I have searched but have been unsuccessful... Although on here and POTN, it has been said that the 9x can fit the 40d with a 100-400 attached but nothing is said about if it is gripped, if the tc is attached, if hood is on, if other gear fits well, etc.... so...

Which velocity can house a gripped 40d, 100-400 mm (with hood), 17-50 f/2.8 and 580exII? I prefer one with the 100-400 attached, and with 1.4 TC it would be even better. I know that the gear may fit in the larger models but I am not sure which, if any, can fit a gripped 40D with the 100-400 mm attached with hood reversed. I tried the kata t-214 but it is just awful, at least to me.I just want a bag that can be used comfortably on hikes.

Thanks!

I carry a Nikon D700 mounted to a 70-200 mm VR lens (which is more than 1-inch longer than the Canon 100-400) mounted with hood reversed in the center divider inside my Velocity 9x. On flanked on either side of that, I carry the Nikon 14-24 mm and the Nikon 24-70 mm lens. In the outside zippered pocket, I can still fit my SB-900 strobe, 2-extra camera batteries, 8 AA batteries, CF card wallet AND a photo gray card. I do not use the added grip on the D700, but the V9x would easily handle it, and I know others that put their gripped D700 inside their Velocity 9x bag.

I could put a 1.7 TC on the 70-200 and it would still fit inside the V9x. It's my most used bag. I love it.

Thanks for your input Chris! Have you used it on hikes? I am wondering if it is comfortable for long hikes.

I have also started to consider a Think tank belt with a chimp cage for the 17-50 and flash, and a digital holster 50 for the 40d + 100-400. Does anyone have experience with this? I wonder if it will work...

I've used the V9x for 2-3 hr hikes. I can attach a water bottle to the exterior of the bag and it does have a thin, tuck-away waist belt that I normally do not use to help stabilize it for when the hiking gets more steep/strenuous (Camelback Mountain in Phoenix) and you don't want the pack to shift while moving. I mostly use the V9x for shooting sports (running around up and down the length of a field), and I have a few different options for hiking (LowePro Primus is my current main hiking bag).

The V9x shoulder strap is wide enough to distribute the load well enough when fulling loaded, but when hiking, I prefer 2 shoulder straps, hence the Primus.

Thanks again Chris. The primus looks good - is it easy to access gear? Do you think it can hold a gripped 40d with a mounted 100-400 ?

I would not choose ANY sling type bag for a long hike. A small backpack would be better, IMO. Take a look at the LP Mini Trekker http://products.lowepro.com/product/Mini-Trekker-AW,1965,14.htm or Vertex 100 http://products.lowepro.com/product/Vertex-100-AW,2072,16.htm

I own both TT and LP belt systems and each is very good. The LP components tend to be bulkier, with more padding and provide more protection than those of TT. The new LP Toploader Pros are very nice holsters, and I prefer them to the original Toploaders. The TT hlosters are very innovative, in that they can expand to accommodate longer lenses. I prefer the TT Steroid Speed Belt to the LP S&F Deluxe Waistbelt.

Thanks for the input gearhead. Would you also not recommend using a belt system for hikes?

y2nicco wrote:
Thanks again Chris. The primus looks good - is it easy to access gear? Do you think it can hold a gripped 40d with a mounted 100-400 ?

I'm a little conflicted as to how "easy" it is to access my gear in the Primus. It's not bad, but it definitely takes some practice, especially if the pack gets heavy. I definitely would recommend against a gripped or pro camera in the Primus though. I've had a 70-200 mounted to the D700 in the Primus, but the hood tends to hang things up. It's doable, but I'm not too thrilled with the arrangement either. The D700 with the 300 mm f4 is a little easier because the hood isn't as big.

y2nicco wrote:
Thanks for the input gearhead. Would you also not recommend using a belt system for hikes?

I guess it depends on the hike. For anything more than a brisk walk in the woods, I would not use a belt system.

I wish I knew better what sort of excursions I would be going on. I am going to costa rica for a month to study abroad and they have a few trips planned for us to waterfalls and through forested areas. I imagine most of them would be on a trail... I just want a good mix of ability to draw quickly and comfort. I currently have a dakine mission photo backpack if that matters..

