Bag review: Crumpler 7 Million Dollar Home

eoren1

I received some great advice as I was trying to decide on a new bag and thought I would post a quick review of the one I went with. I realize that there is already a 7MDH review on the Dgrin gear review page but I did not get a good feel for it's size or how it would carry so I included photos of a willing model to help.

As with all Crumpler bags (this is my 3rd), it is very well built. I chose a great blue at the insistence of my wife.


The bag holds all my gear through some very smart compartments.



Also, I'm able to hook a tripod leg through the two buckles that close the top lid. That means that I can use the bag to carry the tripod but have to take it off to access the gear inside.

I have no doubts it will allow me to grow as I hopefully replace that 70-210 with a 70-200/f4 IS and the 18-55 and 30/1.4 with a 17-55/2.8 IS. There is enough height that I keep all lens hoods on and do not need to reverse them.

And some shots of me with the bag (I'm 5'8" by the way)




Hope these are helpful to future buyers,
E

Awais Yaqub

Thats nice, thanks for sharing.

I love my crumpler too, they can carry far more stuff than one can imagine !

run_kmc

Good call. That crumpler is rad to the power of awesome.

Aldazar

Impressive use of space! I have the same bag and I love it, but I can't seem to fit my 10-22mm lens in there with the hood on, I hide the hood behind the camera body instead...=P

I also can't believe you fit a laptop in there! =P

I have a 50D with the kit 28-135mm on it, a 10-22mm, a 100mm macro, the 430EXII, a sto-fen omnibounce, a blower, a lenspen, my canon charger, and some batteries for the flash, and my bag is pretty full, definitely no room for a laptop!

If I ever get the 70-300 DO lens I'm hoping I'll get, I'll have to figure out a better way to arrange everything so it all fits!

Village Idiot

I love my last gen 7MDH, but with a 5DII, 70-200, 15mm FE, 24-70, 580EX II, pocket wizards, and other assorted junk, it get heavy. I mainly just use it for shoots where I need everything so I only have to carry 2-3 bags with me.

I picked up a Kata 3-n-1 20 for the days I want to travel light, the combination works good. I really would have liked a crumpler back pack, but the prices on those are pretty high.

eoren1

Aldazar wrote:

Impressive use of space! I have the same bag and I love it, but I can't seem to fit my 10-22mm lens in there with the hood on, I hide the hood behind the camera body instead...=P

I also can't believe you fit a laptop in there! =P

As for the 10-22, you just need to pop that velcro divider forward a bit. Works well with a small space in front for the flash and the larger area for the 10-22 with hood.

That netbook fitting in was the clincher that made me go with the 7MDH vs the 6MDH. Love that I can carry it with me on vacations and offload cards to the hard drive.
E

ziggy53

Looks great.

Thanks for providing the images and description of your kit. That really helps to show the size and scale of the bag.

Mav

Has anybody got any experience of how waterproof the Crumplers are?

I hate the idea of my kit getting wet and 'nearly' waterproof or showerproof simply means it isn't waterproof. So while I did have a Crumpler for while which I liked very much, I found myself using a seal-line messenger bag, which is totally waterproof, and putting padding inside. It's great that when you get stuck in a torrential downpour that you know your kit will stay dry.


More info here:http://cascadedesigns.com/sealline/urban/urban-shoulder-bag/product

Chris H

I like these bags and have been considering one for a while now. One nagging doubt I have is how much protection they give. What's the feeling on this compared to more rigid bags?

Also, there's clearly loads of room for kit. But how well divided is it? Looks like you've got 2-3 lenses in the same compartment, do they rub against each other?

Cheers
Chris

eoren1

As for the waterproof question, if you overstuff the bag, you will not have complete coverage of the gear by the top 'water resistant' flap and I imaging water could get in. With my current setup I have some overlap of that top flap. I know I've taken my older Crumpler bag out in light rain and snow and not had any water get to my gear though the bag did feel damp afterwards.

The bag is divided into 7 compartments. 3 major dividers that run perpendicular and then the middle compartment (where the body/lens sit) has two very small compartments in the front/back that hold cards, battery, filters. On either side, you have the ability to house 2 lenses (or lens and flash) individually. Depending on what lens is on my camera, I can have two lenses in a compartment but they lie one on top of another and I'm not too concerned. Whenever I'm able to upgrade my lenses, I'm hoping to pair down to just 3 lenses that will fit perfectly in there.

E

eoren1

Quick update
Just had a major change in gear and thought I would report back on the bag. Recently purchased the Canon 17-55/2.8 and 70-200/4 IS. The Canon 10-22 and flash stayed in the same place except I used a divider to place the kenko extension tubes under the 10-22 and elevate it a bit. It remains there with hood out. The 17-55 lives on the 50D and slots in well with hood out. The 70-200 lies opposite the 10-22 (ie in the back compartment) and just makes it with hood out. In front of it I know have the dust blower and room for a 30 or 50 prime if need be (though the 30 is likely going on sale soon).
Long story short, the bag works great to fit the gear!
E

snoopy198520

check out on crumpler bag
Hi

would like to ask is the crumpler camera bag able to use in cold winter and is snowing? And how do u protect the dslr camera lens in cold places? I have this problem and unable to solve. Anyone out there able to help me up? thanks.:D

ziggy53

snoopy198520 wrote:

Hi

would like to ask is the crumpler camera bag able to use in cold winter and is snowing? And how do u protect the dslr camera lens in cold places? I have this problem and unable to solve. Anyone out there able to help me up? thanks.:D

Snoopy198520, welcome to the Digital Grin.

