National Geographic Medium Shoulder Bag Review

Same here. I have the medium bag and it also has brass loops rather than the pictured clip. I should imagine the differences are that the brass loops are stronger but make the strap permanently attached, whereas with the clips you could remove it.

I wonder if the clips are an 'upgrade' to it?

Never used the laptop pocket. Think I'll go check and see if my laptop fits.

And the result (for a Compaq NC8430 - 15.4" widescreen) is that it won't fit. It will fit in standing up and still let you close the bag but that is really far from ideal and doesn't completely protect everything. It wasn't far off fitting so at a guess a 14" standard screen or 12" widescreen would have no trouble. A 14" widescreen though may well have trouble.

To be honest I never planned on using it as a laptop/camera bag. What I wanted was a nice looking shoulder bag that gave me easy access to my lenses. For me, I'm very happy with it. Anyone wanting a combo bag though should probably be aware it wont fit a large laptop.

[QUOTE=Quad;2646123]

Pinto wrote in post #2645963
Mine has no clip like the one in the photo. The strap is connected to the bag with a square brass hoop that looks welded shut. Seems very sturdy. My only fault with the bag is the shoulder pad slips off my shoulder sometimes. It could use a bit of split leather sewn on it to give it some tooth.

Citizensmith wrote in post #2647900
Same here. I have the medium bag and it also has brass loops rather than the pictured clip. I should imagine the differences are that the brass loops are stronger but make the strap permanently attached, whereas with the clips you could remove it.

I wonder if the clips are an 'upgrade' to it?

I'm confused. The reviewer on Amazon said : "The strap, all of two inches wide looks very sturdy. Unfortunately, the material of the clip that lets you adjust its length was extremely flimsy - at least in my bag. A few hours after I had loaded the bag and was carrying it on my shoulder, the clip broke and the bag crashed down."

I was assuming that the "clip" being referred to was "B" the attached image, because it has the length adjustment. But it sounds like Citizensmith and Quad are referring to the lobster claw strap fastener "A".
Are you two saying that your bags do not have the lobster claws, and instead just a d-ring with a stationary strap sewn on, like a Domke satchel?
I've never seen a photo of the bag without the claw connector.
The one thing I don't like about my Domke is the permanent strap.

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same here! i dont have that flimsy clip they are talking about..yesterday, i think i was carrying more than 15 pounds of equipment (lenses, camera, batteries..on top of it was my heavy wool coat and tripod) while on my shoulder...no sign of breaking.

the clips on that bag is alot different from mine. mine doesn't have the lobster claw clip..mine is permanent

Same here, no claw clip on mine just a ring (rectangular rather than a D ring). The strap is permanently attached.

I was assuming the other poster meant the clip A rather than B because B would not be under direct load the same way as A. Looks like I was just misreading the post.

My bag generally holds a 300D, 17-40, 70-200, 85 or 24, flash and spare stuff. Never had any concerns about strap strength.

For what its worth, here's a quick shot of the non-removable strap design.

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Citizensmith wrote in post #2648964
For what its worth, here's a quick shot of the non-removable strap design.

Thank you, Citizensmith, that clears up that question. Wonder why the change? Like I said earlier, I have never seen the permanent strap in any photos of the bag. I'd be a little upset if the product photo didn't match the product I received.
The claws on my small bag appear to be very sturdy. But, if the claws were giving them problems they could have gone to a Mil-spec grade, like Domke uses on it's flaps.
I'm still wondering which connector failed for the Amazon reviewer.

Are there any dividers (or sections?) inside this bag? Based on the picture above, it's hard to tell.

I certainly hope it's not just one large opening -- is it?

SoundsGood wrote in post #2649374
Are there any dividers (or sections?) inside this bag? Based on the picture above, it's hard to tell.

I certainly hope it's not just one large opening -- is it?

There is a padded pouch in the bag which has a divider. The pouch is large enough for my 17-40 and 70-200 with hoods. Then my camera, with whatever lens attached, sits outside the pouch in the main body of the bag.

Actually, seeing as it is sitting right next to me, here is a photo. The folded back thing on the left is the lid to the pouch which has a small Velcro closure. There are two lids to the main bag, a zip closing one and a flap with a couple of poppers to close it. If you are in and out of the bag all the time there is a little strap so you can roll up the zipping lid and keep it out the way. Very useful when you are working and changing lenses a lot.

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Citizensmith wrote in post #2649405
There is a padded pouch in the bag which has a divider. The pouch is large enough for my 17-40 and 70-200 with hoods. Then my camera, with whatever lens attached, sits outside the pouch in the main body of the bag.

I see.

I may have asked this before (sorry, I'm getting confused :confused but will a camera with a MOUNTED 70-200 f/4 IS fit into this bag? Or does the lens need to be removed first?

EDIT: Oh, cool... thanks for the pic!

SoundsGood wrote in post #2649450
I may have asked this before (sorry, I'm getting confused :confused but will a camera with a MOUNTED 70-200 f/4 IS fit into this bag? Or does the lens need to be removed first?

Assuming its the same length as the 70-200 F/4 non-IS then yes, but with the hood reversed. It would be a little too tall with the hood the right way round.

Citizensmith wrote in post #2649495
Assuming its the same length as the 70-200 F/4 non-IS then yes, but with the hood reversed.

Excellent. Yep, same size. Thanks!

Here's mines. Also have the non-removable shoulderstrap version, much better as i've _always_ had strap failure with other bags

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Wow - this bag looks really nice! I may have to get one of these - my crumpler is a bit small if I want to take all my stuff.