researching

Today I was mostly doing more Ukraine holiday planning, and also looking at camera backpacks again.

On the backpack front, I think I have narrowed it down to the Lowepro Pro Runner 300AW Photo Backpack, Kata DR-467i, Think Tank StreetWalker PRO Backpack, or Vanguard Up Rise 45.

The Vanguard Up Rise is listed at a larger depth (26cm) than the max IATA carry-on size of 55x40x20cm. On Vanguard'd website they say that it is suitable for use as a carry-on, but to check with your airline as restrictions vary. Since the backpack expands, it is annoying that they do not specify the expanded and collapsed sizes. Perhaps it is 20cm collapsed and 26cm expanded? Or maybe it is actually 26cm collapsed and will not meet maximum carry-on sizes of budget airlines. Who knows?

I did bid on both a Lowepro Pro Runner 300AW and an Olympus 24mm/2.8 MC lens (one in the 2xxxxx serial no. range), but was outbid on both by about 10p. It seems some people must put high maximum bids on everything I want to buy on ebay just so I can get outbid by 10p (or whatever the minimum bid increment is).

On the bag front, my other possible choice is a Cabin Max Carry On backpack (£20 from gadgetsuk.com). This is a lot larger than most photography backpacks. You could fit a large camera insert in it like those sold here: Padded Case Dividers of Calumet, and still have spare room in the bag. At the moment I am leaning towards a proper photo bag though as they are likely to be better designed for wearing as a backpack all day while walking around.