Hi all! I’m looking to combine my love for cycling and photography. I plan to ride on both tarmac and dirt roads while carrying my camera gear, which includes a camera body, a 70-300mm lens, and a tripod. I’ve been eyeing the Sugarloaf Basket and Zeitgeist bags from Swift Industries (as shown in the pictures).
Would it be safe to store my camera equipment in these bags while cycling, or would the road vibrations potentially damage the gear? Would using a camera insert help dampen the vibrations? Alternatively, are there better ways to carry camera equipment safely while riding?
Photo credits: Swift Industries.
Looking forward to your suggestions!
by alex_supertramp987
4 Comments
Sir, where are your legs?
Photographer here. Vibration shouldn’t be too much of an issue as long as you don’t tie the camera down too rigidly. Most decent cameras and lenses are built to a pretty high standard. The stuff gets abused pretty roughly by some pros and still survives. What id be more concerned about is big hits violently smashing the camera around in your bag.
A camera insert is 100% something I would recommend. In Lieu of that, wrapping your camera body and lens separately in something fluffy would work as a quick solution. Equipment should be Firmly in place but not super tight. The insert should eliminate 90% of what would possibly damage the camera.
How big is your tripod? Depending on the size, it might just be worth it to grab a flexible gorillapod and smartly position using objects in nature combined with the gorillapod.
I have Carradice saddlebag and bar bag on my Fargo, not far from your example bags. With my DSLR and a superzoom in a padded holster case, I’m good to go. The case has pockets for 2 more batteries and a few memory cards. Manfrotto monopod goes on the frame held by two Zefal doodads for plane spotting rides or a gorillapod in the saddlebag for scenery.
My plan eventually is to get a flat front rack and find a way to attach my pelican case to it, that way it’s just a matter of unclipping the cases lid and shoot without getting off the bike if need be