The best camera bags for women deliver style and function. And many of them do it without looking like a camera bag or a normal backpack. We’ve tracked down some amazing bag options for women that combine fashion with camera gear capability.
Take our top pick, the Meliaebag Mirrorless Camera Purse. It combines beautiful leather, exquisite styling, and a proper padded insert for your gear. Even knowing it’s a camera bag, it’s hard to believe when you look at it.
What Are the Best Camera Bags for Women?
When ExpertPhotography carried out our mammoth camera backpack test, we soon realized that every bag has a compromise. There was a choice between protection and weight or the ease of access and internal organization.
With camera bags for women, perhaps the biggest challenge is the compromise between function and style. While many men might be happy to tote around something that looks like it belongs on a Boy Scout jamboree, many women might think differently.
We think that some of these bags for women do a remarkable job of putting on the style. Before we look at them in more detail, here is a roundup of our top picks.
Does it have to pass as a handbag? The Meliaebag, the Gatta Jackie Noir, and the Lo & Sons Claremont are the three that genuinely do. Are you carrying a laptop? Only the Peak Design Everyday 20L Backpack and the JAEP take a 15-inch machine, and the Peak Design Everyday Tote stops at 13 inches. Are you out all day under a full kit? The Peak Design backpack is the only one here with properly padded shoulder straps to carry it on. And if it is one mirrorless body and a spare lens, the BAGSMART is the lightest and much the cheapest way to do it.
8 Best Camera Bags for Women
Another thing we found when comparing notes on camera backpacks was how different details appeal to different folks. We could all recognize quality when we saw it. But we didn’t always see eye-to-eye on questions of style. And that’s fine.
As we look at the bags in our review in more detail, we can only tell you how they function and what we think of the style. But ultimately, the choice is yours!
Note: There’s room for confusion in the English-speaking world about what to call a bag a woman carries. In the US, it tends to be “purse,” and in the UK, it’s “handbag.” We’ll use them interchangeably here.
1. Meliaebag Mirrorless Camera Purse
| Brand |
Brand
Meliae
|
| Style |
Style
Large purse / handbag
|
| Material |
Material
Leather
|
| Key Features |
Key Features
Detachable shoulder strap, moveable internal padding, weather-resistant
|
| Best For |
Best For
Anyone looking for a stylish purse and camera bag in one
|
The Meliaebag Mirrorless Camera Purse looks like a regular purse until you open it. Of course, this doesn’t make it immune from theft because it’s a purse. But it doesn’t shout “camera bag!” It’s stylish and available in Brown (a nice light tan), Black, and Pink.
It’s a handbag-style purse with a detachable strap or a shoulder bag with a detachable handle. It’s your choice. It’s made from genuine leather, real cowhide, with all the weather-resistant qualities that come with it. Plus, the metal fixings are solid and stylish-looking.
For camera gear, the Meliaebag is well provided for, too. There’s a central pouch for your camera, with removable dividers, as with a conventional camera bag.
And despite its small size, you can actually fit a full-frame DSLR with medium zoom attached and an additional lens. It’s pretty impressive. You might say it’s pretty and impressive.
There are three zippered pockets in this bag. One in the main compartment, one at the rear, and one at the side. It means you can keep camera stuff separate from purse stuff without too much confusion.
One body and one spare lens is as far as it goes. There is no laptop sleeve and no room for a second body, so if you shoot weddings or events off a full working kit, this is the wrong bag to build a day around.
We think the Meliaebag Camera Purse deserves to top this review. It hits the sweet spot between style and function.
2. Peak Design Everyday 20L Backpack
| Brand |
Brand
Peak Design
|
| Style |
Style
Backpack
|
| Material |
Material
Nylon canvas
|
| Key Features |
Key Features
Weatherproof fabric and zippers, laptop and tablets sleeves
|
| Best For |
Best For
Anyone looking for a larger, stylish, backpack-style bag
|
The Peak Design Everyday 20L Backpack leans far more to the functional end of the equation but remains stylish. It’s not, nor does it pretend to be a handbag. But it’s not a big, bulky, let’s-go-hiking-in-the-boonies kind of backpack either.
This generation comes in seven colorways. Black, Charcoal, Midnight, and Eclipse are the quiet ones, and Ocean, Kelp, and Coyote X-Pac are there if you would rather the bag was visible. Peak Design dropped the cream (“bone”) finish this model used to wear, so the old two-tone look is gone. Whichever you pick, it reads as an ordinary backpack rather than as camera kit.
