Wedding season is in full swing again in Australia. I love wedding photography: There’s so much joy in capturing all the meaning and intentional details that a couple has put into their big day. But weddings are long days, with lots of heavy gear to tote about. That’s why I’m using taz + tez Archy backpack for wedding photography. Not a wedding backpack, you say? Let me explain.
The Archy Modular Camera Backpack V2 (my full review here) by taz + tez is not billed as a wedding photographer backpack. The larger, carry-everything Tildy backpack is what taz + tez recommends if you’ve got a lot to carry. I struggle with back, wrist and elbow issues during wedding season because of the gear load. So I’ve been investigating other options to get my kit moved around on wedding days that alleviate the strain.
Using taz + tez Archy backpack for wedding photography is a lightweight option
I’ve been working on cutting my kit weigh down this year. I invested in a mirrorless camera (Canon EOS R8 Mirrorless Camera) with some RF primes (50mm and 28mm) to do this. Weddings are heavy work! There’s speedlites, long lenses, multiple camera bodies, battery packs and light modifiers to carry around. To protect my body, it’s been my priority this year to cut down my carry, and get as much weight into a rolling bag as I can.
That’s my setup that I’m using for weddings with the Archy backpack as my “need it now” gear pack. I have a rolling bag (an office style one with top openings) where the bulk of my kit lives for the day. I take gear in and out as I need it, swapping it into my Archy for what I need during each phase.
This keeps my carry weight down while also having access to everything that I need. It’s a good compromise: I don’t have to drag the rolling bag everywhere if I don’t need it. I can swap in and out what I need as I go.
The Archy backpack is not the only wedding bag I use, but it’s my flexible “what I need for this bit” bag
The Archy backpack is not a huge bag. If you’ve read my full review you can see the different variety of gear that it can fit. While I can’t fit everything I need into it for the wedding day – I don’t want to. I am using it for the “what I need now” bag.
I pack in my mirrorless and primes for the bridal prep photos. Then switch in my 24-70mm lens and a flash for the ceremony and load up my second camera onto my belt. I drop off the heavyweights for the romantic portraits, and pack in my off-camera setup for night photos. It’s the back I keep on my back throughout the day, while the rest of my (heavy) kit sits in waiting in my rolling bag.
Using taz + tes Archy backpack for weddings makes sense too because there’s enough room for essentials in the pack. Phone, keys, a few snacks: I have what I need close at hand across the day.
The Archy backpack blends in at a wedding
Sometimes you have to leave your backpack sitting unattended while you capture the ceremony, or duck out quickly for the last pink clouds of the day. Camera bags often scream, “I’m a camera bag!” The Archy Modular Camera Backpack V2 doesn’t.
It’s a classic, stylish bag that just looks like another guest handbag. No flashing red lights advertising where your expensive gear it. For a high-end wedding where you want to look as sleek as the crowd you’re working for, even better.
For photographers who struggle with carrying too much, this system helps on full-day weddings
If you’re like me and can’t physically lug a whole backpack of wedding gear around all day, then splitting your kit into a flexible carry-and-pull system like this makes sense. It lets me get the job done without extra strain on my body, and I always have what I need with me. That’s why I’m using taz + tex Archy backpack for wedding season.
