Tamrac Evolution 9

Has anyone seen one of these at a retailer yet? B&H has them in stock. I haven't found a Canadian retailer that lists it. Going to call Gentec tomorrow to see if they've begun distributing them up here yet.

I picked one up a month ago at The Camera Shop of Bryn Mawr in Pennsylvania.
It allows me to carry my 7d gripped with 70-200 f/2.8 L IS Mark II attached.

Do you like it otherwise? It looks kinda huge...

Those are links to the Velocity 9.

Evolution Series

I was at Burlington Camera a few weeks ago and they had the Evolution 8 for a decent price but I think I want the 9.

ions.
Yes, I like the Tamrac Evolution 9 very much. Comfortable and functional.

I had an Evolution 8 that I bought new (Sammys Camera, Pasadena, Ca) a few months ago. Lots of great features and very well built Loaded up with laptop, and camera equipment was much too heavy for me. Quickly realized I need to lighten my load.

Sold it for MUCH less than I paid. Now sitting next to three other bags that don't work perfect for me. The search for the perfect one never ends for me.

They don't appear to be in Canada yet. At least not Toronto. Emailing Tamrac and their Canadian distributor directly yielded no response regarding availability. Henry's doesn't have it in their inventory system yet.

I have definitely eliminated the Evolution 8, although it can fit a 7D with a 70-200 IS MK II mounted finding a place to put that lens, or any other 70-200, while using the 24-70 and keeping the 70-200 accessible doesn't appear to be possible. Just a smidge too tight to swap between the two quickly with the 8. What I want is an Evolution 8.5.

I was thinking of the Aero Speedpack 85 but with only one side access panel the above mentioned lens swapping will still be clumsy. Same issue with the Lowepro Fastpacks - only one side of the pack has access available.

I still haven't eliminated the Kata 3n1 33 as a possibility though I think it will have the same problem. Any other backpacks with side access panels?

From the Canadian distributor of Tamrac:

I travel quite a bit for work. I carry my laptop bag, camera bag and a suitcase that always has to be checked in. I just ordered this seemingly huge bag hoping that I can comfortably fit everything from both bags in.

I ordered it yesterday on Amazon and I should have it by the weekend, I'll try to give it a decent review after my 70-200 2.8 gets here, that's the other reason I bought such a large bag. wish me luck!!!

Any thoughts on the bag Stone 13? Or anyone else? Henry's in Canada now has them in stock and they're currently on sale at a price that beats B&H if ya can believe it! Maybe picking mine up tomorrow.

Picked mine up, it is big. It might be a while before I get a review put together.

I bought an Evo 8 last night but found it too tight to get my 40D in with vertical grip. Size was great for traveling, but ordered the Evo 9 and will return the 8. Henrys had a pretty good sale on them.
Will try to snap some pics of the setup when it arrives.

Weasel_Loader wrote in post #12783120
I had an Evolution 8 that I bought new (Sammys Camera, Pasadena, Ca) a few months ago. Lots of great features and very well built Loaded up with laptop, and camera equipment was much too heavy for me. Quickly realized I need to lighten my load.

Sold it for MUCH less than I paid. Now sitting next to three other bags that don't work perfect for me. The search for the perfect one never ends for me.

therein lies the conundrum that is a camera bag

I too have the 8.
love it.
when I need a bag to bring most...I use it.
I will say if you are carrying a load.....a backpack over a shoulder bag is the way to go.

I got mine at Adorama

Sorry folks, I haven't really used mine as I haven't really been shooting so there's not a lot of material to write a review. Between working on a masters, my 24-70 being in the shop and hating Toronto as a subject I've got nothing to shoot. Thus not taking the bag anywhere to properly assess its performance.

