[Heie]

I’ve received a few PM’s regarding how I store and transport my photographic gear as I travel throughout Afghanistan, so I thought I’d make a series of posts here explaining what I use and why. Currently I have some free time as I await for the “partnership ceasefire” to be lifted (see my latest Deployment Update in my signature for details), so I figured this could be a productive use of that time, especially considering my plans to conduct gear reviews upon my return from Afghanistan anyway

CANON DELUXE PHOTO BACKPACK 200EG

When I first arrived in Afghanistan, I carried all of my photography gear in a Canon 200EG Backpack, save for my tripod which was shipped in a tough box (aka locker box, foot locker, etc). I really liked it – it was small, compact, and as long as you removed the "please steal me!" Canon logo emblazoned on the front (a five minute process with some pliers), it was a low-key backpack that no one would ever expect held camera gear. Also, do you see the pocket on the side of the pack? There is one on each side which I used to store granola/snickers bars, sunflower seeds, etc. They unfortunately were too small for water bottles. Lastly, the black and green is very unassuming and it even allowed me to wear it in uniform, which was great because I carried it around a lot when visiting my Afghan counterparts. I felt bag kinda resembles those Jansport backpacks that I grew up with as a kid.

The image below show's how this bag owner used an iron-on patch where the logo was - I just left it uncovered and it had two pin-head sized holes which I didn't fret over. The two inset images in the below photo clearly show that it is just a (soft) metal logo with two pins connecting it to the backing.

The pocket with the zipper directly under the RECYCLE patch is a slim, albeit large pocket that I found great for pens, notebooks, AA batteries, and even my passport one time when I traveled (in retrospect not the smartest decision...) Also, the webbing attached to the flap on the very front of the pack is great for stashing a windbreaker/rain jacket without taking up any space inside the pack and being extremely quick and easy to access. The bag is also advertised as Weather Resistant (two of our most beloved words), and while I haven't had the bag out in an outright downpour, I have been out in a sustained mist/drizzle. The water would bead off the bag, and combined with the large flaps that cover the zippers, I've never experienced even the slightest bit of water ingress. I've seen some pictures with using that to stow tripods, however I strongly disagree with that - there's a much better way to carry your three-legged friend, which I'll explain later.

I immediately loved the bag, as the interior was unexpectedly roomy and spacious, and the Velcro dividers could be re-arranged to your heart’s desire without ever getting the feeling that your gear was not protected on all sides.

I found it best (not only for economy of space but balance as well) to organize and arrange the pack as many of the sample photos showed - have a camera body (grip connected is fine as well) attached to my physically largest lens down the center, and then the other lenses along the perimeter. It could comfortably hold my gripped K-5 + DA* 60-250, DA* 50-135, DA* 16-50, DA 100 WR, DA 55-300, Sigma 8-16 inside, and all my lenses wore their hoods reversed. It was tight, but they all fit, and I was very confident in the padding from all directions. If I remember correctly, the K-7 also fit inside, but I can't guarantee that. This is very close to how I had it set up, but obviously with a bit more lenses.

We all know that Canon's full frame lenses and bodies are monstrously bigger than anything we have - for example, where the 5D+100-400 and the 60mm Macro are I used to have:

Gripped K-5 + DA* 60-250 | W-90 P&S and (thin) External 500gb Hard Drive | Sigma 8-16
* | denotes divider

This is another example, but with a Sigma 50-500mm "Bigma" OS (or Sigma 150-500 - I can't exactly confirm, but I am almost positive it's the Bigma OS...) down the middle compartment.

The following image should give a better illustration of the mesh pockets above. These were great for lens circular/screw-on filters including within their cases, remotes, tripod plates, lens pens, microfiber cleaning towels, etc. I also lined the fronts of both these pockets with lots of silica gel packets. The intent was they would rest directly above all the lenses when the bag was zipped up.

In the main pocket on the front of the bag, I had all my spare batteries, chargers and cords, and my Metz 50 AF-1 external flash (the flash would fit perfectly in the larger pouches with the spandex/scrunchy rims), and again, no issue getting all that to fit. Also, see the three small pouches at the top? Perfect for SD cards, including in their small plastic cases, so that is where they would go. And the velcro on these pouches was very strong - I never had one open accidentally/by itself on me. The keyring hook is a nice touch as well.

