Tamrac 5587

rsparts

As I accumulate more equipment and find myself wandering around by foot more often, I feel that I need a bag that is a bit more durable than my messenger bag.

I turned to the Tamrac 5587 backback. I like the design and capacity but for some reason I can't seem to find any info on wether or not it is waterproof. Getting more into photojournalism, I will be outside more often than not and I need something that is going to keep my gear dry.

Does anyone know if this thing is waterproof? I would think for the price, it would be but I need to know for sure. I read that the zippers are water resistant but I'm not sure about the material.

cmason

sorry to get semantic on you, but waterproof, no it is not waterproof. Nothing short of a drybag will be waterproof, and even they have different descriptions of 'waterproof'.

As to how it will protect your equipment in wet weather, probably only experience will tell. I would not trust it other than say transporting it from the car to the house, or perhaps at a soccer game in a light drizzle. Hiking in a downpour is probably not what this bad is suited for.

Many bags, such as the Lowepro AW line include a rain cover that works very well in fairly heavy rain. Not sure about the Tamrac.

ziggy53

cmason wrote:

sorry to get semantic on you, but waterproof, no it is not waterproof. Nothing short of a drybag will be waterproof, and even they have different descriptions of 'waterproof'.

As to how it will protect your equipment in wet weather, probably only experience will tell. I would not trust it other than say transporting it from the car to the house, or perhaps at a soccer game in a light drizzle. Hiking in a downpour is probably not what this bad is suited for.

Many bags, such as the Lowepro AW line include a rain cover that works very well in fairly heavy rain. Not sure about the Tamrac.

I used to use a hard case with a "boat bottom" and seals for my 1D MKII and even that I would not consider "waterproof" enough to test it in extreme weather. It was fine for a light drizzle which was the most I would shoot in anyway and it was OK to lay on wet or frozen ground.

I have my Hasselblad in a rather nice Doskocil "Seal Tight" case and even that I would check pretty often.

If you have to trust a backpack camera bag in the rain, in addition to a rain cover for the bag I would suggest protecting the cameras and lenses individually as well, within the bag. An ounce of prevention ...

rsparts

Is there a backpack style bag that IS waterproof? I know some company somewhere has to make a field pack with real waterproofing features. What about the photographers that are in the field for weeks on end? There has to be something that can be considered good enough for this kind of abuse.

cmason

rsparts wrote:

Is there a backpack style bag that IS waterproof? I know some company somewhere has to make a field pack with real waterproofing features. What about the photographers that are in the field for weeks on end? There has to be something that can be considered good enough for this kind of abuse.

You may want to check out the Lowepro Dryzone's which are waterproof/watertight. If Docwalker happens by, he can tell you of his experience with the bag, as I recall he bought one for use around dive exercises.

ziggy53

rsparts wrote:

Is there a backpack style bag that IS waterproof? I know some company somewhere has to make a field pack with real waterproofing features. What about the photographers that are in the field for weeks on end? There has to be something that can be considered good enough for this kind of abuse.

Flexible fabric bags with seams will "never" be trustworthy IMO. The fabric can lose water resistance with time and exposure to UV and ozone and wear points. Seams are especially problematic.

At very best a backpack can be a "watershed" but never really water proof.

If you take my advice and use a rain cover for the bag plus internal protection like a sturdy ziplock bag, for instance, for each item you want to protect, I think you would be fairly good against rain and snow.

A backpack will never be good enough for actual water submersion so take precautions to avoid that.

ziggy53

cmason wrote:

You may want to check out the Lowepro Dryzone's which are waterproof/watertight. If Docwalker happens by, he can tell you of his experience with the bag, as I recall he bought one for use around dive exercises.

That looks promising.

rsparts

cmason wrote:

You may want to check out the Lowepro Dryzone's which are waterproof/watertight. If Docwalker happens by, he can tell you of his experience with the bag, as I recall he bought one for use around dive exercises.

hm this one looks pretty good. I'll check it out, thanks mason. and thanks for everyone else's help.