The Last Bag
The small army of people who have read certain articles on etherfarm, as well as anyone who knows me in real life, has pretty much written me off as a bag whore. I’m not alone. This affliction—BWS (Bag Whore Syndrome)—is common among photographers, travelers, outdoor enthusiasts, cyclists and fly-fishers. I happen to be enjoy all of those things, which perhaps makes my particular case of BWS more acute than most.
My job requires me to travel internationally often, and I like taking photos when I’m abroad. My employer doesn’t pay me to go abroad to snap pics, though, they pay me to design software, so it’s more important that I bring my computer than my camera. For years I’ve been looking for a system which allows me to take both my computer equipment and my camera rig around the world with ease, and after a half-dozen bags and a complete overhaul of my camera rig, I dare say I’ve found my Holy Grail.
Here’s what I want to pack on such trips:
- 15” MacBook Pro
- Computer accessories (power supply, extra battery, cables, etc.)
- Travel accessories (ear plugs, inflatable neck pillow, medication, etc.)
- Camera
- Lenses
- Photo accessories (lens caps, shutter release cable, filters, etc.)
And here are some requirements for the system:
- I need to be able to insert and remove the computer easily (without everything spilling out) for airport security checks
- The bag and its contents need to meet size and weight restrictions for European carryon luggage (those restrictions are more rigid than in the U.S.)
- Similarly, I need one bag for use during air travel—in Europe they enforce the one-bag carry-on policy
- The bag needs to carry everything comfortably (I have a bad back) and safely
- The system needs to allow me to work with my camera equipment in the way I’m most comfortable, which is with a shoulder bag
So the solution? A Crumpler Sinking Barge
photo backpack and a small messenger bag.
[All the photos below are thumbnails.]
The Sinking Barge is a backpack which has a padded computer slot and a padded, removable insert for a small camera setup. It has wide, padded straps which I find very comfortable and a reinforced, rigid carry handle which makes picking the bag up easy and hanging the bag safe. It’s stylish but not garrish, perfectly proportioned for my setup, and is built like a tank (this is my 5th Crumpler bag, and they’re all going strong).
The main compartment houses the computer and has a compartment slightly more than half the height of the bag for whatever you want. Here’s a photo of my 15” MacBook Pro along with a small pouch from Waterfield Designs which contains various power cords, adapters and cables, etc. The compartment is pretty large; folding back the pocket as I’ve done here makes it seem smaller than it is. When I last traveled with this bag, I also fit into here a water bottle, a bagel sandwich, an ipod, a small digital point-and-shoot (I don’t break out the Leica to take photos of whiteboards) and the travel accessories listed above.
The bottom half of the bag is by default dedicated to my photo setup. The padded insert is affixed to the lip of the bag through some very, very beefy strips of Velcro, so if you open the bottom compartment, the insert doesn’t come tumbling out (actually, getting it out takes quite a bit of pulling, which is a good thing). In my insert, I carry my Leica M8 in half-case w/ a lens mounted, two other lenses, and every once in a great while, a flash & diffuser. I could put another few lenses in there, but when I’m bringing the computer along, I travel with only two or three lenses total.
The insert can be removed and the panel which divides the top and bottom of the bag can be folded back and affixed, again with velcro, so that you can use the backpack as a normal backpack (utilizing the full height of the bag). Obviously, it’s also possible to leave the camera insert at home and use the bottom compartment for other things, such as a pair of shoes, a small pile of roof shingles, or your favorite travel-size taxidermy.
In my check-in luggage I also pack a small messenger bag (I use an older Crumpler bag, the Wonder Weenie). when I go out for walks or for dinner, I take the backpack’s camera insert out, put it in the messenger bag, and off I go, shooting as I prefer to shoot, which is not with a backpack. The Wonder Weenie is big enough that I can fit not only the camera stuff, but also a large water bottle, a sweater, and other miscellany. Obviously, if carrying these things isn’t important to you, you can get away with a much smaller bag. The messenger bag without a photo insert comes in handy for going shopping or to the gym, and since it packs flat in my check-in luggage, it’s really no more trouble than packing an extra shirt.
