Do you LOVE your photo bag? Chances are you are always looking for a bag that has just one little thing that you’d like to change or add or delete. Most photographers have more than one bag. Most photographers will never be happy with the bag(s) they have, but that could be changing. Read on…
Knowing everything I said above is true – Trey Ratcliff – being Trey Ratcliff, (which translates to Trey being a brilliant and talented individual) he went and launched his own photo bag in concert with Peak Design via Kickstarter. Nearly $5 million in orders later, the Everyday Messenger bag is already a success by any measure.
I am lucky enough to have received one of the first production units, and I have to say, this bag is really special.
Let’s talk about the easiest two things to mention about the Everyday Messenger bag. Your lenses are round. Your current camera bag has square or rectangular slots for your lenses. This seems like a no-brainer – why hasn’t someone thought to change this before now? Who knows? But Trey and Peak Design have solved that problem. Peak uses what they call origami-inspired “FlexFold” dividers are made of high-density foam, and fold/flex around camera gear, eliminating dead space found in traditional camera bags. It doesn’t save a ton of space, but it saves enough to be useful for sure. In case you’re tempted to think this is merely a gimmick, don’t. It does save a little space and a little space can go a long way in some situations.
Secondly, if you’re a user of Peak Design’s dedicated “Capture Clip” then you can experience the bonus of attaching a camera body to the bag. I know it sounds weird but it works. (If you haven’t used this system you should really try it. Most people who don’t use it – don’t use it because they haven’t tried it! I will say it is best suited to mirrorless and APS-C sized cameras. It doesn’t work as well with a big, heavy, full-frame DSLR with battery grip for example.)
Beyond those two easy-to-spot differences, there’s still plenty to laud about this new bag.
The Everyday Messenger bag doesn’t look like a camera bag (and because of the cool insert system used in this bag you don’t need to use it as a camera bag – it works well for a day trip with or without a camera) and while I am probably the last person in the world you want style advice from, I do think the bag is quite stylish.
The bag is not a bulky foam cube with the same old tired dividers you can reconfigure. Instead, the Everyday Messenger expands to hold whatever you want. It looks small when you first open it up but it does expand once you put your gear inside.
CONSTRUCTION
The exterior is built from a 500D synthetic canvas with wax coating and DWR finish, which PEAK says sheds water and provides good-looking rugged durability. (More on that below.) The Everyday Messenger’s interior is constructed with several removable high-density compression-molded EVA foam inserts that fold to adapt to a wide range of cameras, lenses and accessories, without creating pockets of “dead space” found in typical camera bags. The bag is finished with an internally-padded seatbelt-style shoulder strap that allows a huge range of adjustment with no hanging “tail” of extra webbing.
IN THE FIELD
The Everyday Bag has quick-zip access to the main compartment, as well as an outer pocket layout designed around the workflow of photographers, commuters and travelers.
There is also a new way to close the bag. Peak Designs calls this the “MagLatch” which I have to say is brilliant. It works very well. It’s easy to open but not TOO easy. I haven’t opened it by accident. When I first heard about this it made me nervous but now that I’ve actually used it I can co-sign that it is effective as can be. You might be confused into thinking it just works by magnetic lock. In fact there is a hook that works in tandem with the magnet to secure the latch. Some of the reviews you’ve seen about this are written by folks who don’t actually own the bag so they may not have covered this well. I just wanted to let you know that it works, it works very well, it’s 100% effective and safe and oh yeah, there’s no nasty velcro straps, etc. that make noise or which can fail over time.
This new bag is very easy to use. It is extremely flexible in its design. My 15” laptop (and my full-sized iPad) fit in a dedicated sleeve which you can open without getting into the main bag. I love that particular feature.
You can wear the strap in such a way that the bag is either messenger style or low-slung shoulder bag. I don’t carry this bag like a messenger bag. I prefer the over-the-shoulder approach. The strap has a no-slip strap that actually holds well. Most similar straps claim that they won’t slip and slide but this one actually lives up to that promise.
