Take 2-10" Camera Bag

Based in Santa Cruz County in California, Photoflex employees are familiar with an active lifestyle. We wanted a camera bag that complimented this lifestyle, making it possible to bring back great images from our adventures.

The Take 2-10" meets this challenge. Even if you already have a camera bag, this lightweight and compact bag is an excellent candidate for day hikes, canoe trips, bike rides, ski runs, or just about any other outdoor activity.

A lot of camera bags give you two options for carrying, a waist belt and a shoulder strap. The Take 2-10" brings a revolutionary new position to this line up, the chest pack. Everyone carries loads on their backs, for obvious reasons, but this position puts all of your gear in the one place that is totally inaccessible, behind you. Move the bag around to your chest and your gear is at your ready.

We start with rugged weather resistant material that can stand up to the extreme situations you may find yourself in. The heavy duty water resistant nylon makes this bag perfect for protecting your gear from spray while in the snow or on the water (figure 2).

Then we give you standard functionality in our waistbelt. This is straightforward and similar to waist belts on other bags. Insert the male end of the buckle into the female end, then use the free end of the strap and pull it in to desired fit (figure 3).

But the true ingenuity of this bag in how these straps change to make a harness that firmly secures the bag, and therefore your camera, to your chest. This is done with a simple, yet ingenious, interlocking rectangular ring system. The rings that you use to tighten the strap also serve as the connection point to the bag and are made to be interchangeable.

The following steps show how you can quickly and easily change from the waist pack configuration to the chest configuration.

First, in the chest pack configuration, the pack is oriented vertically. To accomplish this, you will need to take out the chest clips which come tucked into the small pocket on the backside of the pack (figure 4), if you convert back into the waist configuration, just re-tuck the clips.

The second step is to remove the strap from the waist clips so that it can then be moved onto the chest clips. To begin undoing the rings, simply hold the ring that is attached to the bag, and push the ring on the waist strap towards the bag (figures 5 and 6).

Then twist the clip 90° and feed it back out the strap ring (figures 7 and 8). Repeat for the other side.

Then, untuck the chest rings if you have not done so already. To reattach the strap, simply reverse the process on the chest rings, feed the strap through the chest rings at a 90° angle then straighten it out and pull it back until it locks against the chest ring (figure 9). Repeat for other side.

Once the chest strap is attached, you should then attach the shoulder straps. This is done by simply buckling the two shoulder straps provided to the two buckles on the top of the bag (located on the right side of the bag in the waist configuration). Make sure to have the buckles facing the front of the bag to make it easier to adjust (figure 10).

We are almost ready to begin putting the pack on. All we need to do is position the shoulder straps so that they hang down the front of the bag if you hold it vertically (figures 11 and 12).

With the straps out of the way, we are ready to put the pack on. Find a comfortable place for the bag; we recommend having the bottom of the bag around waist level (figure 13). Clasp the buckle behind and adjust it as outlined in figure 3.

The next step is to take the shoulder straps and toss them straight back over their corresponding shoulder (figure 14).

The next step is to cross the shoulder straps behind your back (figure 15). They are designed to cross over and clip into the small buckles on the sides of the bag.

At this point, simply clip the shoulder straps into the side buckles (figures 16 and 17).

When the buckles are secure, you can then tighten the shoulder straps by pulling the loose ends on the front side up and away from your body (figures 18 and 19).

When set to the chest configuration, the bag will fit comfortably against the chest, minimizing changes in center of gravity, and keeping the bag accessible and out of the way.

Figure 20 shows the correct setup from the back.

Now, to easily access your equipment while on the move, just make sure that the dual zippers are at the top of the bag. You can then partially unzip the bottom zipper (about halfway) which will keep your gear from falling out, while giving you access to your gear. The easy access, hands-free nature of the bag means that you can easily access your gear in active situations, even wearing gloves.

Now all you need is a bike, skis, kayak, rock climbing gear, boat, and the guts to go out and get some great shots!