New Swarovski ProField Bag (1 Viewer)

When Swarovski revamped the Swarovision EL line last fall, one change that appealed to me was the downsizing of the case, or in Swarovski terminology, the field bag. The prior version was on the large size and I believe the intention was to wear it out in the field and to be able to store a harness, note pad and other items. Some, such as me, wanted a smaller more fitted case just for storage. The new case meets that desire.

The new style comes in several sizes ( size descriptions are from the Adorma website):

Medium (60517) for 32-42 EL/SLC Binocular
Large (60518) for EL 42, EL 50 and EL Range Binocular
X-Large (60519) for 56mm SLC Binocular

I wanted one to use with a Swarovski SV EL 50mm (both the 10X and 12X) so I went with the Large (60518) from Eagle Optics. Adorma also shows them as a stock item. Price is about $69 for the medium and large and about $75 for the extra large.

http://www.eagleoptics.com/binocular-accessories/swarovski/swarovski-field-bag-l-pro

http://www.adorama.com/SIFBPEL.html

Inside demensions are approximately 7 1/2 inches by 5 1/2 inches by 3 1/4. The case is made of a padded rip stop type nylon material so it is flexible allowing for some variation in the measurements.

There is a very thin storage pocket on the back outside of the bag and it comes with a removable shoulder strap, but there is no belt loop on the bag.

(Click on the photos to see a larger version)

Here is the front of the bag with a Swaro SV EL 10X50 zipped inside .....




This photo shows how the 10X50 fits inside the bag, eye cups extended and an OpTech Classic strap wrapped around the body.....




Here is a photo of the back of the bag showing the slim outside pocket and the removable shoulder strap ......



This photo should give an idea of how the 10X50 (and the same sized 12X50) fits in relation to the size of the new bag design ......




Here is the new ProField bag (with a 10X50) compared to the prior large field bag (with a 12X50) ........




Although the new Profield bag is a very nice, my all time favorite is the Zeiss black nylon case that came with the FL line. It also comes with the Zeiss HT but the cover has a brown vinyl topping. Here is a Zeiss SF on top of the Zeiss FL case compared to the Swarovski bags ......




The straps shown in the last photo are all the same model of the OpTech Classic, just different colors. That should give an idea of the size of the strap wrapped around the body in the second photo.

There is one other case I am also considering. If it works out, I will add it as a post to this thread.

Edit: Updated to upload the photos as attachments and used the attach command to display them in the body of the post. Removed the links to the photos except for the last one due to the limit of 5 attachments. A big thanks to Mike for getting me on right track!

Bruce,

I know, a little hypercritical, but Attached is my EL field carry bag solution from HERE !

This particular one fits my EL 10x50 SV (or 12x50) with bino strap perfectly. As you can see in the pics, also has an internal zipped pouch (cleaning cloth & pen storage), back belt loops and bag carry strap (not in pics) loops. What I liked best, the overhanging cover has an open\close quick access adjustable buckle clip that effectively secures the optics from any weather!

Additionally, I have the V small case (for their 8x32 Talon) that my EL 8x32 SV fits in equally well.

Yes, was happy to see the Swarovski revision (field pro models) made to their big-bulky-airy storage cases, but as you see, I didn't wait for that to finally come to past!

Ted

Hi Bruce,

Even with today's inflated prices it seems to me that all officially supplied products (with manufacturer's logo) miss a feature that I find invaluable: a top handle. To give you an idea I've attached pictures of the Tamrac 5400 that's been around for at least 20 yrs. I own three of them. Perfect fit for Swaro 8x42 SLC-HD (see third panel), Zeiss 7x42 BGATP, Swaro 8x30 SLC ...

This guy is amazingly versatile, compact, water resistant, tough, and costs < $20 USD. The shoulder strap can be stored at the bottom of the front pouch leaving room for accessories, e.g., lens brush, etc. The cover also has two thin zippered pockets for personal ID. Great for storage and packs easily for travel.

Oh, and did I mention, — it has a handle?

Of course, if the logo means a lot that's another story. Personally, I prefer to keep my equipment anonymous.

Ed

Ted ..... Thanks for the reply. I have considered buying that case in the past for some other binoculars and have had a saved link to it for some time in my Favorites. It is a nice case.

In this case, Swaro now has a case/bag of a size I like and it has the Swaro logo. Although rather expensive compared to other cases (the Swaro Way!), I decided to spend the extra bucks and go all green for the 50mm. Dennis will be proud of me! I took the same approach for the Zeiss SF and went with a soft case with the blue square.

As far as the photos, I was trying to get them to display in the body of the text of the post rather than show them as attachments at the end, as in your post. I can get the attachment method to work, but for some reason, not the other method. It used to work for me and it still works for others, so I do not know what I am doing wrong. Hopefully I can get an answer before the edit time limit expires. (Note: Got an answer, see below.)

Ed .... I too like the top handle since it gives you something to grab. That is why I put on the strap, even though it does get in the way when the use is not intended to carry the case around on the shoulder. The Tramrac looks like a neat case, even though the pouch in the front does add a little more bulk, which I am trying to avoid. I will have to check it out! Thanks.

BruceH said:

As far as the photos, I was trying to get them to display in the body of the text of the post rather than show them as attachments at the end, as in your post. I can get the attachment method to work, but for some reason, not the other method. It used to work for me and it still works for others, so I do not know what I am doing wrong.

Click to expand...

Bruce, look at the bottom left of the thread (below the last post; under "posting rules"). It tells you that in this forum [ IMG ] tags are set to "off". It's not that you're doing anything wrong, it's just that the forum settings are arranged so you're not allowed to do what you're trying. In other forums (still on birdforum.com) you might be allowed to do it. You need to look at what is and is not allowed on a per-forum basis.