A couple of notes:
- For the last 18 months I’ve been traveling with a slightly larger version of this bag, the Customary Barge. That one was designed to hold a 17” laptop, and as you can imagine, everything is larger as a result. I carried that bag once on a trip from California to Germany, Israel, India, and back with a PowerBook, a Windoze PC, a Canon 1DmkII and three not-very-light lenses. The bag handled all of that marvelously, but I didn’t attempt that again.
- The color scheme shown in these pictures has apparently been discontinued in favor a black and gray model. That’s too bad—I like it because it’s somewhat conservative but has a splash of color.
- Crumpler has switched to this light blue interior from a bright yellow interior. The reason for the light colors is so that it’s easy to find things in the bag, and I think that’s brilliant. I don’t like the blue as much as I did the yellow, but it still serves its intended purpose.
- I’ve got a lot of bags and inserts which I’d be happy to sell to someone. What didn’t work for me might work really well for you. The Customary Barge I mention above would give you all of this but built for a 17” laptop. They’re $190 new, and the one I have is blue, and light blue and has the yellow interior.
Make me an offer. Sold.
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17 responses
Comment posted at 00:37 on Friday, March 02, 2007
Hey Fazal—I haven’t forgotten about that M8 article. I’ve been busy with work and with the son, who will be one year old tomorrow!
I also have a messenger bag which fits a computer and camera (of the Crumpler variety, of course), but my shoulder and back get really sore when I try to carry all that weight on one shoulder for any period of time. I think I probably spend as much time shifting a loaded messenger bag from shoulder to shoulder as I spend actually wearing it on either shoulder.
To each their own, though.
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Comment posted at 03:21 on Friday, March 02, 2007
Nice. I would have liked one of those, seems perfect for my MacBook and my Nikon F4 with a few accessories. Pity Amazon Austria doesn’t have them -.-
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J Jacque
Comment posted at 08:32 on Friday, March 02, 2007
I also have searched for the perfect bag setup and personally I don’t like carrying a backpack.
I’ve used a number of Domke bags, Tumi bags and a Timbuktu bag. Most recently I picked up the Domke F802, which comfortably fits my X41 Thinkpad (though not my 15” MBP) and my M8 in a neoprene case, an extra lens, a case with a number of power cords and a wireless mouse. In addition it will take a large water bottle, a sweater, an ipod and notebook and a tabletop tripod.
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Comment posted at 10:22 on Friday, March 02, 2007
I didn’t like carrying a backpack either until a back injury and back surgery a few years ago. Now for traveling, I really don’t like shoulderbags for anything heavier than, say, 7 lbs.
The nice thing about this setup is that it allows me to travel comfortably as well as shoot efficiently, and it’s really just a one-step process to move the padded insert from one bag to another. Also, the bag doesn’t say Domke, Tumi, or LowePro, though I imagine it’s only a matter of time before “Crumpler” is as much a signifier for “expensive contents” as any of those other brands.
Lastly, I’ll mention that the backpack straps are supposedly designed so that you can get at the camera equipment by just slinging the bag in front of you on one shoulder. It works as advertised, but I don’t like shooting with a backpack.
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Comment posted at 11:17 on Friday, March 02, 2007
The trick with bike messenger bags is to adjust the strap so the bag rests against the small of your back with no slack. It is quite comfortable that way, with far less strain than a shoulder bag hanging off your side because the weight is pushing back rather than down on your shoulders and chest. You can then carry it as a single-strap backpack that can still be swung around (and the strap loosened with the quick-adjust buckle) for quick access to its contents.
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Comment posted at 15:30 on Friday, March 02, 2007
The only Crumpler that does this now (act like a messenger with a stabilizer) is the new Brazillion Dollar home.
I’ll post a review once I get it.
