The quest for a new bag...reviews with pics inside

[Chilly]

I've been in the market for a new bag for a while now. I'm sick of my GigSkinz Serato bag. It's uncomfortable and, after a year, still smells. If you don't know what I'm talking about, go grab yourself any one of their canvas bags and you'll understand.

I typically carry a lot of gear of with me. I like how a backpack looks, so I'm kind of partial to those. I decided, based on dimensions and style, to check out the Namba Gear Big Namba Studio Backpack and the Mono EFX 365.

First off, here are the dimensions of each bag (from their websites):
GigSkinz Serato Bag:
Mixer Compartment: 15" X 13"-15" X 6.5"
Exterior Side Pockets (2): 9" x 4" x 2"
Exterior Laptop Pocket: 15" x 12.5" x 2"

Namba Gear Big Namba Studio Backpack:
External Dimensions: 21.5″ H x 14″ W x 9.5″ D

Mono EFX 365:
17" laptop sleeve built in
Vinyl record sleeve: 16" x 13" x 2.5"
Main compartment: 17" x 13" x 3.5"

I had to order the Namba bag from Amazon. I lucked out and a local DJ store had a Mono bag in stock. I went there and grabbed about 75% of my gear (pictured below) and the Mono bag just didn't cut it. I apologize for not having pictures, but I think when this is done you will have an understanding of how it went.

I am not a photographer. These pics were taken with my iPhone 4.

Here is the gear I would typically take to a gig:


Starting from back-to-front and left-to-right:
Stanton Uberstand
Crane Stand
2 Aurelex MoPads (bottoms for VCI-100, tops for Maschine)
A bag of miscellaneous cords, connectors, extra power, etc
Laptop (15" Macbook Pro)
2 external hard drives
Macbook Pro Power cord
Powered USB hub
Audio 8, 4, 2 (I realize I won't use these every time, but they're here for a reason)
Brown padded sleeve for VCI-100 (Built NY)
Pioneer HDJ-2000
Gorillatorch
MidiFighter (not complete yet)
VCI-100
Maschine
RCA & USB cables for soundcards

I know this is a lot of stuff, but it's what I want to have with me. I'd even love to have an extra pair of headphones, but it's not possible right now.

So here are pics of everything listed above inside the GigSkinz bag:



Here you can see the outer flap, opened:


In that flap I have business cards and an 1/8" to RCA cable for a quick connection grab if I ever need it. Also a USB light. Minimum space is taken up here.

Pictured below are the outer flap outer flap and outer pockets:




The outer flap houses the stands. The side pockets house the Audio 8 and the headphones.

Inside the bag, when first opened, you can see what's on top, along with the laptop on the inside sleeve:


If I remove the Aurelex MoPads and the MidiFighter, here is what you can see:



The top left pocket has the cables for the soundcards and the powered USB hub. The top right pocket has both hard drives. Under the Maschine controller is the VCI-100.

So let's check out the Namba bag:





As you can see, with only (from front to back) Maschine, VCI-100 (w/ sleeve), and the laptop in the bag, I cannot close the bag. However, if I remove the sleeve:



I am able to close the bag just fine. There's a lot of room left in the top part though, so I added the following (but did not feel good about it):



You can see the MidiFighter, laptop power cord, and the cables for the soundcards.

Next up, I wanted to try to get the stands in there:





In the top pic, towards the bottom of the bag, you can see the Crane stand sticking out. There's no way for this to fit in the front pocket, and since the back pocket is already filled, this has to go. That being said, I took both out, since even the Uberstand took up precious space that I needed.



Above is what I was able to do. I put the hard drives and the headphones in the mesh pocket (that would be closest to the front), the Aurelex Mopads, the Audio 4 and 2, and the USB hub.

Here is the final outcome of the Namba bag:



I wasn't able to fit the sleeve, stands, bag of extras, gorillatorch, and Audio 8 (there is a side zippered pocket that you can see, but nothing can really fit in there the way I have it packed). Honestly, I had fit a lot more into this bag than I did with Mono EFX 365.

Seems like I'm stuck with the GigSkinz, right? So I listed out my pros and cons of each:

GigSkinz:
Pros:
Fits everything I want to take with me
I already own it
Looks decent

Cons:
Uncomfortable
Smells bad (again, ALL of these bags do...it's the material they are using)
Seems/feels flimsy
Looks decent. Yes a pro AND a con.

Namba:
Pros:
Very comfortable
Looks awesome
Feels rugged
Smells normal

Cons:
Cannot fit everything I want
Would be a new purchase
Would probably need a second bag

I started thinking about that last part...and I've decided to get the matching Kava Laptop Studio Bag and see how this will turn out. The dimensions of the bag are: External: 17″ H x 13″ W x 3.75″ D.

Yes, I know this might be overkill and taking around 2 bags might not be the brightest idea. You never know...and I'm honestly sick of the GigSkinz bag. I'll update everyone when I get the bag and we'll see just how bad 2 bags can be.

[sarasin]

Look who the cat dragged in!



Nice review Chilly!

[Chilly]

Woot

[JesC]

nice sir

[space monkey]

I lOVE that photo...the B/W one XD

Makes me just want to cook dinner for my girl and draw a bath and...

Thanks for the pics, looking for a new bag too