Tamrac 5502 Explorer 2 Camera Bag (Black)

by Tamrac

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 7.1 x 9.4 x 9.1 inches ; 1.4 pounds
• Shipping Weight: 3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• ASIN: B000EOUYH6
• Item model number: 550201
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (52 customer reviews)
• Date first available at Amazon.com: May 31, 2006

Product Description

Color: Black

Manufacturer Description

Manufacturer Description The Tamrac Explorer 2 is ideal for carrying most digital or film SLRs (like Canon's 20D) with a grip and zoom lens attached, several additional lenses, a flash and accessories. The main compartment features Tamrac's Dual-Foam Technology for shock protection and a custom fit to equipment. An external front pocket features Tamrac's patented Memory and Battery Management System, which uses red flags to identify which memory cards and batteries are available and which ones are used up. A Speed Pocket on the front flap secures and provides quick access to small accessories. A Total Coverage Top with quick-release buckle and zipper closures provides weather protection. Inside the lid is a smooth nylon pocket for holding lens cleaning paper and an open pocket in the back holds an instruction manual. An adjustable, BioCurve non-slip shoulder strap, and an EasyGrip carrying handle provide convenient carrying options for the Explorer 2.

Dual-Foam Technology
First instituted in our professional lens cases many years ago, Dual-Foam Technology is used in many of our bags today. It combines closed-cell foam to provide maximum shock protection with open-cell foam for vibration dampening and a custom fit.

Memory and Battery Management System
Many of our camera bags feature the patented Memory and Battery Management System, which provides quick access to memory cards, batteries and accessories. This unique system uses red flags to identify available memory cards and batteries from ones that are used up.

Total Coverage Tops
Many Tamrac bags offer triple protection against rain, dust and sand. Our Total Coverage Tops offer triple protection against the elements by providing three levels of security: hook and loop closures for quick access, EasySqueeze quick-release buckles for security, and a zipper closure for the ultimate weather protection.

Strap Accessory System (S.A.S.)
Tamrac's Strap Accessory System has components that attach to the shoulder straps of most of our camera bags and backpacks to allow photographers to personalize and customize their carrying systems.

Modular Accessory System (M.A.S.)
This system allows photographers to customize and personalize their backpacks, shoulder bags, and cases by using accessories that quickly attach to the many Tamrac products that feature the M.A.S. attachment slots. These accessories will also attach to any belt or to Tamrac's Modular Accessory Belt.

A Look Inside

• A - Total Coverage Top
• B - Smooth nylon accessory pocket
• C - Padded BioCurve shoulder strap with Strap Accessory System attachment slots
• D - Modular Accessory System attachment slots
• E - Adjustable, foam-padded dividers
• F - Main compartment features Dual-Foam Technology
• G - Easy-Squeeze buckle
• H - Full-length, zippered Speed Pocket secures small accessories

(Camera and accessories shown for illustration purposes only. They are not included and must be purchased separately.)

Product Description

The Explorer 2 is ideal for carrying most digital or film SLRs with a grip and zoom lens attached, several additional lenses, a flash and accessories. The main comparent features Tamrac's Dual Foam Technology for shock protection and a custom fit to equipment. An external front pocket features Tamrac's patented Memory & Battery Management System, which uses red flags to identify which memory cards and batteries are available and which ones are used up. A Speed Pocket on the front flap secures and provides quick access to small accessories. A Total Coverage Top with quick-release buckle and zipper closures provides weather protection. Inside the lid is a smooth nylon pocket for holding lens cleaning paper and an open pocket in the back holds an instruction manual. An adjustable, BioCurve non-slip shoulder strap, and an EasyGrip carrying handle provide convenient carrying options

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

51 of 51 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Small Bag for a Big Camera, July 11, 2006

By 

Technology Guy - See all my reviews

This review is from: Tamrac 5502 Explorer 2 Camera Bag (Black) (Electronics)

Quite roomy for a small camera bag. I had a difficult time finding a small camera bag that could fit my camera. This top-loading bag can hold a larger SLR with a battery grip, hand strap and medium zoom lens attached with a non-reversed lens hood. And there's room for more -- another lens or two or a flash unit and some smaller items like batteries, filters, memory cards, film, etc. The padded lens compartment dividers are velcroed and can be adjusted to fit your equipment. The right and left lens compartments can be further sub-divided with two included padded velcro partitions but I don't find it very useful to stack equipment in this fashion.

