Giottos makes a padded tripod case that measures 7″ x 22″ and sells for a cool twenty dollar bill. Must be crap, right? Well about two years ago I bought it figuring, “What’s the worst that could happen?” Well, let me warn you right now: DO NOT EAT THIS BAG!

This tripod bag come light stand bag was just a month old when it watched me marry my lovely wife (sorry ladies). I whisked my wife off to Hawaii the next day for the honeymoon. Long story short, the amount of gear that came with us was a compromise that all parties negotiated to a fair and equitable volume. So 5D, 24-105 L, 580ex, and the things they needed to work took up all the space alloted. Since we were supposed to be on a honeymoon and not a photo excursion, the only other thing I insisted on bringing was one compact light stand and umbrella.

Guess where they slept every night: right, inside the Giottos tripod bag.

Well, Hawaii is Hawaii and volcanoes it turns out are volcanoes. And for some reason it’s a very long walk to see an actual lava flow up close. Very long. Like 9 miles each way long. A 9 mile WALK along 20 foot high frozen waves of glass shards they call volcanic rock. To make an 18 mile romantic stroll more horrifying, by the time we got to the lava it turned out we would be walking the 9 miles back along the rolling death mounds in PITCH BLACK. Yes, night had fallen. We hadn’t eaten in hours. Our mortal coils were in real live danger of being extinguised and picked apart by lizards under a trail of moonlight. Why do I mention all this? Well, despite a lack of drinking water (we had brought two small bottles, but they evaporated down our throats in the first hour), or even a raisin to eat, I did have my camera gear along with my lovely Giottos bag. So, should you ever find yourself in this situation, I hope you’ll recall this camera gear review.

So, how do I feel about this tripod bag?

This bag tastes terrible. I couldn’t chew through the rugged ballistic-type nylon exterior. The over sized zipper is big enough to choke on! There is a place on the outside to stick your personal information under a clear vinyl window in case another foolish hiker should stumble over your picked clean, sun bleached bones and need to identify the body. So that’s nice. There is also a zippered pocket on the inside for small accessories (pc cords, AA’s etc.) just teasing your taste buds to dive in. RESIST!

This bag is sized as close to perfect as you can get to hold the strobist-made-famous combination of light stand (the 6′ retractable), umbrella holder, and collapsible westcott umbrella. I even manage to get a 5 lb. Boa Bag in there for those less than fresh days. But don’t let the apparently waterproof seams fool you, dipping it in a puddle of your own sweat will not improve the flavor. There is an adequate handle in the middle of the bag that hasn’t given me any trouble and a simple shoulder strap that is good enough, but if you load your bag down, you may find yourself adding a padded strap down the road. That is if you don’t starve to death first!

If you’re looking for an attractive, rugged padded bag that doesn’t add length or girth to your compact cool-guy lifestyle, and you’ve got a sawbuck to spare, this could be the sling for your thing. If, however, you find yourself lost on the razor sharp rocks of Mt. Kilauea with a starving wife and nothing but half truths keeping you from giving up all hope of survival, you might be better served wrapping your light stand with a peanut butter and jelly sandwich and one of those water bladder things because you can’t drink the bag either.

Available through Amazon for $19.95 or through Adorama for the same price.

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