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The Best Camera Bags for Travel Photographers Facing TSA

Chris Gampat
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Last updated on 11/11/2024
12/01/2019
5 Mins read
Chris Gampat The Phoblographer TENBA DNA 16 Backpack product images 2.21-60s400 5
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Last Updated on 11/11/2024 by Hillary Grigonis

If you’re getting on a plane soon, you’re going to want one of these camera bags.

It’s always amazed us that there is no single, perfect camera bag, but there are camera bags that come close. Bags are especially important for photographers who are traveling. Converting a standard bag to a camera bag isn’t enough because of the different access points, padded dividers, and ergonomics necessary for photographers. More importantly, they need to have a degree of weather sealing and protection. You never know what sort of weather you’ll be getting into once you land. The best camera bags for travel are small enough to fit most carry-on airline requirements, yet durable, and comfortable to carry through the airport and public transit.

Our editors travel a lot, and so here are some of our favorite bags that we’ve tested while on the road.

Why You Should Trust Us

The Phoblographer has been doing real-world photography gear tests longer than any other photography publication currently run. We also have the largest database of real-world lens reviews, amongst other things like straps, camera bags, lights, accessories, and more. Here’s why that matters:

  • AI Can’t Do This Job: These days, other publications do roundups, sometimes using generative AI. That’s the same as a person researching products and then making a decision without actually trying it. All of our reviews and guides are written not just by humans but by working photographers — not AI. Computers don’t use cameras, so why would you trust AI to recommend cameras for you?
  • Research and Practical Experience: Here at the Phoblographer, humans consult on what roundups to do with guidance from an editor. Then, a human goes through our database of reviews and selects the best products based on our own internal research. The human creating the roundup has practical experience with photography gear and will apply their knowledge of what’s best to the already human-based experience provided in our reviews.
  • We Block AI Bots: The Phoblographer blocks indexing bots from reading our site, so what’s here can only be read here.

How we Test and Choose the Best Camera Bags for Travel

  • The Phoblographer’s various product round-up features are done in-house. Our philosophy is simple: you wouldn’t get a Wagyu beef steak review from a lifelong vegetarian. And you wouldn’t get photography advice from someone who doesn’t touch the product. We only recommend gear we’ve fully reviewed in these roundups.
  • If you’re wondering why your favorite product didn’t make the cut, there’s a chance it’s on another list. If we haven’t reviewed it, we won’t recommend it. This method keeps our lists packed with industry-leading knowledge. Some of our stories include affiliate links. If you buy something through one of these links, we may earn an affiliate commission.
  • When we test lenses, we’ve got various things in mind. First off, we consider who might want to buy the lens and what they might do with it. With that in mind, we try to tackle at least three genres of photography with that lens in a variety of situations. If the lens has weather resistance, then we’ll test it accordingly with a weather-resistant camera. We also test the autofocus of the lens in continuous mode, single mode, with exposure preview effects, without those effects, and then with all the major image quality parameters. These days, no one really makes a bad lens — but some are far better than others.
  • In this specific roundup, we’re basing our findings on the reviews that we’ve done. We’re choosing a favorite, but we’re also giving photographers a bunch of others that they might like, depending on how they shoot.

Oliday Journeyman

A gray canvas backpack with leather straps sits on a concrete surface outdoors.

I’ve taken the Oliday Journeyman in the rain, snow, hail, sleet, on the subways, in airplanes, into the desert; it’s been everywhere with me, and I always enjoy how durable it is.

Read our review

Buy Now: Oliday

Tenba DNA 16 Backpack

In our Tenba DNA 16 backpack review, we said,

“The Tenba DNA 16 Backpack is, in every way, a great bag for most photographers. Traveling? Well, this can hold a lot of camera gear and maybe even your necessities. Going on a shoot? You can pack pretty much all your necessary studio gear in here. Still use a DSLR? Get a mirrorless camera but, until you do, this will serve you well. We really like the Tenba DNA 16 Backpack and what it provide for passionate and working photographers. Would we buy it? I run into situations where I’d need a bag like this. So honestly, as the site’s Editor in Chief, I’d be stupid not to. But my heart is still with canvas.”

