Gura Gear is Now Tamrac G-Elite

[jeffa4444]

Camera bags are a highly competitive market and price for many is key in the decision process. Ive always been a Lowepro guy but recently heard even they have been in financial trouble of late. Its a relatively easy part of the photographic market to enter and with most products made in the far east suppliers are easy to come by.
What I would say is in 40+ years of being in photography not one bag has been ideal and I currently have 4 Lowepro bags and one Brady Bag (they make gun bags in the UK).

 

[LDS]

but recently heard even they have been in financial trouble of late. Its a relatively easy part of the photographic market to enter and with most products made in the far east suppliers are easy to come by.

Phones replacing P&S also means less entry level little bags as well. Less DSLRs means less need of larger bags. IMHO some companies like Tamrac itself were caught with a too large catalog (often with models never updated for years, despite often cameras and lenses becoming larger and heavier) while sales were slowing down, and some companies with good ideas and designs (like Gura Gear itself) entered the market and became appealing for many pros and advanced amateurs. Also, on the cheaper end they also get competition from many far east companies and even Amazon itself..

IMHO today you need a streamlined catalog with well thought few lines covering common needsa and use cases - less expensive to build, stock, maintain and improve, less confusing for the customer to buy.

 

[ahsanford]

in other news, Porsche just bought Ford and is surrendering the Porsche name. Porsche will now be known as Ford Plus.

This might make sense for the overseas market, but Gura Gear is a potent/growing American brand and I question abandoning it like this. They are the Apple of camera bags to me -- overpriced to be sure, but people are paying for what they deliver. They make stellar gear and, candidly, watering down the potency of that brand with the 'meh' sexiness of tired/traditional/boring Tamrac makes little sense.

Why not keep the two brands? Tamrac makes the cheaper gear for Best Buy and Target, and GuraGear continues to sell their Ferraris online. Makes sense to me.

- A

 

[mackguyver]

I think the re-branding makes sense but the "G-Elite" name is terrible. I get it G for Gura and Elite for the level in their line, but G-Elite? It also sounds too much like those G-Tech drives, which I also think is a terrible name, up their with the Pentax *ist D

I'm sure they'll do well, but considering the obvious creative talent from Gura Gear, you'd think they could have come up with a better name.

 

[ahsanford]

Interesting: try searching for Gura Gear at their website now. It's all gone other than the 'outlet' part of their website.

Now, their products are still available elsewhere (see Amazon or B&H), so it looks like the current products are 'virtually discontinued' from the corporate web side of things.

Again, this is surprising. Surely they could have just added a throwaway G-Elite cardboard marketing/branding tag to the current Gura Gear bags until they cut over to new products. Not doing that might hurt sales -- prospective Gura Gear buyers probably won't pony up $400 for a bag that isn't on the corp website any more. They might assume a firesale is coming and hold off on pulling the trigger.

- A

 

[AvTvM]

I could not care less what name is put on the label on a photo bag. All i am interested in is performance, functionality and cost. Tamrac or guru guru does not make any difference. Or whether a backpack us called bataflae 26L or elite-g26. So what. I wont buy 700 euro backpacks anyway. No matter what the brand is. I'll rather spend that amountbof money on a potentially life-saving avalanche airbag backpack for my randonee ski tours in the alps.

 

[SUNDOG04]

I had my heart set on the Guru Uinta which I was going to buy in spring. Unless I am mistaken, this model is being dropped. I believe it is still available and at a reduced price, but I won't get another photo backpack until spring.

The many, many hours of searching may have to start over. My needs: mesh pockets on both sides, room to store a jacket and maybe some food, camera space for a body and room for about 6+ lenses. I normally carry up to four lenses, but for traveling by air I will fill the extra spaces for with things like a ballhead, battery chargers, etc.

It makes no sense to me to call it a photo backpack and then not have provisions to carry outdoor gear.

 

[candc]

I had my heart set on the Guru Uinta which I was going to buy in spring. Unless I am mistaken, this model is being dropped. I believe it is still available and at a reduced price, but I won't get another photo backpack until spring.

The many, many hours of searching may have to start over. My needs: mesh pockets on both sides, room to store a jacket and maybe some food, camera space for a body and room for about 6+ lenses. I normally carry up to four lenses, but for traveling by air I will fill the extra spaces for with things like a ballhead, battery chargers, etc.

It makes no sense to me to call it a photo backpack and then not have provisions to carry outdoor gear.

That does look to be a good pack. If tamrac/guru drops that from the lineup then you might want to take a look at the fstop packs. They are really good as well and made for rugged outdoor use.

 

[LDS]

I had my heart set on the Guru Uinta which I was going to buy in spring. Unless I am mistaken, this model is being dropped. I believe it is still available and at a reduced price, but I won't get another photo backpack until spring.

It looks they're moving Gura Gear products to the new branding - which ones will be moved an which one dropped/replaced, if any, is not know, maybe you should ask them directly.

 

[Chaitanya]

True, in India atleast people know Tamrac as it was present in market for a long time alongside Lowepro. Gura gear, Fstop gear, Kata are far less known amongst the people here. Also its good to know Tamrac is back in game.

Kata became Manfrotto some time ago. Guess it was part of the same Vitec Group which again choose which brands to use.

I remember reading that but it seems like Manfrotto, Gura gear also killed all the original products and pricing of the older brands. Just checked the Tamrac website and the pricing on their new bags to say the least is ridiculous. F-Stop gear is looking like a better choice compared to that.

 

[jeanluc]

I have a Bataflae 26l and the Uinta.

The Bataflae is an awesome pack; great build, everything fits well and it easily fits into the overhead bin of any mainline airliner and under all airplane seats, including regional jets, so it goes anywhere you need. I use it when photography is why I am going somewhere and don't want to check any gear.

The Uinta is also great, more of a regular backpack with a place for your photo gear; I use it for trips when I want to bring some, but not most, gear and still have room for regular backpack stuff you need on a family trip with a kid and spouse.

I would recommend these to anyone. The new version of the Bataflae looks even a little better.

B and H still has Uinta available; if anyone is on the fence about it I would strongly recommend just getting it. You won't be sorry.

 

[Random Orbits]

I have a Bataflae 26l and the Uinta.

The Bataflae is an awesome pack; great build, everything fits well and it easily fits into the overhead bin of any mainline airliner and under all airplane seats, including regional jets, so it goes anywhere you need. I use it when photography is why I am going somewhere and don't want to check any gear.

The Uinta is also great, more of a regular backpack with a place for your photo gear; I use it for trips when I want to bring some, but not most, gear and still have room for regular backpack stuff you need on a family trip with a kid and spouse.

I would recommend these to anyone. The new version of the Bataflae looks even a little better.

B and H still has Uinta available; if anyone is on the fence about it I would strongly recommend just getting it. You won't be sorry.

I'm thinking about picking up the Uinta. What modules do you use with it?

 

[jeanluc]

The medium and the small; they are actually very roomy. No problem carrying 5d3, 24-70, 16-35 and 70-300L and needed landscape filters etc.

 

[Random Orbits]

The medium and the small; they are actually very roomy. No problem carrying 5d3, 24-70, 16-35 and 70-300L and needed landscape filters etc.

Are those the medium and small compacts? I don't see the medium and small pros anymore...