Digital Camera - Ken Gilbert

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Vanguardhas
reinvented the
traditional shoulder
bag with morespace
and new features
W ho
said the tried-and-tested
shoulder bag had gone out of
fashion? The UP-rise 38’s design
is based on this classic style, and
while backpacks mayseem moreconvenient,
Vanguard is hoping to lure photographers
back with smart new features, ample space
and extra comfort.
The exterior is made from tough modern
fabric thathelps to hold the bag’s shape,
protect against showers and pad the camera.
The topflap is agreat newfeature,
DigitalCamera July2010
FieldTested
new photo gear reviewed and rated
VANGUARD UP-RISE 38
Areinvention of the shoulder bag, withmodern
styling and a zipped flip lid for fast access to your kit
CaMera Bag Vanguard UP-rise 38 > £89.99 > www.vanguardworld.com
incorporating a new weatherproofed zip
across the top that gives quick access to your
kit without the need to battle the flap. Under
the flap are pockets for memory cards and
accessories, but they’re quiteshallow, so
don’t expect to squeeze in anything too large.
Bags of space
There’s tons of room inside, and in our test
the Vanguard easily held a Canon 50D SLR
with kit lens, plus a 70-200mm, 20mm and
50mm lens. The inner divides use Velcroto
hold them in place and these can be quickly
moved and adjusted to suit.
The divides work well, but they’re a bit
flimsy and could do with being more rigid
– they tend to fold under the weight of the
camera. The topflap is secured in place by
twoVelcrostrips and alightweightbuckle,
which we found rather fiddly.
Despite this, and the rather insubstantial
inner divides, the Vanguard is a good choice if
you want something different from a
conventional camera rucksack.