Best camera bags for women who travel (2024 updated)
Been looking for camera bags for women and had no luck in finding something you would proudly carry when travelling? Look no further! I have the perfect list of camera bags for you.
Until recently, I didn’t own a camera bag and didn’t pay much attention to my – unprotected – camera moving freely inside my backpack. That was until I bought a new mirrorless camera. With a much higher value and a prettier design, I decided it was time I started caring for it and started my search for a pretty yet functional yet small camera bag for women.
And to my huge disappointment, when looking at the most well-known camera brands online, all the camera bags I found were HUGE backpacks definitely not made for women who want to look stylish!
It was so difficult to find designs I actually liked. I searched all over the Internet: Google, Pinterest, Instagram, analyzing my favourite female travel bloggers’ outfits to find the best camera bag. And after hours of research, here are the camera bags for women that I found!
I thought that I had to share my results with you given the fact that the already-existing guides do not provide options based on different needs.
I separated the options between shoulder bags and backpacks, and for each section, you will find recommendations based on your preferred design, size or price. Hope you will find this article helpful!
This article contains affiliate links, which allows me to earn a small commission on any purchase you make through my links, at no extra cost to you. It helps me keep this blog running, thanks for understanding!
Things to consider when choosing your camera bag
Size
How much gear do you own? With how much gear do you usually walk around or travel? Will you need to use this bag for professional situations as well where you need to carry a lot of gear? Do you have a tripod you always carry with you?
All these are questions you must ask your self before defining the size of the camera bag you need!
I personally like to travel light so my choice will always be a bag as compact as possible. In this guide, I’ve listed bags of many different sizes, so you will hopefully find the one that matches your needs.
Design
Are you more a shoulder bag or backpack kind of woman? Do you prefer minimalistic and refined designs or are you more into vintage looks? Depending on your style, choose the camera bag that will match most of your outfits and with which you will feel the most comfortable.
Price
Just like camera gear is expensive, many camera bags for women are considered premium products and sold at high prices. But not all bags are! In this guide, I have included options under $100 for those of you who have a smaller budget. Most of the bags I mention here are between $100 and $250, which I find to be a fair price to protect equipment that is worth so much more than that!
Security
With all the precious gear you have, you want to make sure it’s secure when travelling the world. When choosing your camera bag, make sure the design will make you feel at ease and not worrying constantly about your equipment!
Weight
And finally, you might want to consider the weight of the bag itself. Who wants to carry something heavy on their shoulders all day long when travelling? The camera itself is often heavy enough, especially if you carry a second or third lens with you, a water bottle, a tripod, etc etc. Choose a bag that won’t make you want to cut short your visits because your back hurts!
Let’s have a look first at the best shoulder camera bags for women. Further in the article, I will guide you through my choice of the best camera backpacks for women.
My top 15 camera bags for women
- Lola Noir by Gatta
- Jackie Hazel by Gatta
- The Claremont by Lo & Sons
- Small Leather Camera bag by Hitonas
- Ariana Noir by Gatta
- Leather Camera bag by LeatherPage
- Natural Leather Camera bag by Hitonas
- The Bowery by Ona Bags
- Christie Noir by Gatta
- Ramverk Pro 1st Generation Backpack 26L by Db
- The Tog Bag by TOGLDN
- The Runner Photo by Brevite
- The Monterey by Ona Bags
- Casey Camera backpack by Fill Your Passport
- The Mini Tog Bag by TOGDLN
Best shoulder camera bags for women
Stylish camera bags
Lola Noir by Gatta
Price: $169
Dimensions: 10” L x 7” H x 5” D / 25.4cm L x 17.8cm H x 12.7cm D
Weight: 1.7 lb / 770g
What fits: a DSLR or Mirrorless camera with 1-2 extra lens(es). It also has a front pocket to carry your phone, your passport, a small notebook, a pen, a small wallet or your keys!
Jackie Hazel by Gatta
Price: $239
Dimensions: 11” L x 7.7” H x 5.5” D / 28cm L x 19.5cm H x 14cm D
Weight: 1.9 lb / 860g
What fits: The Jackie Hazel is a bit bigger than the Lola Noir above. So it can hold a slightly bigger DSLR or Mirrorless camera with 1-2 extra lens(es). It also has a front pocket to carry your phone, your passport, a small notebook, a pen, a small wallet, your keys, or any small accessory!
Price: $368
Dimensions: 10.5″ L x 8.5″ H x 5.5″ D / 26.6cm L x 21.6cm H x 14cm D
Weight: 1.5 lb / 680g
What fits: a DSLR or Mirrorless camera with one extra lens. There are two small front pockets for your SD cards and a back zipper pocket where you can put your phone, cash, keys or passport.
Best compact camera bag
Price: $96
Dimensions: length: 7.87″ – width: 3.54″ – height: 5.11″ / length: 20 cm – width: 9 cm – height: 13 cm
What fits: most mirrorless cameras, instant cameras and small DSLRs, as well as small lenses or accessories.
Ariana Noir by Gatta
Price: $169
Dimensions: length: 9.1″ – width: 3.2″ – height: 6″ / length: 23,1 cm – width: 8,1 cm – height: 15 cm
What fits: Small Mirrorless cameras for example the Fuji X100 series (height up to 3.1″) with a lens attached, an additional 1 lens (height up to 5.5″), plus a few small accessories.
Price: $59
Dimensions: length: 7.5″ – width: 4.3″ – height: 6″ / length: 19 cm – width: 11 cm – height: 15 cm
What fits: most mirrorless cameras, instant cameras and small DSLRs, as well as small lenses or accessories. For example, my Fujifilm X-T4 would fit with an 18-55mm lens.
Available in many colors!
