Bare Bones Bag

Stephen: Padding in the bottom only is a great decision; Jim Domke proved the good sense un-padded compartments years ago, so the big companies jumped on "padding" as necessary, hence creating a marketing lie. :D

Anyway, I have two observations, and I left comments on your blog as well.

  1. A personal preference is for real canvas, not nylon, be it Cordura or other formulation. As I say, this is a personal preference, but for all but downpours canvas is more than adequate and it is breathable. Nylon will trap moisture.
  2. (and this is my big bitch) ... WHY OH WHY are 95%+ of camera bags firggin' black? Whether film or sensor, this makes no sense to me. Solar radiation ... black container ... think about it! While my white Zone VI 4x5 "bag" does stand out a bit, it does its job. My Domke bags for small format are tan.
 
Trius said:
Stephen: Padding in the bottom only is a great decision; Jim Domke proved the good sense un-padded compartments years ago, so the big companies jumped on "padding" as necessary, hence creating a marketing lie. :D

Anyway, I have two observations, and I left comments on your blog as well.
]
Click to expand...

Trius,

Your post about Domke has me thinking. Did the older Domke bags have unpadded compartments? I have three Domkes, the oldest was made in the late 90's. They all have unpadded sides of the bag, but the inset that has the smaller compartments for lenses and such are padded nylon. I have this vague memory from when I was a kid seeing Domke ads in the magazines that showed the lens compartments were canvas and not padded. Is that right?
 
Last edited:
I have an M-Classics bag, which I love. It's also unpadded. I've been using it for months now and I never had an issue. I've come to appreciate an unpadded bag for its compactness and it would be hard for me to go back to a padded bag. If I didn't already have the M-Classics, I'd probably go for the BBB because of all the internal pockets. (I may still get a BBB if I get gassy.) One issue that I have is that there is that the main compartment of the M-Classics is good for two bodies with lenses attached but not so good for a kit consisting of say, one body with a lens attached and two or three other lenses. The main compartment is too big and even with the lenses wrapped in some sort of covering, there would still be a good chance metal-to-metal contact eventually and putting the lenses in dedicated pouches slows things down. I could put the extra lenses the outer pockets but I don't really feel good about putting a lens there. I've since ordered a 3"x6" Domke 2-compartment insert - which should take up a bit less than half of the main compartment. I plan on doubling up lenses back-to-back by gluing some cheap rear caps together so the insert should be good for holding up to four lenses. The problem is that it reintroduces the padding. Hopefully, it won't be too bad.
 
Last edited:
The BBB looks cool, EXCEPT for the fact that the strap does not go all the way around the bottom. IMHO dumb dumb dumb dumb. But other than that a great bag.

B2 (;->
 
One question Stephen, why no shoulder pad /gripping to the strap? Okay when worn across the chest the bag may fit fine but surely if hanging on one shoulder, a little bit of grip is needed to prevent slipping. Like the bag though.
 
BillBingham2 said:
Christopher,

My early Domke (early/mid '80s) is all canvas, no padding anywhere came with her.

B2 (;->
Click to expand...

I thought that's how the old ones were, but I was a little kid then so I wasn't sure if I was remembering right. I've been photographing with manual cameras since I was 8 or 9 years old! My newer Domke's all have a padded bottom panel and a padded inset with 4 lens-size compartments. The bag itself has no side padding, so the camera fits in an unpadded area and lenses and flashes go in the padded insert.
 
Interesting design. Does picking the back up by the handle cause stress on the Velcro, or cause a unclosed bag to want to tip over?

I'll keep an eye on this - I'm just not sure I want another black bag. I used tan Domkes for many years (my first bag came directly from Jim), but went black about ten years ago. I now feel other colors are less conspicuous when been carried.

Is there any chance of a nice green or tan version of the bag? As I said, I really like the design.
 
I looked and perhaps missed it.

I looked and perhaps missed it.

I looked at the pictures and could not see that approach when I looked at the pictures. Can you send me something that shows it? I'm just basing my opinion from over 30 years of carrying way too much stuff over both shoulders. Both cameras as well as computers. I've ripped more bags that just did a short box cross stitch for the straps. One of my favorite computer bags that works for cameras too is an old Tenba. Strap goes all the way around, but the handle doesn't. I have loaded it down with tons of stuff (it zippers open wider) but as I often carry it via the handle (I know I'm STRANGE) I have ripped where the top flap is sewn to the body of the case. Have had it "fixed" once and its ripped again. While I do not over load my camera bags as bad that often I just picky.

On the VERY positive side I do think you choice of materials and design is world class. I would rather put my own padding on the bottom, a personnel preference. Everyone has their own choice as to how much is enough, a great design point to me. I do not doubt that the WSJ was right to pick yours as the best.

Email me some shots of your stitching for the strap, I may very well be VERY wrong and happy to admit it here and to the world.

B2 (;->
bingham.b at comcast.net
 
So I took the bag out on Saturday evening to do a little trial run. As I mentioned earlier the bag is small and VERY light. I put my M6TTL, a hardcover book and two trade paperbacks that I was returning to a friend in it and they all fit with room to spare.

