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I purchased both the Tamrac 3445 Rally 5 Camera/Netbook/iPad Bag (Brown/Tan) and Tamrac 3447 Rally 7 Camera/Laptop Bag (Brown/Tan) bags as I was looking for a daily use camera bag. I had a few key criteria for what the bag had to hold:
1. Be able to hold my camera ( Canon EOS 50D )
2. 1 flash ( Canon Speedlite 580EX or Canon Speedlite 430EX II )
3. 1 lens on Camera and at least 1 additional lens
4. Apple iPad in this case: Twelve South BookBook for iPad in Classic Black Style
5. Assorted: memory cards, ipad camera kit, charger (iPad and camera), spare battery, etc.
6. Place to keep a water bottle or 2
The Rally 7 bag has 4 vertical compartments, whereas the Rally 5 has 3 vertical compartments. Both bags have a compartment for keeping a laptop, netbook or tablet. In addition there are 2 mesh pockets on either side, a zippered compartment at the front of the bag (under the flap) and a document pocket in the back of the bag.
The Rally 7 held everything great, I could hold All of the above comfortably. I could fit my Canon EF 100-400mm f4.5-5.6L lens and 2-3 other lenses, depending on which ones I used. The problem was exactly what I could fit in the bag. Since this is going to be my walking around bag (and what I carry to work every day) I needed to keep myself from over filling the bag. The space for the iPad was plenty large and could easily hold a laptop instead (up to 15"). The pockets on the sides of the bag are pretty nice for keeping small items or water bottles and the front pocket under the flap holds all the assorted accessories I need.
The Rally 5 on the other hand basically has one less slot so I can hold everything that I listed above, but the 100-400L lens. The iPad slot fits my iPad in case just barely or could fit a netbook instead (up to maybe a 11" or 12" screen, my 13" MacBook does not fit). The bag is a little shorter and not quite as wide as the Rally 7, but the depth of the bags is just about the same as can be seen in the photos i have added to the bag pages or in the specs provided by Tamrac. The best part is that the bag now goes with me wherever I go, so I take more photos. I have to plan things more carefully than I did with my backpack, but at the same time this makes the bag lighter.
I ended up returning the Rally 7 and kept the Rally 5. I'm not sure either of these bags could hold a Pro body or a body with a grip, but since that isn't what I have it wasn't a concern. Here are a few things that I would like done differently on the bag:
1. Add the quiet opening velcro flaps like on the Crumpler bags (that I also looked at, but were too heavy).
2. Allow the strap to be changed, although the strap is reasonably comfortable, I can see wanting a different strap or one with more padding.
3. I'm not sure I like the clip in the front for closing the flap, it doesn't have the guides on the side which means I don't quite get it lined up all the time.
Other than those 3 items I really like my new bag! I've been using it for almost 6 weeks now and have found it to be exactly what I needed and when my camera isn't it, I can even use it to hold the 100-400 lens to shoot with at an event so I can get at it and swap lenses. I like the brown color as well (though I did like the black bag with red stripe that was available for other versions of this bag, that didn't have the laptop/iPad slot).
Note: I've posted this review on both the Rally 5 and Rally 7 pages as I hope this helps anyone trying to decide between these bags.
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I purchased both the Tamrac 3445 Rally 5 Camera/Netbook/iPad Bag (Brown/Tan) and Tamrac 3447 Rally 7 Camera/Laptop Bag (Brown/Tan) bags as I was looking for a daily use camera bag. I had a few key criteria for what the bag had to hold:1. Be able to hold my camera ( Canon EOS 50D )
2. 1 flash ( Canon Speedlite 580EX or Canon Speedlite 430EX II )
3. 1 lens on Camera and at least 1 additional lens
4. Apple iPad in this case: Twelve South BookBook for iPad in Classic Black Style
5. Assorted: memory cards, ipad camera kit, charger (iPad and camera), spare battery, etc.
6. Place to keep a water bottle or 2
The Rally 7 bag has 4 vertical compartments, whereas the Rally 5 has 3 vertical compartments. Both bags have a compartment for keeping a laptop, netbook or tablet. In addition there are 2 mesh pockets on either side, a zippered compartment at the front of the bag (under the flap) and a document pocket in the back of the bag.
The Rally 7 held everything great, I could hold All of the above comfortably. I could fit my Canon EF 100-400mm f4.5-5.6L lens and 2-3 other lenses, depending on which ones I used. The problem was exactly what I could fit in the bag. Since this is going to be my walking around bag (and what I carry to work every day) I needed to keep myself from over filling the bag. The space for the iPad was plenty large and could easily hold a laptop instead (up to 15"). The pockets on the sides of the bag are pretty nice for keeping small items or water bottles and the front pocket under the flap holds all the assorted accessories I need.
The Rally 5 on the other hand basically has one less slot so I can hold everything that I listed above, but the 100-400L lens. The iPad slot fits my iPad in case just barely or could fit a netbook instead (up to maybe a 11" or 12" screen, my 13" MacBook does not fit). The bag is a little shorter and not quite as wide as the Rally 7, but the depth of the bags is just about the same as can be seen in the photos i have added to the bag pages or in the specs provided by Tamrac. The best part is that the bag now goes with me wherever I go, so I take more photos. I have to plan things more carefully than I did with my backpack, but at the same time this makes the bag lighter.
I ended up returning the Rally 7 and kept the Rally 5. I'm not sure either of these bags could hold a Pro body or a body with a grip, but since that isn't what I have it wasn't a concern. Here are a few things that I would like done differently on the bag:
1. Add the quiet opening velcro flaps like on the Crumpler bags (that I also looked at, but were too heavy).
2. Allow the strap to be changed, although the strap is reasonably comfortable, I can see wanting a different strap or one with more padding.
