Bare Bones Bag

Great Design

Great Design

I have been wandering the streets of Istanbul this week with one of the BB bags. It works great with either a Leica M and two lenses or here in Istanbul with a Hassalblad, light meter, a couple rolls of 120, and the DLux5.

I really think one of the great design features is it lack of padding or anything to give it much shape. Today for a cruise on the Bospherous with terrible lighting, I left the blad at home but packed the DLux5, binos, a large waterbottle, a pen and notebook and my nook.

I have a range of Domke's including the original made by Domke himself down to an 803. I used the F2 as a carry on bag and packed the BBB in luggage for use on the street. Again, a great design/
 
rpilottx said:
I really think one of the great design features is it lack of padding or anything to give it much shape. Today for a cruise on the Bospherous with terrible lighting, I left the blad at home but packed the DLux5, binos, a large waterbottle, a pen and notebook and my nook.

I have a range of Domke's including the original made by Domke himself down to an 803. I used the F2 as a carry on bag and packed the BBB in luggage for use on the street. Again, a great design/
Click to expand...

Ditto, I am using both the BBB Large and the BBB original (small?). When I want to carry only one body with lens attached and one additional lens, the BBB can't be beat. If I want to carry a SLR, MF RF or 2 RF bodies, I use the BBB Large. Without the padding, it doesn't bulk up, and this allows one to freely glide or squeeze through crowds more easily than with a traditional padded bag (like my old Tamrac 806). I have previously used the M Classic shoulder bag modeled after Leica's old design. It too wasn't padded and operated in a similar manner. My old Domke's also weren't the most padded (I sometimes remove it). So in the last 10 or so years that I've used padless bags, I've never encountered an problem. I also don't swing my bags around or throw them on the floor, but hey, who would knowing there are Leica's in them? 🙄
 
The new "Reportage" bag looks quite nice. I wanted a messenger type bag a year ago and didn't like the colored front of the regular bag or the lack of a lock with the "stealth" bag and so bought a Courierware bag instead (which I am quite satisfied with.)
 
This looks really interesting. At times my BBB is just a tad bit too small, and I've been wondering about the BBB2 or something else. Do you think there will be a BBB-R2?
 
Thats wierd Joe. Works fine for me. I was tempted to get one when I saw the video. Some nice touches but if anything it's a tad smaller than the original BBB so I'll stick with that....and the the pile of other bags I have too🙂
 
I shouldn't have looked really Joe, then I wouldn't be tempted. It's only a few weeks since I got the Hadley small. Been out today with my BBB original and only had a 35mm compact, a couple of rolls of film, reading spex, keys and a Kindle and it felt very comfy. We're in the middle of a hot spell in the UK and it was nice to carry something so light around.
 
I like it and there's a good chance I'll get, even if I recently got the small Think Tank (which I find a bit thick). I watched the video, and while I understand the rationale for getting rid of the back pocket, I disagree with it. I never keep valuable stuff in a pocket like that, but find such pockets handy for maps, brochures, etc. On the plus side, I like the grey colour, and while I bought the stealth because I didn't want velcro, there are situations where more secure closure is desirable.
 
I love these bags but I would like to also see a non-Reportage version with the pockets added back in. I use those all the time

I bought a BBBR and I'm curious to try the new strap design. On the recent BBB the ends of the straps always scratched my forearms.

I've purchased other bags but the BBBs are still my favorite.
 
Stephen, I really like what I see with the new reportage-bag.
As for there no longer being a pocket on the bag, I'd rather have no pocket at all (like with the new bag) than one that is open from above - never made much sense to me to have a rainproof bag with an open pocket that would collect water 🙂
A tip for future bags: sewing in the inner bag/padding is of course a secure way, but I think the Billingham Hadley-style has some advantages: the space between the back of the bag and the padding-"container" makes for a very usable "back-pocket" INSIDE the bag, protected from rain. I carry stuff there all the time. On the front, there is one button to "lock" the padding into the bag, and this makes for a divider: I keep small stuff (a 39mm filter in plastic casing on each "side") on the front between padding and outer shell - less stuff cluttering the front pockets.

Greetings, Ljós
 
I find it regrettable that the useful exterior back pocket was omitted, ostensibly for security reasons. Surely the photographer could be trusted to use it, or not, in her discretion, for whatever purpose. Unless it's not there.
 
back alley said:
which small think tank did you get jack?
Click to expand...
Joe, I got the Retrospective 5.

Back to the back pocket question. I've never had a problem with water pooling in the ones I've used with the Domke 803, the BBB stealth or the Safrotto Domke clone; as a matter of fact, I sometimes use those pockets to temporarily store wet small umbrellas. I also like the back pocket, because I sometimes prefer not to have to open the main compartment, exposing the contents to prying eyes or the elements. It's not a complete deal-breaker, because I've managed to get by with the 5X-B which doesn't have one. Interestingly, the Retrospective has a compromise; a back pocket with a zipper.
 
Leaving out the back pocket is a bug, not a feature. Whether it's a deal breaker is up to the consumer. But making it an issue for the user was unnecessary. I find it mystifying to base a design decision on a questionable justification of security -- we can each decide for ourselves what, if anything, to carry in the pocket. I find the concern that it will collect rain water to be a bit far fetched. When using a bag for an all-day carry away from home base, I would prefer to have the choice of using an exterior pocket to hold maps, reading matter and such. To pre-empt that choice goes further than bare-bones, it's cutting into the bone.
 
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