Cam and Cheese

When you think camera bags, your probably don't think Crumpler - at least not yet. However that should change. I have two Crumpler camera bags and they are great, and I'm very happy with the quality and compartments that they have. My Crumpler Sinking Barge is my everyday camera bag which I use on whenever I go for a photo walk in the city and even when I travel.

I was lucky enough to get the Crumpler Sinking Barge from their website for a mere $125 from their website last summer. The Sinking Barge regularly retails for about $200-$220. I lucked out, because it was just the Blue bag that was on sale. The rest were regular price. Although it wasn't my first choice in color, I thought I'd save $100 and get the cheaper bag. The Crumpler also has a larger version of my bag called the Customary Barge - which Terriyaki has.

The Sinking Barge is a backpack able to carry an SLR camera with lenses and extra gear, as well as your laptop. Another good thing about this bag is that it doesn't look like a typical camera backpack, making it less likely to be stolen in a sense. 

The Sinking Barge's outer shell is made out of a suposedly tough 1000D Nylon. The bag has two main compartments - one for your laptop and random stuff - and one compartment for your camera.

Laptop Compartment

The laptop compartment is able to fit a laptop up to 14-inches. Being that I have a 13 inch Macbook, this bag is perfect for me. The laptop sits in a slightly padded sleeve that has a velcro enclosure. In that same velcro compartment, it has an additional slot for you to store documents and other slim items. Although the laptop is just slightly padded, my laptop has never been damaged on any of my flights with this bag. The back of the backpack (the part that goes against your back) is also very padded and very stiff.

Aside from the laptop and document sleeve, there is a fairly large compartment where you can store other random items. I've stored my Nintendo DS, plugs, cables, and other electronics in here during my flights. On regular day trips, this is where i store my water bottle, since there is no mesh water bottle holder on the outside of the bag. With all the padding, it actually acts as sort of an insulator because my water bottles have stayed cold in this bag for a few hours. And yes, be careful with the water bottle because it may leak onto your camera and electronics.

Camera Compartment

The Sinking Barge's camera compartment comes with a removable camera block that has a mesh top that can be zipped closed. The camera block is strapped into the bag with velcro. The interior is lined with a padded felt like material and has about 2 adjustable separators creating 3 sections. It definately has enough room for my Nikon D80 with Tamron 17-50 mm f/2.8 mounted on, a Nikon 80-200 mm f/2.8 (unmounted), and another lens or flash. Unfortunately, you cannot zip the camera block shut with he 80-200 in it, but you can still close the overall compartment.

Along with the Camera block, there are also two pockets. One mesh zipper pocket, where I usually store my extra battery, SD cards, and remotes. The other zipper pocket is big enough to hold my small Giottos Rocket and lens tissues, and micro fibre cloths.

On the outside of the camera compartment there is another compartment where you can keep other small items.

There's also the typical wasit straps and chest straps that will put less strain on your shoulders and bag, and these straps can be adjusted, and it comes with clips to keep your straps shorter and neater.

I've had the Sinking Barge for about a year, and this is the bag I use whenever I have my camera with me. I don't have many big problems with it. This bag has been with me to Mexico and the Caribbean, and also to Toronto. It took over 4 hours of walking with this bag on my back before it started making my shoulders tired. The padding on the straps is great.

I'd say my biggest problem with the Crumpler Sinking Barge is that there is no where to strap your tripod to. I guess you could sew a strap on yourself, but of course it would make your bag look ugly. The other problem I have with this bag is that it sticks out lots. With the removable camera block placed at the bottom front of the bag, it makes you look like a turtle. However, if you aren't taking your camera equipment with you, you can just as easily use this as a laptop bag. Just take out the camera block, and the bag will look way smaller.

Unfortunately, I don't think you can use this as a school bag also because there's really no room for you to put textbooks. There's just enough room for your laptop and maybe one thin binder or notebook.

Pros

• Holds both your laptop and your camera equipment
• Slot for extra documents
• Even when fully packed, you can use it as a carry-on on flights. It fits in the overhead compartment or under the seat in front of you.
• The camera and laptop compartments are padded
• Tough nylon material
• Comfortable Straps, at least for the first four hours.
• Crumpler as well known as Lowe-Pro, so it's less likely to be stolen
• Does not look like a camera bag.

Cons

• No tripod strap
• No water bottle holder
• Placement of the camera block makes the bag very fat
• Can't be used as as a school bag

Purchased brand new for only $125 ($100 off). There is hardly anything to complain about. I fully recommend the Crumpler Barge series for you. I'm just not 100% sure that a full Customary Barge will fit as a carry on.