Dear Gear Diary…

Posted on 26 March 2008 by


Q. Hi Judie

I hope you’re well. Knowing that you’re the expert for bags of all shapes and sizes, I thought I’d submit a Dear Gear Diary question to see if you can help me.

I’m going on vacation in a few weeks and security regulations in the UK only allow for one piece of hand luggage. The maximum dimensions allowed are 22” x 17.5” x 9.85”.

Within this one piece of hand luggage I need to accommodate passport and tickets, wallet, ipod and headphones, cellphone etc, plus my 13” Macbook and my Canon DSLR with battery grip and 2 lenses (one of which is quite large). I’d like a bag with compartments to protect all of my gadgets, but obviously I want to keep the size down as the measurements are pretty restricted. On top of all of this, I’d really like a bag that looks nice too, but that’s a secondary thought.

Does anyone have a good recommendation for me? My current laptop bag is very nice, but doesn’t fit my camera. All suggestions gratefully received!

Cheers!
Alison

A. Hello Alison,

Your question would be a bit easier to answer if I didn’t know how much you love color! You see, the first bag that came to mind as I was reading was the Naneu Pro Sierra, which I recently reviewed. But it has two caveats: it’s only available in black, olive green and navy blue, and its laptop compartment is just a tad bit too small for your new Mac Book.

Assuming that you wouldn’t mind a bag that is a bit more drab than you usually carry, we could go up a size and look at the larger – yet very similarly styled – Naneu Pro Tango.


photo courtesy of Naneu pro

Since the Tango and Sierra bags are essentially the same, the amazing compartments and pocket arrangements I described in the Sierra review should be similar – but with these measurements, instead:

Exterior Dimensions – 16”L x 7.5”W x 11.5”H
Large Camera Insert – 7”L x 4.25”W x 7.75”H
Small Camera Insert – 7”L x 4.25”W x 7.75”H

Take a look at some of the photos from my review – bearing in mind that they are for the slightly smaller Sierra version. You’ll see that there are lots of easy access pockets on the front of the bag for your mobile phone, tickets, and other small items.

The large middle compartment has two, soft, padded and removable drawstring bags to carry your DSLR, lenses and attachments.

The laptop compartment is easy to access, even when the bag is full and you’re in a hurry.

The Tango’s features include:

• Concealable messenger strap design.

• Capable of holding a DSLR, such as the Nikon D200 or Canon EOS 5D, with up to a 7 ½” long lens attached, plus 2 additional large lenses (Up to 9 ½” long) or 4 small lenses, and a flash.

• Holds most 15.4” widescreen notebook computers. (Which I realize is a bit on the large side for your 13.1″ Mac Book)

• A magnetic instant Open/Lock compartment allows fast access to documents.

• 8 additional pockets for accessories (filters, batteries, film, CD’s, etc.).

• Tango includes a padded shoulder strap as well as a carrying handle.

• Small compass attached.

I also recently reviewed the Crumpler Whickey and Cox, a backpack which is made to carry a DSLR, attachments, accessories, and up to a 15.4″ laptop.

This bag exterior measures approximately 20″ tall x 15′ wide (at the base) x 10″ deep (again, measuring at the base). Once again, the colors are rather drab, however – shades of gray or shades of brown being the only choices.

The interior is predominantly planned for your camera’s safe passage, and the laptop sleeve was placed in the only place left to put it – the zippered flap. Getting in and out when going through TSA check-in will not be as easy with this bag.

There also aren’t as many easily accessible exterior pockets for your travel gear or devices. In my opinion The Whickey and Cox is great for location work – but not so much for getting to that location if you are traveling by air and it must serve as your only carry-on.

Although both bags should be able to accomplish what you need, for your use I would most highly recommend the Naneu Pro Tango.

I would also like to hear from Gear Diary readers. Do any of you know of another combination DSLR and Laptop bag that might fit Alison’s needs?

J :-)


Have you got a question you would like answered by Judie or another member of the Gear Diary Team? Send it in to deargeardiary@geardiary.com, and we’ll answer it here.

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- who has written 1699 posts on Gear Diary.

