Product Review: Case Logic XNSLR 7

XNSLR 7 is the new entrant in my collection of cameras and accessories. Here is the reason why I bought it.

Problem Statement

I travel very frequently and whenever I travel, I carry at least two piece of luggage...my laptop bag and my camera bag. I cannot fit my camera and accessories in the laptop bag as I carry one SLR camera, one super zoom camera, one 70-300 lens and one 18-55 lens. Moreover, I carry a lot of other equipment like battery charger, table tripod, tripod, filter lenses etc. So, I had no option but to carry two bags. Moreover, these two bags cannot be checked-in and it is painful and uncomfortable to carry these two bags while travelling (especially on Terminal 3 on Delhi Airport). Hence, I was looking for a solution.

Solution

The solution came in the form of Case Logic's XNSLR 7. This bag allows me to carry my laptop and accessories with my entire range of cameras and accessories. In fact it has room for more and so I have filled in four hard disks, my phone charger, my PSP and its charger. Following are its positive and negative points;

Positives:

• Space: As mentioned earlier, it can accommodate a lot of camera gear and you would still find more space. To give you an idea, my bag holds a Canon 450D, a Canon S5IS, a 18-55 lens, a 70-300 lens, filter lenses (3), a battery charger, camera cleaning kit, a table tripod, a medium length tripod, filter lenses, spare batteries, a 15 inch laptop, power cord, laptop accessories bag, mouse, wireless pointer, 4 hard disks, PSP and its charger and my mobile phone charger. With all these, it is full but it definitely has more equipment than I need
• Structure: Two best things about the bag are (1) the camera cradle; (2) the zipper on the side that gives quicker access to any additional camera or lens. The camera cradle allows me to put my SLR camera without removing the 70-300 lens. I would admit that my earlier camera bag also allowed me to do the same but with this cradle, I do not have to worry about the safety of the lens and the camera. The way the cradle has been placed in the bag, it allows easy access to the camera without exposing the entire bag to the elements. The zipper on the side helps me in taking out my S5IS camera in no time. That helps in not missing out on any opportunity to click a picture
• Strength: Its early days but the bag looks pretty sturdy to me. I had looked at several options before zeroing upon this bag. The main reason I did not go ahead with those options was the strength of those bags. I was planning to load a truck load of equipment in the bag and I wanted to be doubly sure that the bag is strong enough. So far, I am happy with my decision
• Looks: This is a attribute on which the opinion can differ from person to person. I personally believe that the bag is fairly good looking
• Safety: As mentioned in one of the earlier points, one real good quality of the bag is that it offers easy access to the equipment and helps in avoiding too much exposure to the elements 

Negatives:

• Weight: The bag itself is not too heavy but after loading all the gear/equipment, it does become heavy. In my case, my laptop probably weighs a ton and that adds to the overall weight of the bag. With my equipment, the bag can be carried ONLY by strong shoulders. Though it is a negative attribute but I would like to add that I am pretty okay with the weight. After all, you cannot have everything. One has to prioritize the needs and compromise on certain aspects to accommodate the more important ones. In my case, I am okay with the weight of the bag, especially when I have both the straps on (carrying it on both shoulders)
• Price: The bag was not available in India so I had to get it from a seller who imports camera accessories from other countries. I got it through ebay and it costed me INR 9990. Now, for a bag, that is a huge sum to pay. I do have difficulty in justifying my purchase to others. However, there were no cheaper alternatives available that scored highly on my priority list of attributes. Some had space but they were not sturdy, some were sturdy but they would not have accommodated all my gear/equipment. I wanted a bag that could have accommodated my current gear as well as the gear that I am likely to go for in future. Keeping that in mind, XNSLR 7 looked the best fit. I agree that I would have loved to have a cheaper alternative. I would also agree that the bag scores less on value for money but that is not because the overall benefits are low. It is just that the money that I had to shelve out was pretty high. Overall, I am not too unhappy on the value for money aspect

Verdict: I Recommend It!!!

Anyone who is looking for a laptop cum camera bag, I would say that before selecting a bag, look at your current camera gear and also keep in mind the additional gear that you may purchase. You would not like to get into a situation in which you have invested heavily in a bag and a year down the line you find it smaller than what you need. 

I believe that except its price, XNSLR 7 offers a pretty attractive package. I would definitely recommend it. However, if you find another bag that can safely store a lot of equipment and is much cheaper, please let me know as I would love to invest in that bag!!!