Many Bags Moose wrote:
> Drop by and rummage through my closet. Great prices and better selection
> than some shops!
Hmm. Let's talk. I might be interested in one more. :)
So, I ended up getting a KATA SB-902. It's a touch larger than the
LowePro Elite 35 that it is replacing, but quite a bit larger than the
other "messenger" style bags that I was comparing it to.
I REALLY wanted to like the Crumpler 6 Million Dollar Home bag, but it
was just too small and needed just one more compartment. So close.
It's a bag that I would like to have, but in addition too, not instead
of. I liked the looks of it and it blends in well--except for the
bright red interior. Those inserts are very very strange.
The Tenba Messenger Small was my second choice and I almost got it
instead of the KATA, but the only think that held me back was that the
camera sitting across the top of the bag actually was not protected
from the top. No padding up there. Any impact on the top of the bag is
directly put upon the camera and lens sitting across the top of the
bag. Still, it was a bag that got my attention. There is a lot to like
about this Tenba bag and I would also consider it an option. The
various compartments are well designed and accessible. The shoulder
strap is especially comfortable and has excellent grip.
The brand of bags that I've come to really like is Naneu. I think
that, overall, they pack a lot of punch and are generally very well
designed. Except for the one that I WANTED to get to work. Another
discontinued model (Naneu spits models out like used toothpicks), the
Tango was the perfect size and shape. It had everything going for it.
Except for one thing. The Tango has a couple of bag inserts that hold
the lenses and padded sections. Great in theory, and the entire bag
seemed very robust and almost ideal for field work--as well as travel.
But it had one killer flaw. You can't use it one handed. The inner
bags are a disaster for ergonomics. I can't reach in grab a lens and
drop the other lens inside. I tried rolling the bags down, I tried all
sorts of things trying to force this thing to work. I REALLY wanted it
to work. Alas, I knew that my frustration level was going to be too
high with it. That said, I did check out the backpack bags and I'm in
love with them and found a couple different models that are on my
short list. I'll likely get a Naneu backpack before my next
backpacking trip.
While many of these bags are now officially "discontinued", they were
available for decent prices and more importantly, were "testable". I
was given a tight price range to work in and I'm not at all afraid of
getting a discontinued model if it means that I'm getting what I like
and serves the purpose. The big difference between the discontinued
models and the new ones is usually in being a bit more laptop
friendly.
The KATA SB-902 is big enough that I can stuff an OM with MD2 or an
E-1 or E-3, and bunch of lenses INCLUDING the 300/4.5 or 100-300/4.
There isn't really room for duplicates, but I can at least carry every
standard lens from 24mm to 300mm. I can understand why people wouldn't
want this bag because of the size and weight, but the one thing I
appreciated about it is that it seems highly usable. The usual nits
that I have with bags that fight you when trying to use them
one-handed is well voiced from me. This bag gives you not just one way
of getting in but three. I was able to do everything EXCEPT get in the
end pockets one-handed because of the aggressive Velcro.
I did look at the high-end "messenger" bags, like the ones that Tina
has, but those are just too pricey for me. Extremely well designed,
but way out of my league.
I can't stress enough the advantage of physically handling the bags
and A-B comparing them. Without the comparative, I would have been
either happy with the Crumpler in my ignorance , or would have been
unhappy and ignorant as to why. An example of this is the Tenba bag
that was decent, but totally dictated how you used the bag. I did look
at the other brands too, but they were completely outclassed in this
category of Messenger/Reporter. Lots of nice bags in the $150-300
range, but that is insane. If I spend that kind of money on a bag,
it's going to be for an expedition backpack.
--
Ken Norton
ken@xxxxxxxxxxx
http://www.zone-10.com
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