Hi all, I've gotten into touring on my bicycle lately, and I've passed an untold number of photo ops, cursing my lack of a camera. How do you all carry a camera with you when you're out riding?

I could just wear a backpack and put the camera in that, but on hot days they get pretty sweaty. It seems the best approach is to put a rack over my rear wheel? Does anyone have any suggestions on pouches that are particularly good for use on a bike rack? Without any guidance to the contrary, I suppose I might just take the shoulder strap off my Think Tank UD10 or UD20 and strap that to the rack somehow.

I'll be carrying a very small SLR kit most often... most likely my E-410, 14-42, and 40-150 (about 2lbs, fits in the same space as a 1D body). I doubt I'll bring along my heavier Canon gear (300/2.8IS), but I'd be interested to hear how/if people actually carry those on their bikes, too.

I haven't done my homework too much on this topic... I thought I'd defer to the collective knowledge of my fellow bagaholics.

have a look here!

CKrueger wrote:
How do you all carry a camera with you when you're out riding?


I use Lowepro's Flipside 100. Best bag ever for cycling with a small kit and that has straps for a tripod.

CKrueger wrote:
It seems the best approach is to put a rack over my rear wheel?


Bad idea IMO because there's nothing to dampen the vibrations. Wear it on your back. dave

If you have a rack on the back of your bike, check this out. I carry a DSLR in mine when I'm on pavement or smooth trail. Wouldn't recommend it for a rocky trail.

Ditto on the flipside - I carry a Flipside 300 and it's nice and slim on your back. The Flipside 100 would be perfect for your kit!

I have done quite a bit of self contained touring and I like to use a pannier for my camera gear. I use Ortliebs but others will work as well. I put some foam rubber on the bottom of the bag and have never had any problems from vibration. You are right about sweating with a backpack.

Thanks for all the ideas guys!

I'm going to be touring almost exclusively on road or rail trails. Is vibration for a pack mounted to a bike a serious problem if you're not riding on broken ground? Has anyone ever had any equipment failures due to damage from jostling or vibrations?

I have a Flipside 200, and it does seem like it would be a good backpack for cycling, but I'm looking to carry a much smaller load than even the Flipside 100 is appropriate for. To put it in perspective, my entire kit will fit inside my 6x6x3.5" Think Tank Chimp Cage. You can see that the bag might also snugly fit a 1D body... and nothing else.

I certainly could use a bit more storage space than that, but my goal is to travel light, so my usual kit will be my diminutive Olympus gear.

It seems my best bet might be very small pannier bags, or a non photo-specific trunk to attach to a rack? And perhaps a bunch of soft foam to line the bottom with to protect against bounces? The bags LR110 listed look like they are specifically designed for photography, but I didn't find any US distributors.

I suppose it'll be cheapest to get any old bag and just toss a camera bag inside. Perhaps for once I'll take the prudent solution and not the one that lets me buy yet more specific-use bags.

A good point and shoot in a handlebar bag will give you quick access and less worries.

I hang an NG2345 on the right side of my handle bar, compartments facing me for quick access to mobile and P&S; main compartment for larger camera etc. A lot of other bags would work as well; this is just a good size; not too large for the handle bar, not too small for my everyday carry stuff; and it's inclement weather resistant. Convenient for bike, walk, bus, whatever, it's just an allround bag. No worrying about vibrations on the handle bar.
A bag like this one threads on to the bar through the strap:

tag for later

Thomas, how do you thread the bag onto your handlebars? Do you just wrap the shoulder strap around the bars? I'm sure how you do it is secure, but I'm having a hard time visualizing how I might do that.

bags and panniers are good but I would suggest to also consider a hard case, say pelican. Nothing like opening your bag after a fall to find damage done to the gear. I have used a pelican that I stuffed into a pannier; there seemed no issues with vibration (when off-roading, I put the case in my camelback). An added bonus is that they are fully waterproof too, but they are heavier comperd to a soft bag.

I've used open panniers for years now. It's not meant for real touring, but it's great to load groceries, camera backpacks (just use a strap to hold it in there), and other junk.

http://www.rei.com/product/733820

Requires a rack, but it makes your bike useful.

CKrueger wrote:
Thomas, how do you thread the bag onto your handlebars? Do you just wrap the shoulder strap around the bars? I'm sure how you do it is secure, but I'm having a hard time visualizing how I might do that.
CKrueger,

Just like on this wooden bike here; it hangs on the right hand side handle bar like so. The bike is an ordinary citybike with the handle bar comfortably high and the bag is small enough that I don't really have to tighten the loops much to avoid banging my knee on it when riding. NB, I don't imagine this kind of bag the most practical for racer bikes.

I stash my mobile in one of the velcro closing compartments, and my compact in the other. On rainy days, they ride in the zippered twin compartments behind the lid (picture #2).
It's a nice kind of bag for walking too; I'll hang a sweater/light jacket in a loop (picture #3). Compared to a sleek soft smallish messenger bag, it's a little clumsy if you keep the hard plastic bottom plate and main compartment padding. I've stripped my bag from those, as well as the brass rings (compare stock photo above).
For size reference, it's designed to easily accomodate A5 pads. If you need bigger, I believe the next model takes A4 but it's also deeper and may be too much bag for the handle bar and the knees.

Thanks for the additional pictures, Thomas. I was expecting some sort of elaborate series of knots to fasten the bag to the bike. That's a very simple, elegant approach. I'll have to dig around for a small bag of my own with twin adjusters like yours.

