Carrying an SLR in the Cafe bag

[mikeY]

Does anyone have tips on how to protect a DSLR while carrying it in a medium Cafe bag? It fits fine, and doesn't scream out "Expensive camera inside! Expensive camera inside!" but lacks the padding found in camera bags. Any tips on how I can protect my camera while carrying it this way?

[plaidboy]

Does anyone have tips on how to protect a DSLR while carrying it in a medium Cafe bag? It fits fine, and doesn't scream out "Expensive camera inside! Expensive camera inside!" but lacks the padding found in camera bags. Any tips on how I can protect my camera while carrying it this way?

I've been looking around for a long time for a case or padding that you could put inside of a Cafe bag to protect your camera. The solution I came up with is to jury rig your own padding by wrapping up your camera and extra lenses in t-shirts, hats, socks, or other soft items you might need to have with you on your trip. So your clothes do double duty. It's your sweater and your padding.

When I went to New York a couple months ago, I had a 100-300mm lens wrapped in a t-shirt at the bottom of my Medium Cafe bag and my 24mm lens on top wrapped in a beanie. I then laid my Rebel XT gently on top. I slipped my filter case in the back pocket. It worked okay. But it's definitely not optimal.

The bag bulges quite a bit and you can't really put much else in. It's definitely worth it not to to have to carry my big LowePro MiniTrekker back pack, though. And it's easier to get in and out of. You just have to be extra careful.

I used my Smart Alec as my carry-on to transport all my camera gear, as well as my 12" PB, books, iPod, and snacks, on the plane. I packed the camera gear the same way, wrapped up liberally in t-shirts and scarves.

Again, it works okay, but when Tom finally gets around to designing a proper, low profile camera bag, I'll be first in line.

.pb.