OT - camera bag materials and mould resistance

[stephen_jones4]

I find mildew/mould a bit of a problem in my camera storage bags (e.g. my

Domke f1-x). We've just moved house so hopefully this will be less of a

problem in the future, but do people in general think that a nylon material is

better than canvas for keeping away these pesky micro- organisms or does it

make little difference? To make it vaguely on topic- I don't want any spores

getting in my expensive Leica lenses. Also, once there is a "musty' smell in a

bag is it time to replace or am I just being paranoid? Comments/advice would

be appreciated.

[al_kaplan1]

Unless you live in a super humid climate (like here in South Florida) it shouldn't be too much concern which you use. Both seem more mildew resistant than the old leather bags. I'm under the impression that it's mostly dirt (organic?) on the cloth that feeds the mildew. Dark storage adds to the problem along with lack of air movement. I have a mid 1970's canvas Leica bag and a canvas Nikon bag of about the same vintage - no signs of mildew. They're not stuck in a dark airless closet. An old trick to keep mildew out of luggage is to place some small pieces of soap in them like whats left of a bar that's been well used. Some people claim scented soap works better but I use Ivory.

 

I doubt that lens fungus is the same species as the mildew, but again low humidity, air circulation, and light should minimize it's occurrance.

[jay_.]

Domke bags are machine-washable, that should take care of mildew if it's just starting. There are also spray fungicides but test for colorfastness. Plain old chlorine bleach kills mildew but it'll do a nasty tie-dye on your bag ;>) I live in S. Florida and have never had any problem with mildew. A/C is on 24/7, cabinets and closets all have tubs of Damp-Rid pellets and ventilated doors. Also I use my camera bags for carrying cameras, not storing them.

[maury_cohen]

FeBreeze odor neutralizer can also be helpful with mildew control on nylon bags.

 

Maury Cohen, Product Specialist - Lowepro USA

[stephen_jones4]

Jay,

I'm afraid my 1860's terraced house did not benefit from Air con. I only meant

"store" in the sense that I need to put my gear somewhere out of the direct

reach of my kids when I'm not using it.

I'm reasonably surprised that you can pop Domke's in the washing machine -

one of mine has leather trim - surely that can't be washed...? What about the

inserts? (It's difficult to find out too much about Domke here in the UK.)

 

BTW, Billingham have responded to my question about which fabric is better.

Apparantly, Nytex is more mould/mildew resistant than canvas.

[james_.1]

Try finding the Hakuba brand dry boxes of assorted size if you're in an area that you need to control the environment better. It's probably a better prospect than storing them in the bag, since these are air-tight plastic boxes with dessicant, which you can always add more dessicant bags as well. So although no airflow, the environment is very dry. BUT, this makes me wonder about the lubricants of the mechanical body and lens. Anyone got any ideas about this possible drawback?

[hoyin_lee1]

I live in the subtropics and fungus has been a major concern for my cameras and lenses until I bought one of these <a href="http://www.drytech.com.tw/english.htm">Taiwan-made electrical dry boxes</a>. A long time ago when I was posted to Brunei while serving in the military, the camp's quartermaster stored all the optical equipment (scopes, binoculars, etc.) in an old wooden cabinet with an incandescent light bulb in it. Apparently, the heat from the light bulb was sufficient to dehumidify the inside of the cabinet and keep the equipment fungus free. You could build one yourself, but make sure you use a low wattage light bulb and have several holes drilled near the top of the cabinet to prevent heat built up.

[al_kaplan1]

You should also drill a hole or two near the bottom so air can circulate better.

[hoyin_lee1]

Al's absolutely right! Forgot about those holes near the bottom of the cabinet!