Equipment bags must be tailored towards your specific gear, suit your particular business, and fit your work style - your needs aren't the same as my needs, or Videomaker's managing editor's needs or the guy shooting weddings - I can't tell you what to buy. Everyone's needs differ. But what I can tell you is what to look for in storage, and what to expect in each price range. Because although choosing a suitable bag is an individual choice, there are some basic considerations when designing and constructing them that must be addressed if they are to be of any use to anyone. So let's first define what makes a good bag and work from there.

Room for Your Stuff

A proper camera or equipment bag must first and foremost be able to hold all your gear for transport. A camera bag for example, should hold all the basic elements (and then some) that you would need to get a shot at any given moment. You shouldn't need three bags with the essentials spread among them, neither should you put your camera gear with your audio or lighting. (An exception of course being all-in-one bags, if your business lends itself to such a thing.)

Your Environmental Consideration

Upon the second tier of importance lie 3 issues, all of equal significance. First, the bag must keep equipment adequately safe in the environment you typically work in. If you often ship your gear then you'll probably want a hard case with a lock. If you're outdoors all the time, than you'll want it to be water resistant or water proof. The bag must be adequately cushioned, protecting the contents from reasonable impacts and prodding. Gear should fit snugly and not bounce around. Nothing should be knocking against anything else. Most impact to any bag will come from underneath, so it's a good idea to have hard bottoms for sensitive equipment. TIP: Avoid any bag that places your lens vertically rather than horizontally. Ideally you want your camera to "float" in the exact middle of the case, resting in its natural position with padding all around to cradle the lens.

The gear must also be properly organized and easy to access. You don't want to constantly dig to the bottom of your adapters to get to filters that you use on almost every shoot. Often used items should be a reach away, and everything else should be easily locatable. The last thing you need is to waste time searching, un-packing and repacking.

In the Field

While just as important as the previous two considerations, the next factor only applies to field-active bags, like those used with portable audio gear. The bag must be functional. It must do all of the above, yet still allow access to all the ports, levels, and dials on the equipment it's holding. Keep in mind, though, that bags like this are usually for protecting the gear while working, and are not necessarily great for transporting.

The next level of consideration has a wide latitude of values, all equally significant yet often overlooked. Will the case stack well with the rest of the gear? Will it still be functional if you invest in new or different gear? Are the insides brightly colored, or lit up? Can additional padding be bought or must you fudge your own? Are there single or double zippers? Does it fit through a doorway or load in your car? How durable is the bag overall?