Kelly Moore Thirst Relief Bag A portion of the proceeds from the purchase of this bag will provide a LIFETIME of clean drinking water for up to four people (learn more)
Want to get a great new camera bag that looks better with age? Want to help provide a lifetime of clean drinking water for up to four people? If so, then the new Kelly Moore Thirst Relief bag is the bag for you! This bag is very much like the Kelly Boy bag I reviewed back in 2011, but it has an update style and better mechanism for keeping the bag shut. The waxed finish also resists water and provides a nice finish that never stays the same and improves with age!
A Closer Look
Here’s a closer look at this bag:
The buckles not only look great, they work great – easy to use and they hold tight
Tipped forward to show its backside, you can easily fit a tablet in the outside rear pocket
Just like the Chapel Bag I reviewed yesterday, this bag is super high quality but uses man-made materials so that no animals were harmed in the product of this product. This bag also has a removable interior so that I may be used for purposes beyond photography.
This is a really great bag for men and women. Given its great looks and the great cause behind the product makes it an excellent gift for your environmentally conscious friends.
NOTE: In this review I’ve tried to capture the color of this bag as I see it. The images on Kelly Moore Bag’s web site seem darker than what it looks to my eyes in real life.
If you make a purchase using select links in this article, I may make a commission. It doesn’t cost you a penny more but it does help this blog to continue to bring you articles and discounts like these.
A while back when I did my last review of Kelly Moore bags the response was overwhelming, so I’ve decided to bubble this article back to the top of the blog for those new visitors who may have missed it. This is a great bag that can be used as a stand-alone bag with a handle (shown above), carried with a shoulder strap or mounted as a back pack as shown here:
Back Pack straps make this bag very versatile
The shoulder strap is well designed and you can even store your credit and memory cards in this handy pocket
You can easily store your tablet up front as well as accessories like the Rogue FlashBender or Rogue Softbox. Here’s a view under the main flap:
Tablets and accessories fit easily under the front flap
Inside I’m able to easily store a Canon 5D Mark III with a 24-105mm lens attached (with the hood in the forward position), a 70-200mm lens and a 600EX-RT flash. The dividers can be removed too so you can use this bag for whatever purpose you like. Here’s a view inside:
Inside there are dividers (shown on Kelly’s website) to hold your gear in place See the video for more details
Video Overview
Here’s a quick video I did to demonstrate how you might use this bag:
My female readers have reminded me that they enjoy seeing how a bag looks “on”, so I’ve added a few photos here to demonstrate this bag in action on my sweet wife:
As backpack you can attach the top hooks to the center (as recommend by Kelly) or on the outside (as shown)
My wife reported the bag to be reasonably comfortable even though it had heavy gear in it. She did wish for more cushion on the straps like you’d find on a Think Tank Photo bag.
My wife preferred this bag mounted to the side as the shoulder cushion made it more comfortable under heavy load
Conclusion
Kelly Moore makes excellent quality bags that feel like super high quality leather, but in fact they are synthetic. This helps to keep the price reasonable, but you’re fingers and nose will never tell the difference! In fact, it makes me wonder if some designer brands are using synthetics too!
NOTE: In this first image of this review I’ve tried to capture the color of this bag as I see it. The images on Kelly Moore Bag’s web site seem darker than what it looks to my eyes in real life.
If you make a purchase using select links in this article, I may make a commission. It doesn’t cost you a penny more but it does help this blog to continue to bring you articles and discounts like these.
After spending the last couple months reviewing Kelly Moore bags, I can say with confidence that these are high quality artificial leather products that are perfect for the photographer looking to carry their gear with in style. In addition, since they look nothing like a camera bag, these bags offer another way to hide the fact that you are carrying your expensive camera gear around.
I hope you enjoy my in-depth review, and even more I hope you will support this blog by using my my links at the end (or making a donation if you don’t).
