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Is there really such a thing as the perfect camera bag? Some might say that their search is in vain. It’s not uncommon to come across a camera bag that looks stylish and has all the necessary features, but ultimately fails to meet the needs of a photographer, especially when it comes to the ability to customize the interior. Grumbler Gear is a new company that aims to make life easier. They just launched a Kickstarter campaign with very modest goals.
When I saw the NYA-EVO team’s email about the Grumbler, Trekpak immediately came to mind. They sell customizable hard backpack dividers that I’ve been wanting to buy for years now to fit into a lot of my camera bags. Then, just as I was about to buy one, I found out that Pelican Case had acquired them. I wasn’t too worried about the purchase until I realized that the Trekpak Rollipak is no longer available because it can be cut to any size. Apparently, it’s only custom-made for existing Pelican Case models. And the prices seem to have gone up considerably, too.
Grumbler appears to offer a similar solution to a similar problem, but there are a few differences. For one, the dividers here aren’t made of a rigid material like the Trekpak; they look like foam sandwiched neatly between two layers of colored felt. And they’re not pinned in place; everything here is Velcro. Grumbler claims that this is a DIY, customizable divider system that will fit any camera bag. I believe it will also fit any travel bag you want to put your camera in, and that’s where this product’s huge potential lies. It shouldn’t be viewed simply as a replacement for the built-in dividers that come with your favorite brand of camera bag. You can even use them to add additional dividers to this bag or any other bag you want.
The whole system looks interesting. It comes in a variety of attractive colors, doesn’t require complicated tools to cut to size, and doesn’t look like it’s going to scratch the precious camera gear in your bag. What I’m not sure about is whether the Grumbler comes in different sizes to fit camera bags of varying depths/heights. Some bags are deeper than others, and I hope Grumbler has taken that into account. If those bright colors aren’t your style, don’t worry. The Grumbler bulkhead is also available in gray and black. All Velcro is currently only available in black.
This product is currently only funded through Kickstarter. You can buy a pack of one color for about $17 or all 7 colors for only $98.
All images in this article are courtesy of Team NYA-EVO, the same team behind Grumbler Gear.