Mission Mission

While we here at MM may not have the most professional photography equipment in the blogoshpere, we nonetheless must be constantly prepared to take advantage of whatever visual gold this captivating neighborhood throws our way.  To that end, it helps to have instant access to whichever device we feel would most appropriately capture the moment.  At the same time, it’s not always prudent to carry around an obvious camera bag, not so much because of the possibility of theft (albeit still an issue) but more so to not be all, “Oh hey, camera guy over here, smile, no don’t stop what you’re doing, wait come back!”  Worse yet, you might be mistaken for . . . a tourist!

Enter the Snoop Camera Messenger Bag from Timbuk2, which the local Mission company was gracious enough to allow us to field test in our own unique way.  As you can see, this versatile bag offers near limitless customization options, with a padded liner featuring several modular compartments to fit all the different shapes and sizes of your lenses and similar gadgets (or RAZR camera phones).  It’s rather entertaining to play a tactile Tetris mini-game before heading out on your bike (don’t forget, it’s a messenger bag too) for an all-day photography exploration adventure.  Also, if you don’t want to worry about your gear and just need a bag for something, the whole liner is completely removable, transforming the Snoop into a sturdy, dependable transport companion.

If you’re the real deal, like the tens for instance (who might be needing a new name in a few weeks if he wants to stay current), this bag will definitely be able to handle all your stuff.  On the other end of the spectrum, it can also hold THE ENTIRE PHOTOGRAPHIC CAPABILITY OF MISSION MISSION, so we decided to take a brief excursion.  Of course, every adventure requires sustenance, and once again the Snoop did not disappoint:

Check that out!  The modular compartments also allow for optimal sandwich protection in addition to banana crushing and apple bruising prevention.  Truly a worthwhile and reliable necessity for the modern Mission photog (and it makes a great Christmas present too)!

It’s no secret that we have a bit of a bag fetish here. And yes I mean those bags. Messenger bags. Yup, after a long day of hard riding there’s nothing like having a big sweaty sack on your back.

Chrome bags just launched a custom bag program at their flagship store in SOMA. This was formerly available only in the NYC store, but now Chrome’s vastly superior hometown gets it. So if one of the selections in their current spread of pre-set color combinations isn’t loud enough for you to adequately express yourself, then just go pick your own.

The way it works is you go in to their store on 4th and Brennan, talk to a “in-store live-sewing expert”, and watch your custom bag take shape. I’m not sure what kinds of services this expert offers. It could be anything from “yeah, just pick from these 15 colors” to “oh nuh-uh, girl. That scheme does not go with your eyes.” You’re just going to have to go see for yourself.

Get the scoop on Chrome’s other fine products at their website.

CONTEST

Don’t worry, we haven’t forgotten about you poor creative types who are still rocking that high-school Jansport with the broken zipper. Chrome has kindly offered a FREE custom Citizen bag to one lucky reader here. But as you know, we don’t just give stuff away to anybody. You have to work for it, and this is gonna be a tough one.

In the spirit of color schemes, here are 5 mission color combinations that you might recognize. First commenter to name the locations of all 5 wins (leave a real email address, ok?). Guess as many times as you want. It’s as simple as that. Get to it!

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5. 

I’ll supply hints in the comments if it turns out this is too much of a stumper.