Discontinued

Crumpler keystone

Name: Crumpler keystone
Brand: Crumpler
Rating: 8.5 (2 reviews)

8.5/ 10 from 2 ratings5 owner contributions

Backpack Laptop-compatible

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Availability: Discontinued
Added to Cambags: 7 July 2014
Bag type: Backpack, Laptop-compatible
Capacity: notebook 12 in, 1 or 2 bodies, 3 lenses or more
Interior: 26 x 30 x 3.5 cm / 10.2 x 11.8 x 1.4 in
Exterior: 33 x 43 x 20 cm / 13 x 16.9 x 7.9 in

About this bag

You need the ultimate combination of a location photo/video pack,12" IT case and sport-travel backpack that provides ample ergonomics, stability, protection and stealth, all in a package that is fully convertible between these three specifications. This is the basic model, for compact D-SLR/video kits. Full photobackpack, professional photo gigsters, The Keystone is the bag for u... Features: Water resistant 1000D Nylon shell & 420D Ripstop Nylon lining, rear opening main compartment w/ removable fully padded mesh w/ zip lid, Brushed Nylon lined configurable camera compartment & removable laptop sleeve w/ 6 pocket organizer, 2 x external covered & gusseted zip pockets, spine slot back pad, carry handle, chest & waist straps, D rings accessory loops & retro reflective strips on adjustable harness straps, fits 12" laptop Holds: Location photo/laptop backpack, fully convertible. Rearward opening convertible 12" photo/laptop backpack is low profile - for great stability, good security - access to main compartment only if bag is off -shoulders, and good durability - the main zip works with, not against the bag. On location the bag is placed 'front' down - the harness and back pad stay cleaner so you do too! The main photo compartment is fully configurable, has plastic sheet cored foam inserts that prevent hot spots on equipment and is full removable, allowing the back pack to be used solely for cargo. The removable insert for 12" laptops can be used to insulate your lap whilst working, from a hot laptop. For extra support deploy the adjustable chest strap. Use the shoulder straps to attach an optional extra Thirsty Al mobile phone holder.

FROM THE COMMUNITY

Owner contributions 5

2 contributions include a rating. Review and archive methodology.

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2 matching contributions

Contribution · Jul 2015

User overall rating: 10.0 out of 10
Comfort: 10.0 out of 10
Features: 10.0 out of 10
Build: 10.0 out of 10
Price: 10.0 out of 10

This bag has been extensively reviewed on this site, so I'll just add a couple of updates. Firstly, the bag now has an upper tripod clasp. Nice improvement. Secondly, the inside of the bag is quite angular. If you look at the outside front, the grey part is the base of the cavity. Thus, it is much wider at the back (the opening) than it is at the front (the base of the internal cavity). This surprised me. It means you can't fit as much as you might think from looking at a photo of the cavity. Nevertheless, with careful arrangement it holds a surprisingly large amount. I haven't worked out how to have the 70-200G mounted with all of the other lenses packed. It may be possible by rearranging the partitions each time, but that seems more hassle than it's worth. So, I have it setup so I can have any of the other 3 lenses mounted, but have to unmount the 70-200G before packing everything away. Apart from the 11-18mm, these lenses are big, heavy metal muthas. After buying the bag, I was afraid they wouldn't fit, but they did (just). As ever with Crumpler, this bag is VERY robust and supremely comfortable. It's heavy duty and weighs about 2kg when empty. It looks like a normal backpack, a stylish one, but you would never guess that it's holding a small fortune in camera gear. The gear is very secure because no one can open it while it's on your back. It hangs nicely off one shoulder too; the straps are wide and strong. I appreciate the way the straps are integral to the framework; they're not sewn on like other backpacks. With other designs, it's usually the straps that give way when there's a lot of weight in the bag. The bag sits nicely when you put it on the ground. I hate it when a bag overbalances when on the ground. In conclusion, I love this bag. I'd recommend checking if all your gear fits before you buy it. I didn't, but got lucky.

What works

Very strong, beautiful looking, discrete.

Room for improvement

None

In the bag

Sony A700 Sony 70-200mm G f/2.8 Carl Zeiss 24-70mm f/2.8 Carl Zeiss 85mm f/1.4 Sony 11-18mm Sony 56AM flashgun spare batteries etc, MacBook Air. sony dslr a700

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Contribution · Jul 2015

User overall rating: 7.0 out of 10
Comfort: 7.0 out of 10
Features: 7.0 out of 10
Build: 7.0 out of 10
Price: 7.0 out of 10

I was looking for a smaller backpack for travel. My Computrekker looks (and feels) enormous, and I wasn't looking forward to taking it on a 3 week international holiday. The bag had to meet the (highly restrictive) regulations for flights at my local airport, preferably not look like a camera bag and hold everything I wanted to take. I ended up deciding on The Keystone, which was had to be ordered in, so I was shopping blind.

What works

Small - just what I wanted - I won't be tempted to take everything I own on holiday. Opening is against the back while being worn, so difficult to steal stuff out of it.

Room for improvement

Small size made it difficult to pack, but I finally found a combination that worked. No upper clip for the tripod holder like the larger models - I've discovered that a short luggage strap (~20cm) can be used to secure the top of the tripod to the top loop of the bag, making it much more stable to carry. Chest strap is in a good position for women (most are too low to wear comfortably.)

In the bag

Nikon D70s Nikon 18-70mm f/3.5-4.5G ED-IF AF-S DX Nikon 70-300mm f/4-5.6G Tokina 12-24mm f/4 Nikon SB-800 Digimate II Plus (portable storage) Nikon EN-EL3e (x2) Lowepro PixelPak V2 (with CF cards) 67mm C-PL in case, Cokin wide-angle holder, Cokin adaptors 62mm/67mm/77mm, lens cloth, 4 x ND grad filters (in outer pocket) nikon d70s