Sunday, November 23, 2014

Bought A Copycat Bag

I bought a new camera bag, it is a much cheaper copy cat version of a Domke bag. I hope I did not make another buying mistake, at $39 CAD its not much of a risk. I used a Domke F-3X in the dump my last trip in November 2013 and absolutely loved it, it has become my favourite bag. The problem was the bag was bought used for I think around $70 USD, over time I got 3 or 4 large rips and tears in the bag. I had the bag repaired by shoe repair lady on the streets in Bangkok but now back in Canada I realize there is a whole new round of tears in the bag. I am not sure if it is because I bought the bag used or because I was carrying to much Leica gear in it. In Thai I would routinely carry 3 Leica bodies and 4 lens plus a small flash, small digi and film etc when I went out.

The story about the bag repair in Bangkok:
http://gerryyaum.blogspot.ca/2013/11/bag-repair-and-advantage-of-begging-in.html

I decided today to buy a new version of the bag but they are so damn expensive, they run with shipping around $140 USD. I found a copy cat made in China that costs $34.09 (free shipping). I could not resist getting the Chinese version as its over $109 American cheaper. With $109 USD I can rent a room for an additional 5-6 nights in Mae Sot, allowing me to make more pictures and tell more stories.

Here are the two versions, do they look the same to you? I hope the quality is equal or at least acceptable in the Chinese version. If I use it for a one good long trip the $34 price tag will be worth it, anything longer is bonus time.

Dollice DR-621 $34.09 USD
DOMKE F-3X $142.99 USD