A New Player….. Hot digidy dog!
As a Charter Member of the Bag of the Month Club, I am always excited when something new and really good comes along! First let me share a little camera bag history with you, not the history of camera bags in general, but “my” history with them! As a photojournalist I used the same bag virtually every other newspaper photographer used in the 70’s, a Domke bag. It was not elegant, but very functional and it was with that bag that I started to help me appreciate, the value of form and function. I got involved in nature/outdoor photography and the backpack of choice at the time was the Lowepro All Weather Trekker series. In the late 70’s and 80’s I owned a number of different ones of all sizes including the Pro Trekker which was so large that filled with 3 film cameras and 14 lenses it weighed almost 70 lbs.!!!! Not doing this anymore.
The next bag company that really made it’s mark on the pro market was the Think Tank. I still think they are one of premier companies out there making well designed tough camera bags that just simply work. Then I found out about Guru Gear bags through jack Graham my teaching partner. I knew Greg Schern from when he owned and ran Moab Paper Company. I knew he had an eye for quality products. When he sold that company he formed Guru Gear and they joined the ranks of the very best bags you could buy. Well designed, top quality materials, and real form and function factors made them one of my very favorites. I still own several.
Fast forward to today, Greg and Guru Gear bought Tamrac. Now Tamrac has for many years been very good mid-level camera bag company. Let me explain that, in my opinion, and in only my opinion, camera bag companies fall in three categories, o.k. make that four; Pro Grade Top of the Line, Mid level, Inexpensive, and Cheap (not worth your time). Now except for the last category, some decent bags can be had in the middle two groups. In the Top category, they’re really terrific, and it’s a short list,, and that’s why they reside there! ….and that is exactly where Tamrac finds itself now!!!!
So that bring me to today’s review of the new Tamrac Anvil 15 backpack. Greg has folded his magic with Guru Gear into this new line and it sits squarely in the top category. I am using the new backpack for my upcoming fall trips to Nova Scotia, Northern Ohio, the Great Smokies and Zion National Park! I expect I will love it too.
Why would I put it in such a high category?
First: build Quality. This series of bags, and I have two, to test, the Anvil 11 and Anvil 15 are up to very high standard of the previous, Greg Schern designed, Guru Gear bags. Top quality materials, high tech padding (ten different kinds!), YKK zippers with great zipper pulls!, clear TPU pockets you can see through and they are tough as nails. Great organizing pockets on the back cover and a handy and spacious laptop or iPad sleeve in the lid. It comes with a high quality rain cover and nice wide waist belt that can double as waist belt system, with some of their handy lens holding pockets and pouches.
Second: Thoughtful interior design. The customizable main compartment is perfectly proportioned for both full size DSLR systems and smaller Mirroless systems like mine. Illustrated in the top image is my first packing of the bag for up coming trips. The bag will comfortably hold two X-T1 bodies, and the following lenses; 10-24, 16mm f 1.4, 16-55 f 2.8, 18-135 f 3.5-5.6, 60mm Micro with automatic extension tubes, the 90mm f 2, and the 55-200 f 3.5-4.8 (or the 50-140 f 2.8). I will also hold two chargers and 12 batteries!
Below, the top lid holds; an electronic cable release, USB thumb drives, cleaning brush and compression straps (included), allen wrenches, and lens and sensor cleaning supplies. all very clearly visible, a feature I love!
Third: Someone I trust behind and backing the product. Just I have trusted my friends at Think Tank, and continue to, I trusted Greg when I bought several Guru Gear bags, and I now am thrilled with his latest offering. This may just be the first date, but all indications are, this will be a lasting love affair!
Blessings,
the pilgrim
This entry was posted on Wednesday, September 23rd, 2015 at 3:17 pm
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Bill, I am really unhappy that you posted this article about this great new camera bag! I will agree that it does appear to have the hallmarks of a wonderfuly designed and well-built bag so that is not the problem. The problem is that now that you have brought this bag to my attention I am going to have to order one. And that is going to cause significant problems with my significant other as I already have an entire 6′ cabinet full of “THE BAG(S)” I have purchased in the past. Each of those bags were fantastically designed and were going to be the LAST bag I would ever need. Oh well …..
Oh well is right! I’ve backed off a little but these new bags from Tamrac really are done right!
Guys, when you find the right bag, let me know. I have numerous bags from small to a ‘cavern on straps’ backpack and I never seem to have the right bag for what I’m carrying. I’ve found the film camera era bags are better for having space for accessories like a blower, wipes, batteries filters, a remote release, and the other odds and ends, straps for a monopod or tripod, and other stuff that I take. The Anvil may address many of my space needs.
I don’t have any problems with my significant other (for 38 years) as I don’t mention all the Longaberger baskets she has acquired.
Smart man!!!!
I’ve gotten a couple of emails asking what the orange and gray cloths are around and under the lenses.
They are micro fiber cloths. The Orange one is called a Tiger cloth from Kinetronics and the gray one was a very nice give away micro fiber from Canon. A great friend from Canon got me a nice stack of them and I use them a lot. I wrap lenses in them in the bag as an extra measure of protection and to clean filters and lenses. If you wrap a lens with an exposed polarizing filter on a cloth it protects the polarizer from scratches!
Category five: Camera bag? What camera bag? Who the Hell needs a camera bag?
Last week in Yellowstone — because of wildlife opportunities — I had to bring out the Canon big guns. But even then the Fuji gear was in my luggage, secure in those nice Tenba and Domke wraps. Thanks to downsizing my normal shooting gear fits into my rolling luggage. Even the ballhead is downsized (although obviously it’s Arca Swiss Z1 when I use the Canon gear).
That said, what am I going to do when Fuji comes out with the 100-400? Will I need a bag? And will I sell off a boatload of Canon L glass? Stay tuned!
Tuned.
Looks like a very well made bag Bill. My biggest complaint about most bags is do to the smaller size of the Fuji cameras and lenses, is the lack of gripping or or general lossenes of the holding compartments. How well do these bags hold onto equipment(keeping them in their original compartments) or is this also one of the reasons your wrapping lenses are in micro fiber cloths? Just an honest question. By the way my son and I were in Cataloochee doing some nature shoots of the beautiful Elk there (Colors are also starting to change). Can’t wait for Fuji to release the 140-400 along with the 1.4 multiplier. My son was shooting with his Nikon D7100 and 300 f2.8 lens. I couldn’t even close me close to what he was able to capture. Thanks for the review.
Jim Erickson.
Actually they hold there place well, I use the micro fibers to just protect the filters and the lens barrels. The new lens will be a 100-500 f 4.5-5.6, and I m pretty excited to have a 150 to 600!
I think they announced March 2016 for lens and sometime in January for the 1.4 multiplier. Is it true that the multiplier will only work on the 50-140, the 90, the 100-500, and the yet to be released new macro? Right now the longest I have is the 55-200.
Thanks,
Jim Erickson
I’M pretty sure the 1.4 will work with the 50-140, 120 Macro, and the 90mm f 2, not sure about the100-400! The100-400 will be an equiv. 150-600 so that is a lot of reach already!
Well bring it on! Should work great on my XT1 and EX2 and hopefully by then a new Pro2. I try not to wish my life away by looking to forward to future events because that can take you out off the moment of enjoying today, which is all we really have. So I will get out today, and be thankful for what Fuji as given me but boy do they make it hard.
Thanks again,
Jim Erickson