If you’re a drone enthusiast, an amateur or professional photographer, a recreational shooter, or anyone else whose work or play depends on their gear, transporting your valuable gear can be a challenge. You can try to make an all-purpose duffle bag or a suitcase work for all of your expensive gear, or you can start using customizable gear bags that can change to suit your gear and your needs.
The right bag for the right activity keeps your equipment safe and accessible so you have less to worry about, and you can make better use of your gear.
Get A Customizable Gear Bag
The best gear bags are not one-size-fits-all. There is a variety of gear and the specs vary wildly even within the same category. And so too, do the needs of the specific user. Quick access to their camera and selection of lenses may be a priority for some photographers, while size and ease of transport may be for others.
The right bag configuration depends on the type and size of gear you’re transporting, but it also depends on where you’ll be taking it and how you’ll be using it. Instead of trying to use an all-purpose bag for single-purpose items, invest in a customizable gear bag that can adapt to your different gear and your ever-changing needs.
Perfect Specs for Your Perfect Gear Bag
How and where you’ll be lugging your gear will determine what exactly you need from your bag. Drones and cameras, for example, each have different accessories and features, and you’ll want your bag’s form and functionality to match the gear you’re hauling.
The Best Bag for Drones
Certainly, you don’t want to put your drone at risk by putting it in your suitcase or dropping it loose into a backpack. Not to mention the fact that every drone comes with lots of accessories that you’ll want easy access to. Foam inserts designed to suit specific drone equipment will keep everything safe and secure, while lots of well-thought-out internal and external pockets also help to ensure accessories and small pieces don’t get lost. And if you’ve got a drone bag that has removable backpack straps, you’ll have more flexibility, allowing you to be comfortable while traveling long or short distances.
Peace of mind also makes for a better trip. You don’t want to be worried about something getting broken or lost as you carry your bag. When you have the type of bag with the capacity to keep everything accessible and protected, you are more likely to take the drone places.
The Best Bags for Cameras
How many times have you debated about whether or not you should bring your big fancy camera? When you’re packing up you have to decide if it’s worth it to carry the camera. You don’t necessarily want to be hauling extra luggage.
Having the right bag customized for your gear will make you want to carry the camera. This makes it easy for the camera to become an addition to the trip, not a burden.
When you are out on a job you want to look professional. Fumbling through backpacks and pockets searching for parts of your camera doesn’t have a good impression on clients. With photography, you need to be quick and smooth. Organization equals efficiency. Having lots of clever, identifiable pockets, lets you build and use a system for organizing and accessing all the small stuff.
It’s All in The Details
There are lots of different companies selling lots of different bags. So it makes sense to look closely at the companies that focus on gear bags.
One company in particular, BrightLine Bags, allows you to reconfigure your bag so that all of your gear has a place. Their simple slogan is, “Pick your parts. Build your bag.”
But regardless of which company makes the bag you look at, there are many details about any gear bag that make or break your usage and experience with the bag.
Strap
The strap is where you get the comfort out of your bag. Removable backpack straps give you flexibility. Padded shoulder straps and well-constructed shoulder straps give you that extra comfort that makes you want to take the gear with you on that last-minute adventure. When a bag distributes the weight well, it doesn’t feel nearly as heavy.
Sturdy multi-use handles and grab handles are also important to keep in mind for how easy the bag is to carry. Nylon web handles give some alternate grab-and-go options.
Zipper
Zippers are essential for providing peace of mind when you are on the go that nothing is falling out, and zippers are unbeatable for providing quick access to your gear. Whether it’s an internal pocket or an external pocket, you probably want it to be a zip pocket. You may even want lockable zippers or a two-way zipper.
Pockets
Pockets are everything. There are so many little accessories that come with almost any sort of gear-based activity, whether it be for work or for play . Having well-thought-out pockets that are easily identifiable from each other make organizing and utilizing all your gear a snap. . Note that exterior pockets are perfect for grabbing something quickly, eliminating the need to readjust your bag for access. Water resistant pockets keep your electronics safe.
Material
You need to think about the weather you’re headed out in when it comes to the material of your gear bag. Leather might not be the best choice for hiking through the woods in a storm. Water resistant fabric is better for making sure your gear doesn’t end up water damaged. Nylon absorbs more water than polyester does, causing it to take much longer to dry than polyester. But Nylon is also more resistant to stretching when wet, and is more scuff-resistant under all conditions. Lots to consider when it comes to the fabric of your gear bag.
The durability of canvas bags makes them a popular choice. They come in a wide price range on the gear bag market, many at a reasonable price. The weight of the fabric is a consideration because that weight ends up on your shoulders, but the difference in weight is fairly small between the fabric choices. .
Size
The most important part of the bag is the size. A good gear bag that is customizable and reconfigurable and has lots of clever pockets will also be more efficient in storing your gear, and thus it will be smaller. This is a big plus. Having all your gear in a bag whose form factor allows you to fit it into smaller spaces (like the overhead compartment or under the seat) is an often-overlooked, but critical feature.
In addition, a gear bag that can be reconfigured to be right-sized for each specific outing is a rare and powerful thing. It’s a joy when your bag becomes part of the solution instead of part of the problem.
So the next time you’re thinking about a bag for all your gear and all the scenarios that use that gear, seek out a quality modular gear bag system, perhaps like The FLEX System from BrightLine Bags. It could be the gear bag you’ve been looking for all along.