Kelly Boy (Brown)
I’m starting my review with this bag because it’s the one that is gender neutral. I personally use this bag for formal occasions or when I just want a more stylish bag (i.e., this is the trendy coffee shop bag <g>).
The Kelly Boy bag looks better in real life than the pictures because it tends to look more shiny and cheap in photos. The quality and color of this bag is fabulous and it is really quite a cavernous sized bag in a manageable form factor.
During my testing I carried my Canon 5D Mark II camera (neither bag could accommodate my pro body 1D Mark IV when the lens was attached) along with my 24-105mm lens attached, the 16-35mm and/or 100mm macro as well as at least one – sometimes more – 580EX II flashes. As I demonstrate in the video, it can handle my 100-400mm as well, but I never had a legitimate reason to carry that one with me during my testing. My wife also liked to carry her 13” MacBook Pro in it and my Lenovo Thinkpad W510 fit in it without any problems too.
I felt the strap was lacking the comfort that I have become accustomed to with my Think Tank Photo bags, but it was still usable. I also found the magnetic clasps for the flap to be handy, but I worried that if I fell my gear might easily spill out which if you’ve read my camera insurance article you’ll know why I care about that so much!
I love this bag and am so happy the review is over now so I can give it more of a beating than I did for my review (needed to have it in good shape for photos). My wife is also looking forward to using it as a diaper bag sometimes when she wants to be more stylish (I kid you not – and yes I’m shaking my head)!
In the photo below my lovely wife who also reviewed these bags is demonstrating the size relative to her 5’4” size 0 frame:
It’s totally manageable even for someone as small as her, so we found it to be a great balance of holding a lot without being obnoxiously big. It’s also super easy access thanks to its double magnetic flap design.
Video
Here’s a chance to see see inside the Kelly Boy bag in my video review. I stuff it full of more stuff than I ever carried with it during my testing, and there’s still plenty room for more:
More Images
Click the thumbnails below to get a close up view of the Kelly Boy bag:
B-Hobo (Grassy)
The B-Hobo bag looks small on the web site, but it actually is a pretty descent size on the inside in real-life. I was easily able to accommodate my 5D Mark II with the 24-105mm lens attached as well as my 580EX II flash and my beloved 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II USM lens. This is a complete kit that is good enough for most situations, so I was happy to see that my wife (who tested it for me) had no troubles carrying it around in this bag. Of course you can’t hide the weight, so she did complain that it was a bit heavy for her and that the shoulder strap didn’t help as she would like for a load this heavy.
Truth be told, I tried this bag on myself when nobody was looking and found it to be a pretty good solution. The main compartment zipper was a big hit with my wife for added protection against theft or drops by toddlers. I was a little nervous when I put it under stress (as shown in the video), but it never failed during my testing. There was still room for accessories in addition to the gear, and we never found it to be too small when going out for travel photography or an occasional trip to the park with our toddler.
Overall, I think this is a good day bag for entry to mid-level cameras without the battery pack. The color offers something better than the black, gray, and tan colors we are used, so it is great for those looking for a nice fashionable bag for all of their gear. More colors and styles are available at http://kellymoorebag.com.
Video
Here’s my video review where I show one example of how I packed the B-Hobo during testing by my wife:
More Images
Click the thumbnails below to get a close up view of the B-Hobo bag:
Conclusion
Overall these bags were a big hit with my wife, and honestly I liked them quite a bit as well. I’m very picky when it comes to leather and I hate crappy quality leather, and these are definitely not that. This is good quality leather and a great design that feels like a true designer bag without the designer designer price, so that’s even better!
UPDATE: I’ve been totally fooled – these are not natural leather but rather human-made artificial leather. I couldn’t believe it when Kelly told me this today as I was certain this was high quality leather. I couldn’t believe the value of these bags as good leather is usually super expensive. As a leather connoisseur I never expected this day would come where I’d be fooled, so kudos to the maker of this material as I was blown away when I found out it wasn’t genuine.
