Review of the Vanguard Up-rise 33 Sling Bag
Of all the big brand names, one I had never heard off delivered the best bag I could ask for.
When we buy stuff, we normally go to brands we trust. For camera bags, those are Lowepro, ThinkTank, Tamrac, etc. But somehow, when I was searching for a new shoulder bag for cameras, I pleasantly stumbled upon a new brand — Vanguard.
Some background: I have many other bags — two backpacks and one semi-backpack. I also had a cheap shoulder bag which I had found abandoned, but gave it away myself a few months ago. I recently began my hunt for a new shoulder bag (and 5th overall) when I realised I did not have a casual bag which offered quick access to my cameras. The backpacks were great for heavy duty carrying, but weren’t practical when you were just out to meet some friends, nor did they offer quick access to the camera for those one-in-a-life moments.
Top zipper which allows you to access your camera without opening the flap
I was looking for specific features in my new shoulder bag, and I realised the Vanguard Up-rise series met all those requirements at a much more affordable price than other big brands. Apart from carrying a pro-sized DSLR and maybe 2 other lenses/flashes, I needed it to have a sleeve for a laptop and a top zipper for easy access (instead of flipping the flap up everytime). The Up-rise 33 fulfills all my needs, and more.
With the Uprise-33, you can remove the cushion inserts to turn the shoulder bag into a regular one
Many other cool and smart features make this shoulder bag a good snatch. You can remove the cushion inserts to turn the shoulder bag into a regular one. Then there’s hardened support at the bottom for rough or wet surfaces. The bag also has an expandable zipper when necessary. Finally, it has a sweet sleeve for slipping the Up-rise on top of your rolling luggage. There really isn’t much more than I can ask for. Perhaps the only peeve I have is the orange colour. If only it weren’t so attention-grabbing.
The up-rise holds full-size pro cameras as well, though perhaps at the expense of the laptop
When it comes to carrying cameras, the Up-rise does its job, which is to carry one body and a few lenses. The bag is tall enough to accommodate a 70-200 lens mounted onto the body (as shown above). It’ll fit bodies up to the prosumer size, but as you can see above, it can also fit full-size DSLRs, like Canon’s 1-series, except that you may have to give up the use of the laptop sleeve.
So overall, a very capable bag which hasn’t let me down. Use it for what it’s meant for – casual and quick shooting. In Singapore, the Up-rise 33 can be bought for S$150 at Challenger stores. Pretty good price considering other similar shoulder bags will cost above S$200 and even S$300. The only thing that Vanguard got wrong is the laptop sizes it can accommodate. Officially, the Up-rise 33 is supposed to be able to fit a 15″ laptop, but it my 13″ laptop had a snug fit in the sleeve. If you have a 15″ laptop, go for the bigger one – Up-rise 38!
Hi there,
I have read your review about this bag and I find it useful! Just gotten myself one of these and it comes really handy and convenient
But sadly it’s too big to be fitted together with a backpack to travel overseas. Any recommendation for overseas bag to pair up with a backpack?
Anyway, you have great shots in your gallery.
p.s. i know this was last year but yea, search on google and got it. =)
Hey thanks for the comment, and glad you found the review useful!
What do you mean to pair up with a backpack? Do you mean the sling bag has to fit in the backpack?
If you still want a sling bag that is easy for travelling, try Lowepro’s Pro Roller Attache x50 – it’s like a sling bag fitted into a rolling bag that you can carry onto the plane. I’ve never tried this bag but it looks like one of a kind.
I don’t recall any backpack that can ‘transform’ into a sling bag. Have only heard of backpack/rollerbag hybrids. If you’d like a backpack that gives similar access to your camera like a sling bag (but probably still not as fast), check out Lowepro’s Fastpack series. I have one of these and it’s quite useful, except that they can be bulky (and bulkier than a sling bag)
the magnet on bag will to magnetize the camera’s.
magnetism for all camera’s very BAD
the magnet on bag, wiil do magnetize camera’s and made glares , cld, tft, screen or elekronisc, and generate the glares on all photo
[...] 34 Zoom Expandable Camera Sling Bag (Black)UPC:026196335160Warranty:Limited Lifetime WarrantyUP-Rise 34 sling bag holds one DSLR camera with attached lens, two extra lenses, flash and accessori…e front and back, With UP-Rise 34, you will have quick access to your gear so you are ready for the [...]
Nice review – I’ve ordered this bag too. Another lesser known brand that is also great is Kata bags.
By the way, the magnetic can not hurt the camera,sensor or the mirror. Magnets produce a static field.
Brian
Great review. Will it fit Canon 5Dmii with 70-200 2.8 mounted + 24-70 and 580EX ?
Hi Albert,
Yup it’ll fit a 5D2 with a 70-200 2.8 lens, as you can see above in the last photo. It’ll be a bit tight, but still do-able. One other option is to attach the 24-70 to the body instead and have the 70-200 in the side pouches.
All the items you mentioned can be fit into the Up-rise 33.
I have this bag as well, and got it for basically the same reasons you cite. Value and feature-wise I find it comes out ahead of the better known brands which I found also looked more like camera bags than the Vanguard. Basically it fits my entire kit, a K-5, 3 zooms and 3 primes, plus a laptop.
The only thing I think needs improvement is the rain cover. It is very tight when the bag is at capacity, and hard to put on. It needs to be a bit bigger, so the seams don’t get stressed. The orange contrast colouring does tend to draw attention. However, to me, its an indication of quality and modernity as this is actually becoming a regular feature in good quality shoulder bags/backpacks — helps find things in the bottom of a dark bag.