Foul-weather bag tip for CL users: Crumpler

[Biggles]

In New York City for the Great Slushstorm, skittering across icy sidewalks with my wrist-strapped CL in my hand, filled with paranoia about falling on it... Reminiscences of a few posts here about Crumpler bags being *too* padded floated behind my eyes. Leaped into a taxi and had my salt-stained self dragged to the SoHo Crumpler boutique.

Left ten minutes later with one of their "Million-Dollar Home" shoulder bags. Left content.

A CL with a hooded & capped 40mm Summicron fits *perfectly*, with the bag's Velcro spacer installed. Take the spacer out, and it'll accommodate my Summilux on the camera. Flap & side pockets will easily hold a couple of rolls of film, a bottle of lens soap, a packet of lens paper, a filter or two, and a battery.

Bag is very well designed, and permits quick deployment and re-bagging of the camera. Love the dual Velcro/Fastex closures. It can be closed, and it can be *shut*.

The padding... I immediately felt better about walking around, once I had the option of quickly bagging the camera in this overstuffed little pouch while I crossed an icy patch. There's enough collision space at the bottom, back, and sides that I felt the camera would survive an accidental whack against a lamppost or garbage can as I fell on my *ss. Certainly has more than enough puffage to permit it to be placed cavalierly on a bistro floor. Should withstand a careless boot.

Thirty-odd dollars US. Worth a look, *if* you need a fluffy little shoulder bag. Might even hold an M.

 

[dave lackey]

Thirty-odd dollars US. Worth a look, *if* you need a fluffy little shoulder bag. Might even hold an M.

Hmmm...Has anyone tried an M6 in that bag? Sounds like it may be just the ticket!!! 🙂

 

[JNewell]

Biggles, just for clarity, you're talking about the one million dollar bag, right?

 

[Biggles]

Aye. The one-million dollar model, the smallest one in that line. It's a great big puffy point-and-shoot pouch, more or less.

 

[vrgard]

Not to challenge Biggles' recommendation but I thought I might add a comment about my recent bag acquisitions since I, too, carry a CL and an M6 and an M3, each depending upon mood, etc. Anyway, I picked up a Crumpler TWO million dollar home since it fit my M3 with Elmar 50/1.8 so nicely. After getting it, I tried slipping my CL into it and was happy to see how well that fit. Not surprising, I guess, given that the CL is smaller than an M3. But my CL is in a very nice Luigi half case with wrist strap. And the additional room in the TWO million dollar home looked perfect to hold the matching 90/4 lens for the CL. So, I figure this might just be my CL travel bag setup. Not the ONE million dollar home "around town" use that Biggles is referring to, where the TWO million dollar home may be too large.

Oh, and then on Saturday I came across an interesting Zing bag. (edit: here's a link to B&H's webpage for this Zing bag/pouch: http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?A=details&kw=ZIABB&is=REG&Q=&O=productlist&sku=75798 and here's a link to Adorama's webpage for this Zing bag/pouch: http://www.adorama.com/ZGAB.html?searchinfo=zing&item_no=21) Actually, it's a horizontal pouch. Made of wetsuit material (neoprene?). Very small and with two detachable straps. One looks like a normal shoulder strap while the other goes around horizontally and slips through two loops on the back of the pouch. According to the picture, apparently it's for attaching the pouch to one's chest while participating in strenous activities. What I thought was a shoulder strap is actually a neck strap and what I thought was a belt strap is supposed to go around your chest & back. Anyway, the thing I really like about it is that a) it's small; b) it's padded and c) it can be a belt pouch, a shoulder bag or just a padded bag to fit into a suitcase or briefcase. And because it's made of wetsuit material, it's just a little bit stretchy which means it can hold my CL with half case, or it can hold my M3 with Elmar M 50/2.8 or it can hold my M6 with Cron 50/2.0. So, it looks like it'll make for a very versatile bag for any of various specific purposes. And if I need something more, I go back to the Crumpler or my usual (which I still like the best) Domke F-5xb.

Hope this helps,
Randy