Summary. The camera bag that is perfect for every occasion does not
exist but the Crumpler Sinking Barge bag is near perfect when it comes to
carrying a camera along with a laptop and other everyday "stuff".
Introduction
Bags are annoying for almost every serious photographer. One reason is that
finding the right bag for every situation is virtually impossible. One bag I
could never find was the one that would let me carry my day-to-day stuff
and my camera. In school, "day-to-day stuff" would have been homework,
laptop and lunch. On a car trip it is books and a snack. Most days, it's the
stuff I take to work: a magazine, my laptop, a mouse, papers, etc. Often, I want
to have that stuff with me and my camera as well -- not my full kit, but a body
and a lens or two. I have tried putting a small camera case inside a standard
backpack, but they were always too space-consuming and hard to get at.
Photo-specific backpacks are not even remotely designed to easily carry books or
a sweatshirt. And photo-specific backpacks are bulky.
A few years back, Lowepro came out with the Street & Field Rover Light
backpack. This was a hybrid design that attempted to be the pack that I wanted.
The bottom half was a padded and divided camera bag and the top half had a
standard backpack space. It didn't really work as a day-to-day backpack. The top
half was not big enough for papers, and the divider between top and bottom was
not strong enough to keep anything heavy like a laptop in the top. Good for
taking a camera, a change of socks, and lunch on a hiking trip, maybe, but not
the everyday hybrid bag I was looking for.
Enter the Crumpler Sinking Barge backpack...
Crumpler is a company that started in Australia in 1995 making bike messenger
bags. As their popularity grew, they branched out into laptop bags and cases,
gadget pouches, and backpacks. The company has developed a reputation for
well-designed and well-made bags in funny colors, and an offbeat marketing and
corporate image. Most of the bags are made of tough waterproof nylon in color
choices ranging from subdued to garish, with names like the Barney Rustle
Blanket, the Skivvy, the Quarfie, and the Moderate/Considerable/Dreadful
Embarrassment.
At some point the Crumpler people noticed that people were stuffing dividers
and padding into their messenger bags to use them as stealth camera bags. So they
designed a series of camera shoulder bags and backpacks as well.
The Details
The Sinking Barge is Crumpler's hybrid bag. Instead of just splitting the pack
in half (like the Lowepro Street & Field), they designed a clever system that
creates a wedge shaped pocket at the front/bottom area of the pack (by front, I
am referring to the area of the backpack that does not have the shoulder straps).
This pocket hinges at the bottom to open outwards, but unlike a normal backpack
front pocket, it has a set of gussets that prevent it from flipping all the way
down and dumping it's contents. The result of this is that you can open the
pocket and get at the camera without having to reach in with a hand to prevent
the camera from falling out. And while it's a little awkward, you can get the
camera out while the bag is still hanging from one shoulder. You don't have to
take the bag all the way off your back to get at the camera.
Because the camera pocket is located at the front of the bag, there is space
for a full-length pocket against the back of the bag. Making good use of this
space, there is a padded pocket for a 12-15 inch laptop. Just in front of that is
a pocket for paper, magazines, etc. The pack keeps these papers flat and the
laptop protected. Even with a laptop and papers in this pocket there is enough
room left for a lunch, book, or sweatshirt. It isn't huge, and probably wouldn't
fit a full load of college textbooks. But it is plenty of space for normal
use.
The laptop/papers pocket has a padded flap that velcros over the top,
presumably to give a second layer of protection to the laptop. This flap is too
large. And it is hard to open and close when there are other items in the pocket.
I just folded it back into the laptop pocket. My laptop and papers don't seem to
suffer for the lack of it. The flap is a good idea; it's just a bit too big. You
could shorten it if you have a sewing machine and it bothers you enough.
The camera pocket is padded with the standard fabric over foam. There are two
dividers that create three sections. I was able to fit in my Canon EOS 20D, a
50/1.4, a 28-70/2.8, and a small flash unit. Other times, I split one section
with an additional divider and carry a Epson R-D1 Rangefinder, 28/1.9, 40/2,
15/4.5 (w/the external VF), and the same flash unit. Overall, it is not a perfect
fit for either kit, but it works fine.
One cool thing about the padded section is that it has a mesh flap that
zippers closed over the camera, and you can remove the whole padded section as a
unit. I'm not sure why you would want to do this. But I'm sure that I'll end up
taking advantage of it at some point. At the very least, it means that you aren't
locked into using the pack just as a camera backpack.
There are 3 other small pockets in the pack, two in the camera section and one
on the outside of the front of the pack. One of the two in the camera section is
made of mesh, and could probably be used for a few rolls of film. I use it as a
pen/pencil/key pocket since, oddly, there are none of the usual organizational
pockets or loops that you see on most backpacks these days. Not a big issue, but
could be improved upon.
Crumpler aims for a very clean design style with most of it's bags. No
obnoxious patterns, no straps or loops hanging off the side, and none of the
silly cosmetic straps and whatnot that bag companies are fond of sticking on to
make it look like your book bag will be with you on your next Everest
assault.
The clean design looks nice, but creates a few minor annoyances. The bag
always has a slight overstuffed look to it. Now, there is the possibility that I
am overstuffing it. And maybe the larger version of the Sinking Barge (the
Customary Barge, fits 17" laptops) would make a difference. In other little
nitpicking, I wish the grab/hang loop was a bit larger and easier to use. I've
also gotten used to having a mesh pocket on the side of my backpacks for a water
or soda bottle. The Sinking Barge that I have is made of a couple of shades of
blue. Shades of brown/tan and black/grey are options as well. The backpack straps
are comfortable even with a full load. There is a nylon webbing hip belt. While
I'm not sure how much this helps with load-carrying, it does help steady the pack
if you are jogging or on a bike.
Finally, I wish that there was a cell phone pocket on one of the backpack
straps. But guess what? Crumpler makes those as well. And I'm sure they would be
happy to sell you (and me) one to add onto the Sinking Barge.
Things I like:
- A hybrid camera/stuff backpack that works well
- Padded laptop pocket
- Full length pocket for papers and magazines
- Carries a useful amount of camera gear
- Padded camera section is removable
- Very well designed access to the camera section
- Comfortable to wear/carry
Things I don't like:
- Flap for laptop/papers pocket is way too large
- No pen/etc pockets
- No water bottle holder
- No cellphone pocket
- Grab/hang loop is hard to use
Conclusion
I am very pleased with this bag. It is a great camera backpack for the way I
use it. For me, this means: carrying a small camera kit along with my daily
stuff, airplane carry-on when I don't bring my full load of gear, car trips,
adventures in the city, and maybe even light hiking. It gets daily use -- which
is something that I cannot say about just about any other bag that I have owned.
There is very little I dislike about the Sinking Barge. Even the items I listed
above are just little nitpicking that could be fixed with 2 hours with a sewing
machine if I really cared enough.
If you are looking for a bag to carry a Canon 1D with a 70-200/2.8, the
Sinking Barge isn't going to help you. But if you are looking for a tough,
well-designed, good-looking backpack to help encourage you to carry a camera more
often in your day-to-day life, then this is a great option.
Where to Buy
Josh Root is Digital and Rangefinder editor on photo.net. He lives in
Washington state. He writes: "I'm 30 and have spent the last 10 years making my
living as a photographer/filmer for the extreme-sports/wedding/medical industries
(though not usually all at once). I have been a photographer for close to 20
years now and have been shooting 98% digitally for over 5 years. I currently
shoot with various Canon digital cameras, an Epson R-D1, and a Barbie Polaroid
iZone camera."
Article created 2006
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