NEEWER 22″x14″x10” 2-in-1 Trolley Backpack

For starters, I had a bag that was and is still great. It was my main bag mentioned in a post about my smaller bag used on a NYC photo walk. So what happened? Why did I buy yet another bag? I am glad I imagined that you asked. It was the result of a research fit after reading an article that is now lost somewhere in my browsing history that raised a consideration I had not thought of before.

Wheels.

While well able to hold camera gear as expected, when teamed with lighting, transport required a cart.

Worked great. And this garden cart was much less expensive and more all of one than the purpose built camera gear carts I had seen online that often require that you purchase the wheels and handle separately. But as I have mentioned recently in this space I have been trying to pare things down. I am no longer interested in bringing everything and the kitchen sink “just in case”. That goes for camera and lighting gear. So if I figure now that I have gotten the camera gear down to one bag I would not need a cart if the bag has wheels. One problem though.

The trolley bags recommended in the aforementioned article cost more than I am willing to spend.

Are they worth it? Certainly… Most likely? But they cost nearly twice what I paid for the Lowepro. For wheels? No. So… To the internets!

That is when I found it.

The first thing for me was this:

Neewer makes camera bags?

I knew they made other products. I had a great experience with NEEWER AF extension tubes.

The bag looked good. It had the features I was looking for. And it had an up front bonus that I will mention below. So I decided to give it a shot.

When it arrived I was immediately impressed. It looked good and felt as well built as any bag I had ever owned, including the major camera bag makers. But I am getting ahead of myself. Let me do the pros and cons thing and then I will give my broader thoughts.

Pros

• Price.
  • Varying from $180 to $190 depending on the color it costs well less than half as much as other similarly sized trolley bags
• Build quality.
  • I purposely listed this right after the price for a reason. At that price, it does not feel like a cut-rate product. Does not feel flimsy. Well structured. Well stitched. The first impression was a good one.

• Color.
  • One issue I have had with camera bags in the past has been solved. I am sure they are not the first to do this but you can choose a gray, green, or red interior color. The issue? Most bags I have owned had gray or black interiors. In haste, I have dropped hotshoe covers, flash foot covers, other all black accouterment, etc. in a bag during a photo session and have taken days to weeks to find them again if ever. Have occasionally had to order replacements in the past. No more. I chose red and that is one, admittedly small, issue resolved.

• Roomy.
  • While we are looking at the interior I will make note of the fact that the interior is very roomy with plenty of dividers. I easily fit everything I had in the Lowepro bag with room to spare. In fact, I was able to leave a slot for a “fun” camera in addition to my “sensible” selections. Here is the run down of what my bag is configured for:
    • Main camera with wide to tele zoom attached.
    • Second body with 50mm prime attached.
    • Third “fun” camera.
    • Portrait lens.
    • Wide zoom.
    • Two flashes.
    • Included accessory rain cover and external tripod holder.
    • A pocket for various stuff like batteries, chargers, flash accessories and such.

• Side straps.
  • Wide and well built with padded and webbed handle interiors that are quite comfortable.

• Pockets.
  • The large 17″ laptop slot on the outside and the small ones inside and on the side fit my small accessories and whatnot just fine.

• It is a trolley bag.
  • The whole reason for this purchase. And again at this price point the handles and wheels seem of good quality and the bag itself is well balanced and stands on its own without tipping.

• Also a backpack.
  • When I showed this to my wife, her first response was, “I thought you bought it because it is not a backpack?” A solid question, but it is nice not to have to choose. Hit hilly terrain or other surfaces not well suited for wheels you can still carry the bag on your back. And the cool part is the straps are not included as an afterthought. In their concealment, deployment, and construction it is done with quality. Even the cover for the straps includes a business card slot and then folds down with velcro to hold it in place and even has wheel covers so your clothes are not soiled. All very well thought out and implemented.

• Looks.
  • I genuinely like the way the bag looks. Your mileage may vary. And more importantly, its simple exterior does not scream, “Hey! Would you look at this fancy bag I have!”, which is appreciated.

Cons

…at this price point? None so far.

Closing thoughts.

I like this bag.

More?

Time will tell if it holds up, but so far I am impressed. A well built, roomy, versatile, good looking bag with a reasonable price and few downsides I can identify so far.

Cool.

And, as an added bonus the trolley configuration allowed me to secure a lighting bag with a trolley sleeve to sit on top. So now I can carry nearly all of my gear, save lighting modifiers and stands, on one trolley.

Again. Cool.

You seem to have done it once again Neewer.

Happy capturing.

-ELW