DIY Carry On Camera Bag

Normally during our holiday, I'll be taking all my photography gear for the trip home. The Lowepro backpack that I got can fit all the gear but it's quite heavy for the shoulder.

I started looking for a bag with rollers and found several good bag such as ThinkTank Airport International and Pelican 1514. The price tag including shipment will actually cut deep into the holiday budget.

I then started to look at my Lowepro backpack in details and figuring out the difference with the ordinary backpack. It's all about the padding!

So I decided to modify my carry on bag which already have 4 rollers and approved for carry on the flight.

I got some children foam mat and cut it to fit the bag to act as the first layer of padding.

Another camping foam mat was used on top to cover the metal part. Once the cover is zipped, the bag looks like an ordinary bag.



Another foam mattress was cut to fit the bag to act as another padding for the gear. I then use the backpack dividers for individual padding for each item. Another foam mattress is put on top of the gear to protect everything from the top.


Everything fit in place and the bag is filled up with the gear. Total cost = US$60 (bag) + US$20 (padding) = US$80.

That give me with some spare change - a 2nd body (new 5D) perhaps?