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June 12, 2006
Case Logic SLRC-4 Camera + Laptop Backpack
Business trips often provide nice opportunities for some travel photography, so taking both my camera and my laptop -- something none of my current bags can accommodate -- was becoming increasingly desirable to me. So, I began searching for a backpack-style bag that would safely house my DSLR and lenses while also providing room for my notebook.
I found the Case Logic SLRC-4 SLR/Computer Backpack. It's nice and quite a bargain (I found it for about $70 delivered -- the next cheapest similar alternative was a LowePro bag for about $140).
Granted, if you have a lot of gear and/or really big lenses, this may not be the bag for you. If you want to use it for toting both a camera setup and laptop (with accouterments), you'll be limited to one DSLR body, 4-5 small-to-medium-sized lenses, and up to a 15" notebook. A jumbo 300mm f/2.8 (or larger) lens just isn't going to fit. The inside is very reconfigurable in terms of allocating space for different equipment, so as long as you're not heading off to a month-long safari, you should be covered.
Build quality seems very good -- definitely better than I expected for such an inexpensive bag. Another benefit is that there is nothing about the bag that screams out "expensive technology inside!" making it less attractive to thieves.
So, if you have a modest DSLR setup and need to take your laptop with you often, check out the Case Logic SLRC-4 backpack...a good bag and a great value.
Posted by Craig in Computing
and Photography
and Travel
Comments
This bag is very tempting considering I'm forced to choose between carrying my laptop or camera at any time -- I have a Lowepro Stealth AW, but it's huge, so usually stays home. This bag however has no space for anything other than a laptop, camera and some lenses. What if I want to carry a large paper notebook like I usually do? Or stuff some groceries in? I ride a bike, so everything's got to fit in the bag until I get home. I'm not sure the lens holding area accommodates such uses. Does it work for you?
(For some reason I can't use my TypeKey id here despite logging in and sharing email address.)
Posted by: Jace ![[TypeKey Profile Page]](http://www.gearbits.com/nav-commenters.gif)
at July 3, 2006 11:51 AM
Looks like TypeKey worked after all.
Posted by: Jace at July 3, 2006 11:52 AM
Jace, the only space big enough for something 8x11 or larger is the laptop area, which probably isn't thick enough to accommodate BOTH a laptop AND a 3-ring binder, although you could probably put a simple notepad in there as well as a laptop.
As far as groceries, I don't think this'll handle that task very well, unless you're just popping out for a jar of Gray Poupon and a bulb of garlic. ;-)
Seriously, the space dedicated for lenses is probably 12" high by 8" wide by 4-5" deep, so judge from that. A cigar box would fit if you took out the middle divider.
Posted by: Craig at July 3, 2006 7:37 PM
A cigar box? Guess that means a nice paperback or two can go in too. That's good. What about the camera compartment? I've heard it's a bit cramped in there with a big lens, but no details on how big is big.
My notebooks are rarely over a cm thick and the Mac's an inch, so they should be able to squeeze in the back together. I was worried about the ring binder scraping the Mac.
Sorry to be badgering you like this. Maybe I should be testing at the store. :)
Posted by: Jace at July 6, 2006 6:56 AM
Jace, a cigar box is probably the size of a large, thick, hardcover novel -- I bet I could fit in 3-4 paperbacks, if not more, inside the main compartment.
The camera compartment is fine for a small-to-medium-sized body and prime or short zoom. My Minolta 5D and 18-70 zoom fit in very nicely, but I couldn't cram in the body with the 75-300 zoom (which is about an inch longer than the 18-70).
No worries about questions...that's why I enabled the comments function in the first place. :-D
Posted by: Craig at July 6, 2006 11:00 AM
Thanks!
Posted by: Jace at July 7, 2006 3:08 AM
Here is a quetion ~ do you think you could fit a 20D (canon) with a 70-200 2.8 lens attached in it?
Posted by: Cassie at April 15, 2007 4:46 PM
Cassie, the setup you describe would probably not fit anywhere in the bag -- a Canon 70-200 2.8 is a really big lens. You'll likely need one of the more traditional camera backpacks that has a single long space for lens + body down the center of the main compartment. However, a 20D and a big lens like that would fit in this bag if separated from each other, just not assembled.
Posted by: Craig at April 15, 2007 9:52 PM