Home cobbled camera bag/pannier
 

I'm a photographer and have had a long standing battle finding the right camera bag. I found one I liked and it will even hang from my rack, but not well. So after finally getting sick and tired of dealing with carribeaners, I bought some small parts out of the Ortlieb catalogue, and made some improvements. I had to do some fiddling to prevent heel strike, and really like the results.

http://homepage.mac.com/awcg/.Pictures/Bike/CP1.jpg

http://homepage.mac.com/awcg/.Pictures/Bike/CP2.jpg

It snaps on and off the rack in seconds, and holds on like glue.

--A

wow I wouldn't put cobbled in that title if I were you I would say proffessional pannier smith at work

Now when you say glue do you mean locktite glue or do you mean elmers

No glue. The rails are held in place with screws, and smooth plastic nuts. I laid the rails on the back, marked through the holes with a grease pencil, and drilled the holes with a rotary tool.

--A

{edit: Note to self, not only completely read other folks posts before you respond, read your own.

I mean it does not bounce around on the rack at all. So that would be epoxy.}

Ahhh... the old Chinagraph grease pencil... a highly useful device in the darkroom, on the sub-editors desk and in the workshop.

Nice job on the pannier. I often think that cyclists tend to have limited vision when it comes to getting storage stuff for the bike. There are the Cobbworks/kitty litter panniers, baskets, then backpacks that are a dime a dozen that can be adapted and have all sorts of compartments. The recent and wider availability of gizmos like the ones you used has made the adaptation task much easier.

The first panniers I had were four cotton backpacks, that were souvenirs from a major motor sport event. I cut off the shoulder straps, and on each I bolted two metal tie-down hooks designed for pick-up trucks. The hooks were just able to snap over the top bar of the rear and front racks. Plastic ones would have been better, but I couldn't find them at the time (1997). I used cinch straps to tie the bottoms. I did a 3,100km tour with them. Their advantage was the big opening when unzipped, and the small sidepocket. They also could be rolled up into a tight bundle for storage. I used them a fair bit for commuting after the tour, too, and I have sometimes wondered about making up bike-specific panniers to a similar design, but with a stiff backing and some waterproofing of the zipper.

The stiff sides and waterproof zipper are exactly why I used that bag. And being able to lay the top open is why I like it for a camera bag.

And yeah, I've got white and red grease pencils laying all over the house. I use them more than duct tape.

--A

Pretty cool. I did a similar job on my nylon briefcase. It has a slot in the back containing a 1/4 inch thick dense foam pad. I put a piece of 1/8 inch thick acrylic in that slot. The acrylic panel has holes for screws that thread into Arkel panier hardware.

I think your work looks better than mine because of the foot piece that keeps the bag from swaying. I wrap a bungee cord around my briefcase to accomplish that. The Ortlieb HW is easier that way for this sort of DIY project. The Arkel HW has a elastic corded hook to check the swaying. I stopped short of inventing a way to attach the hook low on the bag.

OK, so how many cameras can you fit in that bag? How do you carry the tripod? Enquiring minds want to know.

Very cool. Quick questions:
1) What kind of gear do you carry in there? (Body, lenses, etc.)
2) How do you keep your gear from rubbing? (Do you have dividers or do you use wraps?)

Thanks Guys,

I can put two large lenses, a full size body, and accessories such as a flash or third lens. Plus a laptop fits in the sleeve in the back, and there are a couple of exterior pockets.
One of the tripod's feet will snug tight in the "V" of my rack, and a bungee cord holds it in place.

I do like the way Ortlieb hardware attaches to the rack. If I were to do it again, I would use a QL2 top rail, because the hooks are easier to move out of the way if they are poking you in the back when you are wearing it on your shoulder.
http://homepage.mac.com/awcg/.Pictures/Bike/CP3.jpg
I use a divider

http://homepage.mac.com/awcg/.Pictures/Bike/Tripod.jpg

--A

Cool. Nice to see how it all holds together...maybe I need to add a pannier and rack to carry my Nikon gear... :)

Given the lenses and the Gitzo Explorere tripod, hows the handling with all that stuff?

