After traveling the continent of South America for over a year, t’was time for a new camera bag, but not just any camera bag. It had to be better looking than the black lunchbox looking thing I had previously, it had to be able to fit many, many contents inside, and it had to be comfortable…so basically stylish yet functional. I wanted something that was going to protect all my lenses, my laptop and personal items all in one place. I was tired of carrying my laptop in a carry-on, along with a camera bag and a purse while traveling. Did you do the simple math? That’s technically three carry-ons, which is totally illegal on most airlines. I’m not sure how I even got away with it most of the time. At least it was a good arm workout…

After seeing a good friend and her ONA bag during the holidays, I decided I needed to get my hands on one over Christmas. Let’s just say Santa was on his game this holiday season and did not disappoint.

I ended up going with the Brixton messenger bag in antique cognac, although it was a tough choice as there were many good looking bags on display. I’ve diagnosed myself with chronic indecisiveness, so decisions and I don’t go well together. It has four main compartments, a space for my laptop, extra pockets and lots of padding – SCORE. While this is the perfect bag to take when traveling, I’ve had my eye on the Bowery for hikes and when I’m out and about.

If you’re a photographer of any level, I hope you treat your camera like I do with much love, affection and protection. For me, it’s basically my travel career. I put an emphasis on photography, so my camera is like my child at the moment since I don’t have a real one. When I travel, I make sure to do five important things:

• I always carry-on while flying because you never know when an airline may misplace your checked luggage. You also know your equipment is safe by your side.
• Many times I’ll also get a seat towards the back of the airplane as these passengers board first, thus gaining entry to the overhead bins before Groups 2,3, and 4.
• Once at my destination, I put what I’m not using for the day in the hotel safe.
• Once on location, I wear the bag in front of me and across my body to prevent anybody from gaining easy access, such as with an over-the-shoulder bag or backpack.
• I always close my camera bag, even if that means just changing lenses for a certain picture and going right back to the one I started with. A pain in the ass is much preferred over a stolen camera!

Now that we’ve gotten the HOW out of the way, let’s get on with the WHAT.

Tamron Zoom Lens for Nikon DSLR
Camera Tripod SanDisk Ultra 64GB Memory Card
SanDisk Ultra 64GB Micro Memory Card
GoPro LCD Touch BacPac
Tokina Ultra-wide Angle Lens for Nikon DSLR
Apple MacBook Pro
GoPro Floaty Backdoor
GoPro HERO4 BLACK
Nikon Lens for Nikon DSLR
ONA Brixton Antique Cognac Leather Camera/Messenger Bag
GoPole REACH Extension Pole
Nikon D3200 Camera
Porsche Design Hard Drive
GoPro Octopus Tripod
GoPro Skeleton Housing