Jason Dunn
08-12-2004, 05:00 PM
Ok, I admit it – I have a bag fetish. If it's used for carrying technological gear, chances are I'll want to buy it. PDA cases, leather bags, neoprene laptop shells, nylon camera cases – I love 'em all! Given that particular obsession of mine, it comes as no surprise that I have a fond place in my heart for Roadwired, a company well-known for the bags and cases they create.<br /><br /><img src="http://www.digitalmediathoughts.com/images/roadwired-photoconverible.jpg" /><br />The bag I'm looking at today is the <a href="http://www.roadwired.com/index.cfm?aid=7">RoadWired Photo/Video Convertible Bag</a> (shown above). It sells for $124.95 USD, which isn't cheap, but the quality and functionality of this bag is quite impressive. Rather than a typical review, I decided to show you, through a series of photos, how I use the bag and what gear I pack into it. Let's go!<!><br /><br /><img src="http://www.digitalmediathoughts.com/images/roadwired-photobag-1.JPG" /><br /><i>Figure 1: It's available in black/black and black/titanium – a bit boring for some but sharp and professional in appearance. The front clasp is massive, but very sturdy. It's made of 1050 Denier Ballistic Nylon, which has proven to be very study and damage resistant for me.</i><br /><br /><img src="http://www.digitalmediathoughts.com/images/roadwired-photobag-2.JPG" /><br /><i>Figure 2: The top fish-net pouch is perfect for paperwork or manuals. I carry the menu for my Canon Speedlite and my Canon Digital Rebel camera for those instances when I need a refresher on the functionality of my gear.</i><br /><br /><img src="http://www.digitalmediathoughts.com/images/roadwired-photobag-3.JPG" /><br />Figure 3: Here's the money shot! The interior is jam-packed with gadgets. There are movable partitions that attach to the sides of the case using Velcro. This makes for easy rearrangement when you carry different gear. In the upper left of the photo, I carry my Speedlite inside its case. Below that I have the removable strap for the Roadwired case, just in case I need to sling it over my shoulder. The centre zone is the perfect size for a DSL camera body sans lens – I have the Digital Rebel on that spot.<br /><br />The two zones on the right contain my two lenses – the 18 to 55mm that comes with the Digital Rebel, and below that the 55 to 200mm I bought for those far away shots. Notice the yellow Velcro straps rolled up at the top of the main area – there's a thin covering that unfurls and can be zippered up, providing an extra layer of protection for your gear, especially useful in rainy environments.<br /><br /><img src="http://www.digitalmediathoughts.com/images/roadwired-photobag-4.JPG" /><br /><i>Figure 4: The front panel opens up to reveal an assortment of pouches and elasticized equipment holders. From left to right I have the battery charger, a pen, and two spare batteries for the Digital Rebel. The front pouch, zippered shut, holds the AC power cable for the charger.</i><br /><br /><img src="http://www.digitalmediathoughts.com/images/roadwired-photobag-5.JPG" /><br /><i>Figure 5: The left zippered pouch is designed for batteries – I keep four extra AA batteries for my flash here, along with an extra camera battery (the battery is in the camera, so you can only see the cover in this photo). I also carry a mini tripod and two cables for connecting the Digital Rebel to a TV set.</i><br /><br /><img src="http://www.digitalmediathoughts.com/images/roadwired-photobag-6.JPG" /><br /><i>Figure 6: The pouch on the right-hand side of the case is where I keep my CompactFlash memory cards. From left to right I have a 1 GB Sandisk card, a 512 MB Viking card, and a 512 MB Sandisk Ultra card. The Sandisk ultra has the fastest write speeds of the three, so I use it as my primary card. The Digital Rebel has a buffer for up to four photos, but the buffer clears up faster when it has a speedy memory card to dump the images onto.</i><br /><br /><img src="http://www.digitalmediathoughts.com/images/roadwired-photobag-7.JPG" /><br /><i>Figure 7: The back of the back. The waist strap tucks in behind the mesh when not in use.</i><br /><br /><img src="http://www.digitalmediathoughts.com/images/roadwired-photobag-8.JPG" /><br /><i>Figure 8: The waist strap pulled out from the back. Why? I'm not sure – I can't imagine anyone putting a bag this big onto their waist, but I suppose it's nice to have the option. I would have preferred to have seen the back without this strap – it would make it a bit thinner – but ultimately once it's tucked away you won't notice it much.</i><br /><br /><img src="http://www.digitalmediathoughts.com/images/roadwired-photobag-9.JPG" /><br /><i>Figure 9: The Roadwired Camera Bag, fully deployed.</i><br /><br /><span><b>Conclusion</b></span><br />The Roadwired Photo Bag is a very useful tool – it's by far the best camera bag I've owned, and it feels sturdy enough to last many years. The inner pouch is big enough for a DSLR body and up to four lenses, or three lenses and a flash, which is adequate for most of us. If you're a professional and have lenses bigger than what will fit in this case, odds are you're going to be packing them in a metal hard case, not a $125 camera bag. I heartily recommend the Roadwired Photo Bag to anyone who's looking for a professional-grade bag that's well-suited for a digital photographer. It does what it does very well indeed!<br /><br />You can purchase the bag <a href="http://www.roadwired.com/index.cfm?aid=7">directly from Roadwired</a> for $125.95 USD, and if <a href="http://www.digitalmediathoughts.com/subscribe.php">you're a paying subscriber</a>, you can <a href="http://www.digitalmediathoughts.com/discounts.php?action=expand,4715">save $20 off the price!</a>