Travel Photography - Clothes and SLR in carry on

There seem to be some enterprising folks on here, so I'm sure someone's got some good ideas.

I'm a keen photographer, and often fly away for long weekend breaks to indulge my hobby. I've been trying to find a way to get my dSLR + 2 lenses + clothes for 3 or 4 nights all into carry-on, but so far the right bag eludes me.

Has anybody got any bag tips that would make this do-able?

Backpack and duffel bag.

Sorry, should have mentioned this is mainly on European carriers who don't allow a "personal item". One bag is the max.

Duffel bag with camera bag inside for the boarding process. As soon as you get to your seat remove your camera bag for the rest of the trip. That's what I do on intra European flights. I bought camera pouch where I keep two small lenses and 70-300 is attached to the camera.
It cost about $25 here in States.

Something like this
http://whygo-amr.s3.amazonaws.com/www.travelgearblog.com/files/2008/07/511cdsy4pxl_sl500_aa280_.jpg

A camera pouch sounds like a great idea! Would you have any brand recommendations? (I've got a US address I can use for shipping).

I bought mine at Penn camera for $25.
I think it's Quantaray. But there are hundreds of them. Check eBay, amazon, or other web pages where you can get them cheap.

If you are trying to fit everything into one carry-on bag, try the "weekender" from E-bags. It is one of the largest carry-on bags that you can get and it has plenty of room to hold lots of clothing and accessories, including a laptop. The bag is soft, so you get a little extra leaway when trying to get it into the overhead bin.

Another trick is to by a jacket by Scot-e-vest. These jackets have tons of pockets, including pockets large enough to store a bunch of gear, including lenses. Since a jacket is not counted in the one bag limitation, it is a great way to bring additional stuff with you.

Thanks, another great tip. I use Scottevest stuff already but hadn't yet looked at the Weekender - will check it out!

Easier solution: One change of clothes. Wear and carry things that wash and dry quickly. Wife and I just finished two weeks in Italy with essentially that strategy. Heck, we probably could have put everything into small backpacks....

A camera pouch sounds like a great idea! Would you have any brand recommendations? (I've got a US address I can use for shipping).
The Crumpler Haven works great for me. http://www.amazon.com/Crumpler-Haven-Camera-Bag-HVN001-G03G60/dp/B004TTSON8

Thanks for all the suggestions everyone, some great tips :)

My answer depends on the carry-on size limits wherever you're flying.

If you can use a 21" roller, your options are nearly limitless. I put together a set of custom insert for my roller last year, giving me room for a huge amount of photo and computer gear. If you were to create something similar, you could substitute clothes for the computer gear.
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/travel-photography/1252074-my-custom-camera-laptop-rolling-gear-bag.html

If you are traveling somewhere with smaller carry-on size limits, then you have only one option - take less gear. A superzoom walkaround lens (I use a Canon 18-200IS) will allow you to take only one lens with you instead of two, saving precious space in your bag.

You must be a mind reader! I was doing some research over the weekend and started to think this would be a good way to go.

Not having the best DIY skills, I was looking at the ThinkTank Airport International v2.0 (http://www.thinktankphoto.com/products/airport-international-v2-roller-camera-bag.aspx) as a possible solution. This would work as a normal camera bag easily capable of taking all my photography gear for ground trips, but also taking a smaller amount of gear plus clothes for vacations. Not the cheapest, but it gets great reviews, and would double up as both a vacation and day to day solution.

Believe it or not, I was also looking at exactly that lens as a possible all-in-one walkaround option. Normally I take at least my 17-55 2.8 and 70-300 to cover all bases. The 18-200 might be a small compromise on image quality, but much more practical and of course less to carry.

That bag, an 18-200, plus light packing as per http://www.onebag.com/ might just be the answer!

Risky if using a large rollaboard as there is always the chance you are forced to gate-check that bag. I suggest sticking to something that will fit under the seat.