I finally bit the bullet and put a rack on my bike this weekend. I need the space for groceries and such anyway. I got a small trunk to put on the rack while I was at it. It has side pockets that contain small roll-out panniers. All told this trunk should be able to hold more camera gear than I want to carry, although I'm definitely going to try to fasten a bag for just the camera and one lens on the front of the bike, for easier access.

I might have a line on a cheap Pelican trunk, too. Not sure the exact size, but that would make me feel a bit more secure if I go riding with my 40D and 100-400 instead of my (much less expensive) E-510 and 70-300.

Thanks for all your suggestions, guys! This thread has helped me out a lot.

Ckrueger, is your rack removeable? I like the idea of having some sort of wheel-mounted holder for a bag but the rack (e.g. grocery basket) just seems so ... I don't know. Just looks a little odd to me.

Anyone else use the Flipside models for a backpack riding on bike? Also, has anyone ever tried to use something like a camelback to hold a camera?

Consider using a belt pack when bike riding. Like the Change Up. Camera is near you, easy to turn the bag around to your front. It will absorb shock as you lift your body when going over crags and such. Kind of a happy medium between panniers, which afford low center of gravity maneuverability, and the camera on handlebars, which can tax quick movements that bike riding might require. Also, when you park the bike to go somewhere, the equipment is with you, not on a bike that might take a fall from wind or uneven ground. Use your trunk bag for bike related gear and food supplies and such. Strap a windbreaker to it.

My bike rack is fixed (well, technically it's removable), but the bag is fastened down with four Velcro strips and a squeeze lock. It takes a few seconds to remove/mount.

I'm trying to avoid carrying something on my back, just because it makes me very sweaty. Maybe I should try out my Think Tank Speed Demon before I write off carrying something on my body, however. It might not be as bad as I think...

I carry a flipside 300 and it's great. I can pack my nikon D300 w/ grip, 80-200mm afs lens, tokina 11-16, 50mm 1.8, tc-14e converter, sb600 flash, and tripod and it's not too heavy. In fact I typically go up my local mountain with all that gear and it's not too heavy

Thanks fusion -- have you tried out the Flipside 200 instead of the 300? My gear is pretty similar to yours except I don't have the grip or the flash, but I have a few spare accessories. I guess I am wondering if you have a bunch of excess space in your bag or if your gear fits pretty tightly.

I recently started bike commuting to work. I got a bag from these guys, and I've been very happy with it. From the other bags I researched, I consider their bags to be a bargain.

http://www.banjobrothers.com/

I got the 1090, carries my work clothes on one side, shoes and lunch on the other. My commute is short at five miles, I did it with a backpack for a while, but it is VERY Hot.

As for the racks, the Tubus racks are bullet proof. The one I ended up with has a capacity of like 80 pounds!

http://www.ortliebusa.com/cartgenie/prodList.asp?scat=16

Matt

mdude85, when I pack my grip and flash I still have room for other stuff. But really I typically never touch my flash, it's just I have room for it so I just leave it in there. Same with my 1.4tc and 50mm f/1.8 lens - they're so small that they just take up one little compartment in the backpack.

I haven't tried the Flipside 200 because my store only had the 300 in stock. I'm a pretty big guy (6'3) so I figure I should get the biggest backpack they have. I really like the 300 but I think what it comes down to is which one you like fits better. Afterall, the storage is pretty similar and if it doesn't fit everything at first you can always customize it with its velcro stuff to make it fit (in fact I'm getting the 500mm afs lens soon and I'm wondering if that sucker can fit in the backpack... I'm thinking it could, just have to really take apart the inside configuration). I like the 300 model because I can fit more stuff... I don't want to have to leave back stuff just because it can't fit... plus if you want to carry small snacks and stuff on your trip you'll want extra room so it's not just all camera gear.

Either way, you can't go wrong! I've had backpacks from brands like North Face and Tumi and the Lowepro backpacks are just as strong, if not stronger than those other brands... and for a great price too!

Thanks for the tip fusiongt. I am only 5'7" so I think the 200 might be more suitable for my needs (I also don't plan on upgrading my telephoto any time soon). The Nova AW3 shoulder pack I am using now has less volume than either the 200 or 300, so any bag will be an upgrade in space. I like the 200 because it takes up less real estate on my back, hence I get a little less sweaty on hard rides. I think I'll go with the 200, thanks for the good thread!

A while ago, I had an idea that would allow me to carry a full backpack of camera equipment while biking, and take the weight off my back at the same time. Trust me, it's no fun hitting bumps or potholes with 25 lbs of added weight on your back while biking.

This was done in two potential ways.

First, I used bungie cords to strap a large contoured block of packing material to the rear carrier. The position and height of this would allow the backpack to rest on this block as I biked. When I reached my destination , I simply hopped off the bike and was ready to go. You have to make sure that there is some forward overhang available when leaning forward to catch the bottom of the bag. No fuss, no extra bags to deal with.

The second idea, which I did not yet implement, was to attach a fiberglass rod behind the seat and clip a line to the backpack. By adjusting the tension of the line, it would remove the weight from my back and also provide a place to hoist a flag for visability.

I recommend buying a handlebar bag just so long as you're not planning on carrying long lenses. They're easy to access and most are waterproof as well. You can find some good buys off ebay for 20-30 dollars.