I am also trying to figure out if I need a CPL on my 17-50... heh

I feel like I've written a lot about it recently, but I've been very happy with my new Think Tank UD35. It will hold my 1D with 100-400 mounted (hood reversed - a 1.4 would probably fit on there too, but I don't have one so I can't say for certain), 28-70/2.8 (hood in shooting position), 580, and my MacBook Pro 13". If I reverse the hood on the 28-70, I could fit another shorter lens in-line (even a 17-40, I think). Loaded up like this, it's about as heavy as I want with a shoulder bag - though I understand it can be converted into a backpack with the attached D-rings.

I'll pipe in here, as I've been going through the same search. I bought the UD 35 and it is my everyday go to bag. I wanted a hiking sort of bag that I could grab on my 3-5 mile morning walks. I wanted to be able to fit 2 cameras in it the 50D gripped with my 400mm Canon lens and also an XTi with the 200mm lens.

I bought the Primus AW - this is a no go for a gripped body and the camera compartment is very small for a larger lens.

I bought a Flipside 400 AW. An ok bag, but no way to attach your camera strap to allow for your camera to hang off the shoulder straps.

I finally bought a Think Tank Glass Taxi and couldn't be more thrilled. I personally think the Think Tank material quality is much nicer than either of the Lowe Pro bags that I bought. The bag is very narrow, so it sits real nice on my back without attaching a belt. That's another nice feature, the belt is totally optional. Think Tank comes with a zillion divider pads too.

I have the DH 40 and it would not be very comfortable for a long hike, imho.

Thank you ejos and Kris for your input.

Ejos: I will look at the UD35 and optional harness when I go to samy's in a few.

Kris: Did you use the DH with a belt or with the shoulder strap?

I have the Rotation 360, so I've used the DH with that before. The gripped camera with the heavy lens is just that, heavy. I tried hiking with the Rotation 360 and the DH on the rail, but it was just too much extra weight on my hip joint. That's what sent me on the search for the best true backpack for a long lens. I thought that I wanted one that I could just get the lens out of without taking the pack off, but it turns out, what I really wanted was a pack that would allow me to hang my heavy camera off the straps. The Think Tank straps are really nice and made well.

You'll really like the UD 35 with and the shoulder straps work really well to carry it backpack style. Once again, for a long lens, it doesn't have any "hang the camera off the strap option". Also, for that, I've been using the Kata Relex E camera strap to clip into the built in rings.

Let me know if I can answer any more questions.

I got Kata DT-213, I think it's their newest line of sling bag. Fits my gripped XSi, 100-400 mm (with hood and attached to the body), 17-50 f/2.8 and 580exII.

http://www.kata-bags.com/product.asp?p_Id=475&Version=Photo

Nobo... have you used it for hikes or long walks? I tried to t-214 as stated and didnt like how the 100-400 attached sat in the bag..

Not hikes, only long walks. I don't know about the T-214 but the DT-213 has thick padding and it's very confortable to use. The 3 way support is also great when I'm carrying the 100-400, takes some of the weight off the shoulder, but I think the T-214 has that as well.

What don't you like about the way the 100-400 sit in the bag? The lens is pointing down with the DT-213 but I think it's the same with T-214. Makes sense really since it's designed so that you can pull it out quickly. Go to the link I posted and click on the CONTENT DEMO if you want to see how it sits in the bag.

It seems like the dt 213 has a different angle when the lens is put in. The 214 opening is awkward and the camera+lens takes up more space than necessary so in the long run, I can carry less. The dt213 looks different in this sense... if that makes sense.

Awkward opening? Ah... I think you might've made the same mistake I did. See I thought with these torso packs you just slide the bag from your back to the front but it's not like that. When the bag is resting on your back, the support is on your right shoulder but when it's resting on your torso, the support is on the left shoulder. It's actually pretty easy to change shoulder, just slide your left arm out and right arm in, vice versa.

Ah maybe. Well regardless, the dt 213 is $49.99 at BH and the 214 is $100. Thanks for your input! Did you ever get a toploader?

y2nicco wrote:
Ah maybe. Well regardless, the dt 213 is $49.99 at BH and the 214 is $100. Thanks for your input! Did you ever get a toploader?

Mind you the 40D+grip might be a bit of a squeeze for the DT-213, I don't know how much bigger it is to my 450D+grip.

I never got the toploader, slingpack works almost the same and it's more convenient to carry... and more stylish.

its about .5x.5x.5 bigger... how tight is the xsi fit?

It fits just right actually. The internal width of the bag is 15cm while the height of the gripped 450D is 14cm from the bottom to the tip of the hotshoe.

Seems like the slightly larger 214 is the better option. Maybe I will mess around with it before I send it back to BH...