the daily flashkube

The folks over at thinkTANK Photo are never short on camera bags that are absolute design masterpieces. Their Shape Shifter model is the current object of my desire because it may be able to replace a few of my existing bags. Here is a video demonstration shot by Photoinduced.com from PDN/Photo Plus Expo in 2008. (There are two bags shown in this video. The Shape Shifter is the first one.)

What? You think it will replace a “few” of your bags? Yes, that’s right. My wife makes fun of me because I have so many. She says, “You’re such a girl with all your bags.” I like to think of them as man purses, but whatever. I’ll lay it all out here and let you decide if what ails me is truly a bag fetish. First of all, let’s name the three main categories of shit that I carry around:

• Laptop plus accessories.
• Camera plus lenses and accessories.
• Non-laptop, Non-camera stuff. (This includes but is not limited to books, Kindle, and iPod.)

The problem I face is that none of the bags I own can carry all three of these categories comfortably. Here is a short description of each:

• Bottom left is the small Nikon I bought with my D80 two years ago. It doesn’t hold much and isn’t very secure. I’ll take that one out only to carry items categorized as other. Never for my main body or lenses.
• Top left is a Targus laptop backpack with no camera compartments. This one rarely comes out unless I only need to carry a laptop or if my wife borrows it for a trip.
• Bottom middle is a Brenthaven laptop briefcase that goes back and forth to work with me. It is very slim and carries my work laptop, charger, small mouse, and sometimes a Kindle squeezed in the document pocket. Love this one because it is small, light, and does one job very well.
• Bottom right is a Kenneth Cole soft executive briefcase. This is my go-to bag for bookstore/library trips because it can comfortably fit my laptop with all accessories and some large books. (This image betrays its depth.)
• Top right is my LowePro SlingShot 200AW. This was the first real camera bag I owned. This does for cameras what the Brenthaven does for laptops. It is much smaller than a normal backpack and uses only a single shoulder strap. You can swing this thing around your body and use it without taking it off. The AW stands for All Weather. In the back it has a rain hood under velcro that can enclose the entire bag for complete water/dust/snow protection. This is the bag I go to when I want to carry nothing but camera stuff. Perfect for photowalks or hikes where carrying a laptop just isn’t necessary or desirable.
• Top middle is my LowePro CompuDaypack. The bottom section can handle my D300 body with 16-85mm lens attached, some cleaning accessories, and my 50mm f/1.8. The top holds my 70-300mm, an SB-600 flash, and all other accessories and cords. The back houses my laptop. I keep my iPod in that small front pocket at the top. Because of its versatility I carry the CompuDaypack most often.

Here is why I believe the thinkTANK Shape Shifter would eliminate the need for everything but the Kenneth Cole. The Nikon and Targus can be disregarded because they are almost never used. The Brenthaven and LowePro slingshot are only in rotation because they are small when I need either the laptop or the camera but not both. The ShapeShifter would shrink to handle just the laptop or just the camera. And when I want to carry both I can do so, eliminating the need for the LowePro CompuDaypack. I’d have a bag that would handle almost everything I throw at it. And, as a bonus, my wife would stop calling me a girl! SOLD.