I mentioned in Motojournalism Book Two that having quick access to your camera gear is key. You're gonna miss a ton of great photos if it's a hassle to get your camera out.
Gus from Florida sent me a few shots of his tankbag setup. He's found a great way of keeping things safe and organized using the padded dividers of an old camera bag:
"I bought a wolfman tank bag, gutted one of my lowepro camera bags and used it's dividers to turn the wolfman bag into a motorcycle-camera-bag. The bottom is padded the same as a typical camera bag is, so all I needed was the padded dividers. It worked great during our last trip where we rode from Miami to West Virginia."
![](http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_kgxrKGfKchk/TI0yUhAcXJI/AAAAAAAAAW4/ldurVAcb_BU/Motojournalism-Gus-tankbag.jpg)
Looks like it works great! One more thing you can do is attach the shoulder strap from the camera bag onto the D rings of the tankbag to make it easier to carry when you're walking around.
Here's a shot of my setup on the road: Same Wolfman Explorer bag, works perfectly on the KLR650.
I keep a sweater or scarf underneath the camera and lenses. I have the Nikkor 28mm 2.8 on the Nikon body, and the 85mm 1.8 Nikkor and 11-16 2.8 Tokina are kept in the LowePro slip-lock cases.
September 13, 2010 at 7:50 PM
Great tip, one problem for me:
I abhor tank bags.
I'm still looking for a good way to carry the gear. I might have to break down and do the tank bag set up anyway.
Keep it up Anton!
September 13, 2010 at 8:51 PM
Ha! :)
What kind of bike are you riding that tank bags don't work for ya?
September 14, 2010 at 6:40 AM
Actually it doesn't have anything to do with the bike, it's the rider! :D
It's actually an old BMW R100RT. The bag I have fits, I just don't like it. Perhaps it's the bag I bought that causes my dislike, I don't like having something sitting on the tank in front of me.
September 14, 2010 at 2:55 PM
Fair enough! :) But again, the point is just to have quick access, maybe there's a way to strap a small camera bag to your luggage in the rear?
September 18, 2010 at 3:23 PM
This gave me a great idea for my BMW branded tank bag. First of all, my tank bag is waterproof, so that a pouring rainstorm doesn't destroy a few thousand dollars worth of stuff. Thanks for the idea!
September 30, 2010 at 4:00 PM
I also have a Wolfman, but it is far from waterproof. I would not feel safe without a waterproof cover for it.
November 14, 2010 at 9:41 AM
I have three Wolfman tank/tail bags. None of them are waterproof and the covers are ineffective. On another note, how to carry/pack tripod or monopod on bike?
November 15, 2010 at 12:39 AM
Yeah tankbags aren't so waterproof! I believe Ortlieb makes a waterproof one, though I haven't tried it myself.
I don't use a cover for my Wolfman explorer, but if there's a real downpour I'll put the camera and two lenses in a lightweight drybag like this:
http://www.seatosummit.com/products/display/7
For the tripod, quick access is the key! Security is more or less important depending on where you are riding. I keep my tripod inside the big duffle bag near the top.
You can find pictures of all this and more about packing gear inside book two!
November 15, 2010 at 5:53 AM
The Ortlieb sidebags on my DR350 are indeed waterproof, and is where camera gear resides on that bike. No room on the tank for camera gear bigger than a small PnS. A good superzoom hybrid camera was the compromise for portability on the V-strom, and one-handed accessibility means I use it often on the road. Yes, convenience is the prime motivator.
November 15, 2010 at 9:25 AM
Those Ortlieb side bags are great! I wouldn't tradethem for anything! I carry both an SLR in the tankbag and a compactin my jacket pocket. More than half the photos of the trip were quick snapshots taken with the compact. If it's a pain to get to your camera, you'll miss tons of great photos!