WATERPROOF
I used the bag on a misty day and the rain didn’t bother this bag one bit. In fact it was weird but the rain seemed to be repelled from the bag. Peak Design claims it’s weather proof and while I didn’t go out in a downpour, I’d say they were telling the truth.
TRIPOD
One thing most reviewers haven’t talked about this much, but the bag also has a system for carrying tripods that works well. I wouldn’t carry a big heavy tripod this way, but the typical mirrorless tripod fits and works well by connecting to a sleeve on the top of the bag. It’s hard to explain but once you try it you will understand how it works.
APPEARANCE/SIZE
As for looks – like I said above, I am absolutely no style maven but I think most people will like it. I really do. The bag is available in a dark charcoal or tan brown color. Mine is the charcoal color but I have seen the tan color and both are very attractive. The main thing I like about the design is that it simply doesn’t look like a traditional camera bag. Now that doesn’t mean PHOTOGRAPHERS won’t recognize this bag! People have been so excited by this product and it’s gotten so much press coverage that everyone in our community knows what it is on sight. But the average non-photographer won’t spot this as a camera bag.
One question I get about this bag on Twitter relates to size. I find there are two main camps of photographers – those who want to carry everything they own and those who want to carry what they need. I would say this bag is certainly designed for the second group.
It’s not too big or too small for me personally – but this is one area I would suggest you study carefully before deciding to buy it. I overheard people in New York at the Photo Plus Trade show talking about the bag at the Peak Design booth. Some said it was too big and others too small. You can’t please everyone.
I will make one note for mirrorless camera users. I think this may be the perfect bag for people who bought into mirrorless camera systems to save space and weight. You can put a little or a lot of gear in the bag and that goes even further if you’re into mirrorless. If you’re a DSLR shooter you will be fine, but the bag won’t replace your traditional backpack or sling style bag because it’s not THAT big. I think it’s big enough for most situations but I think it’s absolutely perfect for mirrorless shooters and nearly perfect for those with DSLRs, especially those with crop sensor cameras and just two or three lenses. Peak Design says that full-frame DSLRs will fit and I didn’t test that so I can’t speak to that fact.
COST
Camera bags can be very expensive. Sometimes you pay for a name brand. Sometimes you pay for innovation. Sometimes you pay for quality materials. In this case you’re paying for a little of all of the above, but at the end of the day, I think the price is fair for what you get.
I tend to think ALL camera bags are overpriced. In this case, less so than others. The bag is made of premium materials so it’s not inexpensive. It’s $249.95 if you pre-order it via the Kickstarter program. Given the number of pre-orders, those who think it’s worth the money seem to have answered the question as to value. The bag is expected to be sold via camera stores sometime around Christmas.
CONCLUSION
The Everyday Messenger bag is extremely well designed, functional and I am pretty sure will continue to be a best seller. It just may be the perfect bag for people who don’t need a backpack to carry the kitchen sink and it has the added bonus of being flexible enough to serve as an overnight bag, a computer bag, a briefcase, etc.
It is best suited for a day trip, when you don’t need your entire kit out in the field. It executes that job as well as any other bag I have ever tested.
It takes a visionary to create a new camera bag that really leads the category. I think it also takes vision to create a camera bag that can also be used as a simple travel bag. I think the most extraordinary accomplishment concerning the Everyday Messenger bag is that it will appeal to a very wide array of buyers. Everyone from the hippest of hipsters to even old guys like me will approve of and appreciate the design.
By way of disclosure Trey and I have known each other for about six years and I taught a workshop series with him as well as cooperated in other online stuff featuring Trey. But I am not being paid to write this review nor is there any affiliate link here. I am writing this review because I think the bag warrants the positive attention and I also think many of you would really enjoy it.
Very highly recommended.
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Filed under: Photography Tagged: Everyday Messenger Bag, Peak Design, Trey Ratcliff 
