Domke, a trusted brand
in providing heady duty and functional satchels, courier, and messenger bags.
My messenger, the Ruggedwear Military, is a spacious bag to carry the load. The
bag’s design focuses on functionality using a patent pending organizational system
to set up as you see fit all while knowing that it’s contents are protected.
The main compartment is set up to hold camera and lenses, while the
surrounding pockets not only carry a laptop and tablet. Now that I have
this heavy-duty canvas messenger bag packed full and survived both my commute
and road trip, let’s see how it did.
The bag is built for
anything and just about everything you can throw at it or even in it. At one
point I had my work computer, MacBook, point and click camera, two water bottles,
DSLR, three lenses, chargers, and iPad mini. Sure it was heavy, but great to be
able to toss everything needed for a business trip and knowing the camera is on
hand with everything needed for editing in one place. The side pockets and two
front pockets expand if additional storage is needed, but the zipper on top is
what stole my heart. Unzip and I could access my camera and lenses without
fiddling with the buckles to open the flap.
There were a couple of
things I would have liked to have seen added or improve, but not to worry, the
list is a short one. My first suggestion that is my biggest complaint while
commuting is the lack of a handle on the top of the bag, for the short
distances in which the strap would be excessive. The only other item I would suggest
is that Domke have provided better/stronger clip to hole the strap to the bag.
The clips used are plastic and have come unhooked twice so far in my use.
I have review a variety
of camera bags from the minimal to the bulky, fashionable to the functional,
and this has a bit of everything in place. It is a larger bag but still
manageable to carry daily to work and is the best reason I have found to keep
my camera on me and never have an excuse to miss a shot. The Metro Messenger is
not only available in RuggedWear Military, but also available in RuggedWear
Black, Cordura Black, and Cordura Tan. Domke knows bag owners are in for the
long haul by providing refinishing wax for bringing your bag back to life after
battling the elements.
