Kinesis — System Introduction

Click on any photo on this site to see it enlarged.
Many have informative call outs.
Click here for our PDF overview brochure.

Introduction to the Kinesis System

Our core products comprise a complete modular belt-pouch system for photojournalists, nature/outdoor traveling photographers, sports shooters, commercial photographers and wedding/portrait shooters. Samples of different belt configurations can be found at this link.

We manufacture products for those looking for a lightweight, quick-moving carrying system for shooting in the field. We do not offer a complete line of traditional shoulder bags, large padded system backpacks, point & shoot camera cases or video camcorder cases.

Shown below are specific categories or product “series.” Each of our products are assigned a four digit product number with a “series” prefix letter (i.e. A200, E280, R421 etc.). Each series is featured on one page. Since the site is not database driven you can just browse, starting at the top of each page.

A-Series — Accessory Pouches are pouches for film, light meters, cell phones, water bottles and other non-optical items. The rule-breaker is the A634 which is now padded and is often used for optics or cameras. 
B-Series — Belts are available in sizes from 24 to 64 inches.
C-Series — Camera & Lens Cases, also called holster cases, are for a DSLR camera body with lens attached.They are also called top-load zoom cases.
D-Series — Digital Equipment cases for CF cards, Microdrives or laptop computers.
E-Series — Lens Pouches that are cylindrical (circular) in shape for lenses not attached to a camera body.
F-Series — Film, Flash & Filter Pouches are lightweight, rectangular pouches for non-optical items such as film backs, filters, film holders, Polaroid® backs, battery packs, radio slaves, video tapes and two-way radios.
H-Series — Harnesses & Camera Straps which include suspenders that intergrate with the rest of the Kinesis system.
L-Series — Long Lens Cases are for a DSLR or mirrorless body with a lens attached. They are for glass 300/2.8 and larger.
M-Series — Multi lens pouches are for holding short lenses side-by-side. They also house smaller camera & lens combos or vlogger cameras. 
N-Series — Rain or dust covers for the a single case or belt system.
P-Series — Packs, rucksacks, or backpacks for photo gear or for travel & mountaineering.
R-Series— SafariSack™ is our exclusive bean bag/sand bag product.
S-Series — Shoulder Bags are larger bags that are worn over the shoulder with a single shoulder strap--this includes shoulder bags, duffel bags or just plain old "camera bags."
T-Series — Tripod Accessories or shoulder straps for tripods.
V-Series — Padded Modular Dividers for various cases and pouches in our system.
Y-Series — System Accessories includes shoulder straps and general purpose accessories.

Product Nomenclature & Sizing

The numbers following the letter define the size of the product within each category. Our product numbers (following the series prefix letter) define the size of the product within each category. Most of these numbers equal the volume in liters. For example, the volume of the M330 is 3.3 liters, compared to the volume of the M550 which is 5.5 liters, about 60% larger. Our shoulder bags and packs use a similar method, moving the decimal over one row. For example, the volume of the P450 pack is 45 liters. The volume of the S360 shoulder bag is 36 liters. To measure the small pouches we fill them with water. For the the larger products (S- and P-series), we use packing peanuts as the measuring fill. (In our tests the packing peanuts gave the same result as using water.) In all cases the measurement includes pockets.

Height, width, depth specifications provided are inside dimensions. Shown below is a legend used throughout this Website. The diameter is the distance straight across the circle on cylindrical products.

The Following Features Make this System Unique

• Pouches are not permanently attached, permitting them to be worn at any place on the belt
• Foam-padded conically cut belt (banana shaped)
• Low-profile pouches for working in crowds or athletic/active situations
• Foam-padded components designed to accommodate pro-series motor-driven DSLR or mirrorless bodies with the faster and larger “2.8” zoom lenses
• Long lens cases with stiff sidewalls that provide more protection plus the ability to carry these cases on your back as a pack
• Application of the same rugged construction and materials used in the making of mountaineering backpacks

Attachment Methods — KATS & More

—How to attach a pouch onto a belt or onto another larger case—

Modularity is Key to Kinesis

The photos below illustrate the modularity of the system. Components are purchased a la carte for maximum versatility. Click on any photo on this website to see an enlarged view. Many have informative captions.

Kinesis Black Belt
(B108 Large shown)
Eight attachment points or space for seven "single-wide" components.

Belt with one "double-wide" component attached.

Kinesis Black Belt — fully loaded.

Components can be attached any place on the belt.

Common Features Found on Most Products

Ergonomics of the System

Larger pouches are best placed at the side of your hip, or in the rear.
Some people like to wear the belt buckle in the back with their front surrounded with pouches.

The above photo shows one of the clear advantages of the Kinesis modular system. Pouches can be attached anywhere on the belt and they do not slide around even when there are gaps in the sequence.

 

Every Kinesis pouch or case has a generous sized hand grab loop allowing you to pick up and carry the
whole system in one hand.

PDF Brochure

Our simple 2-page B&W brochure is a summary of all products, but does not have the detail found in the web site. Please note that our web site is always current, whereas the brochure may not have the latest pricing or product updates. Our brochure can obtained in one of two ways:
1. Print it as a PDF download**. KinesisBrochure.pdf (~500 kb file)
2. You can drop me (Richard) an e-mail with your name and address and we'll send one via snail mail. Because of extraordinary postage costs, we don't snail-mail catalogs outside the US or Canada.

Fabrication & Design Notes

Fabrics

• Exteriors made with durable 500 denier DuPont Cordura® nylon. This fabric has a waterproof urethane coating, however the products are no seam sealed so the protection level is water repellent which is OK for a light shower, but for a continuous downpour, a rain cover or insert is recommended. 

• Interiors lined with smooth 210 denier nylon Oxford cloth (also urethane coated)
• 1/4" (6mm) crosslinked closed-cell foam for protection against bumps & temperature
• Some larger cases & bags use heavier fabrics and thicker foams or laminates. (See individual products for exceptions).

Hardware

• Acetal or Nylon webbing and hardware (no cheap Polypropylene imitations)
• Rugged #8 YKK® zippers for main compartment lids

• Load bearing seams double stitched with bonded nylon thread
• Exposed seams & zipper ends bound with nylon binding tape
• Stress areas stitched at least five times

Design

• System modularity
• Pouches not permanently attached to belt--can be worn any place on the waist
• Small pieces piggy-back on larger pieces
• Bellows pockets on many products--flat when empty, yet expandable
• Weather resistant overlapping zippers on many products.

All products USA made from fabric and parts that are domestic or imported.

Fine Print