I don't feel that there are many bags that work well in an urban environment, either functionally or aesthetically. I like Crumpler's shoulder bags for aesthetics, but there's no room in them for extra stuff like my wallet, a book and other things I need on the subway. So many bags I've seen seem to be made for car travel. It is hard to find a bag with security features like interior zippered pockets, etc. I'm also going to try to use as many recycled materials as possible. I realize Lowepro is already doing this, but it's good for the environment.
I like Lowepro's bags a lot (I must have at least six of 'em), and this new Fastpack series looks awfully close to what I've been looking for, but I need to look at it in person. Lowepro's bags still usually look like you're going out hiking in the woods, and the ones that don't just look very corporate (like ThinkTank's). Thanks for all your input. It is very helpful. I understand your distinction between having a bag for transport and having one for working out of. I've come up against this in airplane travel and I'm planning to address it in a future bag or series of bags. I have no idea if I'll actually be able to make money on this - I need to do a business plan and such - but I'm going to try I've been thinking about doing this for a few years. I lost my job recently and this seems like a good time to give it a go. Amita On Wed, Apr 23, 2008 at 3:26 PM, Bob W <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > Presumably you think that there is a gap in the market. Can you let us > know what the current range of bags don't do that they should, or that > yours could do better? I'm intrigued that in such a crowded market you > think there's still an opening. > > Anyway I hope you make millions of bucks. Here, for what it's worth, > are my thoughts. > > I think you need to be absolutely sure about whether the bag is meant > for transport or for working out of - the requirements are very > different. I tend to use a Pelican case for transport, and a shoulder > bag for working from. A transport bag needs good padding, packability > etc. whereas a working bag doesn't need padding (except on the base), > but it does need ease of use, particularly opening and closing. You > shouldn't have to mess around when taking things in and out of a > working bag; it's less important for a transport bag. My thoughts > below are for a working bag. > > Canvas is the best material to use. Not only is it durable and water & > dust resistant, it is also more comfortable against your body during > hot or humid weather. Materials like nylon tend to be very sweaty if > you've been carrying them all day. > > You should be able to open and close all the flaps quickly and easily > with one hand. For me the Domke metal clips are perfect for this, and > their bags are very good in having only one clip for the main flap. > Compare this with, for example, a LowePro S&F bag I have which uses 2 > clips for the main flap, and the clips cannot be fastened easily with > one hand (although they can be unfastened with one). > http://www.photographyreview.com/cat/camera-cases/soft-case/lowepro/PR > D_84140_3124crx.aspx > > I would prefer not to use Velcro for keeping flaps closed - it's too > noisy when you tear it apart. This is a failing of most bags, > including Domke. > > It should be easy to secure the bag to a bicycle in a way that it is > stable and doesn't unbalance the bike. Ideally it would be possible to > use the camera bag as a saddle bag similar to a Carradice, but with a > quicker release. > > It's not necessary for a working bag to be able to hold tons of stuff. > You will be carrying it for hours in hot, sweaty conditions, so you > will want to keep things light by reducing the amount of stuff you > carry. At most 2 bodies with attached lenses (wide & long zooms) with > one extra lens, small flash head, light meter, notebook & pen, a small > book (eg travel guide or map), a bit of food and perhaps a water > bottle attachment. > > Bob > > > -- > > > PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List > [email protected] > http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net > to UNSUBSCRIBE from the PDML, please visit the link directly above and > follow the directions. > -- PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List [email protected] http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net to UNSUBSCRIBE from the PDML, please visit the link directly above and follow the directions.
