Camcorder Cases & Bags

Seeing a camcorder in the wild is sort of like spotting a moose on the outskirts of your city. It’s definitely not common, but it does happen. Given that most cameras (and even many smartphones) now shoot high-quality video at a very reasonable cost, consumer camcorders are becoming more and more rare—but because of their size, it’s nice to have a specialized case or bag for them when they do come out to play.

Why Select a Camcorder?

For most camcorder users, a camcorder-style product makes sense for one of two reasons: zoom and habit. The camcorder body is so long that it’s easy to pack an impressive zoom onto even a standard camcorder. It isn’t unusual for affordable models to offer an optical zoom of 30x to 50x, with an even longer 4K digital zoom.

Other users opt for a camcorder because it’s what they’ve used for years, and it’s easier to upgrade their current model than switch over to an entirely new system. If you’re filming something like a wedding, sporting event, or birthday party, the longer video recording time of a camcorder is something that you can’t do without. (Photography cameras never record anything longer than 29 minutes and 59 seconds of footage.) However, newer, smaller models of camcorders still have a unique size and shape that doesn’t quite fit most camera bags.

What Can a Camcorder Bag Do for Me?

Camcorder bags are designed to fit the long, almost tubular shape of handycams and camcorders. They offer protection against bumps and falls, as well as easy transport and storage. As you enter into the range of larger, higher-quality camcorders, specialized camcorder cases provide shockproof storage for your professional-grade device and accessories.

Single-Use and Mixed-Use Camcorder Bags

Specialized camcorder bags are typically long and padded. They offer a place to house your camcorder, with either soft nylon siding or a firmer, hard-shell case.

Large camcorder bags offer space for your camcorder alongside extra batteries, cords, and accessories. As you verge upon the professional realm of camcorder bags, expect to see larger hand-carry cases and camcorder backpacks that can also house a digital camera, microphone, or tripod.

Mixed-use camcorder bags come in the form of generalized (and often customizable) DSLR bags, including camera slings, backpacks, and shoulder bags. This style of bag is designed with padded nylon compartments whose dividers can be moved and re-attached by way of Velcro siding. They offer less protection than a specialized bag, and as a result, are often a poor choice for professional quality camcorders. However, for a smaller, consumer-grade camcorder, they’re an excellent way to carry multiple instruments at once—and they can double as a camera bag for your DSLR.