, although using it also means buying into the entire Aarn pack philosophy.
Thanks Pro-active. I guess that is a similar thing that I am thinking of with a smaller dry bag, but a lot of the bags I have looked at are a tight fit in diameter (not length) and I think I would struggle to pull my camera in and out easily. We also have a point and shoot that we can take, but I am specifically looking for something that will work for my DSLR. My preference is to take my 5D. As it is I have reduced from 2 lenses, carbon fibre tripod and various things such as remote switches. I now usually only take the camera and one lens with a spare battery and memory cards. I don't mind the weight and find that carrying it on my belt works well for me. It's just that it rains so much that it ends up in my pack a lot. My husband uses a chest harness with a great camera bag with a full dry bag designed for the camera. I have the same bag, but it doesn't have a belt loop. I can't use the chest harness comfortably (perhaps the different anatomy in that area??). The setup I have works really well for me other than when it rains. It honestly doesn't seem like it should be such a hard thing to find - a simple waterproof case with a belt loop that will fit my camera! The salesgirl at the last camera shop I went to told me that these days the person had to fit the bag rather than the bag fitting the person. She also told me that she got her boyfriend to carry all her camera gear when they go hiking because he is stronger than her. At that point I walked out in disgust. I carry my own gear and always will.
Hi izogi, It looks interesting, I would like to see them in action, but it's not really what I am looking for. I actually have a Macpac pack Espirit which I love and is by far the most comfortable pack I have had to date, so I am not inclined to go for a whole new system just for the camera. I do appreciate the suggestion though - I would definitely keep it in mind for the future!
I use Zip-lock bags as well. I put my camera in a zip-lock and then put that inside the camera bag which is usually slung over my shoulder while tramping. Spare batteries and lens cloth which normally live in a pouch in the lid of the camera bag also get zip-locked. Works fine for me. You can get zip-locks in a variety of sizes so I'm sure even big DSLRs with multiple lenses could be bagged.
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Forum Gear talk
Started by ellaleah
On 10 June 2012
Replies 6
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