camera bags

brianp55

brianp55

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brian
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hi,looking at a couple of camera bags, only going to buy 1, both are approx the same size with £27 difference in price. first is a tamrac 5585 expedition 5x the second the lowepro mini trekker aw. love to hear pro's and cons from anyone who uses either of these. think i have made up my mind, just need a convincing push. thanks brian
 
I think it would be useful if we could get some reviews of bags with images so we can see how people are using them to carry their kit lay outs etc. I'm needing a new bag but finding out if a lens will fit or not is difficult especially with crumpler their measurements are spot on but it is only when you see the bag in use that you can see what you can fit in. I have a muffin top 3000 and it will fit stuff in that is more than the sites advertised size in height.

Infact I will start this off tomorrow with a review of the muffin top 3000 and show how it can fit almost nothing in it but it will ft a bit in if you use it a different way.
 
I have a Tamrac

For me it's great. I do a bit of munro bagging / scrambling and it's small enough to manage (it's the 4 not the 5) yet just big enough for what I need. The back panel is great for avoiding 'sweaty back' and the zips are all pretty well covered for wet weather. The shoulder straps are great (had some that really cut in the past) and other straps work well to keep the pack where it should be. Plenty of adjustable options inside and the construction has held up fine. Would certainly have another.

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I sure hope this thread is a success as I fancy a new bag and would love to see real reviews of what everyone's using (I would add mine but it's not even a bag, more a fabric box from aldi lol)

:popcorn:
 
The cambags site is ok but it is very US orientated so not all bags are available in the states especially the crumpler bags.
 
cheers for the replies,looking at the cambags site thanks, it looks like both bags would suit my needs at the moment + a bit of growing room. just a question of quality now, best prices i can find tamrac ex 5 £80, lowepro mini £53 give or take the pennies. wish i could see them both together.
 
I saw them both today, I called in to fotosense in Bolton to see the sizes of the crumpler bags they have but they only had the messenger 5500, new Delhi 390 and the muffintop 3000 the Delhi came close to fitting the 70-200 in vertically but it wouldn't fit much else in. I'm still confused. The Tamrac Expedition 5 is huge and a little too big for my current requirements.
 
i bought the expedition 5 on mpb last week, great bag, really comfy but.... it's too small
(eos 20d (NOT gripped, canon 70-200 2.8 NON IS, sigma 24-135 2.8.4.5, nifty 50 1.8, 430 ex11)

when i bought it i completely forgot about the 40d i am getting in 2 weeks and the siggy 15-30, and the panned 300/4 in the future.

The format of the pockets internally is not great, 2 full width pockets, would prefer 4 1/2 width (batts in 1, off cam flash stuff in t'other, cards in another and remote shutter in 4th) but hey ho, then have aa's in external pockets, and lens cloth and lens covers in t'other (very tight squeeze)

the straps for the tri (gorilla) pod are poor, just don't hold tight enough.

Maybe i sell the 5 and look into a 7 for christmas when my 40d 15-30 return
 
Well here it is the crumpler Muffin Top 3000 their description says one camera and 2 lenses and it does do that, I have the canon 500d in there with the kit lens attached and the 50mm f/1.8 under the over hang. Would it fit a bigger lens in there? yes, before I got the 50mm I would carry a 20oz bottle of coke they are a bit bigger than the 500ml bottles in the UK. the top would stick out the side of the top flap but width wise it was fine. I can't see it fitting any of the L glass lenses in there.

The bag, measurements internal are 19w x 15h x 11d cm the height is up to the top of the felt lineing section. you can use the space above it I can sit the canon 580EXII in its case on top of my camera and use the clip to keep the bag closed so there is some expansion in there.
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Inside comes with a single divider which can fold, I have it folded over and the 50mm sits under it. the fold is about the same as position as the lenght of the kit lens so it works really well. The sides are nice and soft felt and really thick for padding.
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On the front there is a pocket for storeing smaller things like batteries, memory cards there are 2 mesh pockets in there as well.
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The 500d in the bag, the 50mm sits bellow to the right. there is still a few cm available on top for the strap or it can be tucked down the side this is what allows me to sit the flash over the top.
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The crumpler site shows the camera in the bag the other way round but the 500d is just too big to fit that way without distorting the shape of the bag.

and just to give some idea of how this isn't a good bag if you have big lenses I put the 24-70mm f/2.8 and the 70/200mm f/2.8 IS
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I have managed to get the 24-70mm in the bag mounted on the body by putting it horizontally but it leaves the bag full and a little top heavy
 
I've got a Tamrac 5x and love it. It went walking with me in scotland and was very waterproof against the crappy rain.

I was forgetting that it was on my back because I found it very comfortable.

I think the tripod straps and pocket work very well and don't have any problems with it coming loose at all.

Overall, I'm very happy with it. :thumbs::D
 
I had and used a Mini Trekker AW for a few years, great bag, bit old fashioned, but definitely not the most comfortable to wear as a backpack. The good thing is there are tons for sale on ebay, and you can get one for about 30-40 to try it.
 
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