Steve Wylie Offline Upload & Sell: Off
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p.1 #15 · Think Tank Urban Disguise 40 v3 | |
I have dealt with your exact circumstance for several years, traveling to Europe accompanying choirs on performance tours. Due to the need for low-light and stand-off capability in cathedrals, I've brought my 5Dmk3, the trinity of fast zooms, and necessary accessories, including chargers, laptop, Wacom tablet, cards, batteries, etc., etc., etc. That is a heavy, heavy load. The temptation to carry all of that stuff with you in one bag is powerful, and if you do it, you'll hate it. Because I will not check my camera gear, I've packed all of this stuff in a Think Tank Airport Airstream roller bag, which still fits in the overhead compartment of international airlines. I wheel it around the airport, and from ground transportation to hotel. When I'm out, I leave whatever I don't need in the bag, and lock it to something fixed (it has an integrated cable lock). On daily outings, even if I need to carry all of my lenses and camera, I use a small waist pack, or a non-camera backpack (e.g. North Face daypack) if I need to include a jacket or other items. That bag is also my "personal item" on the plane, with my iPad, headphones, sweater, and whatever I need on a long international flight. Around town, or on the job, I keep my camera on my neck or shoulder, with one lens mounted, resulting in a minimum of additional photography-induced weight on my shoulders or hips (two lenses and maybe extra batteries). That's a much less tiring setup.
Having said that, because I do this more frequently than I anticipated, I've migrated to the Fuji X system, with an X-T1 and numerous lenses for "work", plus an X100S for walkabout shooting. Everything fits in the smallest Think Tank Airport series backpack, the Airport Essentials, which can fit under the seat if necessary. Same strategy as above, though, going out on daily shoots with only what I need, in the smallest waist or backpack required to fit this smaller, lighter gear. I've shed about 50% of the weight.
So I strongly suggest that you consider the "transport" and "shooting" bag strategy. Get a roller to haul your gear, and a smaller, lighter shooting bag for your daily trips around Italy.
As to the Think Tank Urban Disguise series, I have two, the UD 60 and 40. For your gear, I'd say the 60 would be better (or whatever the current larger model is), especially if you plan to keep your camera mounted with a lens. I rarely use these any more, as I find them a bit more difficult to extract the camera from the bag when it's hanging on my shoulder. Instead, If I'm using a shoulder bag with the same amount of Canon gear, I more frequently use a Domke J-series bag. But I wouldn't use that strategy on an Italy trip. I'd go with the recommendation above.
I'll be there in late March-early April on another concert tour. Looking forward to it, and so should you. 
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