Raleigh, NC Wedding Photographer | Daniel Valente Photography

Gura Gear is quickly becoming my favorite maker of camera bags and there is a good reason for that: Their products are unique, well designed, and stand out in the crowded market.

I’ve used their Kiboko 30L bag for some time (my review here), and while this bag is great when I need to carry everything but the kitchen sink, there are times where it is not the ideal bag. One of these instances is when I need to fly on regional jets, carry a basic camera kit, laptop, and also desire to carry my clothes on the plane in my carry-on. With the Kiboko, I am either forced to put my laptop in a sleeve in my carry-on, which is less than ideal, or carry a separate laptop bag and check my clothes.

The Gura Gear Chobe 19-24L deals with this situation nicely, especially when I don’t need to carry my entire camera kit on the plane.

The Gura Gear folks sent me out a bag for review right around the time that I was covering an event, which required me to travel on a regional jet. This was the perfect opportunity to see how the bag faired as a travel companion.

My conclusions about this bag are nothing but positive, and I will save you the re-posting of specs about the bag because you can read them easily on Gura Gear’s excellent website. In this review, I want to focus my time on specific reasons why this bag should be on your shoulder, rather than a simple rewriting of specifications and metrics about the bag itself.

But before we begin, I should give you a brief introduction to the bag. The Chobe is a shoulder bag about the size of a laptop briefcase. There is a nice rear compartment that is padded and will fit up to a 15” MacBook Pro.  There is a center section that holds a removable padded camera insert. If the camera insert is not used, the bag can be compressed using a zipper. When the bag is compressed, the internal volume is 19L. When it is expanded, the volume is 24L. This is where the 19-24L comes from in the title.

In addition to the laptop and camera sections, there are two pouches on the front that have lots of pockets, and some depth to hold chargers, memory cards etc. The bag is very lightweight, thanks to the fabric that is used in its construction.

So, after arriving back from my trip using the bag, I can safely say that this is the best shoulder bag I have ever used (camera or otherwise), and would highly recommend picking one up.  As a general reaction, here are 10 reasons why this bag deserves A+ marks in my book.

10. The Chobe is a tool for multiple tasks
Because this bag has both a removable divider and can be compressed, it can take the place of two bags in your closet: A dedicated photo/laptop bag, and an everyday laptop bag. Anytime I can replace two items with one, I am happy.

9. It is small enough to utilize as a “personal item” when traveling by plane
Airline regulations are getting ever more strict, and photographers everyway have nightmares about the dreaded “gate check” when traveling on small planes. The Chobe is small enough that it will fit underneath the seat of the smallest plane (see picture below). You gear will never be far away from you, which is a good thing.

8. It has a padded laptop sleeve doesn’t require a separate sleeve
Simplicity is good. I like that I can slide my laptop in the Chobe without needing to use or purchase a separate sleeve. Extra sleeves and fabric means more weight, and my bag is heavy enough when I am carrying my full camera kit and laptop.

7. The iPad can fit in the back pouch
The Chobe has a back pouch that allows you to slip the bag over rolling luggage. It also conveniently fits an iPad. This allows me to have quick access to my iPad without having to dig around in the bag. This is especially useful on a plane.

6. A Water Bottle pouch is found on the outside of the bag
This is a nice touch. I am already carrying my carry-on and this bag, having to carry around a water bottle or soda in my hands makes it difficult to navigate getting things in and out of my bag, or dealing with my tickets. Being able to slip my water into a pouch on the side of the bag and have both of my hands free is a very good thing.

5. It is lightweight
Camera and computer gear is heavy, especially when you try to load it all up in one bag. The Chobe weights 3 lbs, or 4 lbs with the insert. This is 2-3 lbs lighter than most other offerings. Every pound of savings is worth its weight in gold when you are running around the airport.

4. It holds 70-200mm lens with hood reversed
The camera divider will accept my 70-200mm telephoto lens positioned straight up and down. Many other bags like this have a difficult time dealing with this particular lens. Since this lens always comes with me to events, I am happy that the Chobe can accommodate this lens easily.

3. It’s easy to work out of
The zipper that allows access to the photo divider is easy to grab thanks to its grippy rubberized pulls. Once the bag is open, it is easy to grab lenses out, or place them back in. This is true even when the bag is on my shoulder.  It is a rare treat that a bag made for transport can also pull double duty as a shooting bag (try that with a backpack!).

2. It holds a TON of stuff
On my test trip, I carried way too much in this bag: 2x D700 camera bodies, 24-70mm, 70-200mm, 20 and 50mm lenses, a SB-900 flash, extra AA batteries, CF cards, an iPad, MacBook Pro 15”, chargers, cords and tons of accessories. Everything fits inside the Chobe. I could make the bag too heavy before I could max out the capacity.

1. It doesn’t look like I am carrying thousands of dollars of camera equipment
I believe this is probably one of the biggest reasons to check this bag out. It looks like an ordinary business bag from the outside. That is a good thing. It is stylish enough to wear or carry while wearing a suit, and casual enough for a pair of jeans. It will blend into your surroundings and not draw too much attention. And just because it looks conservative on the outside, doesn’t mean it isn’t protective either. At no point in my trip did I every worry about the safety of my gear.

So there you are: Ten reasons that you are going to want to get this bag. I highly recommend you read more about the Chobe and consider picking one up. It is one of the few bags I’ve used that I basically have no complaints about. Well done, Gura Gear.