A few months ago I found the need to get a camera bag that would let me carry around my digital SLR and a few lens. I picked up the Crumpler Six Million Dollar Home
A Typical Load
The Six Million Dollar Home is a messenger bag, so I didn’t buy it to carry around a whole lot of stuff — you could pack a bag like this to the brim, and your shoulder and back would be killing you all day long. That is not a fault of the Six Million Dollar Home, but rather a fact of life with messenger bags. When I need to use the Six Million Dollar Home, I’m usually walking around with one of these two setups:
Camera, zoom lenses, and flash: This includes my Canon 5D, Canon EF 24-105 f/4 L, Canon EF 70-200 f/2.8 L IS, and Speedlite 430EX flash. This is about 7.2 lbs. of gear — it is slightly heavy, but manageable.
Camera, and prime lenses: This includes my Canon 5D, Canon EF 24mm f/1.4 L, Canon EF 50mm f/1.4, and Canon EF 100mm f/2. This is about 4.6 lbs. of gear — I can carry this around all day.
Of course, both of these setups also include extra memory cards and batteries, but those kinds of accessories do not take up much space or add significant weight. There have been times when I have tried to carry both zoom lenses plus a few of the primes, and it was not fun.
Build of the Six Million Dollar Home
The Six Million Dollar home is built very well. The bag is made of extremely sturdy, heavyweight material. The inside is padded well, and the Velcro is extremely strong.
The Six Million Dollar Home’s material is water resistant, making the unexpected downpour much less of a problem. I’ve been out in the rain with my gear in this bag, and nothing has ever been damaged. Keep in mind that it isn’t water-proof, so this does not mean you can drop it in a lake or hike through a tropical storm and then blame Crumpler for your ruined camera equipment.
My favorite feature of the Six Million Dollar home is its accessibility. Fans of fixed focal length lenses will like this bag because it makes changing lenses a breeze. It is very easy to swing the bag around and grab any piece of equipment out of its compartments… provided you aren’t carry too much stuff and have to dig around. I very much prefer carrying camera gear in a messenger bag over a backpack for short outings because it is designed to keep you moving. For longer trips a backpack may win though — that is where the added comfort and storage capacity come into play.
Style
Like all other Crumpler products, the Six Million Dollar Home is built with style in mind. I mentioned this point in my review of the Crumpler Sinking Barge, but it is worth mentioning again: Crumpler makes great camera bags because they are inconspicuous. I don’t think the Crumpler logo is as recognizable as the words “Canon” or “Lowepro”, so thieves who spot your bag might not immediately realize that you are carrying around some expensive equipment. And if anyone does try to open up a Six Million Dollar Home that is Velcroed and buckled shut, they are going to have a pretty hard time keeping the operation quiet.
Finally, photography aside, the Six Million Dollar Home is a very good looking bag. If you would prefer something with a bit of personality, this bag might be for you.
Purchase the Six Million Dollar Home
If you found this review helpful and feel that the Six Million Dollar Home is the right camera bag for you, check out the Crumpler Six Million Dollar Home
