I got an email a few weeks ago asking where I got my canvas bags, and it got me to thinking. Bags are a very important tool for a photographer. They hold your cameras, lens, film. You’ll need a pen, small notebook, maybe your keys. How do you keep all of that organized without lugging around a traditional clumsy bag? My Holgas live in a drawer, sitting in rows, sorted by their setup. But when its time to go, I grab my old Israeli Paratrooper bag and throw them neatly into one of the three compartments, turn to the film fridge, load the front section up and I am ready to go. Now I am neither Israeli nor a paratrooper, and honesty I have no idea how you can jump out of a plane with a bag flapping around. You’d think it would hit them in the head. But according to the old Banana Republic, that’s what they did. Some of you might not remember the old Banana Republic store, the one who actually sold surplus and vintage goods. The one who had a paper catalog and witty descriptions for each item. If you do remember, then you got the joke in the first few lines of this paragraph.

I am not going to say that I don’t stop in to Banana Republic anymore. They have great jeans, and some nice coats, but you aren’t going to find the Paratrooper bag in the corner any longer. Banana Republic was eaten up by the Gap in 1983, when they were just a tiny company. By 1988 they had stopped the catalog all together, and today they just serve as the Gap’s upscale division, which means they can charge you twice as much for the same shirt. It’s a shame we lose stores like this. Abercrombie and Fitch used to be a very nice Men’s haberdashery. Now it’s a dark cave for thump-thump music and trashy teens. Urban Outfitters used to be a store for obscure clothing and accessories. Now they have rows of skinny hipster jeans and Holga 120’s collecting dust in the window. (Ya, I said it.)

So what does any of this have to do with toy cameras? Nothing really, I was just thinking back to the first time I got one of those bags. Holgas are a different shape and size then the SLR’s that most bags are made to fit. So improvising a bag becomes a must when shooting more then one of them. I have always used my Paratrooper bag, because that’s what I carried my school books in, but what are our other options? Lomo now has several bags available, but none are specifically designed for the Holga. In fact I have yet to find a really good Holga specific bag. For my Mamiya, I found a Jack Spade bag that fits it like it was made for it. So when I needed something to keep my Blackbird Fly safe, I went back to them. But this blog is always about finding the most reasonable options, so how about $12 for a great toy camera bag?

[Best. Bag. Ever.]

Where do I find my bags now that Banana doesn’t stock them any longer? FourCornerStore.com has them. They aren’t made in Israel, and somehow I don’t think they ever were. They probably weren’t used by paratroopers either, and I don’t forsee myself jumping out of a plane anytime soon. I like relaxing in the window seat, preferably with a nice cocktail. But every time I load that bag up it reminds me of those great stories in the old paper catalog, traveling around the world to get that photo deep in the jungle. Even if all the stuff did come from a dank old warehouse in Brooklyn.

[This bag is only $12! Go get one here...]