Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2002/03/08
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]I read an article somewhere that said photographers usually have more bags then Imelda Marcos has shoes - I was amused because my friends refer to me as the bag lady - thats about to change - I am becoming a minimalist, thanks to Leica- no more clutter/baggage. "Have camera, will travel." Karina - ----- Original Message ----- From: "Paul C. Brodek" <pcb@skyweb.net> To: <leica-users@mejac.palo-alto.ca.us> Sent: Saturday, March 09, 2002 3:45 AM Subject: [Leica] Re: New Aussie Bag > Hi, my name is Paul, and I'm a bag addict. How bad? How 'bout bad > enough that I forget how many I have or where I've stashed them all. > Bad. > > In my experience "camera bags" protect equipment well but usually > don't carry well, while "outdoors bags" carry well but usually don't > protect equipment well. If you are running, hiking, cycling, > climbing, motorcycling, or even just walking a lot, an outdoors bag > with a camera bag insert can be nirvana. Good waist packs and > messenger bags are designed to stabilize a load on your body, leaving > you free to move comfortably, for long periods of time, even when > doing strenuous stuff. > > The Crumpler bags are interesting because they aim to synthesize these > two worlds, combining carrying/stability with protective inserts. I > haven't looked at the Crumplers close enough to know how well the > inserts are done. I prefer Billingham-type inserts which use soft > material everywhere---this doesn't limit where you can place dividers. > > The Crumplers in general are not quiet bags, though the > photog-targeted bags don't scream as loudly as the messenger-targeted > bags. Being rooted in the bicycle messenger subculture, some Crumpler > product names will make the conservative blush. > > CourrierWare, formerly in Cambridge, MA but now evidently in Vermont, > also offer messenger/photo bags with inserts. I haven't seen any of > these in person, but they've been mentioned favorably in the past on > the LUG. Link: > http://www.courierwareusa.com/level.shtml?20 > > My longest Leica lens is a 135mm Tele-Elmar, which is pretty compact, > so I find many messenger bags are larger and taller than I need for my > Leica-M gear. I like to use a Billingham small Hadley insert in a > Mountainsmith, Dana or similar waistpack, which will let me cycle > comfortably for 2-3 hours with an M6 body/lens, two additional lenses > and a Ricoh GR1 in the insert, plus film, meter and other stuff in > outer pockets. More than 3 hours is uncomfortable, not because of the > weight on my lower back but because of the burn in my legs! > > A quasi-interesting sidenote is that many homegrown messenger bag > makers exist, usually started by a messenger who got fed up with the > big-company bags and struck out on his/her own. Made one for > him/herself, then another few for buds, and before he/she knew it a > CourrierWare, Chrome, Crumpler, PAC, Roach, etc was born. Crumpler is > only "new" in the sense of just recently getting international > exposure. I've seen reference to them doing messenger bags in > Melbourne in early '99, and who knows how long before that they got > started? Here's a link to this murky world: > http://www.messengers.org/bags.html > > Disclaimer: I have tenuous links to both the bicycle and photo trade, > I've met some of the bag people and seen some production facilities, > and I've purchased some bags at wholesale. I'm not currently selling > any bag lines, and my opinions are my own.... > > Cheers, > > PB > > > On Thu, 7 Mar 2002 17:42:26 -0800, Guy Bennett <gbennett@lainet.com> > wrote: > [some snips performed] > >It's from a Aussie company called "Crumpler" (any of you folks down > >under ever hear of them?), which makes a surprising range of bags in a > >variety of even more surprising sizes and colors. I think the bags were > >originally made for messengers, but they've also got a line of camera bags > >that are really well put together, with fantastic inserts to hold whatever > >gear you'd want to drag along. I'm a long-time user of the Domke "little > >bit smaller bag" and satchel, but I think I may be permanently switching. > >http://www.crumplerusa.com/index.html > > > > Paul C. Brodek > Hillsdale, N.J. U.S.A. > E-mail: pcb@skyweb.net > -- > To unsubscribe, see http://mejac.palo-alto.ca.us/leica-users/unsub.html > - -- To unsubscribe, see http://mejac.palo-alto.ca.us/leica-users/unsub.html