You can only imagine the look on my face as the UPS man pulled up our street! (Image 1) This
is my nephew Pierce and he was excited as I was to get our hands on the new bag from the folks at Think Tank
Photo. While opening the box I could tell a huge difference from the first time I had ordered from
them. They now have very solid marketing and customer focus with their kit ready for display at your
local camera store. Not that there was anything wrong with their operation before, you can just tell
that they are now ready for the big time. The bag comes with a very well laid out folder with tips
and tricks outlined. All very professional, this should go a long way to satisfy their customers.
My first reaction when opening the box was that the bag was larger than I had expected. (Image 2) This
image shows a comparison with a backpack from a competitor that I frequently use. I really hope Think
Tank comes out with something of a comparable size as I'm sure it would completely surpass the quality and
build of the other manufacturers. I also know their Modulus Waist System product which is of exceptional
quality. Back to the size, this thing can hold everything, and I mean everything! This can be
both good and bad. If a thief wants to target your entire kit, there it is, ready for the taking. Bam,
you are out of business and heading to the insurance agent. But, hopefully you shouldn't have to worry
with this. (Image 3 and 4) Think Tank has come up with a couple of very strong deterrents for
any "quick grab" that could happen. There is located on the two main zippers a small and
convenient combination lock. Just simply insert the ends of the YKK zippers into the slots and no one
will get in. Also, and this is a feature I was really impressed with, there is a 'tucked away' security
cable. This proved invaluable for me at weddings where I could leave my gear in the corner and not
worry about it walking off while I was working. I could just lock it to a table or pole, and be on
my way. This also could come in handy if you absolutely have to leave your gear in the car. Anything
that makes a thief take more time is the best defence. Simply take the cable and lock the bag to a
door handle or seatbelt.
The construction is, as I expected from their previous products, top-notch. They don't skimp on the
details and they don't call it 'ballistic nylon' for nothing. (Image 5) The padded handle is
very strong. It didn't have that feeling you often get when you grab a handle on some other bags that
it might tear in a year or so. The handle is basically sewn in as a part of the bag rather than being
attached later. Just below the handle is a place to tuck your business card. This gives it a
professional appearance, and I suppose if you are shooting a crowded event with other photographers, you
will know which one is yours!
This is a shot of exactly how the bag appeared when I opened the main compartment. (Image 6) You
can see they don't skimp on dividers. There are endless possibilities on how to configure your bag. I
like to have a body with a lens attached at the ready, and I was easily able to put that in the middle
of the bag with a spare body and all of my lenses and accessories around it. I mean everything. I
don't have any big telephotos, 70-200 2.8 is as big as I personally get, but I can see where you could easily
put a 400 2.8 with hood reversed down the center with all your extra lenses tucked along the side. They
do show several possible configurations on their website as well. I was able to include my battery
chargers, a portable hard-drive with my entire kit. With all the options and pouches, it is worth your
while to check out the Think Tank website.
www.thinktankphoto.com
Here are a couple of examples of the bag at work, in the back of my car and during a wedding. I'm
not sure what you think but I think the folks at the wedding should have been facing the other way as the
main attraction was this cool photographer and his cool bag! (Images 7 and 8)
And last but not least, there is nothing like coming around a corner in your house and finding your nephew
going through your equipment! He is holding a Pixel Pocket Rocket that stores memory cards. He
must have been shooting RAW and needed some memory! (Image 9).
On the tried and true Dave Uhlig product scale, this is definitely a 10. For my needs and many photographers,
it worked well to roll all of my gear into a location, take out what I needed (which I placed in the Modulus
Waist Belt) and go to work. This is a working photographer’s bag, so for all you working photographers,
make sure to give this one a look.
About the Author
Dave Uhlig is a staff member of TPN, and more of his work can be seen on his website,
Photo Omaha
.
