The Windsor collection highlights style more than the company’s traditional black bag options, with leather trim and a subtle plaid tartan interior. While the collection is not the company’s first lifestyle option — such as their National Geographic series — the bags offer gear protection by mixing a water-repellent fabric with an attention to detail, like that leather trim.
Monfrotto’s latest collection includes four similarly styled bags, a backpack, two different sizes of messenger bags, and a shoulder bag.
The Windsor Reporter looks more like a laptop bag — and does include a 13-inch laptop sleeve along with space for a DSLR with an attached 24-70mm and space for up to two other lenses. Extra pockets, including one for water bottles along the side, expand the bag’s capacity. And those leather straps are there for more than just looks — Manfrotto says they can be used to hold a tripod.
The Windsor backpack is big enough to accommodate a 15-inch laptop, as well as a larger 70-200mm lens left attached to the camera. Since the opening for the camera body sits at the side of the pack, wearers can unsling one strap and reach for their gear for faster access. The pack also leaves room for two additional lenses and uses a split-pack design to leave space at the top for additional accessories or personal items.
Sitting as the most affordable options, the messenger bags come in two different sizes — the medium, designed for a DSLR, a few lenses, and a 15-inch laptop, or the small, which is more suited for mirrorless systems and a tablet. Along with accessing gear through the traditional messenger-style top flap, a zipper at the top offers faster access, Manfrotto says.
All four bags use adjustable internal dividers to separate and protect photography gear. The backpack lists for $170 and the Reporter for $130, with the medium and small messengers at $140 and $120, respectively.
