In Which I Get a New Camera Bag!

I have been on a quest to find a new camera bag, but I did not have luck in any face-to-face stores, which apparently don't carry that sort of thing anymore. So the last time we placed an Amazon order, I was finalizing my selections, and my husband asked, quite innocently enough, "Did you look for camera bags?"

Well no, I had not. But I began sorting through my options, and in the end, I made my selection of a camera bag that sold on Amazon for under $20. And as I checked out, they offered me a coupon for 5% off it! Well now, that's a lovely gesture! In the end, I got the new bag for about $17 plus tax.

The bag's internal dimensions, stated online, were just a bit larger than my current bag, which has been sewn so many times it's embarrassing. (New bag: Internal Size: 7 x 5.1 x 3.9 in, External Size: 7.8 x 5.9 x 4.3 in.) That old bag looks ratty. It's seen hard duty on the front lines of my everyday adventures.

I've replaced the zippers on the old bag at least twice, if not more often. Since my retirement, especially, I am an unruly girl and I run rampant through the woods and waters like the wild creature I was born to be. Rain and snow and sleet and every kind of weather don't stop me. Yes, according to my husband, I am HARD on my gear!

The new camera bag arrived via USPS on this morning around 11 a.m. By 2 p.m., T. Tiger and I had moved all of the important stuff from the old bag to the new bag. (See extra photo for pic of old bag, new bag, and all of the crap I used to carry in the old bag. Back when I was working, I also used to carry the battery charger, not pictured, along everywhere!)

It was a tight fit, though, as my old bag had three rather large external pockets and the new bag has just one SMALL external pocket. Just big enough for the Crittergators in their mini Altoids tin, and one extra battery. The Crittergators aren't sure yet what they think of their new digs!

The new bag came with two red dividers that have velcro on them, for messing around with/adjusting the interior space. So in the end, I used one of those to create a sort of side pocket in the interior to hold some stuff, next to the camera, and I tucked a few of the larger things UNDER the camera to make it all fit. And I put a house key and an emery board in that mesh pouch inside the top lid.

The new camera bag also has a tiny little black pouch that is a rain bonnet of sorts, which I think is absolutely adorable! The pouch weighs less than an ounce and the bonnet folds into its own bag/pouch which can be snapped onto the top of the camera bag.

With my contents scaled down, with T. Tiger's help, everything is much lighter and more compact. The shoulder strap is also very robust and meaty, much bigger and better and more comfy than the one I had! It is versatile, and can be worn over the shoulder, across the body, or around the waist.

I have not had the camera bag out on an adventure yet. I'll do that today, I hope. But things are looking pretty good so far, and I'm excited. It's definitely cuter, and smaller, and perhaps in the long run, better by far! T. Tiger approves! And what the heck? I ordered the bag Thursday night, and it arrived Sunday morning. That's PRETTY DARN FAST!

The camera I carry, by the way, is the Canon PowerShot SX 60 HS. I've bought several iterations of this camera, the 40, the 50, and the 60. The bags they provided with it NEVER fit the camera, as it has a huge booplesnoot, for long-distance moon-shot wrangling at 65X zoom. That's the issue; most bags don't have room for that huge snoot. This one does!

The list of everything that ended up in the new bag, for the curious:
Canon PowerShot SX 60 HS
one extra NB10L battery
house key
round lens blow/brushy thing
big clear baggie
several tissues
tin with Crittergators
Care Deeply lip balm (the pursuit of this is a tale for another day)
liquid antibacterial soap
several dollars in cash, in case of breakfast, lunch, or yard sale
lens cloth
throwaway lens wipes
emery board
one page of camera instructions
little metal survival tool (haven't needed it yet, but hey!)
ruler
pen
small note pad
one new camera card

Here is a link to the camera bag I just bought on Amazon. It is a Fosoto waterproof anti-shock camera case, and yes, it fits the Canon PowerShot SX 40, 50, and 60 HS.

Thank you to my old camera bag which I have carried nonstop since I bought my Canon PowerShot SX 40 in December of 2011 and joined Blipfoto! And here's to the new bag, which I hope to carry on many a wonderful adventure! Hip hip, hooray!

The soundtrack song can only be this one: James Brown, with Papa's Got a Brand New Bag.