"Versabag" (the $30 Crumpler 7mdh)

divamum

I posted about this in Eoren's 7mdh thread, but I thought it deserved it's own in case anybody is looking.

Just an update on this item as spotted at POTN in this thread. There's pictures and commentary in that thread, but thought I'd share here as well in case anybody's looking.

• arrived today from Canada, just 3 business-days after I ordered (5 business days at their end since no holiday, but even so - that seems pretty fast to me!).
• 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... :lol3
• 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! :thumb

kdog

Congrats! I would be very interested in seeing a picture of how you fit all that stuff in this bag. It looked like my Crumpler $7M Home from the picture, but I don't think I could squeeze all that in there.

Cheers,
-joel

divamum

Here ya go! Extremely low-art p'n's pix, but they show the bag clearly

1 view of the inside - I've got gels, battery and other fairly flat and non-intrusive items in the zipper mesh pocket on the inside of the flap


2. Top layer of gear


3. Bottom layer of gear


4 "hidden" side pocket housing flash diffuser (folded) - I'll probably put foamies/bbc in the other side, but it's big enough that it could easily hold a flash if you needed to keep one there (although it would take some space out fo the main compartment)



5 Front pocket - I've put all the flat-but-lumpy things in there, like the clothespins and tripod plates (I actually hooked the tripod plate on the included keyring clip!). Getting at the velcro of the mesh pocket is kinda tricky; I'm hoping things don't fall out of the main front pocket, but it has its own velcro flap to cover it.



Hope that helps!

kdog

Wow, great job. Thanks for taking the time to do this.

That's definitely the same bag as mine. I generally store things vertically, so maybe that wastes space. I know I usually have wasted space on top of my lenses, but I try to fill it up with bulb blowers, my TC1.4, etc. I know my 580EXII flash won't fit horizontally like that. Otherwise, I guess you're just a better packer than me.

divamum

kdog wrote:

Wow, great job. Thanks for taking the time to do this.

That's definitely the same bag as mine. I generally store things vertically, so maybe that wastes space. I know I usually have wasted space on top of my lenses, but I try to fill it up with bulb blowers, my TC1.4, etc. I know my 580EXII flash won't fit horizontally like that. Otherwise, I guess you're just a better packer than me.

Ha!

I actually prefer storing vertically too - or at least that's typically how I've used my other bags - but everything seemed a little loose like that. I like my gear packed tight enough that it doesn't move around. Plus, the whole point of getting this bag was so I could carry almost everything with me in one pack, so I kind of had that in mind as I figured out how to get it in there. The 430ex fits nicely, but there's not a ton of extra room when it's stored on its side. Btw, the flash-in-case and ste2-in-case make very useful items to put next to smaller lenses, too.... added padding!

ETA: What is going to be interesting is where everything goes once I get a second body... I suspect I'll have to rethink the whole thing YET again (although I'm hopeful this bag will be made to work for that too... I hope!)

Pupator

Diva,

I'd been meaning to post here on this bag for a long time and kept forgetting - thanks for the reminder!

I previously owned the Crumpler and to my eye this is identical - they've simply got to be made in the same factory. I've been very pleased with its performance and quality and could, like you, recommend the bag to anyone. I got mine on e-bay for $34 shipped (I have the black version).

Howe Creative Photography

Is it the large Versa bag? If so, that looks like a great price!

divamum

Howe Creative Photography wrote:

Is it the large Versa bag? If so, that looks like a great price!

Yup, it's the large, as per the link to sigelectronics in my first post It's a GREAT deal, and from the many people who have said it's a dead ringer for the original Crumpler 7mdh, I think it most probably is made in the same factory and simply rebadged (or not badged at all).

I think the changes made to the 7mdh are good ones (the re-sited straps, integral velcro silencers etc) but given that one's 5x the price, I am seriously not complaining....