Waterfield Atlas Executive Athletic Holdall review

When I first learned of Waterfield’s recently released Atlas Executive Athletic Holdall, my first and only thought was…that bag is so me. I do my best to workout as often as I can, especially those days I’m in the office. Making lunch a mandatory exercise time not only makes me healthier but is an excellent break in my hectic day to refocus and destress. The Atlas is designed to (stylishly) enable the tech carrying, modern day fitness folks of the world the ability to transport everything they need in a single EDC bag from their laptop to their gym shoes. So let’s see if Waterfield Design hits the mark with their new Atlas Executive Athletic Holdall.

Typically I carry all my needed stuff into the office in a number of different bags: Colonel Littleton Navigator bag as my EDC tech bag, old nylon Air Force helmet bag for my workout gear, and reused plastic bags for lunch. Occasionally I even have to carry additional bags/containers if the office is having an event, definitely adding up to a very cumbersome commute. Being able to smartly consolidate all my cr@p into a single bag is definitely advantageous and desirable.

What is it?

The Atlas Executive Athletic Holdall is a combination briefcase, EDC/gear bag, and athletic duffle all in one, that transitions seamlessly from office to gym and back. The Atlas has a padded tech/laptop compartment for all your EDC gear, a separate space to hold clothes, and a collapsible, zippered area to store your shoes.

Design and features

The Atlas Executive Athletic Holdall is available in one size (16″ (L) x 10″ (H) x 8.5″ (W)) that is divided into two compartments: the Briefcase and the Athletic Workout sections. The bag is made in the USA from ballistic nylon (or waxed canvas), reenforced and trimmed in full grain leather.

The Briefcase section opens fully enabling the front face of the Holdall to lay flat allowing for easy access to its four slipper pockets. The tech portion of the bag has 2 padded pockets engineered to protect a laptop and a tablet plus two additional pockets for stashing power cords, pens, and other EDC gear. There is a dedicated pen slot between the two smaller pockets. The padded laptop slipper pocket fits up to 15” laptops and the tablet slipper pocket fits up to 13” tablets. The two vertical pockets are deep and large enough to hold a decent amount of stuff. The tablet space held my 12″ MacBook very nicely. You could also transport paperwork in this compartment as well.

The Athletic Workout compartment can fit a fair amount of workout gear, work clothes, towel, shaving kit, etc. Both interior compartments are lined in WaterField’s smooth, finely-woven bright gold fabric.

The separate, collapsible shoe pocket can hold a pair of gym shoes or work shoes…here you can see my size 13 running shoes fitting inside. This separation keeps any wetness or dirt from getting on your clothes or tech gear.

Specifications:

Materials:

  • 1050 Denier black Ballistic nylon or brown Waxed Canvas
  • Full-grain leather accents

Dimensions & Weight:

  • One size: 16″ (L) x 10″ (H) x 8.5″ (W)
  • Ballistic 3.1 lbs. / Waxed Canvas 3.4 lbs.

It can transport a lot of gear…

Even with all this gear, the Waterfield Altas Holdall can still accommodate my lunch & snacks.

Build and material quality:

The ballistic nylon, full grain leather, zippers, rivets, and stitching are all very well done and “built to last”. In addition to strength, the leather adds a nice look and style to the bag. All of the zippers are low profile, covered, and waterproof. The entire bag holds up to liquids very well, (as the story goes…) I accidentally spilled my coffee all over the bag and it cleaned up like new with a damp rag.

The main face of the Altas has a quick-access, zippered pocket engineered to hold smartphone, keys, business & misc cards, wallet, pocketknife, pens, etc. The inside of this exterior pocket has a dedicated, lined smartphone pocket and key fob for easy retrieval of your cell and/or keys.

The open-topped, end pocket can transport a large water bottle for convenient access.

The bottom of the Altas Holdall is completely covered in leather for greater resistance to wear and tear.

The Atlas Executive Athletic Holdall can be transported in several ways. Waterfield includes a removable suspension strap for carrying the bag over the shoulder or crossbody. The bag rides very comfortably over the shoulder, hanging at hip height.

The reenforced, built-in handle carries comfortably as well. The handle is wrapped in the same full grain leather as the rest of the Holdall, for a solid grip and greater durability. With all my gear, the Athletic Holdall is not all that heavy, especially considering it is approximately three pounds lighter than my all-leather Colonel Littleton Navigator & old helmet bag combo.

The back of the Altas has a pass-through slot for slipping onto wheeled suitcase handles.

