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You don't really need this bag until, well, you find you do.Highly recommended for the serious photographer or anyone with expensive equipment. There are better alternatives for that bright, sunny day when you just want to walk around Venice or Rome and snap off some shots. If it is raining, or snowing, or you are going out on the water or to the ski lodge, this is the bag to use.It is well-constructed. And, if you are going out under the circumstances above, why would you want to take any more anyway.The downside is that it is bulky and would wear on you if you toted it around all day. Even if it just rains hard on the day you happen to be leaving for a short trip, this is the bag to use. Or, yes, if you actually do trek through the Amazon rain forest or go canoeing down the Grand Canyon or something like that, you'd use this.I once lost a good camera packed inside a case, which in turn was packed inside a duffel bag, due to a flash rain storm. The interior bag in which you place your camera gear, sort of like a bag you'd put your lunch sandwich in and which is sealed with a magnet, is sturdy and waterproof. The full bag itself is bulky, and due to all the cushioning does not hold as much as you might think, but you can get your camera body and a couple of lenses in there without too much difficulty.
But you still might want to have this bag back at the hotel, ready in case tomorrow turns out rainy and blustery but you still want to get some action shots of wave action off St. Never again. This is an awesome bag that will protect your camerag gear when you simply have to take it out into bad weather. It kind of reminded me a tarp. Marks Square.
The removable liner is essentially a thick vinyl bag with a magnetic clasp and straps to hold it in place with the lip folded over to keep it sealed. It is designed to be worn backpack style on one shoulder and has no handle. The insert can easily hold a medium sized dSLR with medium sized lens attached, a telephoto (Canon 70-200 f/4L IS) and an additional lens with some room left over for a flash and some accessories. The bag consists of an a sturdy padded exterior case, an removable thick sealable vinyl liner and a divided padded insert to hold your camera and lenses. During wet or humid weather or when shooting near water, however, I can think of nowhere better to stow my gear for pure peace of mind. There are straps to hold a small tripod, a velcro clasp and a few small unsealed pockets near the lid hinge.
The waterproof liner can be easily removed though I'm not sure I'd trust the bag to without the linear straps holding your gear secure in the case.Overall, this is a quality bag but not one I'd use on a daily basis in dry weather due to the inconvenience of the liner bag which slows down pulling out your camera and the lack of accessible accessory pockets. Nice, well-made padded waterproof bag. The bag is well-padded and appears quite sturdy. The interior section is pretty standard with velcro adjustable padded dividers.
It's also pretty bulky due to the extra padding. And there are a lot of layers you need to go through to get to your gear. The ends then go around the outside of the over-bag, and clip to the clips that are fed through from the bottom of the dry bag (I hope that's clear - you can see the orange you see peeking out in the photos). The dry bag has clips at all four corners; when inserted into the over-bag, the two clips at the base are fed though small openings in the over-bag. Nice.One minor quibble is that there are no exterior pockets. After arranging your gear in the padded section, the dry bag is closed and the top is triple folded/rolled down. That makes it something I'd personally be nervous about no matter how robust the velcro (and it IS robust).
However, since the orange bag is actually clipped in, should the velcro somehow open up the dry bag isn't going anyhwere, nor is it opening. The straps are fully adjustable and my wife (5'7", 115 lbs) and I (6' 1" 200 lbs) were both able set it up very comfortably.Your gear is kept safe deep within the bag, in a three compartment padded area that is then kept withing a bright orange dry bag, which is in turn secured within the padded over-bag. And for that, this bag is the best I've found. If I could dock it a half star for that I would, but I suppose an argument could be made that they are looking to provide maximum protection for the gear you carry; something that might not apply to things kept in external pockets. There's enough room in that interior section for my SLR, a 100mm Macro lens, an external flash, and a few small additional things. If you're looking for a light bag to use daily for walks and a quick trip somewhere and DON'T need uber-protection, go elsewhere.The CA-2001 is heavy compared to standard sling bags. But those are the things that make it so great for tough environments.
You could probably get a second lens in if you didn't need space for a flash. A large flap closes across the entire top and is secured with a two large sections of velcro. The bottom line is that I'm reviewing this in the context something that provides excellent protection from the elements (rain, sand, dust) while allowing for some less than careful handling. Here's the deal with this bag: if you need something to carry your camera equipment in that will be easy to travel with, keep your gear relatively safe, and above all keep it DRY - this is the best thing next to a hard case with rubber gaskets. The good news is that it's comfortable, comes with an additional around-the-waist strap to help steady it, and your gear can be accessed easily by swinging the bag around to the front of your body, without removing it from your shoulder. The thing is, while the dry bag can be removed and the padded sectionals used without it, I wouldn't personally keep gear in the over-bag without the dry bag due to lack of a zipper.
Great for hiking and field expeditions where moisture or fine particulates is present (e.g. If you equipment is wet or moist you might end up with a fungal issue. Two shoulder straps are still the way to go. In numerous stop and go situations, it can be a hassle to sling and unsling over your neck all the time. As a outdoors landscape photographer and astrophotograher, I find the interior space very limited. Or, vent it out when you get home.
Sling is also not comfortable if you just put it over one shoulder. One important note is to put some desiccant capsules in the bag- the design keeps moisture out and will keep moisture in just as efficiently. No issues. Just Room for DSLR with medium zoom (-80mm)attached, a 100mm macro and a 17-40mm widefield.
So don't leave this and your equipment in a hot car trunk in summer. My camera room has a dehumidifier and I always leave my equipment bags opened in the room to dry everything out for 2-3 days whenever I return form the field. And it is already a super tight squeeze. Nothing cheap.(b) Waterproof-as claimed.
morning dew, sudden downpours, waterfalls, kayak adventures, beaches, sandy deserts with fine blowing sand, etc).(c) Very well padded- seriously, I think the first camera bag I own that would protect delicate equipment from a 6 ft fall.Now my dislikes:(a) Despite its large external physical size, it has a small interior. One more inch in both dimensions would have been great.(b) no interior pockets for accessories- remotes, CF cards, cables, batteries, all of which would benefit from waterproof protection.(c) sling not comfortable for a very long hike, especially when under load. All in all, this is a nice product, but it is a niche product for the adventure photographer who cannot afford to carry too much of an equipment load. Finally, I would note that while padding is good, it is not necessarily well thermally insulated.
First the good part:(a) Quality materials- very well constructed, all round quality feel. Can't even hold a 70-200mm f/2.8. Certainly not for everyone.
I can't wait to hit the trails with this bad-boy. I love how this bag slides around the torso to allow quick access into the top of the unit. I also wanted something in a backpack-style so I could have hands free to take shots. Holds my 72" tripod with ease. This bag met all my requirements. I needed something a bit bigger than the bag I was currently using, which was a standard shoulder camera bag. I went with this bag for the price point, meeting all my expectations and blew away the other sub $60 bags out there.
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