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I use a small Brady Ariel Trout bag in herringbone tweed for my laptop and a small camera, a cheap faded OD green Indian surplus small satchel for when I'm just going out with a camera and I have a large khaki Billingham I picked up at a flea market for 15 bucks that I used back when I had a full DSLR kit. In the past, I've also had a Frost River satchel that was great, but I sold it to a friend when I got a new laptop that was too big for it.

EDIT: This is the cheap indian small satchel I was talking about. You have to make your own interior, but it is ridiculously rugged for the price if you get a good one- it's better to pick one up at an army surplus store than ordering online, the quality control isn't perfect. It is utterly anonymous looking, and is a great size for a rangefinder, 2 or 3 small lenses, filters, an extra battery, a small tablet or moleskine notebook, and a cable release. I've had mine for years. It is sunbleached and patched, but still super solid. I've taken it on multiple trips, and it has never let me down.

General 'snapshot' street photography is a matter of chance, with a small amount of composition. Very little work and thought goes into the output. What's notable about HCB is that he frequently framed a shot based on artistic composition; and waited for something to happen. Other times he had time to compose a shot he took the time to find the geometry. Even when just out snapping, he looked for scenes where geometry was striking. If you're curious about the way he does this, he talks about it in an old movie.

Asking someone else how to make your work stand out is inherently uncreative, for the record.

One of the most important things I ever learned about photography was that buying gear isn't really useful. Having a working camera and some working lenses is necessary; but if you have something 'semi-professional' or above, there's little to no advantage in upgrading. You have an M8 (or possibly an M6 by now?) and a lens. As long as both are in functional condition; that's all you need in terms of equipment.

Instead, buy books. Here's some suggestions that you might want to consider:

• Koudelka - Gypsies
  
  
• Relationship - Zachary Drucker & Rhys Ernst
  
  
• The Decisive Moment - Henri Cartier-Bresson
  
  
• The Magnum Contact Sheets - Multiple Artists
  
  
• Vivian Maier - Vivian Maier, John Maloof
  
  
• An English Eye - James Ravilious
  
  
• Labyrinth - Moriyama Daido
  
  
• The Americans - Robert Frank
  
  You can also look at libraries for these, and keep an eye on thrift stores and used bookshops. I think you're in London, right? There's a huge gallery on Oxford street, and in Mayfair there's a Leica store where exhibitions are held a few times a year.
  
  The key point is to look at photos; individual photos, contact sheets and whole curated books and exhibitions. Think about how the artists made something like documentary and snapshot photography into an art. Look for ideas you can use, and look for things that haven't been done that you could use to be unique. Look at studio photography. Look at erotic photography. Look at cinema and still life and landscapes and architecture and paintings and drawings and every other image created with artistic intent, that represents a moment of reality. And go from there.

Straps I've bought trying to find THE ONE:

• Love this one on my leica- has a tiny bit of leather (I think it's real...)
  
  
• LOVE THIS for my Nikon D5 and will never replace it. It's nearly perfect. Overkill for my Leica, tiny bit of leather
  
  
• This was fine
  
  
• This was fine but felt a bit too lightweight
  
  
• This was also fine but a loop of paracord on your hand all day is kind of annoying
  
  
• This was suitable for a small point and shoot
  
  
• This was way too much- probably for any camera without a 300mm lense
  
  
• This was fine for light weight p&s's
  
  The ones that have leather are using corrected-grain stuff that is not structural, so even if it might degrade over time, it won't hurt the function. Unless you're trying to be vegan, I wouldn't worry about it.

If I'm only carrying one extra lens, which is the case 99% of the time I put in in a pocket of the backpack and I'm ready to go. If you want to carry a lot more stuff and keep it organized/safe I would recommend one of these, I don't own this particular model but a similar one and it fits perfectly inside my backpack

For storage like kayaking to a camping spot or something? A Pelican or Nanuk case.

For actual use... Man I'd just buy a Fuji XP1140 or maybe an Olympus TG-5. For a good case for a Leica, you're looking at a lot of money. A Fuji XP140 is $220, a Leica M underwater housing (Housing being probably the safest option to keep it safe) is $5000.

For Kayaking I'd use a cheap and reliable roll top dry bag and put a camera insert inside with some silica gel packs to absorb any moisture.

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1. Waterproof roll top bag - just get one that is large enough for you and has any features you want
   
   1. Example round
      
   2. Example round
      
   3. Example backpack
      
2. Add a camera insert to fit
   
   1. Example using a single insert
      
   2. Example using a separate case for camera
      
   3. Example using a case case for lens
      
3. Silica gel packs
   
   1. Example

https://www.amazon.com/Fotasy-LV40-5-40-5mm-Vented-Voigtlander/dp/B005G9PSHA

I believe this is the same hood

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0036FTNZY/ref=dp-kindle-redirect?_encoding=UTF8&btkr=1

You could use a camera wrap. It's basically a fleece-like thing with velcro pads to hold the folds in place. Handy if you don't want to just use a towel and have it unravel in your backpack. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00XHRWBPU?psc=1

They would be a hell of a lot cheaper if they were;

Official Leica Cufflinks: $970 USD

DIY Leica Cufflinks
DIY Cufflinks Guide: $0 + Replacement Leica M Shutter Speed Dial $99.98 + 2 Silver Cufflink Blanks $16+ 2 Silver Contact Screws $15.80 USD to fill in the screw hole and be trimmed flush, + JB Weld to really nail it down $12.96 USD = $144.74 USD

You can make a genuine pair, with pure silver posts, and at most an hour of time for $825.26 less.