Camera Bags Go Incognito
By John Laposky -- TWICE, 4/9/2007
SANTA ROSA, CALIF. —Think Tank Photo, a supplier of camera bags and accessories, is offering a line of shoulder bags designed specifically to not look like camera bags, aimed at professional photographers and consumers who want to call less attention to the fact that they are carrying expensive digital SLR cameras and equipment.
The six-bag Urban Disguise line resembles generic luggage, bucking an overall industry trend of fashion-forward tricked-out specialty bags.
"This design concept is the culmination of years of observation of photojournalists and other photographers who have jury-rigged their bags to decrease their public exposure," said Think Tank Photo founder and lead designer Doug Murdoch in a release. "Whether you are a professional who wishes to maintain a lower profile in potentially dangerous situations or a serious amateur who wishes to lessen the risk of having your gear ripped off, the Urban Disguise's low profile design allows you to carry the right gear with less fear."
The line is designed to hold SLRs and lenses and two of the bags add pockets for notebook PCs. They are engineered to hold the bag close to the photographer's body. Each model features multiple pockets, YKK locking zipper sliders and a seam-sealed rain cover.
The six models are:
- Urban Disguise 10: designed to hold a smaller form factor SLR with the lens attached and one to two lenses with the hood;
- Urban Disguise 20: holds a full-size SLR with lens attached and one to two lenses with the hood;
- Urban Disguise 30: designed for an SLR body and multiple lenses, including up to a 70–200 2.8 lens with the hood reversed;
- Urban Disguise 40: designed to hold two SLR bodies and multiple lenses, including up to a 70–200 2.8 lens with the hood reversed.
- Urban Disguise 50: holds multiple SLRs and lenses up to 70–200 2.8 with the hood reversed as well as some 15-inch notebooks; and
- Urban Disguise 60: holds multiple SLRs and lenses up to 70–200 2.8 with the hood reversed as well as a notebook up to 17 inches.
Think Tank Photo is dedicating a percentage of sales of Urban Disguise bags to Reporters Without Borders USA, a non-profit freedom of the press advocacy group founded in 1985.
Lucie Morillon of Reporters Without Borders USA said, "By buying Urban Disguise bags reporters will not only treat themselves to some great camera bags, but also show their solidarity with colleagues around the globe who risk their lives daily to get at the truth."
