Travel Case for Nikon D40

[sCream]

Going on a month long trip and need a good case for my Nikon. Its got the kit lens and a lens hood (would i have to take the hood off every time i stash it?)

Anyways, not sure if i want a leather pouch for it or if i want a full fledged backpack like a Lowepre Slingshot. Any suggestions?

[Mitsu3000gt]

These are the smaller bags ive had experience with:

Lowepro Slingshot bags (200 + 300) - These are my favorite for if you don't need to take everything with you. I don't like having to take the bag off of my back to get to my camera or put it away, and the slingshot bags allow this. They also are catered toward the digital crowd with special compartments for SD/CF cards and such. They also have a nice cloth that protects the viewfinder/lcd screen when the bag is closed which I liked. They have a surprisingly large compartment on top of the camera section of the bag that has some depth to it so you can easily throw a flash, water bottle, lunch or something in there. The 100 is a pretty small bag, but if all you have is the D40 and kit lens it might be just perfect. The bigger you go, the better waist band they put on the bag so you can take the weight off your shoulder. Anyways, I'm a big fan of these bags and if you get the 200 its still small, has a decent waist band, and allows room for expansion if your planning to get any other lenses.

Pelican Cases - These are pretty neat, but you would be either carrying it around by its handle or putting it in a backpack along with whatever else you wanted to carry with you. It's not something you can strap to your back. They are waterproof, shockproof, float etc. Inside they have a bunch of foam squares that you can just take out and make exactly the same shape as your camera/lens and it will fit perfectly. We use these for valuable items on our boat. You can buy really small cases that would perfectly fit the D40 w/lens and it would easily fit into a small backpack along with your other stuff. Not the most convenient solution, but it has its place. If you take your camera skiing or biking, in my opinion a pelican case is the way to go.

If your only carrying around a D40 and 18-55 kit lens, you will also want to consider just a small shoulder bag. Perhaps somone else can suggest some specific models to you.

As for your lens hood, you can reverse it and secure it the same way you normally would on the lens so it doesn't take up any unnecessary space.

EDIT: Something I forgot to mention, go to www.cambags.com and start browsing. It's full of labelled pictures of just about every imaginable camera bag so you can see what will fit in it.

[KKY]

If you go to the lowepro site, you'll find a variety small top load bags. they are smaller than the sling bags and still have room for extra batteries and memory cards.

If you plan to put your camera in a backpack, you may also find this interesting
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=330231898144

[ExtraSlow]

I have used the Lowepro Top Load Zoom (TLZ) bags in the past and they are super. They don't fit my current zoom lens, so I moved up to a roots bag from Saneal.

[Nova316]

I use the lowerpro Nova1 and it holds my 17-35mm with hood N 18-200mm without any problems. Its nice and small as well. I use D40X

http://www.thecamerastore.com/ProductDetails.aspx?productID=18793

[C4S]

If for travel, I suggest those multi use back back, so you can put your gears in the bottom part of the bag, and the top part can put other stuff .. ( shopping .. etc )

Or u can get a nice crumple 5 million bag .. :) small and handy, and looking good.

[D'z Nutz]

Another vote for crumplers from me. Those bags are made to last. One of mine's been through dirt, grass, sand, and water and it still looks almost as good as the day I got it. I've got 3 and I'm considering getting another :nut: