Back Pack Or Side Pack - Come And Look At The Vanguard Bags

Photographers who go outside the studio are faced with the problem of how to carry it with them. The light stands, the flash heads, the backdrop stand, the 3 x 6 metre muslin sheet, the camera. the tripod, and the coffee machine, and the stack of old magazines...

So far the best plan for this has been to buy a Citroen H van and hire minions to load it and unload it for you. Minions are a good investment.

If your tastes are for a little less to pack - say you are going out for landscapes or political riots - we recommend a carrying bag. If it's your shoulders and back rather than those of the minions, get a good one - one that spreads the load enough to make it comfortable.

Vanguard make a wide range and two of their bags - the Vojo 22 and the 2GO 39 are particularly suited to the mirror-less systems. The former is messenger-style, dependent upon one shoulder while the latter is a single strap backpack. They are available in green or black and feature any number of ingenious compartments inside to swallow the accessories. ( Which you will find in three years...)

The reason I selected these today was as a result of having lifted the very fashionable bag of another manufacturer and reflected on how much unsprung weight it was - a task in itself to haul on your shoulder even without any camera or lenses inside. The Vanguard bags are lighter than this but have a tough enough internal structure and padding to protect the gear.

I can't say which carry configuration is better for you - you'll know how your skeletal structure copes with stress at different points. Of course if you are looking at an equation that places an enormous amount of gear into a bag and makes you trail it for hours, you might well consider the roller cases - or hiring minions.