There’s no such thing as the perfect camera bag. If there was, trust me, I’d have bought it! As an all-round nature photographer, my kit is constantly changing, and the size of bag and its requirements dictated by what I am photographing. For example, I choose a different bag when photographing birds and mammals, to one where I’m shooting landscapes and close-ups. The needs are just different. I require a considerably larger bag with a substantial harness for carrying big glass over distances, whereas if I’m looking for woodland scenes and details I can get away with a much smaller one. As I write, I have my back to five camera bags.
I’ll start by saying that Think Tank sponsors me, as do Lee Filters and a few others. That’s not to say, however, that I would write nothing but positive comments on gear if I wasn’t, myself, entirely satisfied with it. That would be grossly unfair to those of you reading this. I give nothing but honest opinions of equipment (and, I don’t do many reviews) used in real-world situations.
Following a recce trip to the Gower Peninsula, I realised I needed a bag that I could use on the coast and access gear without putting it down. You know the kind of situations I’m talking about? The tide’s coming in, the bag’s on your back but you need to change lenses. You retreat to some dry land, change it and return. Time is lost but above all else it’s a pain in the neck to have to keep doing it, even just to access small accessories. Once home I began searching the web and went onto Think Tank’s website and upon coming across their MindShift Backlight series, knew this was the bag for me. I’ve been using Think Tank bags for years (even before the sponsorship) and have always been impressed with their quality and no-nonsense approach to design. But which size? Too small and you’re packing everything in without allowances for such things as a fleece, too large and it becomes overkill. They do 18, 26 and 36 litre versions and taking into account airline carry-on allowances opted for the 26…in charcoal. At 29 x 51.5 x 20 cm it conforms to pretty much all airlines - including Ryanair and Icelandair.
It duly arrived from California a couple of weeks later and my first impressions were, as expected, very positive. Think Tank’s bags have always given you more room than you’d expect, and this is largely down to the fact that they are not overly rounded and therefore retain the space in the corners.
In the image, below, you'll see two Nikon bodies, a 70-200mm f/2.8, smaller primes, a teleconverter and filters.
A big plus is the substantial bellows style outer pocket allowing lots of room (as I have subsequently discovered) for a Lee filter case, micro-down jacket and snack bars.
Within the pocket, there's a slot capable of taking a 15 inch laptop as well as a few other useful little pockets.
Either side of the waist belt there are two large water bottle pockets with a clinch cord where in one I store a small flask and the other both a camera cover and the bag’s rain cover. Very handy. It has, of course, all the usuals - tripod attachment, sternum strap etc but what I really wanted to test was the ability to access gear while standing. I would advise you try this at home, first, before attempting on a wet beach. It’s very straightforward, however. Upon locking the waist strap (important to keep it fairly loose) you simply release the straps from your shoulders and spin it around your waist so that the bag is now infront of you. Through unzipping the back panel you can now access your kit (and here’s the natty little thing) and by placing the Flap-keeper neck strap around your neck you’re able to work out of the bag, unencumbered.
Once lenses have been changed, zip it up and swing it back on your back. Simples!
Should you require further proof of how easy it is, here's a short video filmed by friend and workshop attendee, James.
https://youtu.be/zll8j5m7wgk
All in all, it's an extremely good camera bag and one which I use for everything bar long-lens wildlife shoots, and I know, given its build quality, it will give me many years of extremely good service.