Positives

  • Excellent material quality and craftsmanship
  • Well designed/thought out
  • Stylish, professional design
  • Wheeled-suitcase handle pass-through
  • Relatively lightweight

Negatives

  • Expensive

The Waterfield Atlas Executive Athletic Holdall available in:

  • black ballistic nylon with chocolate leather
  • black ballistic nylon with black leather
  • brown waxed canvas with chocolate leather

The waxed canvas variant weighs in at 3.4 lbs and ballistic nylon ones, 3.1 lbs. The Altas Holdall meets most airline personal carry-on item size requirements and makes for an excellent overnight bag on the fly.

Waterfield Designs backs all of their products with a (limited) lifetime warranty.

Final thoughts

I really like the Atlas Executive Athletic Holdall from all points of view: quality, function, and design. Waterfield has done an excellent job engineering this bag for the athletic urban warrior, creating a professional looking EDC bag for all your tech and gym gear alike. This bag functions as advertised, a single solution to replace all your other bags…doing so in polished style. While admittedly expensive, the Altas Holdall not only gets the job done, it does so with the looks for both office and Club.

Price: $429
Where to buy: Waterfield Designs.
Source: The sample of this product was provided by Waterfield Designs.

The post Waterfield Atlas Executive Athletic Holdall review appeared first on The Gadgeteer.

Filed in categories: Reviews

Tagged:

Waterfield Atlas Executive Athletic Holdall review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on March 11, 2018 at 11:00 am.

Note: If you are subscribed to this feed through FeedBurner, please switch to our native feed URL http://the-gadgeteer.com/feed/ in order to ensure continuous delivery.

Dine like you’re at Hogwarts

You maybe didn’t get your letter to Hogwarts, but you can dine as if you did with this Harry Potter Hogwarts House dinnerware.  The 16-piece set has four place settings, each with a dinner plate, salad plate, bowl, and cup.  There’s one place setting for each House, decorated with an illustration of the House and edged with a quote from the Sorting Hat and a couplet for that House.

The officially-licensed dinnerware is made of ceramic, but it’s unfortunately not dishwasher nor microwave safe.  Order the Harry Potter Hogwarts House 16 piece Dinner Set for $99.99 from ThinkGeek.

The post Dine like you’re at Hogwarts appeared first on The Gadgeteer.

Filed in categories: News

Tagged: ,

Dine like you’re at Hogwarts originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on March 11, 2018 at 10:00 am.

Note: If you are subscribed to this feed through FeedBurner, please switch to our native feed URL http://the-gadgeteer.com/feed/ in order to ensure continuous delivery.

The Ruggard Alpine 600 Lens Backpack for DSLR and 600/800mm lens is a winner!


Every Photographer and Cinematographer I have ever met seems to have the same major issue that I struggle with. I am referring to the ongoing challenge of finding the right camera bag to carry the desired equipment for each specific shoot. Like many of my counterparts, I have surrendered and accepted that I need multiple bags to meet my needs. The decision to surrender also meant that I would be forever buying bags and forever trying new ideas. Some time ago, I was on a shoot and carrying my Sigma 70-200mm and Canon 24-105mm along with 2 full-sized camera bodies, both with extended battery grips attached. It was during that shoot that I decided I would soon purchase the Sigma 150-600mm lens. The thought of carrying an even larger lens was immediately daunting. Anyone who knows the Sigma lenses knows that they are inherently large, and since I actually like to shoot more frequently with a crop sensor camera, the use of the lens with the lens hood and the lens hood extension for the APS-C sensor, meant that the footprint would be very long. It would be a very inefficient process if I had to assemble the gear each time I wanted to switch to a different lens and/or camera body.

I went in search of a bag that I could easily carry any combination of these lenses and multiple camera bodies, and my search led me to the Ruggard Alpine 600 Lens Backpack for DSLR and up to 600/800mm lens. This is quite a large bag, but its ability as a backpack makes it a doable option. The bag is well built and very strong, and it is fully adjustable to carry a full-sized DSLR body with the extended battery grip and the lens with hood extension attached. It also has multiple external pockets and compartments that are roomy enough to hold lens filters, lens caps, batteries, flash, etc.

While I absolutely love this large bag, I must admit that its size does limit when I carry it, as opposed to using it as a daily “go to” bag.

If you are struggling with similar circumstances and looking for a large camera bag that will allow you to quickly switch between full camera setups, then I would highly recommend the Ruggard Alpine 600 Lens Backpack. You can purchase it at B&H Photo Video for $139.95.

The post The Ruggard Alpine 600 Lens Backpack for DSLR and 600/800mm lens is a winner! appeared first on The Gadgeteer.

