Kelly Moore Kelly Boy Bag // Review

I am no stranger to Kelly Moore camera bags. I'm on number three!! My addictions to camera bags should surprise no one (especially Paul!) given my same addiction to handbags. The quest for the perfect bag will likely go on forever. 

My first KM bag was the 2Sues bag in purple. I loved this bag and used it religiously for about a year. There were many things I loved about it, but in the end it was a better purse than a camera bag. I found myself using it every day but really NEVER using it on shoots. 

My second KM bag was the Jude bag. This bag was purchased to hold ALL my gear at one time for use at events or weddings. My reviews of both bags are listed below. 

I decided that I needed a bag that was easier to get my gear out of while shooting. I did a lot of research, looked for reviews online and settled happily on the KM Kelly Boy bag. While this bag is still gorgeous, its not as feminine as a lot of other Kelly Moore bags. However, at this point I am really looking more for functionality than fashion and I really feel like I made a good choice. 

The bag has a shoulder strap, a cross body strap, five pockets on the front of the bag, one large pocket on the back of the bag and two smaller pockets on each side of the bag for smaller items. 

I use the pockets on the side mostly to keep my phone and lip gloss. I do find that often times the straps/buckles/keys get in the way of the side pockets so they aren't quite as easily accessible as I had imagined. 

The front pockets are very handy. I keep business cards, lotion, other keys, batteries, SD cards, cleaning cloths etc...I don't keep anything in the large zippered pocket on the front yet, but I'm sure something will end up in it eventually! 

On the inside of the bag there is a very large padded basket that you can remove if you like and/or you can change around the dividers to make certain sections bigger. Very flexible and customizable. Most of the time I'm just carrying my wallet, pen purse, and my bag of random goodies and a checkbook. They all fit very nicely in here and are separated so things don't "fall to the bottom" or get lost. 

When I go on a shoot the bag will nicely fit a body and three lenses plus my wallet. I also substituted in two flashes so you could see how that would fit as well. On most sessions I don't bring this many lenses, usually only two so this works out really well in case I feel I need to take more. 

This bag is also designed to hold a laptop. I put my 13 inch MacBook air in the laptop space and it was snug as a bug in a rug. Usually I put my planner (or what is my substitute planner for now anyway) in that spot. I would probably only need the space for my laptop when I travel. 

I've had this bag now for about a month and I am really liking it. With my other two bags I would keep both straps attached to the bag at all times, but with this bag I am finding I don't need to do that. The shoulder strap stays on my arm really well (most purses don't) so I was finding I was really never using the cross body strap just in day to day life. When shooting however, I put the cross body strap on to have my arms free. 

Overall another big two thumbs up for Kelly Moore and her stylish and functional line of bags! 

I was not compensated in any way for this post, all thoughts are my own and I paid my own hard earned cash for all of my bags. However, I would absolutely not be opposed to KM sending me as many bags to review as she would like! =) 

Review: Kelly Moore camera bag

Back in December I started obsessing over getting a new camera bag. I had one that was functional but it just wasn't really working how I wanted it too. It didn't serve as my regular purse just a camera bag, so this presented me with a dilemma. Every time I went on a photo shoot by myself I never wanted to bring my purse along because I didn't want to leave it in the car, but I also didn't want to lug it around with me. 

What to do what to do? 

Get a purse that also doubles as a camera bag. Duh. Or vice versa. Whatever. You know what I mean. 

So I started researching camera bags that don't look like camera bags. Seriously, its a thing. Surprisingly, I am not the first person to think of this. There were many, many options to choose from. 

After tireless research and stalking review after review, I narrowed it down to one designer and two bags. 

Kelly Moore | 2 sues bag | B-Hobo bag (update: Kelly Moore sadly no longer offers either of these bags, but they might be available online for resale). 

I went back and forth for a WHILE on this decision. There were things I liked about both bags but neither bag had ALL the things I liked. 

I really liked the side pocket on the side of the B-Hobo, but I loved the Posey Pocket on the 2 Sues. I liked the look of the B-Hobo more, but I loved all the external pockets on the 2 Sues. 

Each bag would hold the gear I wanted to carry around. Each bag had both a regular size carrying strap and a cross body strap which I am obsessed with. (Bags tend to slide off my shoulders easily, so cross body is really my preferred carrying style) Each bag came in a variety of colors, were similar in price and had various positive raves and reviews on line. 

When Kelly Moore released a $30 off any bag coupon on New Year's Eve, I had to make a choice. 

In the end I decided on the 2 Sues. I felt like it might be a little bigger overall and I did like the slouchy look. And SIX external pockets?! That is probably what sold me the most. 

Since I am a lover of purple, I purchased the 2 Sues in eggplant. Love at first click. 

The cross body strap is my absolute favorite thing about this bag. I love that I can keep both straps attached though because I can choose what I want to use in the moment. The color and feel are awesome. Its not real leather, but it is buttery and soft and PURPLE. 

The pockets are great and I have various things in each one. Lippy, batteries, feminine products, lens caps, pens, lotion...you name it. 

Inside the bag is a padded basket that keeps your camera and lenses all padded and safe so they won't break into a million pieces if you accidentally hit your bag against something. 

And the great part is, you can just take the basket completely out of the bag and just use it as a regular purse too, sans camera.

I tend to keep the basket in all the time just because I like the organization of it. 

I also love bags that have silver metal buckles because I always keep my keys on a carabiner that I can just clip on and off my bag as needed. 

The posey pocket is great! I keep it stocked full of my business cards and my hubbys business cards. There are also many slots of CF or SD cards to keep on hand. 

I love carrying this bag. It fits awesome on my body and is not too big or too small. Its very comfortable to wear during a photo shoot and gone are the days of worrying about my purse left in the car. 

The construction of the bag seems great. I've had it almost three months and there are no problems that I have noticed. Hopefully that stays the same. I would absolutely consider another Kelly Moore bag in the future based on my needs. (Or wants!) =)