Camera Bag

I love using my Think Tank StreetWalker HardDrive when shooting from a vehicle, like a safari truck in Africa, or a boat in Alaska, or even from a blind in Texas. With room for both my photo gear and my 15-inch laptop, it is one of the most-versatile photo backpacks on the market. But lugging it through airports, especially on the super-long walks we often face on international connections, is painful. So I was quite excited when Think Tank released a Roller version. I used a StreetWalker Rolling Backpack as my backpack in Alaska, and it did everything I wanted.

Photo backpacks are great for carrying gear, but they have one major drawback. They’re inconvenient to work with in situations where you don’t have the time or space to set them down. For that reason, I’ve always made sure that some type of sling or messenger bag was part of my arsenal. So I was excited to learn about the upcoming MindShift Gear PhotoCross 13 Sling Bag. I was fortunate enough to get an early version to take with me on my Alaska bear photo safaris and put it through its paces…

Now that I’m doing more drone photography and videography, I needed a good way to travel with my DJI Mavic Pro drones. There are some really sweet hard cases, like this $120 custom-fit model from Go Professional, but unless you’re working out of a vehicle its pretty heavy and bulky. Since many of the great drone locations are best reached by hiking or biking, I wanted something light and convenient, that would also hold my tablet and tablet mount.

All of us have wrestled with the need to protect our photo gear while traveling on increasingly-crowded commercial airliners, but still have it available in a more-convenient, soft-sided, package when we get closer to where we are going. I get questions about how best to do this all the time from our readers and safari participants. Over the years we’ve had a variety of solutions, but none have been ideal. Now, leading photo bag maker has teamed up with leading hard-shell case maker SKB to create a unique hybrid offering. The combination cases offer a Think Tank designed set of dividers in the form of a removable backpack, enclosed in an SKB hard case. As always, if you use our affiliate link to purchase one, you’ll get free shipping and a free gift. The prices are amazingly reasonable, too!

I have amassed quite a collection of photo backpacks over the years, in all shapes and sizes. Most are purely functional, and even those that look good, like my Think Tank Retrospective 7, clearly define themselves with functionality first. So I was very curious when Moshi, known for their fashionable accessories, asked me to test out their new Arcus backpack prior to launch at CES. I was impressed that while it is stylish, it could also fit my laptop, tablet, phone, paperwork, jacket, and camera with two lenses. So I was happy to give it a try. What I found was a pack that will make a lot of consumers happy, although it may not be rugged enough for most professionals.

It’s no secret that I loved my original MP-3, and made it my “go to” camera bag when I had to bring my wildlife photo gear somewhere and needed to make efficient use of space – particularly for trips involving small planes or a bit of hiking. So it was great news for me when Moose Peterson teamed up with Think Tank’s MindShift brand to produce a new, improved, version. I’ve been using it for a while now, and am very impressed. It retains the flexible design of the original, but offers improved shoulder straps, an even more-rugged build quality, and a few other nice touches.

One of the challenges of travel photography, and photo journalism, is carrying all the equipment you need without being too conspicuous or too uncomfortable. Fortunately, unlike most wildlife photography, you don’t need super-huge telephoto lenses, so a shoulder bag becomes an option. I’ve used many of them over the years, but recently have really enjoyed working with Think Tank’s Retrospective series. It combines a well-thought-out design with enough style that I don’t feel like I’m lugging a classic black photo bag. So when it was time for my annual photo tour to Southeast Asia I started out by thinking I’d once again take my Think Tank Retrospective 7 with me (you can read our complete field test review of it). However, I had more gear to lug around this time (a Nikon D810, Nikon IR-Converted DSLR, Tokina 24-70 f/2.8 lens, Nikon 70-200mm f/4 lens, Nikon SB-900 flash, Sigma 12-24mm lens, Microsoft Surface Pro 3, filters, FLIR ONE, DxO ONE, and lots of “little stuff.” So I needed something a little larger.

Regular readers know that I really like both the Think Tank Retrospective 7 (here’s my original review) as a versatile shoulder bag that can accommodate either a good-size mirrorless rig or a smallish DSLR rig, and the Think Tank Mirrorless Mover 30i (here’s my review) as the ultimate option for a 10-inch tablet plus mirrorless outfit. Think Tank has added a new wrinkle to each of these already-great bags…

Regular readers will know that I’m a fan of Think Tank’s now-discontinued Sling-O-Matic easy-access field pack. I love the way I can get at my camera and lenses in any situation without putting the bag down. That’s critical in many nature photography situations, including when in marshes or even in crowded public places. Fortunately, Think Tank has come up with a new bag that gives me much of this same freedom, while adding the versatility of being a true backpack – The Think Tank Trifecta 8 and Think Tank Trifecta 10. I field-tested a Trifecta 10 on my Alaska bear photo safaris this year, and was quite pleased…