At first glance, the Naneu Pro Mini Goombah may look like any other carry-on travel bag, but on closer examination, one quickly sees that this is no ordinary piece of travel gear.  The Goombah is designed for today's mobile photographer.

The size of the bag will easily fit in any airline's overhead compartment.  No need to baggage-check this bag.  There is a large well-padded handle.  This feature will be very much appreciated when the bag is fully loaded.

The Goombah has all one would expect from a photographer's gear bag.  It has a tough outer shell, lots of padding, reconfigurable dividers, etc. There are lots of zippered internal pockets to keep accessories (filters, cables, connectors, batteries, etc...) well organized.

The designer of the Goombah has also incorporated modern necessities such as a padded laptop compartment.  A laptop is now standard gear for any professional digital photographer.  The Goombah's padded pocket was large enough to accommodate our Apple G3.

There are also external pockets for smaller items. In the center are straps and pocket (red arrow) for tying down a tripod.  In the back of the pack is a hidden telecopic handle.  The handle can easily be adjust by pushing the center button.

The Goombah may be carried in three different ways: by rolling; by the main handle; as a backpack. The rolling mode works when there is plenty of room and the terrain is smooth (airport, sidewalk, etc.).  The handle allows the Goombah to be easily grabbed for going up stairs, hoisting into overhead compartments, etc.

There is a lot more to this piece of gear. In our next segment, we'll show you how quickly this bag can go from carring camera gear to clothing.

We also took this bag with us to NYC on our last trip and dragged it for 20 blocks for its FirstUse test.  You will just have to wait for our FirstUse review to see it all :-)

Just when everything was calm with our world...a new product shows up on our doorstep that shakes up our serenity. We have firmly stated in the past that Kata-Bags are our favorite...and they are. This afternoon, though, FedEx dropped off a Naneu bag which may challenge the position currently occupied by Kata.

Like the Kata R102, the Naneu Mini GoomBah is sized to handle a serious amount of gear. There is plenty of room inside the main compartment for camera bodies, lens, and accessories.

Going one step further, though, the Naneu MiniGoomBah is a cross between a photographer's backpack and a rolling travel case. There are straps for putting the entire pack on your back or rolling it on the floor.

Reviews:

1. FirstLook

2. FirstUse

Review Summary:

Initial Impression- Has wheels

Usability- Easily customizable

Durability- Test in progress

Price- $250

Related Review:

1. Kata R-102 FirstLook

2. Kata R-102 Full Pack