Swedish bag and accessory maker CRDBAG recently released its new Y-WRAP, SLING, and PALS ADAPTER. As with their other products, these have been designed and manufactured out of quality materials with filmmakers in mind.
I was personally interested in the Y-WRAP, as I have been using lenswraps for more than a decade.
Y-WRAP
The Y-WRAP is a new take on the classic foldable lenswrap that various companies have been making for many years.
At first glance, you could mistake them for a pair of Speedos!
CRDBAG’S patent-pending Y-WRAPs are available in three sizes, Small, Medium, and Large. While they are primarily designed for wrapping lenses or cameras, you could use them to protect a whole range of accessories.
The whole idea behind the product was to come up with something that was well-made and that would keep your gear protected during transportation and storage. Now, the Y-WRAPs are not substitutes for cases and they were designed to add an extra layer of protection for your gear when placed inside a bag or case.
Materials & Build Quality
If you are going to use something to protect expensive lenses or gear that you have purchased then you don’t want to use anything that can potentially break, rip, or come loose when you are handling an item.
If there is one thing CDRBAG does well is that they use very good quality materials for their products. The Y-WRAP is really well made.
The outside material looks similar to Gortex or one of those products you would find on a ski jacket.
Everything is well stitched and you can tell that a lot of attention to detail was paid to the little things.
I have personally been using lens wraps I found at a camera market in Hong Kong probably 15 years ago, and while they have served their job well, they are now starting to show signs of wear and tear.
How do you use it?
The Y-WRAPs come with instructions, both on the box and on the actual label that is attached to the product. The first time you do try to use it I recommend following the instructions.
Basically, there are 6 steps to follow. Now, you may be thinking 6 steps, but it’s actually very quick to do. I recommend placing the Y-WRAP on a flat surface.
- Place the item you want to warp in the center of the Y
- Fold over the left arm
- Fold over the right arm
- Fold up the leg
- Secure the wrap with the flexible cover
- Flip it over and tighten the cord
Above you can see a quick demonstration of how it works. One thing I did notice is that the instructions don’t tell you to fold the top part in after step one. If you don’t do that you will end up with an exposed hole.
If this is too hard for you to remember, CDRBAG has placed numbers on the Y-WRAP to help you out. Once you have done it a few times you won’t need to refer to the instructions again.
Sizes
As I mentioned earlier, the Y-WRAP is available in three different sizes. Below are the physical dimensions of the three different sizes that are available:
Y-WRAP Small: 39 x 36 x 0.5 cm / 15.35″ (H) x 14.17″ (W) x 0.196″ (D)
Y-WRAP Medium: 51 x 46 x 0.5 cm / 20.08″ (H) x 18.11″ (W) x 0.196″ (D)
Y-WRAP Large: 62 x 55 x 0.5 cm / 24.41″ (H) x 21.65″ (W) x 0.196″ (D)
The Large size can be used for Cine zooms, primes, or fairly long stills lenses. In my example above I am using a TLS Morpheus 80-200mm T2.8 zoom which is
The Medium size is suitable for some cine primes (depending on their size), prime stills lenses, and zooms like a 24-70mm, etc.
The Small size could probably only be used with smaller-sized primes.
Real World Thoughts
I really like the CDRBAG V-WRAPs. They are easy to use and very well made. They provide protection for your lenses and other accessories when you have multiple items placed inside bags. This extra protection stops anything from getting scratched or rubbed up against anything else.
The material they have been made out of also makes them easy to grip and hold which is important when you are pulling items out of a bag.
Lenswraps are not going to be for everyone and it really depends on how you like to store and transport your equipment. Everyone has different needs and requirements.
I like what CDRBAG has come up with, but I would also like to see some slightly larger ones for wrapping bigger lenses or even digital cinema cameras.
Price & Availability
The CRDBAG Y-WRAPs are now available for the following prices:
- Y-WRAP Small: $19.90 USD
- Y-WRAP Medium: $23.90 USD
- Y-WRAP Large: $25.90 USD
You can also buy them in packs of two or four. The packs of four are 10% cheaper.