The shell is a 100% recycled 400D nylon canvas, weatherproof rather than waterproof, with a 900D waterproof liner in the base. MagLatch hardware gives you fast one-handed access from the top, and two weatherproof UltraZips open the sides, so you’re not always digging in from above.
The shoulder straps are a plus. They have more padding than a more handbag-inspired camera bag would have, so all-day comfort is improved.
Your camera gear is well protected by EVA foam padding with moveable dividers. You’ll even find dedicated laptop and tablet sleeves to keep your mobile tech safe.
Peak Design has a well-deserved reputation for quality camera accessories. The Peak Design Everyday 20L Backpack fits in with this trend. It’s a neat, attractive solution. And it will protect your camera kit with style.
For more information, you can read our full review of the Everyday Backpack V2, the generation before this one.
If you want the vintage leather look without the vintage leather price, the JAEP Camera Backpack is worth a look. The body is 16 oz waxed canvas in khaki with leather-style trim, so it reads as an ordinary smart backpack rather than as camera kit.
That waxed finish is weather resistant, which matters more than it sounds. A shower on the walk to a location stops being something you have to plan around.
Inside, there is room for a DSLR or mirrorless body with lenses, plus a dedicated sleeve that takes a 15.6-inch laptop. On the outside there is a tripod holder, so a travel tripod does not have to travel in your hand.
It is also the biggest bag here. A 15.6-inch laptop sleeve and an external tripod holder mean it is built for a full day out with gear you have to plan around. Carry one body and one lens in it and you are mostly carrying empty bag.
We like the JAEP Camera Backpack as the practical pick of this list. It carries like a proper backpack and still looks good once the cameras are back on the shelf.
If a tote bag is more your style, then the Peak Design Everyday Tote could be the perfect solution. You certainly wouldn’t think this is a camera bag if you saw it out in the world.
Like the Peak Design Everyday bag, it comes in a choice of finishes, all at the same price: Bone, Black, Eclipse, and Ocean. Whichever you pick, the shell is a 100% recycled 400D nylon canvas. Peak Design calls that shell weatherproof, not waterproof, and the distinction is a fair one. Only the 900D liner in the base, where puddles actually reach, is waterproof.
Twin tote-style handles mean you can carry it in your hand or over your shoulder. For all-day carrying, there’s a more padded, detachable shoulder strap for comfort. And there’s a magnetic closure on the full-width top entry point. But this is backed up by a weatherproof zip for wet weather.
Inside, you find Peak Design’s usual gear protection. And you’ll find room for a good amount of camera gear. A pretty decent mirrorless camera set-up, or even a full-frame DSLR with a big zoom lens like 70-200mm, plus another lens. As a bonus, there is a 13-inch laptop sleeve.
That 13-inch ceiling is the catch. A 15 or 16-inch machine will not go in, and a tote hung off one shoulder is not what you want for a long walk with a heavy kit. If either of those is your day, take the backpack.
A lifetime warranty and 100% recycled post-consumer materials add to the tote’s appeal. We think the Peak Design Everyday Tote is one of the more attractive camera bags for women available.
There is nothing about the look of the Gatta Christie Noir Camera Bag that makes you think there might be a camera inside it. It is a neat, sleek leather bag. I venture to suggest that the word “cute” would not be misplaced here.
An elegant, tapering body on a rectangular base is closed by a flap. The base has metal feet to keep it out of the dirt. And the flap conceals a top-zippered opening. The metal fittings add to the stylish feel of this camera bag, as does the nappa suede lining.
Inside, you can fit most mirrorless cameras with a lens attached, as well as an additional lens. It’s not the bag for a major photo shoot. But maybe you just need somewhere safe and discreet for your camera on a day out. There aren’t many camera bags for women that will do it with more panache.
Carry it over the shoulder, or use the two straps to put it on your back. The choice is yours, and we think the Gatta Christie Noir Camera Bag would be a good buy.
It’s impossible to tell that the Gatta Jackie Noir Camera Bag is anything other than a chic, oversized handbag. You see this style of purse everywhere. No one will suspect your camera gear is nestled inside, ready for action.
