Official Crumpler Bag Review Thread

True, but if you lay down the dividers they can flatten. I've flatten my 7MDH before for such a reason as you stated.

photosytes wrote in post #7403626
How flat can the crumplers go when they are empty? I need to pack it in checked baggage while I carry my camera gear on board. Was hoping it will flatten down well in a suitcase.

Take the dividers out and pack stuff in the bag to make use of the space it takes up.

Has worked for me a few times now.

Okay, so take out the dividers and then fill the space like you would if you were packing a pair of shoes. Got it. Thanks!!

I just got my 6MDH yesterday (ordered the disco'ed brown/oatmeal/green from Amazon - thanks POTN!) and I L-O-V-E it.

-The material seems very heavy duty and the stitching/construction is solid.
-The bag is very well padded. I like that the interior and inserts are covered with fabric instead of the vinyl type material used in my Tamrac.
-The velco is industrial strength. I like that I don't need to be concerned about things accidentally spilling out but it might be a pain if I need to access the bag and only have one hand free.
-I love that the bag can fit so much but is not overly huge. Right now I have everything in my sig (minus the 75-300 tele) and accessories and still have room for more.

I see this bag lasting me for a very long time.

With practice you can open the main velcro'd flap of your crumpler bag with just one hand. I do it all the time with my 7MDH and have never worried about the guts spilling out due to the bag's design (the sides of the bag are attached to part of the flap so that the bag doesn't unravel when you release the latch and velcro.)

Hows the padding on the base of the 5 MDH?

I just ordered the previous generation 5 MDH from Amazon yesterday
I was using a canon bag for my 40D with 24-70L and I dropped it from about 8" onto the pavement. (I was getting of out my car and had it slung over my shoulder. It dropped down to my elbow and the bottom hit the ground)
It cracked the $80 B W UV filter I had on and I'm mad at myself for using a bag with such little padding.

I don't think I'll be carrying my camera around anymore with the lens facing down in the future. So my other question is, Would I be able to to fit my 40D with the 24-70L lens sideways, so that the lens faces the side of the bag instead of downwards? If it is possible, would I be able to fit a nifty fifty and 85mm with that type of set up on the 5 MDH?

I finally cracked and purchased another 5MDH. It'll be my new bare essentials bag as my old old old one is getting...old. Also my dog chewed the shoulder pad (not like I can't replace it) but the 40D does make it crowded and it was pushing it with the 20D, 10-20, 18-50, and 430EX as it was. This will be much better for those days I'm going wide!

I got the 6MDH when I got my 5D. I think I bought another bag within a week. Its the second Crumpler I've bought and neither gets any use at all. I also have one of the larger rucksacks with a camera bag at the bottom and built in laptop pouch, which has never been used.

From experience now I don't buy bags based on being able to carry most of my equipment as I hate to carry a large bag thats mostly empty most of the time. I've worn right through a Lowe Pro Orion Trekker and used a Fastpack 200 for about a year but it too is slightly too big for everyday use (I mostly just carry the 5D, 24-105 and the 50). I liked the Fastpack series as I like to have some room in the bag for shopping/book/waterpro​of but I think the 100 is too small, so I'm currently using a Kata 3N1-20, which like the Lowe Pros has a quick-draw option, and also has a waterproof cover, tripod system etc, and it looks like it could stop an RPG.

I think what bothers me about the Crumplers is they are so stiff and there aren't really any low profile camera bags, they are all quite big wide things which are a bit unwieldy, and they don't have any quick-draw options. I also found the ability to place the dividers quite limited.

In my limited time with a Crumpler 7MD, I'll echo Blightly's statements.
I wanted to really like it, but the enclosure was very stiff and it just seemed more unwieldly than it should've been.

Currently I stick my 1DM3 and attached 70-200 f/4 in the tamrac pro 5 bag. Slim design, accommodates pro bodies without getting to "fat" and the entire bag fits into a backpack for extra convenience.

^Me too...well in a similar design. I've wondered why people think the 7MDH is a walk around bag? I could never use that thing as a walk around unless I went to events like an all day concert I did where I needed all my gear. I use it at weddings but it's normally parked somewhere.

I couldn't resist the close-out pricing, so I grabbed a 5MDH to compliment my 7MDH. I was unadventurous and went with the same color scheme, black\oatmeal.

After trekking around frequently with my full 7MDH last year, I decided it is time to start traveling lighter (smarter). Hopefully this does the trick.

Slightly disappointed with the lack of a shoulder pad though, and $30 shipped for B&H is a bit steep, considering I got the bag for $48.

I just use my 7MDH shoulder pad. I have to get different colors, can't have them all the same.

I got my 5MDH and I must have had high expectations for it.
It's a decent bag, but the base of the bag isn't as well padded as I hoped it to be.
I'm adding a thin layer of styrofoam to protect my setup (especially when I get new lenses and have to pack my camera with the lens facing down

It's a small bag length and depth wise, but it's HUGE width wise. That's something I wasn't expecting.

But overall, I'm satisfied with my purchase; just in time for my NYC weekend trip. It gets the job done and it's a lot better than the bag I had before.

well after reading all the reviews i pulled the triger on 6MDH.. should be delivered today.. cant wait to check it out
i plan to store all my gear in sig in the bag
will post my feedback in a few days once i'm done playing around with it
thanks guys for all your informative posts!
POTN is great!

Just so it's here too, got my 2nd 5MDH today and I don't understand why I got rid of it. Oh well, I have it now and I'm happy!

My last review was...meh and only was posted to the Crumpler Review thread. Well, I finally got another to replace my worn our "Essentials Only" bag being slightly bigger, more comfortable, and stylish.

Here we have my 430EX and Sigma 18-50 F2.8 on either side where the camera will go. The 18-50 is laying that way so the flap will close over it. You'll see.

HTTP response: NOT FOUND | MIME changed to 'image/png' | Redirected to error image by MYSPACECDN

HTTP response: NOT FOUND | MIME changed to 'image/png' | Redirected to error image by MYSPACECDN

HTTP response: NOT FOUND | MIME changed to 'image/png' | Redirected to error image by MYSPACECDN

HTTP response: NOT FOUND | MIME changed to 'image/png' | Redirected to error image by MYSPACECDN

HTTP response: NOT FOUND | MIME changed to 'image/png' | Redirected to error image by MYSPACECDN