I'm looking for a versatile bag right now that will be equally comfortable on a day hike, bringing stuff to and from school/work, and playing a carry-on/carry-around role for travel.

Ideally this bag will allow me to haul around some camera gear (Canon 20D, Tamron 17-50mm f/2.8, Canon 50mm f/1.4, Canon EX420 and the incidental accessories), and whatever else I might want for the particular outing -- i.e., for school, my 13.3" laptop, a binder and a lunch; for a day hike, change of socks, food, bottle of water, and a sweatshirt. That kind of thing.

So, not quite a kitchen-sink kind of bag, but rather a bag that will let me carry excursion-specific camera gear, plus whatever else I need for the day, without looking like a lost backpacker in the middle of the city.



I've come across Crumpler's The Sinking Barge and it looks like it will fit the bill nicely. The only two downsides I see are as follows:

• No external mesh pockets for a water bottle;
• No external straps to carry around a tripod.

That's not enough of a dealbreaker for me, really, to count the bag out -- in fact, I can probably ghetto-rig a way around both of those problems.

It's within my price range (sub-$200), too, and I've already got a Crumpler sling bag which I love. Their build quality is outstanding.

I'm going to try to find one in-store later this week to try out, so, more to follow. In the meanwhile, if anyone's got any experience with this bag, post up! (I searched on Crumpler and Barge and nothing relevant came up.)


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if you buy it and ask me nicely, i could sew in whatever you want added to it

You're so domestic.

Thanks for the offer!


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i'm thee trifecta, dude.

cooking, sewing and uh... something else i haven't figured out yet

Do you do windows?


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Originally Posted by gongzero

Do you do windows?


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nope and i definitely don't do BJ's

There goes my "you'll make a wonderful wife" joke!


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HA!

denied!

looks like the tamrac adventure 9 would be a nice cheaper option.

Originally Posted by case sensitive

looks like the tamrac adventure 9 would be a nice cheaper option.

True, and I like Tamrac -- I have a Velocity 7 sling bag for walking around.

But notice how that front flat on the Adventure 9, where all your camera gear is, just kinda flops forward, and all your crap is pretty much ready to spill out onto the ground?

The Crumpler is built a little more so that you can access your gear while the bag is still on one shoulder, without having to worry about that problem. It's kinda like taking a normal toploading camera bag, and integrating it into a normal backpack -- best of both worlds. Makes it much easier to access your gear without having to lay your pack down flat on some surface which may or may not be available.


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i think this is probably the best designed, most functional crumpler out there...i'll have to look for it next time i'm at REI

There's also a larger version, for 17" laptops, called The Customary Barge.


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w00t! It's here.

I have a final tomorrow so I can't give a proper review but I will say that it's pretty cool. I'll try and get pics and paragraphs together tomorrow night.


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woohoo!

i'm curious to hear what you like about it (so i can steal ideas!)

Originally Posted by b84wm

woohoo!
(so i can steal ideas!)

+1

Originally Posted by jacobsen1

+1

+2

a is busy with school...we may have to wait a bit longer than expected.

Yes... school. Busy. :shifty eyes:

I'll try to get something here and on my site by tonight, promise!


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you sonofabish!

back to school!

Ahem.

http://www.gongzero.com/2008/04/16/c...hoto-backpack/



Review is up, with photos. Post it wherever you like.


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w00t!

commented

Hehe, yeah, I saw that.

I just got back from a one-hour walk with the thing on my back -- carrying my laptop, a light sweater, my 20D with Tamron 17-50mm f/2.8, my 50mm f/1.4, my 420EX flash, and my laptop.

Shoulders feel fine, but the bag's (obviously) still a little stiff.


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Nice write. Some good ideas to steal on that bag. I also commented (you having any issues with spam since your comments just post?).

Oh, and nice theme.

Originally Posted by jacobsen1

Nice write. Some good ideas to steal on that bag. I also commented (you having any issues with spam since your comments just post?).

Oh, and nice theme.

No problems yet -- I'm using the latest Akismet plugin, or whatever the heck it's called. It's included in the latest build of WP.

If it becomes a problem, I'll look into the options for restricting it.


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yeah, I wasn't sure how askimet worked with comments being allowed. It catches everything on mine (500+ ads so far) so maybe I should allow them on mine too...

I don't think I get the traffic for it to even make a difference.

EDIT: Actually, it seems to be catching things pretty well so far. We'll see if that changes.


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Dave from Crumpler HQ left a comment -- upcoming gear shots here:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/bigbadb...7604256758213/

Looks like a sturdy bag.


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hrm. that kinda looks fun

Update:

The camera bag compartment is happily carrying:

• my 20D with BG-E2N grip and Tamron SP 17-50mm f/2.8 (hood on, reversed) attached
• my Canon EF 70-200mm f/4.0L (hood on, reversed)
• my Canon EF 50mm f/1.4

Plus other little odds and ends like a battery charger, blower brush, lens cloth, and memory cards.

So it'd fit a pro body no problem, except you can't zip shut that 'security mesh' panel. Big deal.


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ooo
same basic gear set up i have (but I have an XT body)
so it all fits well and is easy to grab at on the fly?

nice dude, glad it's working out for you

Originally Posted by Shawn M

ooo
same basic gear set up i have (but I have an XT body)
so it all fits well and is easy to grab at on the fly?

Pretty well, yeah. I was toting it around all evening and it was both comfortable and convenient.

Getting at your stuff will take a bit of getting used to if you've been using a sling bag, but it's still way easier than a typical camera backpack.


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Im used to a "traditional" camera bag, so anything that allows access without setting it down to open it is gonna be great. It has no problem taking the 70-200, mounted or loose?

Originally Posted by gongzero

Update:

The camera bag compartment is happily carrying:

• my 20D with BG-E2N grip and Tamron SP 17-50mm f/2.8 (hood on, reversed) attached
• my Canon EF 70-200mm f/4.0L (hood on, reversed)
• my Canon EF 50mm f/1.4

Plus other little odds and ends like a battery charger, blower brush, lens cloth, and memory cards.

So it'd fit a pro body no problem, except you can't zip shut that 'security mesh' panel. Big deal.


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That's exactly what I wanted to hear

Originally Posted by Shawn M

Im used to a "traditional" camera bag, so anything that allows access without setting it down to open it is gonna be great. It has no problem taking the 70-200, mounted or loose?

It'll fit in there mounted, but I'd be careful opening the bag.

Loose, it fits in no problem, but again, because of the length of the lens, you won't be able to close that security mesh bit.

Here's a (crappy) photo to demonstrate what I mean:



You can see the security mesh flipped up here. The dividers come up just over the zoom ring on the 70-200, so the whole thing is a little top heavy and prone to just fall out if you're not careful. However, the compartment will fully close without any trouble this way.

For the sake of completeness, the lens hood is on (reversed), and there's a 50mm f/1.4 in the right compartment, and a Tamron 17-50mm f/2.8 (with lens hood reversed) on the left.


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I ended up getting a Tamrac, much more versatile at less than half the price!