Hey Y'all ! Hope this week is going well! This week is the last blog in the 4 part series of Landscape Gear. We have covered camera bodies, lenses, tripods and filters and this week we are going to cover bags and inserts. I have to admit I have a problem when it comes to bags I have been searching for the right bag for decades and have gone through many but have finally settled on a few that I have been happy with for a few years. I will go over what I think is the answer for a new Landscape photographer.

Bags come in a variety of sizes and shapes and have all kinds of things built into them but basically they hold our gear when we go from place to place. When we get there we take out our camera and they are an empty bag with a lens or so in them. For me the biggest consideration is comfort. It took me many years to figure this out. I aways seemed to get bags with all the pockets and gizmos until I figured out that comfort is the main consideration when getting a new bag. Whether it's a backpack or a sling bag it should be comfortable. With the weight of your gear the comfort should be the most important consideration. Of course protection of your gear is important. From bumps and shocks and from the weather. I would steer away from cheap bags although they might look good and have all kinds of compartments they are often uncomfortable especially when weighed down with gear. An easy way to get around this is with camera inserts. Camera inserts are containers that hold your gear. They are usually a rectangle box with padded compartments for your gear. This box with your gear can easily be put in an ordinary backpack that you already own and is comfortable. I use this method many times when I just want to carry my camera and maybe one lens. It is great for backpacking and hiking when you already have comfortable backpack to use. I also use it in a shoulder bag that I have that was really a large lumbar bag (fanny Pack) but this insert fits perfectly in. If you've been reading my blogs for a while you will know this bag as my purse that I carry my street stuff and sometimes my landscape if I have a short distance to walk to carry gear. 

Bags and inserts are very personal and must be chosen with care or you will accumulate a lot bags before you find the right one. I know I did and I sold or gave away all of the bags I didn't use except for a few. My main backpack now is a Shimoda Action X 30 liter bag. It is the most comfortable backpack that I have ever used made out of waterproof material and water resistance zippers. It has a separate place on top of the bag for things like a jacket or mittens. The purse I have already told you about which I really love and use all of the time. I have a few day hike backpacks an Osprey and a Mountain hardware that I can put insert in for day hikes and the such. I think that a good backpack for your camera gear as a landscape photographer is probably more practical than a sling bag for the walking and hiking you may have to do to get to the spot where you will photograph . Remember not to get a backpack that is too large. The bigger it is the more stuff that you will bring to weigh it down and make it uncomfortable.

There you have it the end of my 4 part series on Landscape Photography Gear. Hope you have enjoyed it and hope it helped a little when choosing gear for your landscape kit. Until next week Get out and Shoot. 

Hey if you want to check out my photography go to my instagram account Max Stansell Photography there are over 2000 posts there. Here is the link

 Max Stansell Photography Instagram Link