Review: My Best Travel Bag - Vanguard Havana 48BL

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After a few years of road trips and wandering adventures, my trusty travel companion - the Vanguard Havana 41, finally met it's end when a rough zipping ripped the zipper clean off the back compartment. As a replacement, the kind folks at Vanguard sent me a new backpack to take on my travels and so far I've been more than impressed. Meet the Vanguard Havana 48BL! 

With it's stylish deep navy canvas exterior complimented with brown leather trim (also comes in khaki), the highly photographable backpack looks great in any situation, if Instagram is your thing. Though created with photographers in mind, the backpack blends in well with standard bags giving that extra sense of security roaming city streets since your backpack is not screaming, "I'm a photographer with expensive equipment!"

On the larger size at 48 liters, this bag has been able to fit everything I've needed and more. The bottom pocket comes equipped with a padded interior compartment that is easily removable with velcro and top handle for ease of access while offering protection for my DSLR and lenses. Though, I prefer to keep my camera in the top pocket so I can grab and go ready to shoot in under 30 seconds.

The Havana has a crazy amount of space with more than 6 pockets for storage. The top compartment has small pockets for quick access to memory cards, batteries, pens, wallet, and passport. There are two side pockets with drawstring for water bottles or tripods. The two front pockets I use for things like business cards and camera remotes. Stitched into the sides are hearty fabric loops for carabiners I use to hang my keys and reflector. And the best part, finally a backpack that fits my 15.4 inch Macbook Pro - something the 41L never could manage with the corners of my laptop always sticking out.

Though feeling a bit bulky at times, I would recommend this bag for those like me who have become accustomed to carrying their whole worlds strapped to their back. With photography equipment and padded insert removed, I've used this bag for everything from international travel to overnight trips to beach days to long hours editing at a coffee shop. This is the bag I've been waiting for - stylish, great storage, and versatile.

In front of Romanian Parliament in Bucharest

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Havana 41

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Disclaimer: Although I am a Vanguard Pro Photographer, all opinions are my own and this post was not sponsored or moneitized in any way.

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Best Canvas Product Review

A few weeks back I was approached by Canvasdiscount.com with an offer to review their product. It's not very often I print my work for my own enjoyment, especially in canvas form, so I was grateful for the opportunity to have a few pieces printed. Upon reviewing their website, I was impressed with the vast variety of sizes to suit my needs as well as the ease of check out on their website. I ordered three canvases, two in the landscape size 16 x 30 and one 16 x 24.  The prices were also fairly reasonable especially given the printing quality.

My package was promptly received within three days of ordering and shipped safely in cardboard and bubble wrap. If you know my work you know I am a color fiend often spending hours tweaking the tones to get them just so. To open a box of prints and have the color match exactly on the first try is every photographers dream. The prints were sharp and colorful revealing every minute detail, just the way I like them. After doing some reading on the printing process, I was delighting to learn they also provide UV protection on the prints to help aid in the lasting power of the art. 

I didn't have much intent to frame them so I opted for the wrapped look as I appreciate the fluidity of the edges so as not to distract from the pieces themselves. Since there was such a wide variety of sizes, there wasn't much loss in the edges of the photo from the wrapping, only about an inch or so. The canvases were perfectly stretched and taut over the wooden bars. 

Overall I was incredibly impressed by the quality. The only thing I wasn't too keen on was the fabric cord to hang which felt a bit like a shoelace. In another lifetime I was a professional framer and I always preferred the sturdiness of a wire cord pulled tightly between the metal hardware and wrapped cleanly around itself. But that's an easy enough exchange. 

The canvas prints have found a lovely new home in a music room with lots of light to help boost the creative mood of the space.

Thank you Canvas Discount for the opportunity. You can buy you own prints here.