Camera bags for winter sports

I'm either off to Japan or France again this coming season and now that I have a decent camera i've decided to take it with me snowboarding.

Have any of you guys had any experience with specialised camera bags for snowboarding?

I know only of a couple (The Dakine Sequence and Burton Zoom Pack) and am unsure of the protection they offer (especially from falling after trying to do something extremely stupid!) and if anyone out there knows of anything different that may be suitable for my needs?

 

what makes a camera bag specifically for snowboarding?

Surely it just needs to be compact and secure. Lowepro make a million different bags and will no doubt make something you're looking for, they're built like a tank as well. I've got a Mini-Mag AW and after over a year of getting bashed out quite a bit it still looks new.

edit: actually, I've got my years wrong, I've had it for 2 years and it still looks brand new

 

Another vote here for Lowepro. Used to have a Nature Trecker backpack. Fantastic piece of kit!

Google Lowepro and just see which one best fits your needs.

 

Tad, you need a good thickness of foam padding around the entire camera compartment.

I think the Dakine or Burton bags would be suitable. I would make sure that it's all tightly packed in and I wouldn't store the body with a lens attached whilst riding. Good lenses can take a fair amount of abuse before they start to go wrong. I personally would be more worried about the body, if you've got a 350D it's not as strong as it's big metal brothers.

 

I am a fan of the camera-in-a-tupperware-box approach. There is no way that any of the camera bags on the market will be strong enough to take a heavy crash on a board. Obviously it depends what sort of rider you are, but there's no way I'd be risking my camera in any stock camera bag. The other alternative is to buy a cheap second body - My broken 300D (you may remember) is going to get a work out this year (I'm going to Les Arcs). And if it breaks completely - Kerching! (Insurance).

 

I've had a look at the dakine offering but it's not really a camera bag is it? it's just a camera block that fits inside their back packs. for £100, i'm not at all convinced. also I had difficulty actually locating it in stock anywhere. I've not had a look at the burton offering but i'll check it out.

So unimpressed with what's out there I've decided i'm going to make my own bag for my stay in whistler this year byt butchering a burton back pack i've already got. seems to be the only way to get something i'm happy with.

 

You're all saying about how the cam won't survive about a big stack, but what about JP surviving? Landing heavy on your back with a clunky shaped camera between you and piste is gonna hurt. A lot.

 

First of all, just don't fall over, problem solved.

Seriously though, I don't think it's a huge issue, cameras are pretty robust (well my 10d is at least, not sure about your kiddy 350d ) in any decent bag it won't even flinch to being landed on.

 

I think you'll need a hard-case, so:

I really like that idea, though obviously it suits certain shape cameras (i.e. compacts) better.

 

I'd recommend the Tamrac Velocity series. I've got a velocity 7 and plan to upgrade to a 9 and I just love it. It's a one strap design like a messenger bag and it's very comfortable and stays where you put it on your back. The best part is that you can slide it around to yourchest and get your camera out without taking the bag off.

Highly recommended!

 

Sounds like the LowePro Slingshot series.

 

Yeah, although I do have a box that fits my SLR, as long as the lens ain't too big it's ok.

But it does depend what sort of stuff you ride. Whenever I snowboard I usually have a few decent crashes a day, it's all part of it. But then some people won't be as reckless as me and won't have any troubles with a soft camera bag.

 

Whilst my walkabout bag is of this style and i love it (Lowepro slingshot 200) it would be absolutely useless for skiing/snowboarding with.

you definately need a backpack style bag with waist and chest straps to keep the bag tight to you and stable when riding.

 

snowboarding with backpack? what happens when you fall over? won't everything in it get utterly smashinated?

 

er, no?

 

Only if you fall on your back

 

That's why I don't take my Fabergé eggs snowboarding...

 

well snowboarding only really gives you two choices - back or knees...

 

Or upside down in deep powder, or wedged somewhere in a tree if you're a fan of off-piste.

 

yeah that one is not quite as funny if your the one upside down

(i know form experiance) but apperantly its really entertaing for your mates who just stand there and laugh