If your camera only has one extra lens, it sometimes makes sense to save on the number of bags on a trip by co-locating the lens in a laptop bag or a day bag.
The thing is, you wanna keep the lens protected. Dedicated camera bags have foam inserts, called dividers, that’ll keep your lens safe from bumping against hard materials, but your laptop case will most likely won’t have those dividers.
Taryn Fiol of apartment therapy came up with a smart way or protecting a lens (or a strobe for that matter) if you choose to go bag-light.
By using a beer cozy to wrap the lens Taryn was able to protect it from strap hard edges. (and won a makeshift snoot in the process).
Of course, if you want to go all the way to the other extreme, you can, with basic sewing skills, make your own camera bag insert all together.
[Creative Reuse: Keeping Camera Lenses Safe on the Cheap | Apartment Therapy]