The only gripes I have about these bags are that the zippers aren’t as bulletproof as you’d find on ThinkTankPhoto bags, and that the inventory tends to be in short supply based on my observation of the web site for the past few months. For my primary bags I’m still using Think Tank Photo bags, but these make a nice complementary bag for special occasions (especially when I’m dressed up). My wife on the other hand is all about design, so this is his her first choice when she needs to bring the DSLR.
In the end these bags are a great value and a an awesome product that I highly recommend for those who are looking for something more stylish than traditional camera bags (typically designed for men).
Please support this blog by ordering from here. To do so you MUST CLICK THIS LINK.
If you can’t find your favorite bag in stock on the Kelly Moore web site, then check to see if you can find it at Adorama’s Kelly Moore Bag Store. It will cost you a little more, but it’s better than back order!
I was given the bags featured in this article for review, and I may get a commission if you purchase using the discount code featured on my discount coupon code page. Please support future articles like this by using my code or making a donation to show your appreciation.
UPDATE: NewEgg has announced their Cyber Monday deals and they are some sweet deals. I’m off to go take advantage of a few myself (click the logo above to see them)– later! :-)
I won’t flood you with holiday specials, but I’ll try to update my “Stuff on Sale” tab at the top right of the blue bar on this blog as I get deals you should know about. I’m also going to do this one article for the ones that I’d consider using or I’d tell my close friends about:
Best Deals
(UPDATED) Topaz Adjust - Click here and use the coupon code CYBERTOPAZ (or RONMART it it doesn’t work) to save up to 30% off. Coupon code RONMART works for 15% off all other products.
Think Tank Photo - Offering up to 11 camera pouches and memory card holders worth almost $300 that you can have added for free to your purchases. Every time you place an order with Think Tank, when you check out you will be asked which one of the items listed below you wish you receive for free. There is no limit on the number of orders you can place. You receive free gear with every order. CLICK HERE to qualify!
B&H Cyber Monday Specials – Too many to list, but click her for the Canon rebate program (NEW)! Click here to go to the category of your choice to see all of the deals! It also includes these great deals:
Canon – Double Instant Rebates (Expires 11/26) at B&H – click here for more details. Canon G12 only 379.95!
Best Deals on the Web for Eizo products when you put RONMARTBLOG in the comments portion of the shopping cart (you’ll get the guaranteed lowest price charged to your card – you can call them and mention my blog as well). Click here and go to the ORDERING section to see more details.
Adorama – 619 items the last I checked! Click here for more details!
Kelby Training – $20 off when you use the RONMARTBLOG coupon code
Kelly Moore – $15 off when you click THIS LINK and then enter the code RONMART when you check out. NOTE: This code WILL FAIL if you have any extra characters like spaces after, so please be careful when typing.
See my discount coupon code page for more special offers (several of which are exclusive to this blog). Also visit my “Stuff on Sale” tab at the top right of the blue bar on this blog for more special offer as I learn about them.
Disclosure
I may get a commission if you use these links. Thank you so much for supporting this blog by using my links – you save, and I make a little pocket change.
All deals are subject to change or expire without notice. I provide the links but I have no control over the actual content of the pages behind the links so price or availability may change!
Using the discount coupon code page you can find the code for a $15 discount off Kelly Moore Camera Bags. I’m excited about these camera bags because they don’t look like camera bags! Instead, they look more like designer bags like you might find at Tumi or Michael Kors with high quality leather and great build quality.
A Sneak Peek Inside
Despite the great prices, these don’t feel like crappy bags you might get from name brand knock off stores online or overseas. They are very high quality leather (and I’m super picky about quality and leathers).
Shopping Cart Example – Code Location shown in Yellow NOTE: CODE WILL CHANGE!!!! Visit the discount coupon code page for the latest code
I can’t wait to do my full review of these very colorful and stylish camera bags, but you can start enjoying the discount now! Just enter in the code found on the discount coupon code page at http://www.kellymoorebag.com and save today!
