KevinKeeganPro.com Blog

The bag is slated for delivery tomorrow. It was supposed to be delivered last Friday 7/2/2010, via overnight delivery. I called Chrome, they told me it had, in fact, left their warehouse on time and should have been delivered on time. Unfortunately, that wasn’t the case. Not sure if this is Chrome or FedEx’s fault, though I’m leaning towards FedEx since Chrome had recently switched to them, and even offered up their own complaints during our phone conversation.

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Well the bag is in. My first impression is that it is a “tough and functional carry-all pack”. JK, that’s just what the tag told me to say. I usually review products that are of use to me within my chosen profession, and for the sake of continuing that trend, I’ll say that this is a great carry-all for any environment, including media production. Whether you’re tossing gear in it for a shoot, or on the way for an interview at a graphic design shop with your sketches on your back.

Build Quality/Materials: This bag is definitely manufactured well. It feels strong. Impeccable stitching, quality materials, all of which were completely expected. Chrome lists the measurements of this bag at (W)12in x (H)18in x (D)6in. More accurately, the bags back panel is about 14in wide, while the front panel is only about 12in wide. Height for the back panel is 18.5in and 19.5in if you include the top carry handle. Depth is 6in. The bag has an EPA foam back panel that is very comfortable, Airmesh backing on the shoulder straps, stainless steel hardware to control the should strap sizing, and YKK zippers all around. As with all Chrome bags, the exterior material is weatherproof 1000d Cordura Nylon with an waterproof 18oz truck tarp liner on the interior.

Features: This bag has 3 zippered pockets that are also lined with the truck tarp liner Chrome utilizes. There’s also one open exterior cordura pocket on the right side, in addition to the main compartment. The first zippered pocket is located on the top flap of the main compartment. It’s small but is in a very convenient place for keys, cell phone, or anything you need quick access to. The next zippered pocket is on the outside. This one runs the entire length and width of the backpack, top to bottom. I was easily able to put my ipad (in it’s Marware Eco-vue case) inside with room on top for another paperback book. The last zippered pocket is on the inside of the main compartment and is the width of the bag but only about 10in deep.The last pocket is a great size for a water bottle or a bike lock and keeps it readily accessible.
The back panel is a creative foam mold and very comfortable, especially if you’re into touting your brand loyalty. The shoulder straps are also comfy, with breathable mesh, and stainless steel hardware to keep the webbing locked tight and to size.

To be continued…

First off, there are a lot of great reviews of this particular bag out there on the interwebz. So I’m going to go over some of the same stuff and also some things that I haven’t seen mentioned.

The Classified Series from Lowepro is their attempt to create a more discrete bag for the photojournalists/travelers around the world. Features like the discrete Lowepro logo and more traditional bag shape and colors help to achieve this goal, but it’s not a miracle bag. It’s real potential lies in how easy it is to access your camera in a hurry and also return it to the bag covertly.

It’s available in 5 different bag sizes now ranging from the brand new Classified 100 AW Kit (basically a travel size pouch for a notebook and some other things and also two new attachable pouches “35″ and “30″), 140 AW, 160 AW, 200 AW, and 250 AW (the largest bag, which also can hold a 15″ notebook computer).

Let’s talk about the bag size first. The 160 AW dimensions are listed by Lowepro as 13.4W X 8.9D X 14H in. In actuality the bag (fully loaded) is more like 11.5W X 9D X 12H in. The height is from the top of the bag not the top of the carry handle and the width is with the “bull horns” tucked away. So this is a relatively small bag, especially when sitting next to the much larger 200 and even bigger 250.

As with all Lowepro products, the quality is impeccable. Quality metal d-rings, swivel clasps, webbing, and stitching. The only drawback I could find on this topic is on the all weather cover. The actual seams where the waterproof fabric is sewn together, are not taped shut. Though unlikely, in a heavy down pour, water could get through. But it would also have to find its way through the rest of the bag to get to the camera/equipment. But on a good note, the small slits on the side of the AW cover where the shoulder strap d-rings poke through, are taped to prevent tearing of the fabric.

Pockets. The bag has 3 external pockets. The two front pockets are underneath the main flap.

The outermost is covered by a velcro flap. The flap has a nice see-through vinyl window to keep business cards or ID visible when needed. Lift the flap and you’ll find a very versatile pocket with pen holder loops and another small sewn in drop pocket for coins, headphones or other small items.

Next is the larger drop pocket. Inside is a nice tether and clip for keys etc. and also the included memory card wallet.

There’s also a little pocket that is accessible on the front even with the main flap buckled closed.

The last pocket is a zippered pocket on the back of the bag, meant for relatively thin/flat items you need to carry. I suggest this only because it’s the side of the bag that will be resting on you. No need to be poked every time the bag swings into you or across you.

There are 3 slip lock loops on the bag, one on the front (is the leather loop the Lowepro logo is pressed into) and two on the sides just below the d-rings where the shoulder strap attaches.

Inside the main compartment are a few dividers that are customizable with the standard Lowepro velcro system. Two of the dividers are topped with a nice protective leather accent. And they’re also shaped to allow room for the bulky bottoms of larger cameras like the D3, Canon 1Ds, or cameras with a vertical battery grip.

They also threw in a handy micro-fiber cloth to clean a lens with and also lay across LCD screens to protect them. The cloth is stowed away in a nice mesh velcro pouch until it’s needed.

*The cloth is kind of short. So if you attach it to a divider on the right of the camera it probably won’t be able to cover the whole LCD screen. You’re better off velcro’ing the mesh pouch on the left side of the camera. Unlike what I did.

I was able to fit my ultrapod, SB-600 Flash, Tokina 11-16mm, 18-105mm, and D90 with 70-200mm f/2.8 mounted, into the main compartment the other weekend. This was in part, thanks to the expandable bellows that allow more storage space inside. There’s a large zipper just behind the two front pockets that allows for the expansion.

Here’s everything that I carry in the bag most of the time:

My complaints with the bag are minuscule. The shoulder pad on the strap, as others have mentioned in their reviews, doesn’t slide. It’s stitched to the webbing and doesn’t allow the bag to be swung back and forth to gain access to your gear. Between that and the lack of taped seams on the AW cover, this bag is hard to complain about. It works great in the field, great for travel or around town and is built like a tank.

I picked mine up off eBay for around $110 at the time this is being written.

Update: Got a real chance to use this bag during the Memorial Day weekend. This thing is great. It rained a lot and had to use the rain cover on a few occasions with fantastic results. Getting to gear and changing lens was really easy as was concealing it quickly. And in my Fiance’s opinion looks good wearing it around.

Also at work here, a co-worker saw my bag and proceeded to make fun of it, calling it a man purse…chuckle chuckle. I then told her it was my camera bag, to which she replied, “That doesn’t look like any camera bag I’ve ever seen.” That pretty much sells the thing in my opinion, very discreet indeed.