So you thought the nation with the largest contiguous border with the most successful, the most powerful, nation the world has ever seen, not to mention the most altruistic, had nothing to offer but cheap prescription drugs and cold winters?

Well, think again.

Dialing up the foul eBay the other day in search of a better price on a used LowePro Omni Trekker bag the better with which to carry my magnificent fifty year old Crown Graphic and its many film holders and accessories, I came across a Canadian vendor selling new versions at half the price of the ones available to those of us who count ourselves blessed to be Americans.

So I splashed out my $119 (US) and no less than five days later the new Omni-Trekker, or at least a very good rip off, tags and all, was on my doorstep.

My dog was happy, as it meant a cookie from the UPS man. I was happy as someone from Canada had actually shown some business acumen (we need all the friends we can get) and geopolitics was happy, reassured that maybe those neighbors of ours were not complete losers after all.

The point of this preamble, of course, is that humping the Crown over California’s magnificent landscape, rugged as the camera is, in an old LA Rams gym bag, the Linhof tripod carelessly slung in insouciant manner over the other shoulder, was not a prescription for longevity of either the equipment or the operator.

So on my 140 mile round trip trek to that Top Secret Highway One Location today, the casual observer would have spotted a rather well dressed gent, yes, Harris Tweed cap and all in deference to Her Majesty and our northern neighbors, sporting nothing less than a magnificent LowePro Omni-Trekker bag (or cheap imitation thereof – you decide) in backpack manner with Linhof tripod prominently displayed. Thank goodness for quick release straps.

It has to be said that this huge investment in carrying capacity and function paid dividends. First, in reducing the stress caused by its predecessor, the LowePro earned its keep right there. Second, in spreading the load over the body, sternum and waist, it made a damnable trek into something more resembling sheer bloody hell. A whole lot easier, in other words.

But. most importantly, this Canadian import made it possible to reach places heretofore unknown and that’s what makes for great photographs.

So if you don’t care how you carry your equipment, think again. Canada is not just a haven for those favoring socialized medicine. You can also get cheap camera bags there.