Camera bags were designed to serve a utilitarian purpose, but there’s no reason it has to be boring. Peak Design’s “Everyday Messenger” bag blew past all records on Kickstarter — the $100,000 goal being surpassed to over $1,000,000 in pledges. What makes this bag so different isn’t just that it’s more than a camera bag — although it was created in partnership with professional photographer Trey Ratcliff — but that it’s designed to do more than be a camera bag. In short, it becomes a workhorse for a person’s day to day life.
http://youtu.be/6CpOEcl1nec
Now to do that, all of the design elements and functionality found in the modern messenger bag must be re-engineered. Art Viger, lead designer for Peak Design, points out that, while the standard camera bag is a foam cube with linear dividers, “rarely is anything in life, especially that of camera gear square — so you always end up with this negative space.” To eliminate that, those interchangeable bulky foam cubes need to be ditched in favor of origami-inspired compression molded EVA foam inserts that can mold themselves around camera, lenses and accessories. Make the latch easy to open with one hand by making a proprietary magnetic closure mechanism that works both in semi and full lock mode. Coat the exterior so it sheds water, have it expand from 13.5L to 20.5L and make it from a synthetic canvas so it’s durable — water-resistant zippers and Hypalon-reinforced and bar-tacked stress points help here. To finish, pad the seatbelt-style shoulder strap for comfort and so it can be adjusted with no hanging “tail” of extra webbing.
Of course there’s more: 2 dedicated Capture clip attachment points for exterior camera access and 2 side pockets for smartphones, water bottles and/or other vertically-inclined items. The dedicated 13-15” laptop pocket vies with a top zip for latch-less access to the main compartment, with smaller accessories held in the front access panel.
Retail cost is $250, with pre-order availability. The campaign ends in August.
