Dyed In The Wool Camera Bag: Rugged Protection Fast Access

Being a photographer who rides bikes, camera-carrying systems are important. Protecting my gear, especially when I am on multi-day trips, is essential. In my mind, there are two styles of camera carry solutions for on-bike adventures, one that offers ultimate protection from rough trails and the elements and one that offers fast access and enables me to shoot while riding. Even though I feel that the ability to mesh these two elements together into one ultimate camera bag is possible—I have yet to come across a product that has succeeded in doing so. I still remember one particular evening while riding when the sun was settling, like I had never experienced before. Because my camera was safely tucked away in a backpack after a nasty evening downpour I said, “forget it”. As a guy who considers himself a “creator” I really regret not stopping and shooting that sunset. If I had faster access to the camera I would have got the shot and it would have been one of those one in a million images. It's experiences like this that have kept me on the hunt for an on-bike storage system that allows for fast access to the camera and allows me to better tell the story of the adventure, and that's a huge deal to me.

When I came across Dyed in the Wool's camera bag, a bike-specific camera bag, I was intrigued. It looked like a bag that could act as a base camp for my on-bike camera kit. My big question was, could it bridge that gap between solid protection and fast access? So, when I was able to get a bag in my hands to review—I was pumped.

Dyed In The Wool: Creativity & Practicality

Dyed In the Wool (aka DITW) is a small company based in Poland, with a passion for cycling and travel. DITW are a team of two named Alex and Charles who build all their products in-house with every bag made to order. They create a large array of bags and they do it with style—offering a variety of colors and material styles. Some of the DITW designs are wild and, to me, help paint a solid picture of who Alex and Charles are as people.

Thoughts, Out of The Box

When the bag showed up it was packaged simply. Being the environmentally conscious human that I am, I really don't see the need for plastic wrapping these days unless absolutely necessary. So when I opened a cardboard box to find a bag—and only a bag—that made me like the brand even more. Immediately, the color jumped out at me. It definitely was not what I had ordered. After a quick navigation of their website, I noticed that the color lilac was an option both available in Ecopak and Cordura materials. I thought I had ordered an Ekopack bag but the Cordura version was built up and sent to me. Since I was unaware of the two variations, I considered it my bad for not stating the difference when putting in the order. Something to consider when communicating with Alex and Charles.

I immediately dove into the bag and its features. It's obvious that the bag was built to be carried on a bike. Not only does it have the voile straps that allow it to be strapped to the bars of the bike but it has a robust double reinforced HPE body. It also has a rainproof interior material that I appreciate, considering I have drown more cameras than I would like to admit. This bag was a beautiful tank, giving me the initial impression that it would have no problem protecting my gear in the most rugged conditions.

Unpacking the Features & Fit

Mounting the bag with two mini ski-straps was pretty straight forward. These two straps do a great job holding the bag tight to the bars so far seem very strong. I was reluctant of their small size out of the gate but they not only have been holding up but they have a tackiness to them that holds the bag in place. Second, the bag has a stretchy cord that is mounted to the bottom inside of the bag that fastens to the frame. This is to prevent the bag from bouncing up and down while riding. I liked the idea of this but worried that it would cause the bag to rub on my frame. In the grand scheme of things, this is a common problem for any bar mounted bag. My simple fix was some trusty 3M tape to my headtube to prevent any unwanted rubbing. Another option could have been a stem mounted T-Bar that mount via a spacer in order to keep the bag away from the frame of the bike.

Along with its seemingly guaranteed protection for camera gear, the bag is also designed with functionality in mind—offering ample space to hold a significant amount of equipment. I have loaded it up a couple of different ways and have enjoyed its versatility. The shell of the bag is constructed from HDPE plastic and the interior has two Velcro equipped internal dividers that you can adjust to suit your needs. As well the bag includes a padded top protector / divider that can be used to carry cables and other clippable accessories. In addition to waterproof zippers, and the interior waterproof Oxford material the bag safely secures things from the top with its burly roll top design and a Top flap. that with a small zippered compartment to hold any smaller bits and bobs like batteries, memory cards or chapstick.

The Bag in Action

I figured the DITW camera bag needed a few proper test rides. The first adventure I brought the bag along on was a family overnighter. These are the type of trips where we basically pack everything but the kitchen sink to accommodate our three kiddos and the dog. In this case, I packed my go to camera kit that includes a Fujifilm XT-3 and a couple of prime lenses. In addition, I threw in three batteries and a memory card holder. With the ability to adjust the removable velcro dividers these essentials fit perfectly into the bag with room to spare. In this case the bag was fastened securely to a set of flat bars, on my Panorama Taïga and nestled up nicely to one of the sleeping mats. The bag rode well for the entirety of the trip with zero adjustments needed.

Early into the ride, I stopped occasionally, to capture a few moments. Initially I had the bag buckled up tight and secured after every mini photo session. I soon progressed to leaving the buckles undone, this enabled for the fast access I was looking for. The rolltop was a slight nuisance and I feel like if it was slightly smaller it would be easier to navigate on the fly. All things considered the camera was there at the ready when I needed it and that was huge for me. I also really enjoyed the reassurance of knowing that at all my gear was securely packed away in one dedicated location. Something that has never been the case in the past, as normally I spread my gear throughout my kit in order to make it all fit. It was nice to feel that sense of security.

After that initial ride, I began to better conceptualize what the DITW camera bags' purpose—it would become part of my “long-duration” bikepacking setup as well as my main on-bike camera carrying system. I mounted it up to my Panorama Katahdin and took it out for one more test ride. This time, I would pack it up to hold my second lens, my drone, a shotgun mic for video and all the extra batteries and memory cards I would need to film a small adventure documentary. I kept my main camera on my hip and the bag would allow me relatively fast access to my portrait lens and drone in a way that was never possible before. I was excited to see how it handled a fast paced adventure gravel ride. After the dust settled on the ride I felt content knowing that the bag did the job I had assigned it to do.

Another key benefit to the bag worth mentioning is that in addition to all these great on bike features, the bag also functions great as an off-camera shoulder bag as you also get an adjustable shoulder strap. As someone who shoots more than just cycling I love this feature. I have a sneaking suspicion this bag will become my dedicated pack for shooting climbing as it's just the right size and design to carry my needs for a day at the crag. I have also been bringing it along on paid photography gigs and it's been a great addition.

Lastly, I have to say that it has become a mainstay on the bars, taking over as my everyday cargo bag. All a person has to do is yank out the velcro divider and it becomes a great handlebar bag for day trips with the kiddos or a quick trip to the local brewery, yes it houses tall cans with ease.

The Final Frame

When I first discovered the Dyed In The Wool Camera Bag online, I had an inclination that it might be the bag to solve all my on bike camera carrying woes. I thought it just might be the bag that would carry all I needed and give me instant access to gear while simultaneously turning the pedals over. After a couple of trips I have discovered that although it isn't the quickdraw quiver that I thought it might be, it's still the best I've experienced yet. At this point it's the top compromise between fast access and protection that I have ever mounted on my bike. All in all Charles and Alex have done a great job designing and building an ultra practical bag that is useful in so many ways and I look forward to more outings with this beauty, both on and off the bike.