That said, I have played with it a bit thinking about setups. It is big/roomy, versatile and comfortable. It looks especially large when set beside the Evolution 6. It will handle gripped/1D bodies easily. I'm wondering if it will be usable for air travel or if it will be too big to be a carry-on. That could be an issue. If it fits carry-on dimensions it will be very close. My only gripe quality wise so far is that the zipper quality is not quite what I hoped. They're not bad zippers, just not great. They require a bit more tugging and don't exactly get stuck but they're not smooth. Perhaps use will even them out. They don't look particularly weather sealed - yes there is a rain cover included but that doesn't mean a bit of sealing on the zippers wouldn't have been appreciated. Otherwise, the quality of construction and materials is very good throughout. Internal pockets are all functional and in good locations. Although the laptop compartment is made for the widescreen style 17" laptops my older non-widescreen tank of a laptop, Dell Inspiron 1720, does fit. Though snugly. With that beast of a laptop, 7D, Sigma 70-200 2.8, Tokina 11-16, a couple small Nikon manual lenses and a lens pen the weight is considerable but still comfortable. Especially when you look at how narrow the straps are, you would think they'd dig in. Yet, with that weight and only a t-shirt on (and some pants but they're unrelated) it should be comfy enough to handle for a long period. That remains to be proven though. Plus it can fit so much more. Really with only that stuff in it the backpack/sling/bag...b​agpack? is still virtually empty. This is the sort of bag that can hold more than is physically healthy to carry. There is not airflow system so sweaty back syndrome is definitely possible.

Concerns. First is security, and this goes for all the side access bags. I'm not gonna rag on that feature as it was a requirement in my bag choice but some built in security would have been nice. A way to lock the zippers down or conceal them so they're not so accessible maybe? Then I guess people would complain about that. The Vanguard Uprising have an added clip which looks like it would help in this regard. This isn't a huge deal for me as I'm rarely in a place where theft such as that occurs. Still, makes me wonder. If there was a loop which I could tether my Rapidstrap to the bag on the inside that would make me feel better. Hmmmm... The other concern is also one that applies to all bags with side access and it's one of use. Making sure the pockets are zipped up when you swing the bag around. The potential for stuff to fall out is there if one is not fastidious with zippers. Tripod holder is kinda mediocre. I have an older aluminum Manfrotto and it's simply too heavy to hang off the back of the pack. It puts too much weight away from my centre of gravity. The pockets also don't feel as though they can hold a tripod of such weight. Fine, what if I had a newer lighter tripod? It's still putting weight away from your centre of gravity which is never gonna be comfortable and the bag is big enough as it is without hanging things off the back of it. Consider the tripod pocket a short term solution. Perhaps using some straps through the loops in the bottom of the pack to tie the tripod up will work out. Mounting the tripod on the side will of course negate the point of having side access pockets.

Is the 9 a bit too big? Yes, in the same way that the 8 is a bit too small. Ultimately what I wanted was an Evolution 8.5 but between the 8 and the 9 I'd rather have too big than too small. I want to be able to efficiently switch between a 70-200 2.8 (particularly the Canon MK II) and a 24-70 without putting the bag down. Thus the side pocket access must haveness and also having a pocket available for both those lenses at all times which is accessible from the side pockets. The 8 can't do this, the 9 can. I also have plans for my kit to grow in lenses and accessories and I would have outgrown the Evolution 8 shortly so the 9 was definitely the way to go.

I think the Tamrac has the Kata 3n1 series beat in terms of build quality and is much cheaper even without considering the sale price I paid. Aesthetically they're similar but I prefer the Tamrac. The new Vanguards look decent but lack internal pockets stitched into the access doors, a bit of a waste a bit of space and lower usability. Also, tracking down a Vanguard to check out in person proved impossible in the Toronto(GTA) area. Because of this I have only a vague idea how the Vanguards would have worked out size wise. Those of you more comfortable ordering things online and returning them may not have this problem.

As of posting this Henry's is still the cheapest place to get these guys (Yay for Canada having an appropriate price that's better than B&H/Adorama). $175.99 on November 29th.