The bag is sturdy and well-padded with a top handle and an adjustable shoulder strap. The top is held closed with quick-release nylon buckle for fast extraction of your camera but can also be zippered closed for added protection from the elements. Great bag for short trips!

46 of 46 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Non-Backpack Type Bag, July 7, 2007

By 

John S. Johnston "Fiction Reader" (Newnan, GA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Tamrac 5502 Explorer 2 Camera Bag (Black) (Electronics)

I needed a new camera bag for my new camera, so I shopped a local camera store to see what they had. I was really impressed with the quality of the Tamrac products they had in stock. The canvas sides of the bag, the straps and the padding were all a notch heavier and better quality than similarly priced competing brands that I saw in that store. But I didn't buy there, since they only carried backpack styles in the Tamrac brand, and I wanted a more conventional, non-backpack style bag.

I did an Internet search for Tamrac products when I got home and found that they have a huge and varied product line of camera and video bags, many more than I saw in the store. Since I now knew of their quality, I simply picked a Tamrac bag by the advertised features, size and price.

The Tamrac Explorer 2 is fairly small, but ideally sized to carry my Nikon D80 DSLR with a 18-135 Nikkor zoom attached. There is also enough additional room for a good sized flash and an extra lens. And, there's plenty of space for small things like extra memory cards, batteries, cables, etc.

My camera's body with the lens attached measures a total of 6.25 inches long (back of camera body to end of attached lens), 4 inches tall (camera body base to hot shoe) and 5 inches wide. This bag will accept a camera body that is even wider than that, but the 6.25 inch total length is close to the max that this bag will comfortably handle. If your camera/lens combination is longer than that, you will want to look at a larger bag, if you intend to carry your camera with the lens attached.

Finally, this is a bag that should last you many years with only minimal care. It is solidly built from quality materials. Just keep in mind that the size of this bag is suitable for just one camera body, a couple of lenses (one attached to the camera body), a flash attachment and the assorted small items that support a DSLR system. If you want to carry more than this, get a larger bag.

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great quality, October 9, 2007

By 

Careful shopper (United States) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Tamrac 5502 Explorer 2 Camera Bag (Black) (Electronics)

Very pleased with the quality of this bag. Shoulder strap pad is made to conform to your shoulder and does not feel bad even after a full days use.
Strap could be a bit longer IMO, I like to put the strap over my head and carry it on the other shoulder so it will not slip off.. just not long enough to keep top of bag as low as I like, but still works just fine.
I'm 6 foot and wear a size 42 long jacket as reference if that helps at all.

I would suggest that you go by the actual inside measurements rather than Tamrac saying WHAT it will hold. Not sure just what lenses and flash units they are testing with, but seem to be of smaller size than what I have in use.

Normally, I carry a backpack type camera bag to hold all my gear, but now and then find I don't need everything with me and would still like to protect my gear and keep it ready for quick use.

I stepped up from the Explorer "1" to this size just as I was about to order, because I wanted plenty of room and it's not quite what I thought in that area based on how many items they state it will hold.

This does hold a Cannon 20D or 40D with battery grip plus shorter lens like the 17-85. (Don't pull the velcro divider straps all the way flat)
a full size flash and flash grip, along with extra batteries, memory cards etc.

They do make various, smaller, add-on cases that can mount on the strap and that works well also if you need to carry more items.


One feature I messed up on.... I started looking at smaller Tamrac bags and they featured a way to strap to your belt along with a shoulder strap and I like that in my other bags.
However, I used the Tamrac site "quick look" to look at the line and kept up-sizing until I saw what seemed to hold enough items, but failed to see that it dropped the belt feature at some size, so just be sure and read the features and measurments well before you order yours.

If you get one too small, you have to pack it tight in the main compartment, makes you lose the use of all the other zippered compartments as filling these will make things fit worse or not at all.

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