See a detailed account of the new Chobe shoulder bag released by Gura Gear here. Thus far there are no reviews comparing it to Think Tank's Urban Disguise (UD60 is the one I currently have). The difference in price is significant. Does anyone on FM have experience with both the bags?
I have the Chobe and the UD50. When I get around to it, I will probably sell the UD50 and stick with the Chobe. The reason is that the Chobe is a bit more versatile and is lighter.
With the camera insert in, it can hold a reasonable amount of gear (most importantly a 1-series with lens attached pointing down, the UD50 is too tight with a 1-series in this configuration which I think is also true of the UD60) along with a laptop and an iPad. This is useful when I'm traveling and don't want to take a full camera kit in a backpack with me. When traveling in the USA domestically where airlines are a bit more forgiving on carry-on luggage (especially the personal item) but charge for checked luggage, I can pair with this a rolling carry-on containing other stuff.
With the camera insert out, the bags collapses down and becomes a much more compact "laptop" + documents bag. This is useful when I'm taking a lot more photo gear usually in a Kiboko bag. With its compact size, its less likely to draw the ire of international flight gate attendants (which tend to be more strict with carry-on policies, especially the personal item).
I have both bags. For the price the Think Tank is great and if I hadn't gotten such a good deal at Photo Plus I wouldn't have gotten the Chobe. Now that I have the Chobe I like it and have been using it as a nonphoto work bag going to and from the office (basically I want to get my $$ worth). I just took out the insert and zipped so it wasn't expanded. The Chobe material feels stronger than the Think Tank and feels like it won't flop as much. Not a huge fan of the Think Tank front flap which the Chobe doesn't have. I have always been amazed at how much I can fit into the Think Tank 60 and for significantly less money that would be my choice of bag if I was looking to buy this type of bag.
It's important to note that the Urban Disguise 40/50/60 V1 were not as suited for carrying 1-series and other pro-size bodies (or gripped standard bodies). With the V2.0 offerings, we put an expansion zipper so that the top portion of the bag can be made larger to accommodate pro-size bodies.
I have the 60 v1 and don't recall ever having a problem with pro bodies in it or needing the zipper. Heck the 300 2.8 fit fine and never had a problem packing a ton of gear in it.
sperraglia wrote:
I have both bags. For the price the Think Tank is great and if I hadn't gotten such a good deal at Photo Plus I wouldn't have gotten the Chobe.
What was the deal? Was/is it available only at Photo Plus?
Andy Biggs wrote:
Here are a couple of shots of the interior of the Chobe. I used the Chobe for Halloween night with my kids, switching out between lenses as we trick-or-treated our way through the neighborhood. In the first image you can see that I fit the following:
carnac wrote:
Seems like a really nice bag, but not impressed with vender tactics like this.
I am a Think Tank customer and like their bags very much - the Airport International is invaluable to me.
But I saw nothing wrong with Andy Biggs' "tactics." If you click on his profile, he identifies himself with Gura Gear. Perhaps he could have made it explicit in his post, but I don't think he meant to mislead anyone. In fact, it is a very good thing that we have vendors (or their reps) directly addressing customers here.
Rajan Parrikar wrote:
I am a Think Tank customer and like their bags very much - the Airport International is invaluable to me.
But I saw nothing wrong with Andy Biggs' "tactics." If you click on his profile, he identifies himself with Gura Gear. Perhaps he could have made it explicit in his post, but I don't think he meant to mislead anyone. In fact, it is a very good thing that we have vendors (or their reps) directly addressing customers here.
Agreed, however, they should identify themselves as such in my opinion.
I am looking at the TT Airport International. Many nice features and a size that should work for me. I currently have the TT Retrospective Lens Changer 2 and the Retrospective 10 - both in Pinestone (I really like the material).
Hey guys, for some reason my signature isn't showing up at the bottom of my post(s), and for that I apologize. Nothing sinister here. In fact I would love to tell everybody who will listed about how I started Gura Gear and how we are making excellent camera bags. I have been a long-time member on FM, as you can see from my posts, and am here as a resource if you ever have any questions about our bags.
carnac wrote:
Agreed, however, they should identify themselves as such in my opinion.
I am looking at the TT Airport International. Many nice features and a size that should work for me. I currently have the TT Retrospective Lens Changer 2 and the Retrospective 10 - both in Pinestone (I really like the material).
Jim
Jim - Andy is a stand up guy who has been around for years and is the last guy who would try anything underhanded. Frankly I think most of us would recognize his name and make the connection with Guru Gear, because of the kiboko bag.
Love the TT International especially for airports - on my recent Kenyan trip I used the TT for the airport, packed the kiboko and used the kiboko once I got there.
Also, used the Chobe this weekend - funny thing is that I didn't put a camera in it but it is such a nice bag I took it with me for the laptop and misc things. The material is nicer than the UD 60. As long as I can find room in the bag closet I will keep both since both are useful good bags.
I have looked at both and I love my kiboko bag but I could not bring myself to spend the money on the chobe. If I get a bag like this I will probably get the TT UD60. I think the chobe is just too expensive for what it is.... but that is just my opinion. I had preordered it and then cancelled the order after thinking about it.
I got my Chobe bag from Gura Gear yesterday (I took advantage of the 11% discount). It is thoughtfully conceived and superbly constructed. And it is good looking, too :-)