Another option is, since this bag will most likely be used to "photography around the town" type day trips, you can leave the main pocket on the front free of photography gear and dedicate it to sustenance. The below photo shows that pocket with an MRE - Meal-Ready-to-Eat, or a U.S. military pre-packaged field meal ready to go and safe to eat for the next 10+ years - inside that pouch. More commonly, you will probably put some water bottles and sandwiches inside. Maybe it's just me, but being a military guy I just couldn't help but laugh when I came across this image

As you can imagine, the bag can get pretty heavy, which made me a bit uncomfortable with the original design of the backpack – because it was a “clam shell opener” – the zippers go all the way to the bottom to allow a 180 degree unfold. Awesome for packing and organizing your gear exactly how you want without having to jam/force anything inside, I was afraid that in the event the zipper broke free, all of my lenses and camera would come crashing down to the floor. To mitigate this risk, I took one of the straps with male/female buckles that I was not using (the across-the-chest strap that buckled between the shoulder straps) and re-attached it so that it crossed the face of the backpack.

Every time I zipped up the backpack, I would connect the buckles (which got to be pretty tight when fully loaded), which would hold the clam shell together, helping to relieve a tremendous amount of pressure off the zipper, and ultimately gaving me the peace of mind that in the event the zipper broke, the backpack would still be held together. Also, in the event of quick access to your gear/not wanting to put your bag down in the mud, you could keep the buckle snapped and still access your down-facing camera in the center slot by just folding over the top of the flap and pulling your camera out (i.e. the 5D/100-400 in the interior fully loaded image above) while the rest of your gear is still secured. Here is another view of the above concept:

The tripod holder is comprised of two straps attached to the bottom face of the backpack. I personally never carried a tripod like this, but I did test it out and it works perfectly fine, without any balance issues (as you would assume). The one gripe that I had about the way this was implemented is how it is a "tighten/loosen" set of straps rather than buckles. What this means is that you have to loosen the straps to create a larger/wider hole for the tripod to slip through. I would have greatly appreciated these having buckles, even small ones, as that would have made the process of affixing and removing a tripod significantly easier and quicker. You can clearly see the strap fasteners in the below image.

And another example, this time worn (I promise this is not me/my room lol) :

As you can see, it is not a large pack - deceivingly small I would say. The straps are comparatively nice and wide with good "squishyness" to them that did not make them uncomfortable. Weren't the most comfortable I've ever had, but by no means uncomfortable. With a lighter and less filled pack they naturally felt a lot better.

Here is another angle to demonstrate the depth of a fully loaded pack. This is pretty accurate to how my bag looked when I had mine loaded with all the aforementioned bodies, lenses, and accessories.

None of these photos of the 200EG are mine with any of my gear as I don't have the bag anymore, which brings me to my final point - why I had to throw out my Canon 200 EG. The zipper started to come undone, and not from holding any pressure, but rather when it was on the ground and I tried to zip it closed. I was initially worried that I had too much volume packed into the bag, but I never had to exert any pressure to get the bag to close properly – so that wasn’t it. I simply wore out the zipper, which was disappointing because, like I said, I really liked the bag – it was the perfect day bag for when you needed a good amount of gear, possibly some snacks, and not much else for walking around town or going for an out-and-back hike. For that reason alone, and the fact that they can be had for $35 brand new on Amazon with free shipping, I will most likely get another one when I return from Afghanistan and won’t be in such a demanding environment – maybe the dust/sand caused the zippers to fails? I highly doubt it, but I never had an issue until 4-5 months into my tour in Afghanistan. In retrospect, I have to be realistic and assume responsibility as most likely being the catalyst behind the failings. Anyway, after a few weeks of this, the issue became worse and I had to carefully and slowly zip the bag 5-6 times just to get a good closure (until eventually only one zipper in only one direction worked), otherwise it would just not catch – even more reason why the buckle across the front was an excellent idea (not mine, read about it online). So unfortunately, I had to dispose of the bag, however I kept all the velcro dividers, which have been put to use in my Pelican 1514 case ( full review forthcoming... ).

