The new version of the Crumpler Six Million Dollar Home has dual-clip front flap closures, dual velcro patches and hideaway velcro silencers on the front of the bag which help make it one of the quietest designs in the Crumpler photography lineup. There are two front pockets protected by the main flap. Both of the front pockets provide enough additional space (along with the snug integrated inner side storage slots adjacent to the main compartment) to carry filters, CF cards, spare battery, microfiber cloth, extension tubes, a notepad & pen. The Six Million Dollar Home still uses somewhat noisy medium duty velcro on the two front pockets, but the hideaway silencers can be quickly deployed whenever quiet is needed. The Six Million Dollar Home also has four, side loops for attaching accessory pouches. All of the Crumpler accessory pouches and many of the Lowepro, Kata and Tamrac accessory pouches mount perfectly on the loops. The Crumpler shoulder strap and pad combo is terrific and worthy of special attention. The exterior shell of the bag is made of treated and back-sealed Cordura. All-in-all, very nicely done indeed.
Although you'll need a couple of weeks of regular use to break in the shoulder pad, once you do you'll probably love the thing. The wide strap slides through the pad which means you can sling the bag behind you (so you can really step out when you want to cover a lot of territory) while still keeping the pad in the most comfortable position. Better still, even if the shoulder pad somehow shifts out of position, the 2" (50mm) wide strap webbing won't dig into your neck or shoulder. Crumpler has been using the same strap design for the Million Dollar Home bags and several other shoulder bags since entering the market. Some things should never change. A shoulder strap for a shoulder bag should be versatile and comfortable in a variety of carry positions for long periods of time, and that's exactly what Crumpler provides. Nicely done again.
The Six Million Dollar Home has a moderate size profile but carries relatively small on anyone taller than about 5'8" (1.72 meters). It carries very small on anyone over 6' (1.83 meters). I'm 5'11" (1.8 meters) and I'm delighted with the carrying capacity of the Six Million Dollar Home and its conservative size profile. Ground insulation is good. General weatherproofing is good too, but the strap attachment is sewn to the top edge of the main compartment, so high winds can occasionally drive a bit of dust and/or moisture into the outer/top ends of the bag and down into the slot compartments on either side of the main compartment. The main compartment remains dry and dust-free however. Rainproofing of the outer shell is very good because the outer surface has been treated and the back is bonded to a synthetic, water repellent coating. Padding and protection is generally good. The internal partition system is moderately easy to adjust and presents only the usual velcro divider aggravations. The bottom pad is relatively thin and low density so don't drop the bag heavily on any hard surfaces.
The Crumpler Six Million Dollar Home has enough height to carry a 70-200 or 80-200 f/2.8 lens with its hood reversed. Our kit for this review consisted of a Nikon D700 with battery grip and an attached Nikkor 24-70 f/2.8 zoom lens, plus a Nikkor 70-200 f/2.8 VR zoom, a Nikon SB-600 flash, and the usual complement of CF cards, lenspens, cleaning cloths, spare battery, circular polarizer filter, and a short collapsible Knirps umbrella stuffed into one of the semi-hidden side pockets. The bag swallowed all the gear, and closed and carried normally. With a full load we looked for deformities in the shape of the bag as well as bottom bulging, both of which could spell trouble down the road. But the bag held its own . . . continued
