On Candid’s episode VII¹ we talk about packing photography gear for a trip, and how a travel kit differs from a regular kit. What makes for a good travel camera? How about lenses? Should you go interchangeable lens or fixed lens? Should you take a tripod with you? Listen on to learn our answers to these questions, and more.

Apart from that, this week’s episode is special because we also have our first giveaway, thanks to the good folks at Think Tank Photo.

If there’s one thing we learned from our recent episode about camera bags is that people are very opinionated about their bag choices. Well, now is your chance to settle the backpack vs messenger bag discussion once and for all.

If you want to help us out and get a chance to win a handsome Think Tank bag in the process, tweet which side you’re on using the hashtag #TeamBackpack or #TeamMessenger. You also need to say why you prefer one vs the other, and don’t forget to include the show’s Twitter handle (@Candid_FM) to make sure we find your tweets.

The contest will run for about a week, and after that we’ll pick the best and/or funniest reason as the winner. Depending on which side the winner’s on, Think Tank will ship them a Retrospective 20 messenger bag, or an equivalent backpack.

Think Tank makes some of the most durable camera bags out there. All three of us Candid hosts own at least one Think Tank bag, and we definitely recommend them. They’re extremely well made, last a lifetime, and will never attract unwanted attention. As far as travel bags go, it really doesn’t get any better than that.