I work in some pretty extreme environments; places that involve a lot of plane, train, and car travel. I’m often trying to handle my bag and gear in -31F (-35C) or 100F (40C) temperatures, trying to get my gear out for a photo shoot in a blizzard or while jumping around in a wet Zodiac. I’ve been looking for the perfect bag for a long time.
I recently came across Stanley Aryanto‘s new bag project, Two Red Tabs. This bag is a product of passion and is not yet in commercial production, however, there is currently a pre-sale program with only 200 bags produced.
What I need
I need a bag that is easy to manipulate with sweaty fingers, with oversized gloves, or when I can’t feel my fingers anymore. I need a bag that can get wet. I shoot in snowstorms, I shoot in rain, I shoot with waves crashing against me.
I have tried many dry bags, but I have never been satisfied with how they hold and protect my camera gear. I need something specifically designed for photography.
I will also be taking some pretty small planes to get where I want to go. The old ATRs don’t have much overhead space and the caravan doesn’t have any overhead space. My packing has to be efficient and my bags have to cope.
Finally, sometimes I have to shoot for hours with some heavy equipment while still adhering to regulations that don’t allow me to put anything on the ground, so I need a bag that is lightweight but still maintains a sturdy harness system to keep me agile.
This is where I introduce you to Aryanto, from The cruel hunt. Aryanto was frustrated with his available backpack options. It sounded like Aryanto felt the same way I did. He wanted to be able to easily access every compartment while still being comfortable on the trail, no matter how rough it got. Perhaps most importantly, we both needed a bag that felt secure and sturdy while protecting thousands of dollars of sensitive gear. Tired of searching for a solution, Aryanto decided to build his own.
A modular system
The Two Red Tabs Backpack features a modular design, specifically designed for use when hiking, day-packing or traveling.
Belt system
The sturdy and clever harness system comes in two parts. The comfortable shoulder strap system is easily adjustable with buckles and velcro. To qualify as a true hiking backpack, the Two Red Tabs bag also has a wide, padded hip belt. This helps to relieve pressure on your shoulders when walking or standing for long periods of time. Now, thinking back to those small overhead bins, the thickly padded shoulder and hip belts can add a lot of depth to your bag. Two Red Tabs has made the harness so easy to remove that I can simply unhook the harness and straps and put them in a larger checked bag with non-essential gear and clothing. Despite this flexibility, the harness and straps remain secure when attached. This means I can easily fit my bag under the seat in front of me on all but the smallest aircraft.
More than one bag
The Two Red Tabs bag can also expand to hold more gear for cross-country hiking, or can be disassembled and folded to create a bag more suitable for day hikes or city exploration.
Adding a top-loading compartment allows you to significantly increase storage space while the small pockets attached to the belt can help you grab and grab some important items while walking.
If you need something smaller, the front of the Two Red Tabs bag can be detached to give you a much smaller and lighter backpack or sling bag for city walking. The Two Red Tabs backpack gives you options to disassemble the bag to suit your needs. You have a larger, sturdier hiking backpack, a stowable carry-on bag, a small daypack, a shoulder bag, a crossbody bag, and even a belt/fan bag.
Inside the bag there are multiple dividers secured with stickers that I can move around depending on the different extra gear I might need or the immediate use of the bag. As you can see, I organize the bag differently when traveling than when I’m taking photos.
Access
The Two Red Tabs bag has 6 different entry points. The two side openings allow you to access items by hanging them up, and importantly for me, you don’t have to put the bag down on the ground. The bag is a little tight, but I can access my items Canon 300mm 2.8L with the extender mounted through these slots.
I work with G’s Adventure in Antarctica and since the bird flu outbreak, no one is allowed to put down their personal bag while on shore. Being able to reach my gear while the bag is slung across my chest is a game changer. And to make it even better, you can wear it on either side, right or left, perfect for us lefties who often get left behind. No more juggling bags and lenses in penguin poop fields.
The main compartment has a zipper that opens from both the top and bottom, making it easy to access your gear in batches without exposing it all to the elements at once. This is important to me. My gear is stored while I’m getting back to the boat in a dinghy to protect it while at high speeds on the water. However, if I see something, I can open a small section of the bag to get to a specific lens set up without risking all of my gear.
For those who are landscape or night sky photographers, the Two Red Tabs bag also offers multiple ways to mount a tripod so you can keep your hands free. I used the side mount to mount my monopod to a dinghy, where it’s important to keep your hands free.
There is also a secure laptop pocket behind the chest strap that allows me to pack my camera and laptop together for flights and transportation. With two quick-release buckles, I can take my laptop out if I have a short break between flights or while waiting for a flight.
Durability
Over the past few weeks, I’ve been able to test the Two Red Tabs bag on a series of recent trips to the Canadian sub-arctic with Adventures in the Northern Frontier. When I was out on a rubber boat looking for belugas and bears, the bag often got wet from the splashing around Hudson Bay. I never had to worry about my belongings. The way I could open the bag and still protect most of my belongings from splashing was perfect for days on the water or, I suspect, looking through a wet blizzard.
Now, I’m not sure I’d be comfortable carrying this bag since it’s not a dry bag, but I’m okay with that since dry bags don’t meet my other needs. Well, I have insurance.
You can see Aryanto gave up his engineering career to pursue his passion. This bag is very well designed.
Little details I love
I also want to mention a few more things that I really like about this bag.
All of the zippers have great little pull tabs. I don’t have to worry about using the bag in a wide range of temperatures. I especially like that the main compartment zippers have little loops that protect the last inch or two of each zipper, ensuring that the bag won’t accidentally or even intentionally open while I’m out and about.
I like the quick release chest strap between the shoulder straps. I often find myself pulling and pushing on the straps to adjust the bag, but in this case, the strap release is easy to manipulate.
What could be improved
I wouldn’t mind seeing a waterproof zipper on the main compartment. Again, while the bag is waterproof, it’s not a dry bag. A stronger zipper would give me a few more minutes if I were actually underwater before the bag got wet. However, the issue with the strong zipper is definitely the weight. Given my intended use for the bag as a hiker, I’m not sure the extra weight is worth the extra protection.
I also don’t mind seeing MOLLE or PALS straps on the shoulder straps. When I’m ashore, I often like to attach a tripod mount for my longer lenses to the bag so I can use both hands to balance or move if needed. However, there are ways I can attach my camera to the Two Red Tabs without the PALS strap. It’s probably not too much to expect an old dog to learn a new trick.
All images are provided by Two Red Tabs or me, as noted.
