For the past few decades I've carried my trusty Nikons around in a Utah-made fanny pack, now, of course, called "lumbar packs." Mine was compact, held a few lenses and body and accessories, and could swing from back to front in a flash. Flip open the zipper top, grab and shoot.

After a number of rebuilds, new zippers, my trusty purple pack is showing its, and my, age. But no surprise, it has logged hundreds of thousands of miles around the globe with me, on camel and horseback, in airplanes and helicopters, in deep powder and on chairlifts. Now, I don't want everything with me at all times. In fact, after nearly 40 years as a professional photographer, I want less weight, and take only the essentials.

So, wistfully, I looked around for something from this century, and I was pleased to get a chance to try out Mountainsmith's Tour FX camera bag. First impressions: it's durable nylon, slightly taller, and not as long as my old one. But it's small enough to carry what I need, with a couple of strategically designed pockets and add-ons.

The gray color doesn't scream CAMERA BAG!  And, the bright yellow dividers inside let you see into all of the deep corners. It was originally set up for four lenses and a body, but I reconfigured the dividers to hold three lens (a long in one side, and two shorter lens in the other), and my D700 body with its wide-zoom on one side. Underneath the camera and a padded, yellow divider lies my strobe, cords, batteries, and memory cards.

The bag measures around 10 x 12 x 7 inches, has detachable hip and shoulder straps, and one thing I really, really like about it: there's a heavy duty handle so you can pick it up easily. There's a top pocket, ideal for a notebook, business cards, and pens, and there are two mesh pockets under the lid for small accessories.

So this spring I took it on a day hike into Zion National Park's Checkerboard Mesa area. With a water bottle in one of the two side pockets, some treats and sunscreen in the top pocket, off I went, avoiding the crowds. In the outback there were a couple of times when I needed to actually strap it on to keep my hands free, in order to chimney up a slickrock chute to the cool pools above.

But, most of the time it was slung over my shoulder. It does come with a shoulder strap to take the load off of your hips if that's your thing. Though it was severe clear that day, there is an integrated, yellow rain cover; a good thought for places where it still rains. All in all, the easy access to my camera is going to let me get photos while others are still fumbling in their bags.

The pack's around $100, weighs around 2 pounds, and comes with a lifetime warranty. They may rethink that in 20 years when they've had to rebuild mine a few times.