One nice thing about the bag is that it is so small that you don't have to worry about the perceived lack of padding because unlike bulky padded bags this one sticks very close to your body. For me as a city photographer that has always been the main problem.

Carrying a camera and a book (which I usually do) I realized how light this bag really is an how heavy my other bags are. It makes a huge difference.

So far, so good...
 
BillBingham2 said:
Christopher,

My early Domke (early/mid '80s) is all canvas, no padding anywhere came with her.

B2 (;->
Click to expand...

My Domke F-2 from 1982 (about March, to be exact) has no padding on the canvas bag itself but came with a nylon/padded 4-hole insert and a foam-and-fiberboard bottom... the foam currently being gone due to going gooey/flakey after 25 years.
 
I'm still using my original mid 1970's Leica bag, the one that the Leica Classic is a copy of. I need to replace the center piece of leather that holds down the flap, the one with a buckle. (I've needed to replace it for at least five years.) The two outside ones with snaps are still intact. Otherwise it looks like crap, having reached that wonderful state of equilibrium where on a typical shoot as much dirt falls or rubs off of it as gets added to it.

The three exterior pockets, one interior, plus that long flap inside that can be snaked between things as required, seems to keep the contents in reasonable order. The rear outside pocket is ideal for keeping a note pad and a package of lens tissue.
 
Questions for Stephen and those that have this bag:

* How long is the strap in inches? I'm big and need a longer strap to wear across my chest.

* What's a comfortable RF load for one of these? How would one M body with mounted lens, two additional lenses and a dozen rolls of film fit? How about two M bodies with mounted lenses, two additional lenses and a dozen rolls of film? (I'm guessing four bigger items in the interior plus film on the outside would be comfortable.)

* I assume the interior pocket partitions are not sewn to the bottom of the bag. Is there any tendency for the partitions to "lift" allowing unauthorized conjugal visits between pockets?

Thanks!
 
Al Kaplan said:
I'm still using my original mid 1970's Leica bag, the one that the Leica Classic is a copy of. I need to replace the center piece of leather that holds down the flap, the one with a buckle. (I've needed to replace it for at least five years.) The two outside ones with snaps are still intact. Otherwise it looks like crap, having reached that wonderful state of equilibrium where on a typical shoot as much dirt falls or rubs off of it as gets added to it.

The three exterior pockets, one interior, plus that long flap inside that can be snaked between things as required, seems to keep the contents in reasonable order. The rear outside pocket is ideal for keeping a note pad and a package of lens tissue.
Click to expand...

I still have my last one of these bags (in maroon) which I replaced with a Domke way back when. Or I picked it up later, I can't remember. In any case it's still going strong after 20+ years and now is a home for my small Hasselblad kit.
 
Ken Ford said:
* How long is the strap in inches? I'm big and need a longer strap to wear across my chest.
Click to expand...

Maybe I should make a poll question out of this. I occasionally see people wearing their camera bag (or man bag, etc) like this but have never done so myself. I wear mine over one shoulder so I can shed the bag quickly while shooting. Do others wear the strap across the chest; should I start doing so?
 
I've been looking for a good bag to carry around a RF outfit for some time, and preferably one that doesn't scream "photo bag" from a distance... When I read about the BBB in one of the RFF threads, I checked it out, also because I already own a Y-strap. Long story short: my order was placed yesterday, and I'm now looking forward to the arrival of my BBB with a second Y-strap (free!). I'll let you know how it works out.
 
Chriscrawfordphoto said:
Trius,

Your post about Domke has me thinking. Did the older Domke bags have unpadded compartments? I have three Domkes, the oldest was made in the late 90's. They all have unpadded sides of the bag, but the inset that has the smaller compartments for lenses and such are padded nylon. I have this vague memory from when I was a kid seeing Domke ads in the magazines that showed the lens compartments were canvas and not padded. Is that right?
Click to expand...

Chris:

Sorry for the late response, I don't sign on that often.

My Domke is unpadded, but the inserts are padded, as you state. The bag is fairly new (3 years old?), so I am assuming they're still made that way.

Stephen: I get your point about the difference between water-proof vs. water-resistant. If I were working in a rainforest, I'd likely opt for the Cordura. For 99% of the time, however, I work in fairly good weather. Even in a light rain or drizzle, canvas is fine.

Colour is more a fashion thing with most folks, or a matter of not being obtrusive, as you mentioned. For me it's about practical matters such as heat. I recall one day many years ago, I was working at a clambake in the middle of summer. It was really, really hot. My vehicle at the time was a white pickup truck with a white topper on the bed. Parked under a tree, the combination of the colour of the truck and the shade from the tree allowed me to keep my gear and film a good 20F cooler than in open sunlight. Since some of the film was pro chrome film, I was glad to have that advantage.
 
Trius said:
Chris:

Sorry for the late response, I don't sign on that often.

My Domke is unpadded, but the inserts are padded, as you state. The bag is fairly new (3 years old?), so I am assuming they're still made that way.
Click to expand...

Mine are the same as yours. Unpadded canvas bag, padded nylon inserts. I am thinking that the really old ones, 20+ yrs ago, had unpadded canvas inserts too. My bags are not that old, my oldest is maybe 15 yrs old and has the padded insert.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom