the basic problem with "photo" bags and gear in general
1- they are designed as essentially 1 use type products lacking in real modularity
2- any type of add on modularity to said products results in a "new revolutionary attachment system" aka "propriatary you pretty much have to use our stuff only system"
the TT attachment system is an example of severe overdesign. 2 seperate attachment systems the wide foam/fabric one and the plastic tongue. then there is the Lowepro one which is the original baseline from where TT came from.
many years ago the US military designed the molle/alice system (not patented or patent pending). in reality an open source attachment system used pretty much my every NATO soldier and 99 % of police forces and a few others in the world. the system works and works very well. proven in just about every environment on the planet. what has changed over the years though is the attachment devices themselves. but and it is a biggy too they are all completely compatible to fit the one system.
one the sides of the maxpedition product you can add in real terms anything that fits its profile from any company that produces its product that supports the open system. for the end user it is the power to build what you need. for the builder it has the potential to be creative and cross market.
Thanks a lot!! Great bag. I ordered one directly and it is built very well - much better than my boda. Only thing about the boda is you can use it as a waistpack like Maxpedition's Thermite (but Thermite is too small to carry a 2,8/70-200) and the Colossus versipack (the one you showed) can't be used as waistpack.
with the weight i do carry in it at times is prefer the shoulder carry method and it spins to the rear or front easier to work out of. the Boda's rather non conventional belt hook up can be a weak link if (though i doubt) a failure. the lid which really surprises me flips open the wrong way too. it is way too photocentric withe the plasic window cf pocket which if your wearing you need to pull up to see since its out front. you know its everyones different view as to how they would use something. me i like multifunction.
I just got my Boda bag. I got the larger bag and while I knew the dimensions when I ordered it, it looks smaller than I expected. I think they must have taken the dimensions when the bag was fully loaded and about to pop
First impressions: the zippers are really tight but I can understand why (waterproofing), it seems compact and easy to carry, I like that the top flap can be pulled openr and snapped out of the way so the top is open without anything in the way, it will hold a 400 5.6 and a 70-200 f4IS with 40D attached (or not), there is a grab handle at the top and back of the bag that makes it quick/easy to pull over your head and off your shoulder, overall very NICE quality.
sjms: half of the CF pocket isn't really hard to see into - one side flips out so you don't have to pull up to see it, the other half that is against the bag is a little hard to see but I guess you could put your full cards in that section so that you don't grab them to use again....
its just that i really see no reason to even have one built in when there are more then a few really well designed secondary ones like the pixel pocket rocket that will attach and give much better access. that is a minor sniggle that seems to show up in just about every photo bag. i just kind of wonder what they were thinking.
Yeah, I think every bag has one thing or another that isn't exactly the way the user would have made it. I don't have to switch out CF cards quickly like a lot of shooters do, so I would rather use those zippered pockets that you get with the Sandisk cards. The Boda bag has a great hook that is perfect for looping those Sandisk pockets into.
I don't think they could have done much else with that space anyway - if you use something like a blackberry, then you could store that instead of cards....
- one side flips out so you don't have to pull up to see it, the other half that is against the bag is a little hard to see but I guess you could put your full cards in that section so that you don't grab them to use again....