Crumpler 5 Million Dollar Home Review
First Impressions
How many times have you heard this story? Young dude can’t find the bag he wants, so he hunkers down at an old sewing machine and knocks one out, friends dig it and spread the word, lots more hard work ensues and a company is born. San Francisco, Seattle and countless other cities have all been the source of the tale. That’s also true of Ballarat. Where you ask? Ballarat, Australia, not too far from Melbourne, and the home of Crumpler Bags. These guys make a whole range of bomber camera bags with great names including the popular 5 Million Dollar Home.
Features
According to Crumpler, the 5 Million Dollar Home (named for its five liter or 305 cubic inch capacity) is the company’s most popular camera bag. For good reason. We first saw the bag in one of San Francisco’s venerable old camera shops and was immediately impressed. The size of the 5 Million Dollar Home is ideal for compact system cameras including Micro 43 format products, as well as full-size DSLRs.
Specs
Dimensions: 9.6 in x 8.7 in x 6.1 inches
Volume: 305 cu in
Weight: 1 lb 5 oz
Material:
Inside the Crumpler 5 Million Dollar Home, you’ll find a range of options.Outside the main compartment, Crumpler locates two smaller side pockets sufficiently sized to hold tabletop tripods and other accessories. There’s also a larger pocket across the front for extra batteries, chargers and the like. It also has a smaller mesh insert for storing SD cards and USB drives.
Finishing out the 5 Million Dollar Home are four fabric loops on the exterior for attaching carabiners and other small items. The bag closes securely with a combination of hook and loop, and buckles. The hook and loop can be silenced thanks to a clever set of hidden flaps located behind the hook panels.
Fit
The Crumpler 5 Million Dollar Home is large enough to hold two Micro 43 camera bodies with attached lenses, or a single body and multiple lenses. On the DSLR front, I’d probably stick with a single body and two lenses in the main compartment. The wide shoulder strap doesn’t include any additional padding but is still comfortable when worn across or over the shoulders. There’s also a nicely padded hand strap.
Final Verdict
After using the Crumpler 5 Million Dollar Home, I can see why it’s the company’s most popular bag. It’s pretty close to the perfect size, with the perfect amount of pockets and storage. It’s also very well built with a range of clever details. Recommended.
