Customer Reviews

Crumpler THE SINKING BARGE Laptop Camera Backpack (Black/Black/Gun Metal)

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I use this bag as a large day bag for short trips where I need to bring along other items outside of just my camera gear. I can store my Canon 40D w/ 24-105 f/4 L lens mounted, 14-70 f/4 L lens and 580EX II flash unit easily. In the top compartment goes a 14" laptop, light jacket, misc accessories, gorilla pod, snacks... all in all, the bag is well padded for my camera gear, but I don't like taking this bag into crowded areas due to the fact that the camera is situated in an easy access place where I can't protect my equipment. For trips into crowded, tourists areas, I tend to take the Crumpler Whickey and Cox backpack, where the zipper is in the backside of the bag and away from roaming hands reaching inside your camera bag.

Just got the Crumpler Sinking Barge today. All i can say is, I have never seen a bag made with such quality materials & also beautiful design. I've seen pictures of it but it's really a different story once you get the chance to see it personally and try it on. The shoulder straps are thick, the nylon black straps are made/wooven tight & strong, the zippers are large and also seemed to be strong as well. The velcros are big & really stick to each other and the nylon shell really looks durable & high grade. This bag seemed to be the very best bag I will own considering how it's made BUT I want the folks out there to know that this bag with it's very high quality materials & construction is on the small side. To make it easier, the Kata 467 & Lowepro Fastpack 250 or (even the 200) considerably carries more camera gear than this bag. A small DSLR will fit but it really depends on the lens mounted to it and how you use the photo compartment. A Nikon D90 w/ 18-105 lens will fit snugly "across" in the middle between the 2 paddings/dividers the way you commonly see it in pictures BUT if it's a 18-200 VR,it wont. If you remove the paddings & lay you camera "sideways",a D90 w/ 70-300 VR will fit but that's it. If you have a body larger that the D90, it's entirely a different story. The removeable camera "bucket" although covered with nylon netting, is to shallow for a large DSLR & lenses. You can put your large aperture telephoto lens inside the main compartment but be sure to put it (lens) on it's own foamed carry case to provide additional padding. If money is not a problem & you are about 5'5" greater in height, I highly recommend The Customary Barge. It is bigger but & has more space for camera gear & a larger laptop sleeve inside. So before buying this model,ask yourself first, what gear & how much you need to carry and how are you going to use this bag. This is an expensive bag so don't waste your money on a bag that's too small you can't use it. Fortunately for me,I got the bag for half the price from a friend,otherwise, I would have returned it to the store.

To make the long story short, this is a high quality beautiful laptop backpack that can carry a small to medium DSLR (no grip) & a small lens. Hope this review helps a lot of people in making their decision to get this bag.

After careful investigation I chose the Crumpler Sinking Barge equipment backback. I like the quality and the ruggedness. I think that the outer layer should have more padding and that the "laptop" compartment is way too small. One feature that I truly appreciate is the camera compartment, it is easy to access. The backpack actually stands up pretty good too! I would recommend this backpack for basic equipment, but not for someone looking to carry alot of equipment. I can carry my EOS camera and flash, a light meter, 3 batteries and a charger comfortably. I can also SQUEEZE in another EOS camera but things get pretty tight. ** The laptop compartment works well for an external hard drive.