Did you know Ortalieb make a cycle mounted camera case ?

http://store.securehosting.com/store...%25%25=ortlieb

It handles well. No different than any other heavy load, really.

Ortlieb's camera bag is a touch small for me, nice bag though.

--A

I love my binocular bag. Same idea. Well made and usually waterpoof. Oh did I mention free and NOT made in China**********

Here's different suggestion. I personally don't like the idea of having the laptop on the bike itself. It's subject to a lot more shock and vibration then when on your person.

I do sympathize with your situation though and I've found that the weight of the load on my back and shoulders is only the part of the problem. Bulk makes a difference too. A large and stuffed messenger bag gets uncomfortable after awhile even if the stuff in it isn't that heavy. Moderately heavy items alone like a smaller laptop aren't that bad if kept close to the body.

Something that might help is to keep carrying the laptop in a messenger back or backpack and then put your clothes and other items in a trunk or pannier. It gets a little weight off you and a lot of the bulk.

Nice!
 

Nice bag conversion!

I too like to carry a fair amount of camera gear on the bicycle. For my every day commute it's just a small point & shoot tucked into my handlebar bag. Other times I like to carry a DSLR kit when I plan to bike to a location specifically to take photos.

Normally I'm a pannier kind of person, but with camera gear I kind of worry about subjecting it to the bumps and vibrations my panniers seem to take. It might be a completely unwarranted concern, but for this reason I've usually carried my camera kit in a Crumpler messenger bag that has a padded photo bucket insert. The only problem with this approach is having a heavy messenger bag strapped to your back. It can hold a fairly good sized lens like my 80-200mm f/2.8 or 300mm f/4 if I stand the lens up vertically and put the camera body in the next compartment with a smaller lens attached... but it does get heavy.

Sometimes I will carry my smaller DSLR body and a couple of primes or a small zoom in my handlebar bag. Since it hangs from the bars it seems to absorb the bumps better, but not completely.

I do carry my tripod either strapped to the rear rack or sticking up out of my Arkel Utility Bag pannier. I could probably just put the padded Crumpler camera insert down into the same pannier without any problems, but I'm chicken.

I doubt the bumps and vibrations are a major issue, and you obviously don't have any problems. I know professional photographers often subject their gear to far worse than a few bumps in the road, so maybe I just need to get over it. Most of the time I really don't mind the messenger bag, but a pannier sure would be nice for carrying the heavier lenses long distances.

Sean

Thanks guys,

I should also add to this thread: I've also made a hardshell case from Ortlieb small parts and a Pelican box. It's held up quite well too. However I use my Osprey bags 10 times more often, just because they are less to lug around. I'm also a little concerned that if I did lay the bike down, the case would snap off of the rack jarring the hell out of my camera equipment and possibly sliding into traffic.

http://homepage.mac.com/awcg/.Pictur...e/Pellican.jpg

Allen, a lot of the adventure M/C set use the Pelican cases for panniers. They're also the only piece of equipment we couldn't break in the military. That case will survive pretty much anything. Rest easy.

LowePro makes a few integrated models with a softbag fitted to a hardcase.

Very nicely done. I always had trouble taking my SLR with me on rides. It will fit in this bag but with no extra lenses, and there's nowhere for a tripod. I got a tiny Nikon camera to take with me on rides, but I've been spoiled by the SLR beyond belief. I actually have trouble taking a decent shot with the little camera because it sucks so much in comparison. :o

So, can you tell us the exact parts that you bought. I see them but do they have names? I really can't tell what the thing on the bottom is. So it looks like 1 rail...2 hooks... and the bottom thing. Did you put grommets on the back side of the rail (inside the pack)? Super cool, and where can you purchase these parts? Thanks for the heads up, I'm planning on doing something similar with equestrian saddle bags (DIY)