Top positive review
5.0 out of 5 starsIf you need a big bag, look closely at this one.
Reviewed in the United States on October 16, 2022
I am reviewing the Vanguard 62T. This is a spacious bag. It will not, however fit in airline cabins. Also, I am not affiliated with Vanguard in any way. I write reviews for buyers, not sellers.
The Vanguard 62T is very well built. The fabric is heavy duty, but feels much smoother than the sandpaper feel of Cordura years ago. The zippers run smoothly. Better than any bag I've owned. The wheels are good quality, turn freely and are easily replaceable. The bag is fully padded, even the closure section has padding. I don't use a device when shooting away from my studio, but there is room for a laptop and tablet. The handles are very well placed and are secure. I especially like that there is a handle strap on the bottom for use when picking the entire bag up. Here is something that I have always found lacking in my other bags. Every cinch point for attaching a tripod, monopod or whatever you may want to attach to your bag comes with a tie-down strap. The pocket for tripod feet fit my Bogen 3021 BPRO (055) and there is a side pocket that will hold a shoot through umbrella, which I often use for outdoor shoots. The soft cases for my 24" softboxes which also get outdoor use have handles that fit over the handle of the 62T. The 62T shines with design forethought and execution.
The inside of the bag came with the camera dividers installed. This made it easy to fit my gear. I simply put the gear in the bag, moved a divider to snug up what I put in there and done. A set of drone dividers is included with the bag. The padding is thick, plush and protective. There is also a security net that zips between your gear and the closure to prevent an accidental equipment spill and two security straps with clips to prevent the cover from opening fully.
The 62T is a great bag, but for my use it isn't perfect. I shoot with a full frame DSLR with grip. The grip causes the camera to sit higher in the case and the hot shoe rubs against the net. If I don't put something between the net and hotshoe, the net won't last very long in my use. Also, it would have been good to have a number of small pockets for lens cloths, memory cards, and spare batteries, etc. sewn into the inside of the cover. The two memory card pockets are only large enough for a couple of cards
I'm currently using the bag with the net and security straps. Although I did once have an equipment spill while using my last bag, I think in time I'm going to get tired of using the net all of the time and the security straps are painful to use constantly. This isn't a big deal. The net can be unzipped and folded into the very bottom of the inside of the case and the straps can just be ignored. I'm sure there will be times when I want them, but for most use, maybe not. We'll see.
So, I'm really pleased with the bag. I can get my camera, wide angle, 70-200, and 100-400mm lenses in there along with my speedlight, flash trigger, 4 sets of speedlight batteries, Rocket blower, a stack of lens filters, and the lens hoods for all of my lenses. Not perfect, but because of the excellent build quality and the thoughtful design, I give this 5 stars.