THE BOTTOM LINE: I rate the Canon Deluxe 200EG Photo Backpack as 9/10
*Deductions came from poor tripod fastening system, the questionable, albeit most likely user-caused (i.e. me) durability issues, and the need for a couple quick modifications (removing Canon emblem, but namely the safety strap across the front of the pack) at -.5/10, -1/10, -.5/10, respectively, for 8/10 total. The incredible value to be had at such a price, and overwhelming user consensus (reference Amazon.com's user reviews) that there are minimal durability issues, warrants an extra point added for a grand total of 9/10.

For more references/resources to better decide on whether the Canon 200EG is right for you, these should prove conclusive.

You Tube

You Tube

You Tube

You Tube

*This is the first full review that I've ever conducted. As you can tell, I prefer to be very illustrative with many photographs as I feel that is the best way to convey thoughts, especially in this manner for a product the target audience has never seen before. Please do not hesitate to be critical in the event you found this review to not be comprehensive, fluid, or applicable in any of the components I have reviewed above.

-Heie

---

Last edited by Heie; 09-30-2012 at 11:44 AM.

[panoguy]

Nice review, but I'm not surprised by the zipper on that bag going south. It's not a slam on the product, but rather that I just don't think the bag was designed for any kind of rough use (not that I'm saying you purposely abuse your gear!).
Send me an APO address, and I'll send you a 7 year old Kata GDC backpack that will still go through twice as much before you can't zip it. (Actually, it's primarily because it's 7 years old that it can take the abuse. Current Kata bags are made more like LowePro or any other bag, not the Israeli mil-spec they used to be.)

[crewl1]

Thanks for the review. I hadn't heard of this Bag.

it looks like a good fit for my occasional need of a larger bag.

[GibbyTheMole]

Great review! I was recently in the market for a backpack and was considering this one, but it was a bit small for me. I wound up finding a used f.64 BPX for $50, which is huge, but similarly well constructed like my previous f.64 BP. The BPX is made to carry around medium & large format stuff, so it's BIG.

[Blue]

I have one of those Canon bags. I got it for a trip to Africa back in 2011. I use it from time to time when I travel with a larger set including the DA* 300. I like what you did about the Canon logo and the other guys bag. I just used a sharpie to black out the canon text and logo but do need to remove it completely. These bags are hard to beat for the money.

[Unsinkable II]

At a higher cost, I think very highly of Think Tank bags. WAY better made than my Tumi junk.

[Just1MoreDave]

I bought the 200EG based on this review, and I like it. A few comments based on my use so far:

It fits very well under the aisle seat of a 737, leaving a little room for feet too. (The aisle space is slightly smaller than the others.)

The spaces are nice for medium-sized lenses, say the DA 16-45/4 or Tamron 90mm f2.5 or a K135/2.5. Smaller primes (F50/1.7, FA35/2) have some extra room in the divided compartments even if you make the divisions really small. Pancakes or Q lenses might need something like the Pentax Limited case within the backpack's spaces.

On my return trip I plopped my backpack down on the security conveyor, then noticed the guy in front of me had the same pack, right next to mine. Though his has an intact Canon logo, I definitely did not want him to pick up the wrong bag on the other side. I guess this could happen with any popular bag and the odds are still low.

[Heie]

For that reason alone, and the fact that they can be had for $35 brand new on Amazon with free shipping, I will most likely get another one when I return from Afghanistan

Just wanted to share with you all that I kept true to my word and am loving my new Canon 200EG backpack. To add a bit more to the review, I would like to add that I used it as my backpack for skiing this past weekend for four days straight, loaded with my food, wallet, phone, a spare sweater, socks, and my camera and a few lenses (DA 18-135 WR, DA* 50-135, DA* 55). I am not a good skier at all and took some pretty nasty spills - one time on purpose because I was going too fast and didn't have enough room to do wide cuts. So I just crashed on purpose and prayed my skis detached as opposed to my knee

No issue to any of my gear, and on the last day it rained and snowed very hard - I can personally confirm that the bag is as weather resistant as it claims to be.

New, updated rating of 9.5/10.

Hope this has been beneficial to you.

-Heie

[xanis]

Great review! Would you mind posting a shot of the arrangements you have inside the bag? Would be interesting to see how all your gears sit inside.