I started Gear Diary on September 30, 2006, and my goal was that this not be an easily labeled site. We all have gear that we use daily – some of it electronic and some of it organic. I think it is fascinating to explore the equipment that makes our lives easier, more entertaining, more productive, and more manageable. My hope is that Gear Diary visitors will find this site to be a comfortable and friendly place to discuss interesting topics – and not only those that are tech related, as well as a location to discover various types of gear – whatever that term may end up implying – that they never knew existed. My specialty is in-depth reviews written in a layman’s terms, because everyone can understand technology, sometimes it just takes a little translating. +Judie Stanford

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  • http://www.geardiary.com Judie Lipsett

    This morning I had an email from Alison with a Crumpler bag she had found that’s available on their UK site – feast your eyes on this:

    http://www.crumpler.co.uk/?product=Limited_Leather_Daily&colour=dark_red/white&page=details&product_id=DALEALTD-003&size=

    External: 38x29x23 cm; Laptop pouch fits 12”, 13”W, 14” & some 15” W.
    Photo pouch: 2 camera bodies+4 lenses & accessories

    There are several delicious color combinations to choose from; I like the off white the best, but the dark red is probably more practical. ;-)

  • disamuel

    I’ve spent my life looking for a perfect gadget bag that will let me carry all of my tech gear, but most bags seem to come up a bit short. I’ve been using the Swiss Gear Maxxum backpack for the past three years, including several international flights, and I’ve never had an issue with size. I just purchased a MacBook, and it is a bit small for the laptop compartment. However since I’m such a fanatic, I keep the Macbook in a Civilian Labs case, and then it fits into the backpack perfectly.

    You can see the backpack here:

    http://www.amazon.com/MAXXUM-SwissGear-Wenger-Computer-Backpack/dp/B0007QCT0G

    And you can see the Civilian labs case here:

    http://www.amazon.com/Civilian-Radiator-Laptop-Sleeve-Shoulder/dp/B0010SHT7S/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1206632120&sr=1-1

    Enjoy your vacation!

    David

  • n0doz

    Those bags are nice but I have the perfect laptop-camera-gadget bag: the new Lowepro Fastpack 250.
    The 250 accommodates a 15.4″ laptop, 1 or 2 DSLRs with a couple of lenses, and has a huge pouch for other gadgets….at $89.95 over at B&H Photo, it’s a steal.
    I looked for months, purchased all sorts of bags, and was generally disappointed with my daily carry combinations until this bag became available.
    I carry a laptop, a Targus AC/DC power source, Nikon D50 with 2 lenses, extra battery and extra SD cards, several packs of filters, a full-size flash unit, mini tripod, 2 portable hard drives, Creative X-Fi, SanDisk Sansa, GPS, Uniden scanner (all with cables,) FM transmitter, XM radio, Radio Shack 3-socket 12v adapter, misc connectors in a bag, and a couple of space blankets….and still have room for more. According to my bathroom scale, it weighs 22 lbs fully loaded.
    The camera section has the same huge opening as the Lowepro camera sling bags, which open from one side and go all the way across the entire camera compartment. It has the re-configurable dividers.
    The computer section zips top to bottom on one side. The gadget pouch zips over the entire section; the flap folds over for easier access. There are 2 covered pouches and a mesh pocket on the back wall. There’s a cell pocket on one shoulder strap (too small for my Moto Q) and a mesh pocket on the side for a water bottle, etc.
    I love this bag. I carry all this stuff and sometimes more every day for work, and the bag is ideal.
    Lowepro also makes the Fastpack 350 for laptops up to 17″, a bag that has an even bigger camera section, that B&H sells for $112. (I mention B&H because at the time I bought mine, they were the only store that carried the product in the US.)

  • http://www.astraware.com Alsicole

    n0doz, thanks for that recommendation. I’ve actually got a Lowepro sling bag at the moment which I like but which doesn’t have a proper pocket for my laptop. I’ll definitely check this one out as it’s quite a bit cheaper than the Crumpler leather one I’ve seen (although the Crumpler one is very pretty). Oh! Decisions, decision!

  • n0doz

    You’re welcome Alison. Think Lowepro sling bag with a computer pocket on the back and 2 shoulder straps instead of 1, and that’s the Fastpack.