...Mike

Thanks Mike!!! Looks like I am not going crazy after all (at least in this case) thinking I was able to do this before. Turns out it was in a forum section that allowed the IMG tags. If I had Zeiss or Swarovski eye glass lenses, I probably would have spotted that information on my own.

I clicked on the IMG text in the area you pointed out and it brought up a page describing various tags. One that was new to me is the ATTACH tag. Based on that new knowledge, I uploaded the photos to the forum and then used the ATTACH tag to place the uploaded photos in the body of the post. That is just about as good as what I was originally attempting to do. The only issue is that the forum limits 5 attachments per post and I have six photos.

Here is the last and sixth photo as an attachment.

elkcub said:

Hi Bruce,

Even with today's inflated prices it seems to me that all officially supplied products (with manufacturer's logo) miss a feature that I find invaluable: a top handle. To give you an idea I've attached pictures of the Tamrac 5400 that's been around for at least 20 yrs. I own three of them. Perfect fit for Swaro 8x42 SLC-HD (see third panel), Zeiss 7x42 BGATP, Swaro 8x30 SLC ...

This guy is amazingly versatile, compact, water resistant, tough, and costs < $20 USD. The shoulder strap can be stored at the bottom of the front pouch leaving room for accessories, e.g., lens brush, etc. The cover also has two thin zippered pockets for personal ID. Great for storage and packs easily for travel.

Oh, and did I mention, — it has a handle?

Of course, if the logo means a lot that's another story. Personally, I prefer to keep my equipment anonymous.

Ed

Click to expand...

The original Tamrac 5361 binocular case in my opinion was a more compact option. It zipped down both sides halfway in the front for easier access to your binoculars and was light and small and well padded and it had a HANDLE on the top and a shoulder strap. It holds an SV 8x32 nicely with strap off to the side. I bought some for about $6.00 off of Ebay. I think they are discontinued now.

[email protected] said:

The original Tamrac 5361 binocular case in my opinion was a more compact option. It zipped down both sides halfway in the front for easier access to your binoculars and was light and small and well padded and it had a HANDLE on the top and a shoulder strap. It holds an SV 8x32 nicely with strap off to the side. I bought some for about $6.00 off of Ebay. I think they are discontinued now.

Click to expand...

Looks like a nice bino case! They are still selling at Cambridge World for $11.95 plus ~$10 shipping. http://www.cambridgeworld.com/tamrac_5361_binocular_case_i15926.html

The 5361 appears to have the same outer dimensions and inner padding as my model #5400, but without the front pouch that I use a lot in the field. A few of them can be found on eBay in the $12 price range.

Ed

PS. Forgot to mention. Sometimes I also carry a Lumix TS1 in the front pouch. Makes for a very compact rig.

elkcub said:

Looks like a nice bino case! They are still selling at Cambridge World for $11.95 plus ~$10 shipping. http://www.cambridgeworld.com/tamrac_5361_binocular_case_i15926.html

The 5361 appears to have the same outer dimensions and inner padding as my model #5400, but without the front pouch that I use a lot in the field. A few of them can be found on eBay in the $12 price range.

Ed

PS. Forgot to mention. Sometimes I also carry a Lumix TS1 in the front pouch. Makes for a very compact rig.

Click to expand...

The 5361 Tamrac case is nice because that whole front flaps opens up half way making it easy to get your binoculars out. I think that Cambridge World is kind of crooked. They say they have stuff and they don't really have it and then you have to fight them to get your money back. That is what happened to me when I tried to order that exact case about a year ago. So be weary!:eek!:

Nice write up Bruce.. I'm glad they downed sized those cases... A lot less bulky....made a lot of difference. In fact...my new 8.5X42 case is only VERY slightly larger than the previous 8X32 SV case!

I like Ted's idea using the Vortex case for whatever binocular. I may get one of the full-sized ones...

I'm looking for a slightly tougher case (something like the shell one for the Ultravid BL series) for my slc 7x42b, but don't want to splash out on the Swarovski one - any suggestions?

chill6x6 said:

Nice write up Bruce.. ..........

Click to expand...

Thanks Chuck!

dwatsonbirder said:

I'm looking for a slightly tougher case (something like the shell one for the Ultravid BL series) for my slc 7x42b, but don't want to splash out on the Swarovski one - any suggestions?

Click to expand...

Hopefully I am understanding what you are looking for. (I am unfamiliar with the BL case.) Maybe the Zen-Ray case would work. They do not list it separately on their web site, but it may be worth checking with them since they do list other similar items, such as straps. Shipping costs from the US could be an issue though.

http://www.zen-ray.com/shop/

BruceH said:

Hopefully I am understanding what you are looking for. (I am unfamiliar with the BL case.) Maybe the Zen-Ray case would work. They do not list it separately on their web site, but it may be worth checking with them since they do list other similar items, such as straps. Shipping costs from the US could be an issue though.

http://www.zen-ray.com/shop/

Click to expand...

Cheers Bruce, that's pretty much exactly what I am after, now, where to find one in the UK...

I believe that I have seen this case style elsewhere and it is a "generic" case used by other rebranders. Of couse the Zen-Ray model has been customized with their name. You might consider sending a private message to Pete Gamby of Opticron. It looks like they deal with a variety of manufacturers and one of them may be using this case style.

http://www.birdforum.net/showthread.php?t=318237

Good luck in your search.

Just a quick follow up on this if I may. I contacted Newpro who deal with Vortex optics in the UK in order to ask if they could supply a case - I paid £16 and they sent me a padded fabric case the next day, excellent service and it fits my SLC perfectly to boot!