Hopefully someone with this bag can answer.

eoren1

I'm not sure that I would take this bag out in a brisk snowstorm. I think a zippered bag would be preferable for that.
E

Scott_Quier

eoren1 wrote:

I received some great advice as I was trying to decide on a new bag and thought I would post a quick review of the one I went with. I realize that there is already a 7MDH review on the Dgrin gear review page but I did not get a good feel for it's size or how it would carry so I included photos of a willing model to help.

As with all Crumpler bags (this is my 3rd), it is very well built. I chose a great blue at the insistence of my wife.


Hope these are helpful to future buyers,
E

Thought you would find it interesting to learn that it was based on this review and the short hands-on you afforded me at the shootout that convinced me to buy one of these. It's scheduled to arrive tomorrow. So, like Leslie says, I'm spending more money and it's all your fault!!! Thanks!

eoren1

Scott_Quier wrote:

Thought you would find it interesting to learn that it was based on this review and the short hands-on you afforded me at the shootout that convinced me to buy one of these. It's scheduled to arrive tomorrow. So, like Leslie says, I'm spending more money and it's all your fault!!! Thanks!

That's only fair because I know have a $700 tripod setup on my Amazon wish list thanks to looking at your setup (opted for the RRS 40 though)

trevor

Lowepro makes a line of waterproof bags. It is possible to go swimming in the ocean without a single drip of water entering the bag... so they should be good in light rainfall or a snowstorm.

divamum

I saw this on potn and decided to give one of them a try.... Your 7MDH review certainly made it easy to make a decision.

I have no idea how long it will take to get here, but am looking forward to it! I really need a larger walkaround bag - I love the one I got last year (and will continue to use it, I'm sure), but it's not quite big enough for all the lenses, so when I need to take ALL of them... I have to take the rolling suitcase and it's a pain. I hope this works out to carry what I need, but I figured I couldn't really go wrong for $30

kdog

divamum wrote:

I saw this on potn and decided to give one of them a try.... Your 7MDH review certainly made it easy to make a decision
[...]
I figured I couldn't really go wrong for $30

That bag looks surprisingly like the previous version of the 7 Million Dollar Home, which is the one I have. I've written previously on my gripes with this bag. I see from Eoren's review that they've addressed some of my complaints with it, but not all. Based on my experiences, I will not buy another Crumpler bag. Fool me once, as they say. The bag isn't without merit, mind you. It's cool looking, and it does work to a degree. It's just not a professional quality bag, IMHO. I have two Lowepro bags as well, and vastly prefer their designs and construction techniques. Plus Lowepro gets it right the first time without needing to redesign the bag (and thus leaving existing customers with a faulty design.) I've expressed my opinions on Crumpler before, and even wrote up a mini-review on my issues with it. But alas, Crumpler seems to have a cult following and nobody wanted to hear it.

Anyway, all that being said, if that's the old design Crumpler bag you're getting for $30, it's still a really good deal.

-joel

divamum

kdog wrote:

Anyway, all that being said, if that's the old design Crumpler bag you're getting for $30, it's still a really good deal.

-joel

That's kind of my feeling. I don't think I've even seen a cheapo Walmart bag of that size for that price, so I figured it was worth a leap in the dark. While I do buy for quality and will happily pay for genuine differences in branded items, I WON'T pay for tags and labels - the thread at POTN suggests that this is if not the exact same bag, then very very close indeed and, while I don't understand the Crumpler Cult, the bags of theirs I've seen looked sturdy and useable. And if this will take body+3 lenses+flash, it's what I need for 80% of my shoots and thus will definitely be useful for me (my current bag will only take 3 lenses, or 2 lenses+flash so I wind up taking that bag plus a second bag packed into a small suitcase. Which works, but is often overkill and not shoulder-able!)

To be honest, I don't quite understand the insanely high prices on camera bags. Sure, I understand workmanship, function and form, but nothing I've seen IRL yet justifies the $200+ price tags hanging from them.....

divamum

Just an update on this item as spotted at POTN in this thread

• arrived today from Canada, just 3 business-days after I ordered.
• bag is nice quality Cordura-type material and comes with LOADS of padded velcro dividers (I think I have about 5 left over even though I used quite a few)
• The red has a rather ugly pale blue lining which will probably get dirty, but it makes it easier to see the gear than the black linings in my other bags...
• Very roomy and definitely comparable to the kind of load Eoren demonstrated with his Crumpler. I have just packed:
  - xsi+grip w/Tamron 17-50 attached
  - 50 1.4
  - 100 F2.0
  - 135L F2.0
  - 430 ex
  - ste2
  - bag of flash gels
  - 2 tripod plates
  - rocket bulb
  - battery/card/accessories box
  - extra Canon battery
  - several clothespins/clamps
  
  and there is still room for more - it's full, but you could cram extra stuff in safely if you needed to.

Excellent product at a ridiculously low pice and it means that at last I have a shoulder bag which can hold the majority of my stuff so I don't have to pick and choose my lenses/flash before I leave the house - I can just carry it all with me, but without having to haul around the wheelie-suitcase I've had to use if I needed to take more than fits in my existing bag.

I can't deny I still hanker after the medium-sized Jill-e leather bag just cause it's so classy, but given I can't justify nearly $300 on a bag, I've kind of given up on that in this lifetime (given the choice between decent glass and the Jill-e bag, the glass won ). Quality and design on this item are very good, although it's probably not a design I would have chosen were the price not so compelling. HOWEVER.... for ~$30 this is a FANTASTIC bag, and well worth the money - no doubt about that at all. If you're considering a messenger-style bag, don't hesitate - it's a great bargain and I'm very happy to have it!