3. I'm not sure I like the clip in the front for closing the flap, it doesn't have the guides on the side which means I don't quite get it lined up all the time.
Other than those 3 items I really like my new bag! I've been using it for almost 6 weeks now and have found it to be exactly what I needed and when my camera isn't it, I can even use it to hold the 100-400 lens to shoot with at an event so I can get at it and swap lenses. I like the brown color as well (though I did like the black bag with red stripe that was available for other versions of this bag, that didn't have the laptop/iPad slot).
Note: I've posted this review on both the Rally 5 and Rally 7 pages as I hope this helps anyone trying to decide between these bags.
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I had my eye on this bag for a few weeks. It was exactly what I wanted, but was more money than I wanted to spend. I bought a cheapier bag and threw it away after 2 days. Bought this one and really like it. I wanted a bag that would hold my iPad, in its Otter Box case, the data cable and outlet charger, and my stylus pen. This bag is too big for that, but I wanted the option to be able to carry extra items if needed. The advantage of using a camera bag is that it comes with sections that can be velcroed to create pockets instead of having everything floating around in the bigger front pocket the iPad has it's own pocket.Quality is very good. The strap is not wimpy like on most computer bags. The clip is easy to operate to open the main flap. There is the added bonus of velcro under the flap to hold in place if you leave it unclipped. There is also a pocket on the outside that is great for holding papers, folder, or a magazine.
Honest reviews on Tamrac 3445 Rally 5 Camera/Netbook/iPad Bag (Black)
What I carry in this bag:>Netbook in the slot (without power cord) with camera manual
>Inside compartments: Panasonic Lumix GH2 with 14-140 lens in center, with spare filter underneath; 100-300 lens and lens pen on one side; 20mm prime lens, battery charger, small point-and-shoot, extra lenscaps maybe some small miscelleny, on the other side.
>Front zipper compartment: in the pockets: memory cards (in a drawstring bag), spare battery. Free-floating: filter wrenches (could fit more).
>Back pocket: non-valuable flat items, such as a map.
Note: the GH2 is a micro-four-thirds camera. A DSLR and its accoutrements could be an entirely different story.
I had a hard time picking a bag for my new camera that I was about to take on a trip. This served me well in that it fit pretty much everything I needed (barely, but it did). The lenses only fit this one way (in other words, the bag only closes when the 14-140 lens is mounted and in the center pocket, etc).
Highlights: Decent padding, rugged-seeming outer material, cutomizable velcro-attached inner dividers, attractive non-camera-bag-looking. I truly love the interior netbook slot. Even without a netbook or tablet in there, it provides a welcome extra layer of padding.
Major detraction: open-top design I really would have liked a zippable flap (or something) for greater protection (against dust etc), and some peace of mind (I was afraid that something would fall out). The top flap does buckle and velcro, but not very tightly (and only in the one spot). Easy camera access, but not all that sealed in.
Minor detractions: Sewed-in strap (can't change it out, but it is a nice strap), velcro area for the flap needs to be extended for a tighter fit, buckle is plastic, buckle needs to be moved down so you can make a tighter fit, buckle is a pain and can get jammed if you're closing it without looking, probably far from weatherproof. I don't know if you could throw this in the washing machine, but I would love to find out.
All in all, this is the closest to an ideal bag for me. It has served me well, and fits just fine in an overhead bin. You could take out the dividers (or not) and use it as a messenger bag if you were so inclined. Still, I feel vulnerable about the unpadded top flap not fitting tightly around my camera equipment. I tuck a microfiber cloth in across the top of my interior contents to make me feel better about it (and maybe protect against dust and such). Attractive bag, perfect size. I can even squeeze the whole shebang into a backpack if I need to. In the six months I've had this bag, I've taken it on a 2-week safari, and about 12 flights altogether without incident. It still looks nice too. Great for travel, but I don't think I'd take it on a hike. I also bought the small one for taking the gear out without the netbook and 100-300 lens. I haven't actually used it yet, but it's kind of a cute mini-luggage set (and versatile).
It was so hard for me to pick a camera bag! I hope this review helps someone in the same quandry.
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I bought this after owning the Rally 7, which is larger to take a 15" laptop. I wanted a smaller bag which didn't scream 'camera bag' that would nonetheless protect my camera and allow me to use it as an everyday bag so that I could have my camera handy more often for those once-in-a-lifetime shots that I always seem to see when I don't have my camera.I am very very happy with it there's plenty of space for the camera and some accessories (I don't carry a spare lens at the moment but I have room for it plus the battery charger and a small external hard drive) and outside of the camera specific space with it's lovely adjustable pockets there's still room leftover for my wallet, keys, phone, and a 5.5"x8" day planner, plus a few random odds and ends that always end up in my bag somehow anyway. I keep the day planner in the padded slot for the netbook, but I have actually managed to fit the day planner in the outside pocket on the back and a netbook in the padded slot. It's a bit of a squeeze, but it does work.
Other minor features I like the handle on the top feels nice and sturdy so while I don't carry it around like that, it makes it easy to grab, particularly in tight spaces. I also like that the flap itself has Velcro in addition to the quick-release clip you can see in the photo the Velcro does an excellent job of keeping the bag closed so in situations when I might want to have quick access to my camera I can skip clipping it and it's just a simple matter of lift the flap and go. (The Velcro is also well-placed so that when the flap drops down it catches automatically I've had other bags where there was a similar hook and loop fastener but it hardly ever lined up properly.)
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