The Think Tank SpeedRacer is my favorite camera bag at the moment. My basic SLR camera kit calls this bag home probably 90% of the time. The SpeedRacer is my go-to camera bag for travel, hiking, short backpacking trips and shooting around town.
What sold me on this bag is that it has both a comfy shoulder strap AND a wide waist belt. And, it’s just the right size for a complete SLR system-on-the-go.
Prior to the SpeedRacer, the Crumpler 6-Million-Dollar-Home was my default bag. I liked the Crumpler for shooting on-the-run, but it really fatigued my neck after about 3 hours loaded down with my standard SLR kit. An elastic shoulder strap may have made all the difference on the Crumpler, but it wasn’t practical to replace the OEM strap.
The SpeedRacer solves the neck/shoulder strain problem by allowing the weight of the bag to be shifted to my hips when I’m not immediately using the bag. It rides comfortably out of the way on my bum with its weight evenly distributed over my hips. But when I need to access my gear, I simply release the belt buckle and the bag swings to my side or front. In seconds, all my gear is readily at hand. Now I can shoot all day and I am no longer fatigue-limited.
The only minor issue I have with the bag is that it is over-complicated to initially adjust the waist belt to fit my hips. But once set, the waist belt is solid and quite comfortable.
In the main compartment has room for five camera lenses, one mounted to a camera body, and a small flash. Here’s what I typically carry:
In the lid pocket: 3 spare batteries and a shoe-mount bubble level
Total weight: 14 lbs with the 15mm fish-eye and 85mm f/1.8
While great for travel photography and general use, the SpeedRacer is also handy for 2 to 4-day non-technical backpacking trips. I just cram it into the top compartment of my backpack under the main lid and it is relatively easy to access whenever the backpack is off. Once at camp, I pull the bag out and I am ready for short photo excursions or long day-trips from camp.
Snow camping, Maple Pass, North Cascades, Washington
Camera Bags Part 1: The Addiction
Camera Bags Part 3: Lowepro Photo Trekker for “Serious” Nature Shooting
Camera Bags Part 4: Lowepro TLZ1 Toploader for Long Backcountry Shooting