True, but it conforms to most European size limits.

You must be a mind reader! I was doing some research over the weekend and started to think this would be a good way to go.

Not having the best DIY skills, I was looking at the ThinkTank Airport International v2.0 (http://www.thinktankphoto.com/products/airport-international-v2-roller-camera-bag.aspx) as a possible solution. This would work as a normal camera bag easily capable of taking all my photography gear for ground trips, but also taking a smaller amount of gear plus clothes for vacations. Not the cheapest, but it gets great reviews, and would double up as both a vacation and day to day solution.

Believe it or not, I was also looking at exactly that lens as a possible all-in-one walkaround option. Normally I take at least my 17-55 2.8 and 70-300 to cover all bases. The 18-200 might be a small compromise on image quality, but much more practical and of course less to carry.

That bag, an 18-200, plus light packing as per http://www.onebag.com/ might just be the answer!

The bag I used for my DIY bag is a big larger than the ThinkTank bag you referenced, but I was heavily influenced by that bag, among others, when I came up with the idea. I just didn't have $350 to spare! And even if I could afford it, I would be hesitant to go drilling on a $350 bag to add a shoulder strap or other features that it doesn't already have.

The inserts I made for my bag actually wound up being fairly simple from a sewing perspective. If you can find someone else to do the sewing for you, the project can be done in a few hours once you work out the dimensions and cut the pieces.

I have been very happy with the image quality of my EF-S 18-200IS. It's not L-glass, but it's a sharp lens with minimal vignetting or distortion. The variable aperture is not as good as the fixed F2.8 of your 18-55, but I have found that the high ISO on my 50D makes up for that, to a point.

True, but it conforms to most European size limits.

Won't matter when you board late and there's no room left in the overheads.

The bag I used for my DIY bag is a big larger than the ThinkTank bag you referenced, but I was heavily influenced by that bag, among others, when I came up with the idea. I just didn't have $350 to spare! And even if I could afford it, I would be hesitant to go drilling on a $350 bag to add a shoulder strap or other features that it doesn't already have.

The inserts I made for my bag actually wound up being fairly simple from a sewing perspective. If you can find someone else to do the sewing for you, the project can be done in a few hours once you work out the dimensions and cut the pieces.

I have been very happy with the image quality of my EF-S 18-200IS. It's not L-glass, but it's a sharp lens with minimal vignetting or distortion. The variable aperture is not as good as the fixed F2.8 of your 18-55, but I have found that the high ISO on my 50D makes up for that, to a point.

Very interesting info, thanks :)

Won't matter when you board late and there's no room left in the overheads.

I know, and that's the problem - with anything small enough to fit under a seat I'm going to struggle to fit in the minimum gear I want to take. It's a question of how happy I am to risk an occasional gate-check, and I haven't quite answered that for myself yet...

True, but it conforms to most European size limits.

How about weight limit when loaded?

There's no way of getting around that whatever bag I choose. That's why I'm leaning towards a roller - it's easier to make it look nice and light even if it isn't. With a backpack that's a bit harder to do...

I'm not sure why you need a special bag for this. I usually travel with a laptop bag and a standard rolling carryon. I usually roll my 3 lenses (18-55, 50, and 8mm fisheye) up in the clothes for protection and put the body in my laptop bag. This works fine with 4 days of clothes and an extra pair of shoes. I could probably fit the body in the rolling carry-on if I ditched the extra shoes.

It's mainly because I can't take a separate laptop bag. The airlines I'm usually traveling with only allow one piece of hand luggage, so I have to have clothes, SLR gear and any electronics including laptop or iPad all together in order to avoid checking stuff. It always feels like a luxury on the rare occasions I travel on flights which allow a "personal item"!

I use the Arc'Teryx Blade 30 and camera pouch. I really REALlY heart this bag.

http://www.arcteryx.com/Product.aspx?EN/Mens/Packs/Blade-30