The conversion we’ve been making from DSLR to mirrorless has necessitated a (very welcome) change in the accessories we own. No longer do we need to lug around massive camera bags filled with what could be baseball-sized rocks. No siree, to carry around a mirrorless camera and two lenses, we realised that all we require is a small pouch. In the end, we went for the highly-rated National Geographic Earth Explorer Pouch – the subject of this review!
The Earth Explorer Pouch is a small khaki-coloured bag with a large internal pouch and one external pocket. Its dimensions are 5.12 x 3.94 x 3.15 inches, enough room for a small-to-medium sized mirrorless camera with lens attached or a point-and-shoot compact camera, plus one small lens or memory card pouch. Interestingly, it is the only pouch we found that has an inner divider, providing protection for any additional lenses you decide to bring along. In the external pouch, you can easily fit a lens cloth and extra battery.
We have found that this pouch is very comfortable to carry around for long periods thanks to its lightweight build. The strap doesn’t irritate the skin on your neck and shoulders, the zippers slide very smoothly back and forth, and the brass buckles make for an attractive ‘rugged’ finish. A waterproof covering might have been a nice addition, but it shouldn’t be a problem as long as you don’t head out in a downpour. We found that it was well-padded inside, but not as robust as other bags out there. That is, we wouldn’t want to drop this bag with all our equipment inside! However, we’re convinced it can stand up to light bumps and batterings.
As for the price, we paid €50 at our local camera store. If you are looking for a good deal on a very handy little pouch for day-to-day street and landscape photography, the Earth Explorer Pouch is definitely a worthy candidate.
