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My husband and I are expecting our first child, and I'm on the lookout for a diaper bag that could hold my SLR and maybe an extra lens, in addition to the usual baby stuff (diapers, changing pad, change of clothes) and purse stuff (wallet, keys, cellphone). How have other parents solved the challenge of combining both needs, without carrying both a camera bag and a diaper bag?

This question is a bit similar to this one, but there are a couple of extra challenges. Preferably, I'd need a strategy to isolate the photo stuff from the potentially messy baby stuff (nothing like spilled milk - or worse - on a 600$ lens...). And of course, I don't need to carry a laptop.

Any ideas? Strategies?

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    \$\begingroup\$ See my answer to another camera bag question here: photo.stackexchange.com/questions/6254/… \$\endgroup\$
    – mattdm
    Jan 6, 2011 at 16:19
  • \$\begingroup\$ I must admit that as the possibility of kids gets closer I am thinking about combination of child carrier thingy and a camera bag. \$\endgroup\$
    – che
    Jan 6, 2011 at 18:54
  • \$\begingroup\$ There is a reason babies have two parents, one per bag ;) Well, what about just a camera-protection to slip into the diaper-bag? As long as the liquids are not higher, you should be good. Here is one from Pacsafe: pacsafe.com/www/index.php?_room=3&_action=detail&id=94 \$\endgroup\$
    – Itai
    Jul 30, 2011 at 21:21

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My wife have the Storksak Gigi Chocolate Diaper Bag for a year now and for the past few weeks I have added my Nikon D7000 to it when we go out to parks and outings. She has no problem packing away everything the baby needs in addition to me adding my camera with kit lens attached.

I just got a 2nd lens (the 35mm prime) and have any problem tossing that into the pouch inside the main chamber. I will of course use the lens bag case that came with it as an extra precaution and use the inner pocket inside the main chamber (see the fourth image on amazon). The changing pad that comes with the bag makes for a great cushion for the camera too.

Also, its made well with each compartment able to contain any mess made inside. With plenty of compartments you can devote one to your hardware and the rest to baby food and drinks. In addition, since you can separate the hardware from the food and drink on either side of the bag the large main chamber will be more than enough of a precaution in keeping the two separated for sure.

As an aside, my wife loves this bad for the baby and my understanding its super fashionable now Because Angelina Jolie uses it.

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I have the Crumpler 6 Million Dollar Home, It has a main compartment with removable dividers, a mesh pocket in the flap, and 2 pockets on the side you can use to jam a water bottle or random things, as well as a front pocket for cards or batteries. It certainly looks like a diaper bag, too, adding somewhat of a security element.

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Kata 3N1-33 lets you store non-photo stuff in the upper compartment and a laptop in the back compartment. It is big, though, and intended for carrying a few lenses + flash + big DSLR.

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    \$\begingroup\$ I have this bag, and it's really not a good idea to use it as a diaper bag. I think it's very necessary to have a separate sippy cup holder, distinct from your equipment. The space in the top of this bag doesn't have dividers for drinks. \$\endgroup\$
    – mmr
    Jan 6, 2011 at 22:02
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We use whatever diaper bag Kaiser gives you on your way out the door. Pretty standard thing, one large main pouch with two dividers, one for diapers and the others for wipes. Two outside holsters for sippy cups/lenses.

If there are spare clothes in the main pouch (and there often are!), then those act as decent cushions. If you start storing food or juice in there, you may want to wrap your camera in something to avoid it getting spilled on. The problem is that you'll just throw the sippy cup in there to get going, and not realize you left the camera in there as well. So be cautious!

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I have a two year old and I've found that the Fastpack 350 is working well for me.

The bottom compartment stores my camera gear and the top compartment can hold things like diapers, (dry) snacks, and a change of clothes. There's a water bottle holder on the side, so depending on the shape and size of your cups/bottles, you can fit one or two in there. The laptop compartment can be used for a change pad, wipes, and more diapers/clothes if necessary. There's also numerous zippers and pouches throughout for smaller things like wallets and keys.

The main downside is that this is a fairly large backpack (sized for a 17" laptop) and can be bulky/awkward in some cases (e.g. public transit). You might consider the Fastpack 250, a smaller version that is sized for a 15" laptop, if that's a concern.

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