Camera bag? Check!

Soooooo, we're moving to London on Friday!  I'm amazed that this day has finally come.  Six months ago, when we first found out that M was given this great opportunity, it seemed like such a long way away, and now it's almost here!  And we haven't packed yet--yikes!

But we have a master to-do list, and we've been faithfully working on crossing off every item. One of those items was for me to select a camera bag.

M gave me a new camera for the holidays, but I put off buying a bag for it because, well, I'm a procrastinator (yes, shocking, I know).  So over the weekend I spent 4 hours researching this on the internet.  My requirements were (1) it must not look like a camera bag, (2) it must be comfortable to wear for hours on end over my shoulder, and (3) it must be compact yet functional.  I looked at dozens of bags and read through countless consumer reviews before coming down to my top few bags.  These are the runners-up, in no particular order: 

The Lowepro Slingshot was recommended to me by several people, and it really seems like a great bag--comfortable to wear, very functional, and easy to get to the camera due to the unique sling design.  But I really wanted a messenger-style bag, and even though it comes in 4 sizes, the smallest was still a little bigger than I wanted.  

The Crumpler bags also caught my eye, because they certainly don't look like camera bags--I really love the look of the bags on the outside and the inside.  And they come in several different sizes, a couple of which would have been potential winners.  The fatal flaw for this bag for me was comfort.  I read several negative reviews pointing out that the smaller bags did not have a padded shoulder strap, and I read other comments that made me concerned that the strap would not be long enough to wear across my chest as a messenger bag.  Finally, these bags are on the expensive side, and there were too many questions in my mind for me to justify the price.

The last finalist, and winner, is the Kata Ergo-Tech Focus N.  I found this bag by chance online, and I haven't really seen any reviews on it.  But the pictures and the description were enough to convince me that this bag would meet all my needs.  First, it didn't look like a camera bag at all--it has a very futuristic look.  Second, it looked extremely comfortable, with a long, adjustable, cushioned shoulder strap.  Third, it was small (it comes in two sizes, and I chose the smaller of the two)--big enough for my camera, the possibility of a future lens, as well as room for other personal items.  Finally, it was under $50.  I decided to order this bag, even though I had never seen it in real life--only over the internet.

The bag arrived today, and I love it!  It is soooooo comfortable--I can totally see myself wearing it all day long.  It is extremely lightweight, even with my camera inside, and there is plenty of room for my camera.  Definitely a winner!  I'm glad that all those hours I spent online doing research were worth it.  :)