Jon Sienkiewicz

I found a lot to like in this stylish new shoulder bag—and a few nits to pick, too. So which is it? Beauty or the Beast? Read on and form your own conclusion.

What can you say about a camera bag that raised $4,869,472 on Kickstarter and won the hearts of 17,029 backers? Quite a bit, actually, starting with “Wow!”

If you think the name Advanced Rear is a little confusing, wait until you wade through the entire Manfrotto Advanced photo backpack lineup which includes models named Advanced Active, Advanced Travel and my overall personal favorite, the Advanced Gear photo backpack. The good news is that aside from the goofy naming system, I can’t find anything else wrong with them. These are beautifully designed, very well made and look like they’ll last a lifetime. But I’m getting ahead of myself…

Let’s face it, air travelers. Takeoffs and landings in cataclysmic weather are a breeze compared to waiting for your bags to appear on the luggage carousal. Did your unlocked bag survive the flight without rupturing along the seams? Was it opened for inspection? And who would have thought that 14 other passengers checked black American Tourister Fieldbrook luggage sets identical to yours? Sound real? Then check out this Strapsafe Luggage Belt from Pacsafe.