Bag question

[Sebastian]

Alright, I have outgrown my Mini Trekker and am looking to move to a larger bag, one that will hold all of my gear with room to grow. It has to be a shoulder bag and be able to fit on a plane as a carryon. I am looking at the Tamrac 614 ($$$$$$$$$) and the LowePro Commercial AW ($$$). I'm leaning towards the Lowepro primarily because it's 33% cheaper than the Tamrac. Are Tamracs lined with Gold?

[Photo-John]

Why does it have to be a shoulder bag? An older and very experienced sports photographer told me not to use shoulder bags and then told me about all of his neck and back problems.

Anyway, are Tamracs lined with gold? I don't know. That would be heavy. But maybe I should cut mine open and find out. I think the main reason Tamrac bags cost more is that they're made in the US - California actually. Want to help the US economy? Buy a Tamrac. To be fair, LowePro is an American company, but I am pretty sure most, if not all of their stuff is made in Asia. There's nothing wrong with most stuff made in Asia, but it does send dollars away form US workers.

As for build, I do like the cloth that Tamracs are made of better than the nylon that LowePro uses. But I actually own and use both companies' products. Look for the best fit and buy it. If price is a big issue, go with the less expensive alternative. I don't think you're going to go wrong either way.

[Sebastian]

The Tamrac is slightly bigger. Why a shoulder bag? Speed. There are time I need to quickly change lenses/cameras and the backpack is just too cumbersome. The LowePro comes with a waistbelt to help distibute the weight.

I dunno. This is always such a pain, simply because no one around here has all the bags I want to look at, and they hardly ever carry the bigger ones. So purchasing is a crap shoot.

Thanks for your help. I'm glad you mentioned that Tamrac is made in CA, that will definitely figure into my final decision.

[mtbbrian]

Hey Seb,
Long time no see. Glad to see you around.
Thanks for the reply to my email too!
I have the Tamrac 767
Great backpack!
I would highly recommend it.
I bet it would suit your purposes well.
Keep your money here at home! USA!
Brian

[dsl712]

Seb,

I use the smaller version of this bag.
http://www.lowepro.com/pages/series/...stealth650.htm
Top can be accessed by buckles or zippered top for quick release. Has a built in weather hood as well as a full weather cover on the bottom. Also doesn't have as much structure as the Commercial bags so you can move things around easily and throw stuff in there.

I have the Stealth 400 and once put 3 bodies(1 digital, 1 pro), pro flash, 3 lenses (including 28 - 70 2.8L), stack of filters, teleconverter, film, notepad and other assorted nick nacks.

Check it out or give me a call and next time I am out in Schaumburg, I'll bring mine.

Dennis

[racingpinarello]

I use the LowePro Trekker AV (big backpack that still barely fits in the overhead), and then I use a Crumpler shoulder bag.

I will tell you that after traveling a lot with a shoulder bag in Spain and elsewhere, my back is shot. It's quicker, but man it does add a lot of strain. That's why I am going smaller equipment for now on because I am having back problems to this date.

As for the comparison, I like both but went with the LowePro for money reasons. My first backpack was a Tamrac and I think it was better material and very very durable.

Loren

[Photo-John]

Remember, LowePro is an American company, too. And it's important not to get too caught up in where something is made. Getting the right bag should be the first priority.

[another view]

Didn't know that about Tamrac - Domke bags are/were US made but they're so hard to get that I wonder if they're still even made. I know their distributor went bankrupt awhile back.

I agree with the weight problem with shoulder bags. I usually use a Domke F2 with the post office shoulder pad. I can put so much stuff in it that by the end of the day I'm walking crooked! I had thought about buying a bigger bag for times when I needed to carry more stuff (instead of two bags) and bought a backpack instead - a LowePro Photo Trekker II. My theory is to use the backpack when I have to carry alot of stuff, and load what I need into the Domke when I don't.

Tamrac bags are nice although I only have one of their small ones - very well made though. Most places around here don't stock a lot, so I've ended up with several.

[JimPurdy]

Sebastian,

I am using the Lowepro Photo Clasic. It will hold a ton, and will weigh a ton if you load it up. I have had no problems with air travel carry on. It currently holds: F100 + 17-35 2.8 AFS, 28-70 2.8 AFS, 80-200 2.8 AFS, 300 f/4 AFS, 105 2.8 Micro, TC20E, 2-SB28s, and another compartment about the size of the 2 SB28s. If you want to carry this much, you need something this big and a shoulder bag either won't carry enough or you will break your shoulder.

Jim

[Sebastian]

Sebastian,

I am using the Lowepro Photo Clasic. It will hold a ton, and will weigh a ton if you load it up. I have had no problems with air travel carry on. It currently holds: F100 + 17-35 2.8 AFS, 28-70 2.8 AFS, 80-200 2.8 AFS, 300 f/4 AFS, 105 2.8 Micro, TC20E, 2-SB28s, and another compartment about the size of the 2 SB28s. If you want to carry this much, you need something this big and a shoulder bag either won't carry enough or you will break your shoulder.

Jim

Thanks Jim, I will keep it in mind when the time comes to buy.

[dietbrand]

Hi,

I've been using the Commercial AW a while now, I mainly use it as a storage bag. That means i use to transport my gear to tha location (mostly indoors) where i can put it on a table or so and work out of the bag. I believe this was the intended purpose of this bag, and it serves it's purpose very well. I hauls a ton and there's still room for more, easily.
Of course this does cause to weigh substantialy, yet i find that the padded shoulder strap is excellent in distributing the weight, very comfortable indeed, and for long hikes i use the cummerbund. I used to have a hard case that would torture my back while carrying.

For reference my bag holds the following:
- 2 Minolta filmbodies: an XM (European XK) and a X-700 (with MD-1 motordrive)
-9 Minolta MC/MD lenses: 28/2.8, 35-70/3.5, 45/2.0, 50/1.4, 55/1.7, 50/3.5 Macro, 70-210/4.0, 135/2.8, 300/4.5
- 1 Minolta 300-L MD 2x Teleconverter
- 3 flashes: Minolta Auto 320X, Vivitar 283, Agfatronic 253CS
- Gossen Polysix 2
- Accessories: Reversing adapter, Macrotube, Flashbracket for the Vivitar 283, remote sensor for the 283, P-type focusingscreen for the XM, High-magnification finder for the XM, PC-sync-cables for the flashes, neckstraps,B+W UV filters for all lenses,B+W polarizing filter,B+W Yellow filter.

And I'm sure I'm forgetting some stuff here. And as stated before i still have got some room left, i figure i can get anoter two medium size lenses in there and some more filters/ accessories.

As far as build quality is concerned: it's top notch. The strap are made of seatbelt material (can hold a ton), the outer material is very strong and watertight cordura nylon. The All weather protection is useful for when your planning on a trip through a rainstorm? For all other occassions the bag is watertight enough without the AWcover.

I recommend it.

Dietbrand

Edit: I forgot to mention: there's a lot of films in my bag too (when i go out shooting of course, otherwise i store them in the fridge).