Filed in categories: News

Tagged: , ,

The Ruggard Alpine 600 Lens Backpack for DSLR and 600/800mm lens is a winner! originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on March 11, 2018 at 9:00 am.

Note: If you are subscribed to this feed through FeedBurner, please switch to our native feed URL http://the-gadgeteer.com/feed/ in order to ensure continuous delivery.

SanDisk announces world’s fastest UHS-I microSD card

Recently at Mobile World Congress 2018, Western Digital announced its newest microSDXC card that it touts as “the world’s fastest UHS-I flash memory card” – the 400GB SanDisk Extreme UHS-I microSDXC card.

The card features super-fast read speeds up to 160MB/s, write speeds up to 90MB/s, UHS Speed Class 3 (U3) rating, and a Video Speed Class 30 (V30) rating, which means this card lets you capture uninterrupted 4k Ultra HD video.

All SanDisk Extreme cards are shockproof, temperature-proof, waterproof, and X-ray-proof, making them ideal for all conditions.

Although I use SanDisk Compact Flash cards as my primary memory card, I always have a SanDisk SD card in my camera’s second slot and in my second camera – they’re the only cards I have never had a problem with.

Pricing and availability are not listed yet, rumors say that it will be in the $300 price range.

Source: SanDisk

Filed in categories: News

Tagged:

SanDisk announces world’s fastest UHS-I microSD card originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on March 11, 2018 at 8:00 am.

Note: If you are subscribed to this feed through FeedBurner, please switch to our native feed URL http://the-gadgeteer.com/feed/ in order to ensure continuous delivery.

Camera bags, lens, and smartphone camera grip reviews – Weekly roundup

Looking back on the variety of news and reviews that we posted on The Gadgeteer this week, it appears that we had an underlying theme of photography related news and reviews. It wasn’t planned, but a happy accident and the fact that one of our newest additions to our team of writers really likes writing about camera gear. What do you think? Do you like that we’re featuring more photography related news and review? Let me know.

News

The Canon SELPHY CP1300 Compact Photo Printer prints your selfies in a flash

Before rescuing your next damsel in distress, you’ll need a license

Protect your expensive camera gear with the Ruggard Electronic Dry Cabinet

The Post-it Extreme Notes are the Fisher Space Pen of sticky notes

Protect your iPhone X with the Mod-3 Radius X ultra-minimal case

Leave your smartphone behind with the Light Phone 2

Time is etched on the surface of this sculpture

The Gourmia IoT Cool-Cooker has something other slow cookers don’t

Evergoods: trail-ready bags with city-refined style

The Kenko Auto Extension Tube Set is another cost effective option for macro photography

Nothing’s out of reach with the ODii grabbing tool

Introducing the new Dyson Cyclone V10 – no cord needed, or wanted anymore.

Bellroy introduces Pencil Cases and Classic Pouches

The Dracast LED180Halo Ring Light – A real gem.

To boldly listen as no-one has listened before

Light up your landscape with solar-powered lights that look like flaming torches

Make bath time for your dog less ruff with Aquapaw

The 27″ Angler Port-a-Cube LED Light Tent should be on your camera gear wish list

Don’t worry about the safety of your ring or your finger with the Enso silicone ring

Carry a dry-erase board in your pocket!

How the Blinkers system is making cycling safer

The Olympus VP-10 Digital Voice Recorder is sleek, effective, and discreet

Everything else in your house is smart, so why isn’t your bathroom exhaust fan?

The Audioengine A5+ speakers are now A5++ with added wireless

Constantly monitor temperature and humidity with the SensorPush wireless sensor

The Sony Alpha a7 III Mirrorless Digital Camera – Is it ahead of the game?

Reviews

JustMobile Shuttergrip review

Sigma 105mm macro lens review

iLive Voice Activated Amazon Alexa Portable Wireless Fabric Speaker Review

Sonoff S31 WiFi socket and Slampher RF bulb adapter review

LectroFan Kinder Sleep Sound Machine and Night Light review

Ember mug, Wyzecam, FIXD, and more – Review updates

Native Union Eclipse 3 port charger review

DockCase MacBook sleeve with built in USB C hub review

Meccano Erector M.A.X. Robotic Interactive Toy with A.I. review

Think Tank Lily Deanne Tutto premium-quality camera bag review

Rezzimax TUNER review

Filed in categories: News

Tagged:

Camera bags, lens, and smartphone camera grip reviews – Weekly roundup originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on March 10, 2018 at 4:46 pm.

Note: If you are subscribed to this feed through FeedBurner, please switch to our native feed URL http://the-gadgeteer.com/feed/ in order to ensure continuous delivery.