Travel Camera Cases
Protecting expensive equipment on the road is still the problem, and the answer has shifted because the equipment has.
Most travellers no longer need a camera case, because most travellers now shoot on a phone. If that is you, a dry bag for wet days is the whole solution.
If you carry a real camera, the case decision follows the trip:
- A padded insert in a normal bag is the best answer for travel. It protects the camera and does not announce that you are carrying one, which matters. A camera-branded bag is a sign to anyone watching.
- A small shoulder bag for a day with one body and one lens. Fast access is the point; anything you have to take off and open will mean missed pictures.
- A proper camera backpack only if you carry multiple lenses and walk distances with them. They are heavy, and the good ones open against your back so the contents cannot be reached while you wear it.
- A hard case only for checked baggage or boats, and remember cameras should not be checked at all where you can avoid it.
Two things worth more than the case: a silica gel sachet, because condensation moving between air conditioning and humidity is what kills electronics in the tropics; and insurance that covers theft abroad, which most home policies do not without an extension.
And the habit: back up every day, to two places, one of which is not in the bag. A stolen camera is a purchase; stolen photographs are the trip.
Part of the guide to cameras and photography.