In search of a perfect bag for large format photography....

Tenba BYOB13 off-loaded in Mirroless Core Unit of Shimoda Action X

I’ve used many bags in the past 20 years. From cheap & cheerful to the expensive & innovative (MindShift Rotation 180 38L). I’ve also tried various backpacks (LowePro & Gregory) meant for hiking and used Tenba packs to keep my photography gear safe. They all have their advantages and disadvantages.

I’m a hybrid shooter who sometimes does video journals as well. When I say hybrid I mean I use Large format, 4x5, camera system and also full frame digital system. If the hike isn’t strenuous both systems come with me. So a camera bag system which meets my needs is difficult to come by. Add to that complexity the need to store and carry overnight camping gear it becomes that much harder.

Ian Miller, an adventure photographer himself, launched this campaign a couple of years back. The camera bag called Shimoda became sensation. Unfortunately it was the same year when I had backed 4 other projects and non were reaching the desired goal of “ship the product”. He did a follow up campaign in winter of 2019 for Shimoda Action X which was a smashing success. I did contribute to it. Quite a bit. I went ahead with all three bags. The rationale is that I will end up keeping the two. One for my day outings with large format camera system and when I’m doing climbing+photography and one for multi-day camping trips with my Sony A7 system. I wasn’t sure which will meet the requirements in terms of carrying gear hence ordered all three.

The campaign was over 20 times more successful. It achieved a total pledge of $682,533 against the goal of $30,000. So the delay in shipping was expected. I received my 50L and 70L bags and here are my first impressions. These may change over time and with the real life field usage. This will certainly not be the glowing review you will find on YouTube from last year. It did receive some flak on the online forum particularly the ones where couple of the guys were carrying almost empty bags and often in hotel lobby.

However having seen Ian being successful in the first campaign (it is difficult to ship a product let alone a quality one) and he being a very approachable person, always patient in answering simple questions despite being very busy gave me the confidence.

I received part of the order. I wish I had received a Top Loader but can wait til March so I can test it during climbing season.

• Both these are very comfortable with my usual 15kg load.

• The campaign mentioned the core unit and dividers are gorgeous and that is indeed the right adjective. I have used various bags including F-Stop and none matches these.

• Lots of small pockets and the top storage unit is very well thought of. Really well engineered unit with photographers in mind.

Few issues which I hope will be corrected in the second half of the order :

• I did not received the helmet holder for bag. I thought it was included. That is a great idea and will be useful when I do climbing photography.

• The rain cover I received is for Explore series and not Action X. Not sure it will fit and hence not opened/used.

• The 50L has not come with padded straps but possibly technical strap. I thought that was standard.

• The mirrorless unit fits superbly in the 50L bag however the DSLR core units I received (both) have a lot of wiggle room in either bag. Not sure if this will be noticeable in the field. My concern is falling off of camera or lens. I'm dividing in such a way that the expensive items fit snug for the time being.

Update : 20190114

I’ve now also received my 30L pack but not Top Loader. Received an email from Ian and some of the things are cleared.

Few issues as of to date :

• I did not received the helmet holder for bag. I thought it was included. That is a great idea and will be useful when I do climbing photography. They are hidden in the zippered pouches in the upper compartment. Each bag comes with its own. Brilliant.

• The rain cover I received is for Explore series and not Action X. Not sure it will fit and hence not opened/used. Ian's reply is it works as the size is the same. I have not tested it but trust his word.

• The 50L has not come with padded straps but possibly technical strap. I thought that was standard. This is an extra. The wording on the kickstarter page was little confusing. There were many things explained later in the FAQ section. This is understandable given the complexity of the project and amplification given the response.

• The mirrorless unit fits superbly in the 50L bag however the DSLR core units I received (both) have a lot of wiggle room in either bag. Not sure if this will be noticeable in the field. My concern is falling off of camera or lens. I'm dividing in such a way that the expensive items fit snug for the time being. Again Ian's suggestion is to use the compression straps. Unfortunately I'm stuck in the office and can not test it outdoors yet.

UPDATE : 25th October 2020. I’m quite happy with the 30L and 70L. I now use 30L for most of my day outings. Here is a video journal of how I use it for large format photography.

To be continued