You have been focused on your craft, on your business, and on making it though the past year (phew, 2020)...that you may have lost the time you usually have to consider gear upgrades or organization in your workflows. If that sounds like you, then this post will be incredibly helpful.
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Over the past 6-12 months, I have begun condensing my gear down, and attempting to get as organized as possible for this year and upcoming wedding seasons. Being a destination wedding photographer, there is the constant struggle of finding the right cases, bags, and general travel gear to get my essentials safely to each destination, without bringing too many unnecessary extras.
My latest bag that has made my shooting-weddings life much easier is the Peak Design Everyday Messenger. Let's dive into the good, the great, and the few things I am still looking for that this bag doesn't have.
THE GOOD
- This bag is a great size. It fits quite a bit of gear, and is easy to adjust the inside to fit the gear you want to bring with you. I use it to hold an extra camera body, extra lenses, batteries, cards, and random other "wedding day" camera items.
- There are the perfect amount of pockets on the inside. I use these to hold extra cards and batteries, and I use the laptop sleeve pocket and front pockets to hold new and shot film.
- It's fits perfectly inside my checked baggage for destination weddings. I keep this tightly packed into my checked baggage with my backup cameras and flashes inside for destination weddings.
- The latches on the front are wonderful. They took a minute to get used to, but now it's quick and easy to latch it in various spots to allow the bag to be a bit larger or a bit smaller.
THE GREAT
- It's sleek and well-built. I can tell this bag is going to last (part of the main reason I was willing to invest in it).
- Camera holding attachments for the outside - this isn't a feature I have utilized yet, however I plan on trying it out very soon. As you can see in their video on their product page, the bag has a place that's made for an attachment that will allow you to quickly (and securely) attach your camera body the outside of the bag.
- There is also a small attachment that can safely secure your camera to your bag (inside the side pocket). That way, in case your camera attachment somehow came loose, your camera would still be attached to your bag.
- Looking for the hard rolling case I use with this bag? Check it out here. It's perfect for travel (safe + fits in standard overhead bin of airplanes).
THE "LACKING"
There's not a lot I would change about this bag, however it's only fair to name a few changes that I hope they make to the next version of this bag (they're currently on V2).
- Water Bottle Holder: On wedding days when I'm running from location to location, the lack of water bottle holder is a bit of a bummer. There is a sleeve on the back that's meant to slide onto your rolling bag handles (love this feature), but I have used this to hold my water bottles when walking around with it.
- Larger Side Pockets: The pockets on either side (outside pockets) are wonderful to have, yet I wish they were just a bit bigger. They barely fit my larger iPhone 12. They'd be perfect for extra batteries or cards, though.
- Possibly More Depth: I couldn't decide if I was going to write this one in. I think this bag is the perfect size for what I use it for on wedding days. I'm able to hold an extra camera bag, extra lenses, batteries, cards, and other miscellaneous things that I need. I do wish, however, that there was a one-size up larger option for those intending to use as a primary bag. The option would be wonderful, but for the now, the 13L is the right size for my uses.
Want to see my full gear setup? Head over to this post. Interested in the case I use for all of my travel? See that here.
Have any specific questions about this bag? Feel free to leave a comment below!
xx. Abi