Bare Bones Bag

[Way]

Anyone looking for a really great shoulder bag for a rangefinder setup, check out the Bare Bones Bag designed by phtographer Stephen Schaub. Link is here.

Mine came in the mail a couple of days ago and it is now my go to bag. I'm still keeping the Domke F_X5B and my wife wants the Lowepro Terraclime. Look for my other bags in the classifieds soon!

The BBB is a soft, none padded (except for a bit on the bottom) cordura shoulder bag that doesn't look like a camera bag. Looks like a small messenger bag. Very light and comfortable, and it has a carrying handle which, to me, makes a world of difference in portability and confort. Besides the large main compartment, there are SIX smaller pockets that are wide and deep enough to carry a RF with small lens, lenses (90 cron fits no problem), my folding cameras, filters, meter, whatever. This keeps your equipment separate and organized. The pockets are arranged so when it's full of items the bag will still "conform" to your body. The padded bottom gives the bag some structure and form and this really helps make it comfortable. The front flap is secured with velcro and is made from a reflective material that will show clearly at night when light is shown on it. A nice safety feature.

The only thing I don't like is that cordura is a dust/cat hair magnet! Anyway, if you want a soft bag for your camera that is is well designed, well made and wont' look like a camera bag, check out the Bare Bones Bag.

 

[JRG]

Interesting. In general appearance, this looks a lot like the bag I've been using for a couple of years now: An old briefcase/messenger bag that I abandoned as a daily briefcase because it was too small. (But it's perfect as a camera bag, and looks a lot like this bag, except my bag has some brown leather trim.)

Still, that's a decent price and the details are a little different than my current bag. Might just have to explore this one.

 

[Florian1234]

Seems he's inventing new stuff from time to time. Wasn't he the guy with the "rangefinder bag", too?

 

[ClaremontPhoto]

I'll kick the cat out and get one.

 

[visiondr]

It sounds like my "incognito camera bag" from Courierware: http://www.courierwareusa.com/objects/20.itml/icOid/20

 

[__hh]

Just another man-bag ???

 

[lukjan]

This bags are made by courierware, I have one of their normal messenger style bags and it works very good as a camera bag but some times I miss the padding. If you go to the courierware site you have a lot of options and they make even true camera bags with removable padded inserts. If you want something different just email him and probably he will do it for you. Erik is a really nice guy.

P.S. Sorry for my bad English.

 

[John Lawrence]

Looks interesting - and posted just in time for Christmas.

 

[jackp510]

A Naneu Pro messenger bag is another alternative. Cheaper than the BBBag with more padding.

http://www.ebags.com/naneu_pro/came...series/product_detail/index.cfm?modelid=91823

 

[Damaso]

Looking forward to writing about mine... when it FINALLY gets here.... :bang:

From what I saw at PhotoPlus Expo is looking like a great bag for a Leica user...

 

[nightfly]

This bag looks good. I would love one where the Velcro was replaced with one of those magnetic clasps that women's bags have. I've got a cheap canvas bag with one and it's great for shooting out of because it's silent to open and basically closes itself. You're screwed if you turn the bag upside down but I try not to do that.

Is it easy to get the camera out quickly? Some less constructed bags are a little too flimsy and you have to sort of push the bag out of the way while holding the flap with your chin to get the camera in and out because the bag doesn't stay open, it kinda flops over blocking the opening.

 

[Calzone]

A very nice bag.

Domke also makes a similar sized "Satchel" called the F-803 made of canvas. I'm unsure if this is padded or the price. 5 pockets.

Then there is also the J-803 made of ballistic nylon that is padded. Priced at $107.00. For me I like the padding as I just want to grab the camera or lense. Unwrapping is an extra step. 7 pockets.

The above Sactchels are both made in the USA.

Cal

 

[Bruin]

I use a small Courierware messenger bag every day as my work and bike bag. Courierware makes great minimalist bag...I decided on mine over Baileyworks, Timbuk2, Chrome, etc. because it doesn't have a PVC liner (heavy), zippers, or an organizer inside - just pockets. And the inside pockets are big enough to fit a RF w/ lens. I cut a piece of sleeping pad foam for padding on the inside bottom, and I use a flexible plastic folder to hold papers and give it a very soft frame at the back. Top handle is available on any bag for $10 extra.

I almost got their camera bag, but the insert was too heavy. I got a Ortlieb camera insert instead, for when I need to haul more than just one body and a couple of lenses. My bag weighs just 1.5 lbs empty...

thomasw, the velcro does get loud as the "loop" half gets pulled out and fuzzy

 

[Damaso]

I hope I got one of those promotional Y straps! I am also looking forward to testing it in the rain. A small and light bag is the holy grail, I think this might be the one for me...

 

[Damaso]

So I just got my BBB in the mail. It's smaller than I remember (which is a good thing.) I wouldn't mind a removable internal divider in the main space (to separate my m bodies) but putting one body in a pocket and the other in the main space seems to solve this issue just fine.

It is super discrete and light, I look forward to reporting how it works while shooting!

Didn't get a Y strap even though it shipped on Thursday, can you hook a brother up?

 

[nightfly]

Stephen,

Can you get it without the handle? Just a bit cleaner looking and I see that with the Courierware bags that the handle is an add on.

 

[Damaso]

Thanks!

 

[Way]

Stephen - thanks for a great product!

Took the BBB on a trip to Hawaii and it was very comfortable and natural to use. Great for everyday use too. To me the handle is a must have and doesn't detract from the looks. Took my Agfa Record III folder and a digital point and shoot, digisix meter, scads of 120 film, a moleskin notebook, pen and other misc. stuff, so I had a lot of room to spare. I like the size of the BBB, just right for my purposes.

I just noticed today that you can access the bottom padding through the back pocket. Pretty cool because you could add or remove padding as you like.

Here's a pic of the bag in action:

 

[sbramin]

the bag looks ok, i am a bit sick of that same material all those messenger type bags are made of, ditto to the straps.

my current bag http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/186922-REG/Domke_701_82D_F_802_Reporter_s_Satchel_Olive.html

small, smart looking and made of waterproofed canvas. front pockets are nice and large. straps are strong and have domke's nifty 'gripper' thing so it stays on your shoulder.

metal rings on the side mean you can attach extra bits if you needed a lot of stuff. the main clasp makes the bag more secure then velcro as its hard to undo if you are not wearing the bag. but if you want fast access you can just leave it undone and quickly open the bag without any noise.

i feel a bit like a salesman. so i will say most of the time i try to avoid using a bag at all. especially in the winter when coats are in order. i put a camera under each arm and an extra lens and film in my pockets.

there is no real padding but you can get domke or any other brands inserts. say what you like but i usually throw my camera in partially wrapped in a scarf, have to do something with them.

the bag is also my general day bag, books, shopping, laptop. though it only just fits a 15" laptop, anything bigger wouldn't go.

 

[peter_n]

If you ever had a serious accident with an un-padded bag you would realize the fallacy of this statement. Well designed thick inserts weigh next to nothing, and they can be the difference between badly damaged kit and completely operational kit.