Why do most gadget bags open the wrong way ?

[benjiboy]

I don't know if it's just me but I've often wondered why shoulder carried gadget bags (of which I have a few) have lids that have the hinge on the side that's next to your body when it's on your shoulder which means that you have to hold the lid open with the hand on the opposite side of your body to get to the contents with the hand on the same side when it would be far more user friendly to have the lid hinged on the opposite side to the body so when open it would stay open and give much easier access to the contents with just the one hand.

[BrianShaw]

Perhaps tradition - purses have generally opened that way if they have a flap.

Perhaps convenience - carrying a bag with the clasp against the body might be uncomfortable and damaging to garments.

Perhaps because they are often used only for safe storage of gear when transporting rather than for being "worked out of". The only bag of mine that I work out of is a Domke and I often flip the lid "inside out" (outside in, really) to make the bag open and to make the gear accesable. Msotly, though, I set it down when working rather than walking with it on my shoulder.

[semi-ambivalent]

I don't know if it's just me but I've often wondered why shoulder carried gadget bags (of which I have a few) have lids that have the hinge on the side that's next to your body when it's on your shoulder which means that you have to hold the lid open with the hand on the opposite side of your body to get to the contents with the hand on the same side when it would be far more user friendly to have the lid hinged on the opposite side to the body so when open it would stay open and give much easier access to the contents with just the one hand.

I once carried my Domke F2 "backwards" for a day just to see if it was any better. It certainly made access easier but I rationalized that if I fell or the bag was stripped off my shoulder the contents would spill out easier than if even an unclipped cover was covering it. But one day does not a valid test make; I use it in the usual fashion and swear occasionally. I'm more concerned about the mystical affinity my camera straps have for the handle of the parking brake and seat adjustment levers in just about any car I've even owned.

s-a

[benjiboy]

I once carried my Domke F2 "backwards" for a day just to see if it was any better. It certainly made access easier but I rationalized that if I fell or the bag was stripped off my shoulder the contents would spill out easier than if even an unclipped cover was covering it. But one day does not a valid test make; I use it in the usual fashion and swear occasionally. I'm more concerned about the mystical affinity my camera straps have for the handle of the parking brake and seat adjustment levers in just about any car I've even owned.

s-a

I have A Domke F2 and the Domke US postal Service shoulder pad, and has never slipped off my shoulder.

[benjiboy]

Perhaps tradition - purses have generally opened that way if they have a flap.

Perhaps convenience - carrying a bag with the clasp against the body might be uncomfortable and damaging to garments.

Perhaps because they are often used only for safe storage of gear when transporting rather than for being "worked out of". The only bag of mine that I work out of is a Domke and I often flip the lid "inside out" (outside in, really) to make the bag open and to make the gear accesable. Msotly, though, I set it down when working rather than walking with it on my shoulder.

To me Brian If a camera shoulder bag is difficult to "workout of of " and needs to be set down to use it's about as much use to me as tits on a bull.







2

[Mainecoonmaniac]

The world discriminates against lefties, South Paws.

[benjiboy]

The world discriminates against lefties, South Paws.

Ain't that the truth, I'm left handed.

[BrianShaw]

To me Brian If a camera shoulder bag is difficult to "workout of of " and needs to be set down to use it's about as much use to me as tits on a bull.

Well... then you're likely to be frustrated. They all seem to be difficult to work out of. The most successful I have been is with the Domke F2 or F3 (can't remember which is which anymore) and the flap "flipped backward". In general, my bags are heavy enough that setting them down while working is a welcome relief. Good luck to you.

[polyglot]

Most of the bags I've seen have the top flap latching onto the (out)side of the bag rather than the top lip. If you turn that around, you'd need to dig between the bag and your body to get to the latch, which would suck.

For a satchel, I have a Crumpler 7M Dollar Home with the flap arrangement; I find that my elbows hold the lid in place just fine while I'm digging through the bag. Problem is that I can load it up so much that it will cause spinal damage, so I've switched to a backpack (Kata 3N1). In theory the backpack swings around for good access but in practise that functionality basically sucks unless you only want to retrieve a 35mm body from the side of the pack.

[David A. Goldfarb]

Urban Disguise bags are easy to work out of while hanging on your shoulder. The main compartment is zippered on the top down the middle, so you don't have to lift the flap to get to your lenses. I have the UD50 and UD30.