Seven(ish) year’s ago Tom Bihn debuted the Maker’s Bag, which is a messenger bag designed for creators with the interior organization to support that. Ever since I received mine shortly after the release, I’ve dreamed of using it as a “full kit” camera bag and every year I would make another try at setting up without success.

This year, I finally succeeded.

Maker’s Bag on a photo walk

Two things contributed to the successful setup this year. First, I finally found the correct size of padded camera insert in the ApeCase Cubeze 37:

Maker’s Bag with camera insert

Second, last year I upgraded to a Canon Mirrorless camera system, and the compact size of the M series allows much easier organization within the bag.

Maker’s Bag fully loaded

Thanks to the insert and the many pockets built into the Maker’s Bag, it can carry an amazing amount of gear. Here is the full kit that I load into this bag:

Canon EOS M50 gear

Bonus: there are o-rings all over, which gives plenty of security for keys and all the organization pouches by attaching them with key straps

While the size and structure of the bag mean this is definitely not a lightweight carry, adding the heavy duty Absolute Shoulder Strap makes it comfortable enough for long walks. The large flap makes the bag very easy to work out of, and the organization provided by the many pockets means batteries, filters, and other necessities are always easy to find.

The biggest downside of this bag is the lack of weatherproofing; while the large flap opening makes the bag easy to work out of, it also provides very little protection against wet weather. Definitely invest in a bag cover if carrying in the rain!

Complete gear list, sort of in order clockwise from top left:

  • Plastic rain sleeve
  • Mini Maglite
  • Nail file
  • Pen
  • Lens cleaning brush
  • Samyang EF-M 8mm Fisheye lens
  • Canon EF-M 11-22mm wide angle lens
  • Canon EF-M 28mm macro lens
  • Canon EOS M50 Mark 2 with EF-M 18-150mm lens attached
  • Hot shoe LED light, with hot shoe ball head mount
  • Tripod multi-tool with keystrap
  • 3 Legged Thing L-bracket quick release tripod plate
  • Q-kit with iPhone macro lens attachment and lenses
  • Mini tripod with ball head
  • Extension pole for mini tripod
  • Cleaning cloth
  • Pouch with polarizing filter, 2 ND filters, and filter adapter
  • Remote shutter release
  • Pouch with spare battery, SD cards, and quick-release tripod plate
  • Platypod base and parts for flat-surface stability