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Comment posted at 18:20 on Monday, March 05, 2007
Having been both an avid cyclist and a bag freak, I know well how to wear a messenger bag. I have two Crumpler messenger bags—the other being a “Seedy Three”, and they both have a stabilizing strap.
Even with the very wide strap and the generous pad on the Crumplers, I really can’t take much weight for very long. I chalk that up to the deficiencies of a post-op back.
I think the Brazillion Dollar home is permanently padded, which makes it a less interesting bag for me. Again, one of the things I like most about the system I describe above is that I can use the messenger bag without any padding bulk for errands, trips to the gym, or shopping.
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Travis
Comment posted at 23:27 on Saturday, May 12, 2007
You note that you were using the Customary Barge for a while. Did you feel like the Sinking Barge was a bit too small for your Macbook Pro? I’ve also got the 15” MBP; and because it’s bigger than the old 15” Powerbooks were, I’m a bit leery about how well the MBP fits in bags. But the Customary Barge sounds rather gi-normous so I’d like to get the smaller “Barge” if possible.
(I’m asking because I’m looking for a bag like this to carry my MBP and Nikon D70 w/ lens)
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Comment posted at 23:40 on Saturday, May 12, 2007
Hi Travis.
The Sinking Barge fits the MBP 15” perfectly. If you stuff the camera compartment to the gills, you have to give the computer a little encouraging push to get it all the way down into the compartment, but nothing I’ve ever felt could damage the computer.
The Customary Barge is ginormous to anyone who thinks the 17” MBP is ginormous.
The smaller barge should suit you just fine.
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Travis
Comment posted at 00:36 on Sunday, May 13, 2007
Glad to hear it - thanks!
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Comment posted at 21:35 on Monday, September 17, 2007
Great. I would have liked one of those, seems perfect for my MacBook and my Nikon F4 with a few accessories…
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Comment posted at 21:37 on Monday, September 17, 2007
Even with the very wide strap and the generous pad on the Crumplers, I really can’t take much weight for very long.
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Travis
Comment posted at 23:03 on Monday, September 17, 2007
I sat on this for a while, but finally bought the Sinking Barge about a month ago. It definitely works great for my 15” Macbook Pro, D70 + essentials (extra lens, filters, etc.). It is also amazingly comfortable - for the same amount of weight, it is noticably more comfortable than my messenger bag was.
It might’ve been nice to have the extra room of the Customary Barge; but (based on experience with the bag I have) I am doubtful it would fit under the seat on the commuter train, and it would probably be rather awkward on the bus. So really, I am quite pleased with what I have. The only downside is there’s not a huge amount of room to carry a sack lunch.
Thanks again for the helpful information.
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Comment posted at 00:20 on Tuesday, September 18, 2007
You’re welcome, Travis. Trust me, having had both bags, you would have filled whatever extra room you gained with the Customary Barge. More room = more stuff = more weight. And you’re right—filled, the Customary Barge doesn’t fit under most airplane or bus seats.
I’m guessing you have the top compartment filled with computer/photo stuff, but you can put some of that in a pouch and move it to the photo section—just in front of the mesh pocket. Also, the frontmost pocket has a lot of room, though it’s not the best place to keep things you need to see in order to extract.
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James
Comment posted at 23:55 on Sunday, November 25, 2007
Damn, I read the beginning of this post because I am looking for a bag to hold exactly the same things as you, except I travel to the third world.
I was disappointed when your choice was crumpler. DOn’t get me wrong, I do like their bags and I use a messenger bag here in australia. But alas, it’s not really suitable out in the wild.
I’m think a domke f1-x or a domke j-1. but alas, no stockers in australia so it’s buy sight unseen for me…
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Christopher
Comment posted at 10:32 on Monday, December 31, 2007
Hi. I am looking to get Crumpler’s Customary Barge myself. May I know if this bag will be able to pass airport guidelines for check-in luggage?
With thanks and warmest regards.
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