Hello - welcome. Ask many adventure motorcyclists and they’ll say that one of the top 3 favorite parts of getting out and riding to places unknown is bringing back some awesome photos (if you’re wondering, the number one favorite part is probably “not crashing!”).
However, motorcycling creates some unique challenges for photographers, as you can see in this video from Simon & Lisa Thomas of 2RidetheWorld — world-renowned adventure motorcycle riders and photographers.
Some challenges are camera-related like dust, bumps/bruises, and power, while others are somewhat a matter of convenience. To the latter point, something I’m always looking for is the ability to quickly stop, grab my Fujifilm X-T2, and shoot, all without having to get off the motorcycle. Finding an elegant solution to this would mean I’ll actually take the time to capture more memories on the road, instead of being so inconvenienced I don’t bother!
I’ve tried the camera-in-the-tank-bag trick on many occasions and frankly, it just doesn’t work well. First of all, though the camera is pretty compact, it still tends to crowd out space in the tank bag for necessities like maps, snacks, water, glasses, face shield cleaner, etc. Second, despite being right in front of the rider, a tank bag usually has two heavy zippers, which means there are two things you have to fumble with before you even get to your camera.
Fast shooting courtest o fthe CAMSLINGER. Near the old Mesa Grande store, abandoned for year.
Recently I had the opportunity to check out a brand new camera carrying system out of Germany from a company called Cosyspeed. Dubbed the “CAMSLINGER”, it’s a handsome and quite compact bag which is worn like an old-fashioned gun belt from the Wild West days! It’s padded in all the right places and the belt is wide, soft, super-comfortable, and extremely adjustable. Can you say, “no pinching”? It’s also fairly lightweight which is important if you’re going to wear it all day.
Inside the CAMSLINGER are the usual set of dividers and nice padding, plus a flap that can be zippered shut with grippy zippers in case of super-bad weather. There’s easily enough room for my mirrorless camera, a couple of lenses, batteries, and other sundries. The outside of the bag is made of a pretty durable water-resistant fabric that I think will hold up for years of use. Their website refers to it as “Nylon 900D” which of course I had to research: D stands for Denier – it’s a unit of measurement used to determine fiber thickness for textiles. Interestingly, I found out that 1 Denier = a single strand of silk thread — pretty cool!
The guys have also designed a cool quick-release latching mechanism that is easy to open and close with one hand. It’s ingenious actually: A small plastic post slides into a channel sewn into the body of the bag. Once you slide it all the way to the end, there’s a small click to let you know it’s magnetically seated properly and the bag is now firmly closed. They worked with a closure specialist named FIDLOCK from Hanover, Germany which is ultra-awesome — I’m a huge fan of collaborations.
"Beauty Shot" at the Julian Coffee House, Julian Californaia
But wait, there’s more, and this is really good for motorcyclists. For an extra measure of safety, there’s a stretchy loop that you can pull over the part of the post that extends to the outside of the flap. This two-stage closure might sound cumbersome, but it’s neither. Once you get the hang of it, you can quickly flip the loop off the top post and slide the latch open in one deft movement, then reach in and grab your camera. Way faster than the old tank bag method!
On the road, with a quick camera shot, courtesy of Camslinger!
Overall, the Camslinger is an impressive addition to my motorcycle photography kit. It comes in Grey, Black, and Olive colors and is pretty affordable at $130. It’s well-made and handy as hell. I can stop, shoot, and take off in minutes without ever leaving the bike, which is a challenge I searched a long time to solve.
There’s so much of the world to see and marvel at when riding, it’s gratifying when a tool comes along that makes it easy and convenient to capture it all.
www.cosyspeed.com
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