Photo backpack that can be used while attached to another person?

by philg

Folks: I’ve spent my life reviewing camera bags that are attached to the photographer (me). Now that I’m older and wiser I realize that the correct way to use a camera bag is to have it be attached to an assistant (i.e., someone younger and stronger!). Suppose that I have an assistant who can carry a small photo backpack or similar. Let’s say that bag needs to hold a Canon 5D, 24-70/2.8, 70-200/2.8, 300/4, 1.4 teleconverter, and 16-35/2.8 (to keep the size manageable maybe the 24-70 could be replaced with a 50/1.4). It should have a rain cover in case the weather turns bad. But most importantly I want to be able to put a lens away and take out a new lens while the backpack is still on the assistant’s back.

Has anyone found a good photo backpack to be used like this? There are a lot of good photo backpacks, but the classic ones are designed to be taken off, set down on the ground, and then unzipped for flat access (if you did this while the bag was still attached to someone, the lenses would tend to fall out). The newer designs tend to innovate by trying to make it easier for the person wearing the backpack to get to some part of it, but that’s not quite what I want.

8 thoughts on “Photo backpack that can be used while attached to another person?”

  1. Haven’t used one for this purpose, but Tom Bihn’s Brain Bag with the “Camera I-O” insert might do the trick. You’ll also have a nice backpack when you pull out the camera insert.

  2. Greta’s not your daughter, you’re just raising a sherpa. Admit it!

    Very clever. I’m going to follow this closely. I’d like to get my two boys to lug my laptop and iPad, too.

  4. Bags you can open while wearing are best described as messenger bags. Crumpler makes nice ones.

  6. Here is a bag I invented for just That purpose. If it Ok to post my ideas on here. It was invented out of the need for a camera bag on the ski slopes. http://www.frontrunnerpack.com. We have prototypes but nothing for sale yet. I thought about a crowdfunding campaign -does anyone here think it would be a good idea?

    Thank for all your comments–it is a very good article and idea for discussion.

  7. Dale: Thanks and good luck with the product. The video quality from your site was so low that I had trouble figuring out how the bag works (also, you will probably sell better into the camera nerd market if you find a 20-year-old woman to demonstrate the bag!).

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