I knew when I bought the camera that I'd have to figure out how to safely carry it with me - and somehow, riding with the camera strapped to my body didn't seem like the right solution for me.
One option is to stash the camera in a pannier but on the top of other gear so that it is easily accessible. Another is to stash it in my trailer. Both of these can work - and I may use them on some tours. But I wanted a place to carry my new toy where it was both easily accessible and where it doesn't have room to bounce around. And I wanted to be able to carry the camera easily even if I was just wandering on my bike but not touring.
It was time to look at rack trunks... My choice - or maybe I should say my camera's choice - was a bag from Arkel called the TailRider. It's both longer and lower than competitive products. It has a moveable divider inside, it has a built-in rain cover, and it is insulated which provides a little bit of padding. It was really the shape of the overall bag that led me to add this bag to my touring supplies - it seemed like it would be a good traveling home for my camera. The first time I used the TailRider on a tour (a quick weekend jaunt), it proved to be the perfect home for my camera. I've also used it as I've wandered on my bike close to home. It does exactly what I expected; it provides a safe place for my camera to ride that is also easily accessible.