As camera bags for women go, this one is a winner. It is beautifully finished in a range of colors. The interior is in a plush microfiber suede, completely in keeping with the exterior. And it comes with one padded divider, but additional ones are very cheap.
Because it is in the style of an oversized handbag, there’s plenty of room inside. This purse will swallow your full-frame DSLR and a couple of lenses easily. It’s pretty remarkable that a bag can be this stylish and practical at the same time.
All that room comes largely undivided. It ships with the single padded divider, so out of the box you get one protected compartment and a lot of open bag around it. Buy a couple of spares if you want your lenses kept apart, and look elsewhere if you need to carry a laptop, because there is no sleeve for one.
As far as we can see, the Gatta Jackie Noir Camera Bag is an absolute winner in the world of camera bags for women.
7. BAGSMART Canvas Crossbody Camera Bag
| Brand |
Brand
BAGSMART
|
| Style |
Style
Crossbody shoulder bag
|
| Material |
Material
Canvas
|
| Key Features |
Key Features
Multiple carrying options, removable padded insert
|
| Best For |
Best For
Anyone looking for a relaxed, stylish, spacious camera bag
|
The BAGSMART Canvas Crossbody is the softest and least camera-shaped bag here. It is a plain black canvas shoulder bag, 28 x 20 cm and only 600 g empty, so it stays comfortable across a long day.
It is sized for a mirrorless body with a lens attached and a spare alongside it, rather than for a full working kit. If you head out with one camera and a lens or two, that is exactly the right amount of bag.
A rain cover is included, which is unusual at this price and genuinely useful if you shoot outdoors.
It is also, by some distance, the cheapest bag on this list. We think the BAGSMART Canvas Crossbody is an excellent choice for a softer, unstructured bag to carry a mirrorless setup around town.
8. Lo & Sons Claremont Camera Bag
| Brand |
Brand
Lo & Sons
|
| Style |
Style
Cross-body purse
|
| Material |
Material
Leather
|
| Key Features |
Key Features
Adjustable shoulder strap, and big enough for a DSLR
|
| Best For |
Best For
Anyone looking for up-to-the-minute styling and practicality
|
The Lo & Sons Claremont is another example of excellence in camera bags for women. From its sharp, sleek styling to its elegant quilted interior, it oozes quality. Outside, it’s soft, full-grain leather, and the quilted interior is padded to protect anything up to a full-frame DSLR.
There are some thoughtful design touches, too. Undo the turn-lock clasp, and the (quilted) flap opens to reveal two stitched leather pockets just above the clasp. These are designed to take your memory cards. On the reverse side, safely against your body, is a zippered pocket for valuables.
The padded divider can be removed if you’re not taking your camera with you. This leaves you with a stylish handbag for normal use. Perhaps the only thing lacking in this bag is much in the way of adaptability. It is a cross-body purse and nothing else.
However, when a bag looks as good as the Lo & Sons Claremont Camera Bag, that extra practicality is perhaps something you can forgo. It’s classy, chic, and stylish.
Best Camera Bags for Women FAQs
Here are answers to two frequently asked questions about buying the best camera bag for a woman.
What Do I Look for in the Best Camera Bags for Women?
The best camera bags for women need to be something other than an everyday purse or handbag. They need to perform the vital function of keeping your photography gear safe. And they need to make it easy to access your camera when needed.
Of course, women need the same from their camera bags as men if they work in photography and need to protect their gear and transport it easily. But sometimes, you want more than a utilitarian camera bag or backpack. These bags all meet those needs, and they do it with style.
Only you know what you need. But it’s safe to say that all of these camera bags for women meet the criterion of not looking especially like a camera bag. And some of them are just downright stylish as purses. So you’re spoiled for choice.
What Size Camera Bag Will I Need?
Our selection shows that sizes vary from quite compact bags to much bigger ones. And it’s a question only you can answer with the gear you have.
Our top choice, the Meliaebag Mirrorless Camera Purse
Conclusion: The Best Camera Bags for Women
At the outset, let’s admit that all these bags are fine offerings. If you want a fairly big bag, the JAEP Camera Backpack would be a great choice. Or, perhaps with a slight style penalty, the Peak Design Everyday 20L Backpack would suit you.
Our top pick, though, is elegant and practical. It was a tough choice because all of these camera bags for women are strong contenders. We think the Meliaebag Mirrorless Camera Purse ticks all the boxes. But we don’t envy you the choice, even if we envy the bags!