Best vintage camera bags
Price: $170
Dimensions: length: 11″ – height: 7.87″- width: 4.13″ / length: 28cm – height: 20cm – width: 10,5cm
What fits: most DSLR cameras and one to two extra lenses. There are many little pockets to keep your other accessories organised!
Price: $329
Dimensions: 10.5″ L x 7″ H x 4″ D / 26.7cm L x 17.8cm H x 10.1cm D
What fits: a mirrorless or DSLR camera and one extra lens. The bag is also big enough to fit a small notebook or an iPad mini! You will also find some small pockets around the bag to hold your phone, passport, cash… and many other small accessories.
Best camera backpacks for women
Stylish camera backpacks
Christie Noir by Gatta
Price: $249
Dimensions: 8.7” W x 10” H x 6.3” D / 22cm W x 25.4cm H x 16cm D
Weight: 1.4 lb / 635g
What fits: the Christie camera bag can hold a mirrorless or DSLR camera and 1-2 extra lenses. Its five interior pockets will also allow you to carry extra small accessories and keep them organised while you travel! You can also carry a small water bottle inside.
Price: $299
Dimensions: 11.75” W x 14.5” H x 5.5” D / 29.8cm W x 36.8cm H x 14cm D
Weight: 4 lbs / 1.8kg
What fits: bigger than the Christie camera bag above, it can hold any pro DSLR camera, with an extra lens up to 12″ (30.5cm). You can also use the padded basket to fit 3 lenses and cover it to put your camera on top of it. The Kelly can also hold a water bottle and a tablet or a laptop like the 13″ Macbook Pro or smaller.
Best camera backpacks when carrying a lot of gear
Price: $289 for the bag + $109 to $209 for the camera insert (depending on its size).
Dimensions: width: 11.8″ – height: 18.9″ – depth: 16.1″ / width: 30 cm – height: 48 cm – depth: 15,5 cm
Volume: 26L
Weight: 3.5 lbs / 1.6 kg
What fits: the Ramverk Pro is a large camera bag that will hold safely all the gear you need when travelling when combined with its camera insert! You can carry a big DSLR camera, extra lenses including a telephoto lens, extra batteries, a GoPro, a drone… and any other accessories you might need! You can also attach your tripod to the stripes on one side of the backpack and fit a water bottle on the other side.
The main compartment is fully openable so you can easily access your gear at any time. The backpack also features a separate laptop pocket that fits up to a 16″ Macbook Pro. Finally, the chest strap and hip belt keep the backpack in place and secure no matter what you’re doing, whether it is a hike in the mountain or running to catch your plane!
Price: $216
Dimensions: 11.8″ W x 17.3″ H x 6.3 D / 30cm W x 44cm H x 16cm D
What fits: Thanks to its numerous velcro dividers, this backpack can fit a lot of equipment, although smaller than the Backpack Pro mentioned above! You can reorganise them as you want to fit all your gear. This camera bag can easily hold a big DSLR camera with a couple of extra lenses and another small camera! There is also a large bag pocket to put your computer (like a 15″ Macbook), a front pocket to store small items and a side pocket to easily access your camera! Really smart. The left side of this bag also has some straps and an open pocket to accommodate your tripod or a water bottle.
That’s my backpack! I’ve been carrying it around for more than a year now and I can’t express how happy I am with it! It is super lightweight and the way it is designed makes it super handy for travelling.
Price: $169
Dimensions: 11″ W x 17″ H x 5.5″ D / 27.9 cm W x 43.1 cm H x 14 cm D
Volume: 18L
Weight: 1.90lb / 0,8kg
What fits: the Runner Photo camera backpack can hold a lot of gear! Count a full-frame DSLR and 3 extra lenses, of which one can be a telephoto lens. This camera bag is extremely well designed and has so many pockets to organise your accessories! Some really caught my attention:
– a back pocket for a 16″ Macbook
– a top compartment to put a sweater if it gets gold or anything you don’t want to mix with your camera gear
– an easy access phone pocket
– and a quick access door for your camera! The best feature I have seen in all camera bags so far.
– and many more small pockets to carry all your accessories with you. There are also two external pockets to carry a tripod.
Best vintage camera backpack
Price: $389
Dimensions: 10.5″ W x 14.5″ H x 6″ D / 26.7cm W x 36.8cm H x 15.2cm D
What fits: a full-frame DSLR camera and 4 to 6 extra lenses! There’s a lot of room in this camera backpack and it can also hold a laptop up to 13″ or a notebook. The dividers are fully removable so you can use this bag as an everyday backpack when you’re not shooting!
Best small camera backpack
Price: $120
Dimensions: 6.6″ W x 11″ H x 5.5″ D / 22cm W x 28cm H x 14cm D
What fits: this camera backpack may be small, but it can still hold quite a lot of gear! Its compact design lets you carry a DSLR or mirrorless camera with 2-3 extra lenses, an iPad mini or notebook in the back pocket and your phone and extra accessories in the front pocket. Perfect for all minimalist travel women out there!
How to transform any bag into a camera bag
Finally, you can transform any bag you have into a camera bag! Let’s say for example that you own a backpack similar to this Beis backpack. You can simply purchase a camera bag insert to keep your gear organised and secure from impacts! When choosing your camera bag insert, pay attention to the dimensions of the insert and the inside dimensions of your bag. This can also work for handbags! Here are some good camera bag inserts you can check out:
– Peak Design camera cube (small)
– Fjällräven Kaiken photo insert (small)
You can also make your camera bag insert yourself. Follow this DIY tutorial to learn how!
Did you like this selection of camera bags for women? Is there any other kind of bag I missed and I should have included in this guide? Let me know your thoughts and if you ended up getting any of the bags I mentioned above!
And make sure to check out my guide on how to choose your travel camera based on your photography level ☺️
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