Re: Pickpockets? Seeking Camera bag for Europe Trip
I recently got back from a 2 week trip to Spain. This trip was a bit different for me because I was with my elderly parents, and I took my "decent kit" (Canon R6II with RF 16-28mm f2.8, RF 24-240, and R7 with Tamron 11-20mm f2.8 as backup) i stead of my usual "travel kit" (Sony A7c with Tamron 17-28mm f2.8 and Tamron 28-200mm plus OM-5 as backup).
Because of the weight/bulk of my Canon gear, I carried everything in my ThinkTank DarkLight 20L. I found the whole setup (including the backpack) very heavy and cumbersome, but I carried that fully loaded backpack everywhere and every day for those two weeks. Walking through small, crowded streets and eating at most restaurants was a challenge because I kept unintentionally whacking people behind me with my backpack.
Again, I did this only because I needed my best equipment for this particular trip. Otherwise, I would've taken my smaller equipment (A7c, OM-5 and 3 lenses) in a non-descript, non-photography specific backpack.
I normally carry a regular, average, non-photography-specific backpack for two reasons:
1. It's smaller than a dedicated photography backpack, so I can actually fit more things in there.
2. It's much more discreet than a traditional photography backpack, so I don't have to worry about being more of a target fir pickpockets/thieves.
Case in point; my brother-in-law went on this trip and took his photography backpack. Within the first 3 hours in Barcelona it was stolen!!! Luckily he was able to catch the thief and get his backpack back.
So yes, there are thieves out there who are targeting tourists with cameras even in "safe" European countries like Spain.
Nov 16, 2025 at 10:17 AM
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