In general, I believe that a lot of things in the world of accessories are matters of personal taste, which indicates I’m slow to become evangelical about my belief in the goodness of any particular trend, brand, structure or look. Sure, I personally endorse bags all the time, but I realize that’s just my personal opinion, which will be of varying value to those who might read it. When it pertains to one type of bag, though, things go a little bit beyond that: I believe that cam bags are truly, genuinely the most beneficial of the widely available bag styles.
A cam bag is characterized by a collection of the following characteristics: it’s petite and rectangular, with a crossbody strap, top zipper and side gussets that maintain a consistent width from top to bottom. It looks, essentially, like a little bag that would easily hold a digital cam from ten or so years ago, with a little extra room—hence the name of the genre.
Camera bags are so terrific because of how all of these features interact. The bags are lightweight, mainly because they’re not very big and don’t have the surface area needed for tons of extra pockets, zippers, studs, or other things that weigh a bag down. The bag’s structure and zippered closure indicates that the bags always hold a lot more than you’d expect they would because you can layer things into them without worrying that a flap closure won’t lay correctly or things will spill out. and once loaded up, everything is secure—they always have full-width zippers that lend themselves to use during a large range of activities. The crossbody strap keeps everything easy and hands-free.
Naturally, these little bags are widely popular with shoppers—especially in recent years—which indicates that a lot of brands big and small make some version, typically at an entry-level price point for their line. Below, we’ve selected some of our favorites, whether you want to add one to your collection for the first time or just keep your options open for additional cam bags. (I have like four, and I use them all, somehow.)
Balenciaga everyday cam Bag
$1,090 by means of Net-a-Porter
Chanel cam Case
$3,500 by means of Chanel
Coach cam Bag
$275 by means of Coach
Cole Haan Payson cam Bag
$198 by means of Nordstrom
Draper James Scallop cam Bag
$98 by means of Nordstrom
Fendi cam Case
$1,290 by means of Fendi
Gucci Ophidia tiny Bag
$950 by means of Gucci
Louis Vuitton Saintonge Bag
$1,580 by means of Louis Vuitton
Marc Jacobs Snapshot Bag
$295 by means of Marc Jacobs
Marni shell cam Bag
$1,490 by means of Shopbop
Pop and Suki cam Bag
$225 by means of Nordstrom
Prada Quilted cam Bag
990 $ med net-a-porter
Saint Laurent Lou cam Bag
$1,150 by means of Nordstrom
Stella McCartney Quilted cam Bag
$895 by means of Net-a-Porter
Tibi Garcon Bag
$850 by means of Shopbop
Valentino Rockstud cam Bag
$1,445 by means of Net-a-Porter
Versace cam Case
$950 by means of Shopbop
Welden Explorer Woven cam Bag
$295 by means of Nordstrom