Buy Now

Billingham Hadley Pro 2020

In our Billingham Hadley Pro 2020 review, we said:

“I have to call this the best messenger bag I’ve ever tested. It’s comfortable, lets you carry a ton of gear, is expandable, weather-sealed, and stylish.”

Read our review
Buy Now

Manfrotto Pro Light Tough

In our Manfrotto Pro Light Tough 55 review, we said:

“Hard cases may be the most protective, but they are often the least versatile. With add-ons, Manfrotto is working to change that. Am I going to replace my backpack with this hard case? Well, no. Am I going to switch my gear over to this hard case for travel? Absolutely. When you need the most protection, but don’t want to sacrifice the space for a tripod or laptop, the Manfrotto Pro Light Tough 55 is a good solution. The case is versatile, yet tough enough to keep an egg from cracking after being thrown in the air. And, it’s watertight enough to withstand complete downpours.”

Read our review

Buy Now

Tips on Choosing the Best Camera Bags for Travel

Choosing a bag for travel will vary a bit based on the gear you need to pack with you. As you consider the options, factor in:

  • The bag’s size. Make sure the bag is large enough to accommodate your camera gear, as well as other travel essentials like your passport, wallet, and tablet or laptop.
  • Your airline restrictions. The bags here fit the standard carry-on size. However, some airlines have different guidelines, so always double-check the measurements before you fly.
  • Durability. A bag that will keep gear protected is key for airline travel, as even in the overhead bin the bag will still jostle your gear.
  • Flexibility. Many airlines will consider a camera bag as a personal item stored under the seat rather than a carry-on. Traveling this way allows you to pack a suitcase of personal items with your gear and not check a bag. But, the size restrictions for a personal item are much smaller.

Picking the Right Travel Camera Bags for You

  • What’s your budget?
  • How will you use the product?
  • What lighting situations are you in, and how will that affect what you’re doing? Our reviews hyperlinked in this article can help with that.
  • Are you traveling a lot with it?
  • Will you be using it in a situation that’s a bit rougher?
  • Who else uses this product? How are they using it?
  • What’s so appealing about this product that I can’t get from what I have already or something else?
  • When will I really have time to use this product?
  • Where will I bring this product?
  • How will this product help bring me joy and joy in my photography?
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Chris Gampat is the Editor in Chief, Founder, and Publisher of the Phoblographer. He provides oversight to all of the daily tasks, including editorial, administrative, and advertising work. Chris's editorial work includes not only editing and scheduling articles but also writing them himself. He's the author of various product guides, educational pieces, product reviews, and interviews with photographers. He's fascinated by how photographers create, considering the fact that he's legally blind./ HIGHLIGHTS: Chris used to work in Men's lifestyle and tech. He's a veteran technology writer, editor, and reviewer with more than 15 years experience. He's also a Photographer that has had his share of bylines and viral projects like "Secret Order of the Slice." PAST BYLINES: Gear Patrol, PC Mag, Geek.com, Digital Photo Pro, Resource Magazine, Yahoo! News, Yahoo! Finance, IGN, PDN, and others. EXPERIENCE: Chris Gampat began working in tech and art journalism both in 2008. He started at PCMag, Magnum Photos, and Geek.com. He founded the Phoblographer in 2009 after working at places like PDN and Photography Bay. He left his day job as the Social Media Content Developer at B&H Photo in the early 2010s. Since then, he's evolved as a publisher using AI ethically, coming up with ethical ways to bring in affiliate income, and preaching the word of diversity in the photo industry. His background and work has spread to non-profits like American Photographic Arts where he's done work to get photographers various benefits. His skills are in SEO, app development, content planning, ethics management, photography, Wordpress, and other things. EDUCATION: Chris graduated Magna Cum Laude from Adelphi University with a degree in Communications in Journalism in 2009. Since then, he's learned and adapted to various things in the fields of social media, SEO, app development, e-commerce development, HTML, etc. FAVORITE SUBJECT TO PHOTOGRAPH: Chris enjoys creating conceptual work that makes people stare at his photos. But he doesn't get to do much of this because of the high demand of photography content. / BEST PHOTOGRAPHY TIP: Don't do it in post-production when you can do it in-camera.
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