I've seen a few website reviews on these and they've been pretty glowing, but I'm just curious if any of us normal folks have tried any of the latest offering from Thinktank - the Streetwalker series?
I've wanted something that's lighter than my Lowepro Naturetrekker AWII - and the SW series seems to cut that amount in half - let alone the size while retaining most of the gear I'd bring with me on a less serious outing. I also don't have a pack that fits my laptop - granted, I don't often bring both with me with the kind of shooting I do, but I thought it might be good for non-airplane travel. Laptop, a good amount of gear all in the Streetwalker Pro Hard-drive.
But that's what I think - I'd love to see if anyone has any first-hand experience!
I have the Streetwalker Pro and am very impressed with it. It fits on my back comfortably and the construction looks durable. I too have the Lowepro Nature Trekker but find that it's a bit shallow to hold a pro body camera. The SW can hold almost all the gear that I had in the Lowepro very nicely. I'm sure the TT HardDrive can take everything you have as it is bigger than the SW. I highly recommend getting any of the Think Tank products.
I have a TT Streetwalker Harddrive on order that is supposed to be delivered tomorrow...barring weather issues (ice/sleet). When I get it and load it up, I'll post my thoughts about it.
i just ordered the SW Harddrive. I couldn't decide which to buy but thought the ability to have my laptop in the bag with all my gear would be nice when on airplanes, and traveling. I'll let you know when mine arrives as well
alemmo wrote:
i just ordered the SW Harddrive. I couldn't decide which to buy but thought the ability to have my laptop in the bag with all my gear would be nice when on airplanes, and traveling. I'll let you know when mine arrives as well
This is EXACTLY my line of thinking - PLEASE let us know - I mean, how many times have you ordered a bag "thinking" it was *the one*?
justinvl wrote:
But that's what I think - I'd love to see if anyone has any first-hand experience!
I bought the SW Harddrive to replace my TTP Ultralight, primarily because I was unhappy with the loose pouch for the computer. The new airport bags addressed that problem but I still prefer the design of the SW Harddrive. My only complaint is that they did not design a pocket large enough to hold airplane tickets / boarding passes! Overall, a very nice, but not perfect, bag. dave
I bought this bag so that I could start hauling around some camera gear along with my work stuff. I don't use a laptop, but I bought the bag with the laptop space so I could haul some folders/papers in the laptop slot. It works great for that, IF you don't have more than about 1.5 inches worth.
This is the first camera backpack I have owned as I have always used shoulder bags. I considered another shoulder bag that would accomodate a laptop, camera w/ grip and attached lens and space for my 80-200 and 85 1.4 with hoods. The shoulder bag would have been huge (and heavy hanging off my shoulder).
With all of my gear loaded the bag IS pretty heavy, however, the straps are very nice and padded and the sternum strap is adjustable up and down. The back is very padded and ventilated.
I have not had a chance to do much walking with the pack so I can't yet comment on it's longterm comfort.
The tripod hauling capabilities appear to be very well thought out, but i have not used it yet.
All of the zippers, fasteners are quality and the bag is very nice quality throughout.
I would prefer a little less thickness to the bag, but it is necessary for the laptop space. If I did not need the space, the SW Pro would be a great choice. The SW (not pro) will not accommodate a pro size body. The bag is not very wide which I really like.
baabbott wrote:
I received my new TT SW Harddrive.
Thumbs up to Thinktank for a nice backpack.
Thanks for the pics! It definitely looks more like a camera bag than on the thinktank site, but yeah, I do like the apparent narrowness over my current bag.
Good point on the laptop padding - a point to consider (Do I really need to bring the LT around with me?) save the space and then maybe the SW Pro could be the one for me...
Thanks for the excellent pictures. The TT site does NOT do a good enough job of clearly showing their products; your photo do. Now, I have a decision to make....
The TT makes an excellent line of products. I've taken mine all over Europe and Asia thru every kind of weather and it still looks brand new. It's also so well made, that I feel confident that if it fell off my back, the gear would remain unscathed. But that's not a theory I'm going to test.
I have a TT Urban Disguise 40 and an Airport Acceleration. The UD 40 won't let me carry all four lenses (Canon 70-200 f/4IS and 1.4x converter, Tamron 90mm f/2.8 macro, Tokina 11-16 f/2.8 and Tamron 17-50 f/2.8) and gets to be hard on my shoulder after a while. I switch it from one shoulder to another, but other than the convenience of immediate access that a shoulder bag gives, I guess I don't like them much. As with all TT stuff it is superbly crafted though and has all kinds of cool details.
I bought the Airport Acceleration when they were on sale recently because sometimes I want to be able to bring my laptop along, and also because the AA is big enough not only for my D50 and all four of my lenses, but also for the 580EXII flash, CP-E4 battery pack, lots of spare batteries and other stuff, with room left over. The AA is super comfortable except: I don't like that the tripod mounts to the side (makes the pack "list" to that side a little), and the AA is too big for a normal "walk around SF" trip when I don't need flash and all that other junk. Because it can carry so much it's also huge on the outside and fairly heavy empty, and unfortunately because it CAN carry all that junk I frequently end up carrying it all when I don't need to.
So last night I ordered the smallest Streetwalker. I know from previous experience with TT products that it will be super high quality and have lots of cool features. It appears to me to be just the size I need for day trips where flash isn't needed, and I like that the tripod (I almost always bring my Gitzo GT2531... I am an old school guy who used to hump a wooden 4x5 and wooden tripod around) mounts in a centered position so the load should be centered on my shoulders.
Living in SF, I expect the bag will arrive tomorrow, TT stuff usually gets here over night because they are close by.
Thanks Michael - yours does look tight - which is ideal at times (right bag for the right job right?). I'd definitely have to get a pro since I'm currently shooting with a 1DMKII... and I was kind of surprised by the blue trim when I first saw the photos posted here - not really what I thought it would look like from the pics on the TT website - I thought it'd be a bit more "stealthy".
justinvl wrote:
Thanks Michael - yours does look tight - which is ideal at times (right bag for the right job right?). I'd definitely have to get a pro since I'm currently shooting with a 1DMKII... and I was kind of surprised by the blue trim when I first saw the photos posted here - not really what I thought it would look like from the pics on the TT website - I thought it'd be a bit more "stealthy".
Yeah, they say the Streetwalker Pro is designed for pro bodies so that would be the right one for you. I was surprised the 50D was such a tight fit, but it *does* fit, and I guess having it tight means stuff won't be moving around inside the bag.
I'm starting to think these aren't as good as I had hoped - they don't look as "cool" not as padded as I'd like, and don't really have anything "else"... though I don't have a lot of access to TT gear, I did see the Lowepro Vertex 200 the other day, and it looked nice, fairly compact, holds my 1D and doesn't look too much like a camera bag...
It's not TT's best, but then it doesn't cost (or weigh) like TT's best either. I think it's going to work fine for me. The outer padding is pretty robust, and that's where most threats come from. My intent is to use it as a "walk around the city" kinda bag. I have the Airport Acceleration if I need more capacity and more ruggedness, but the truth is, I seldom do.
The Vertex fills a different niche - it's quite a bit heavier, bulkier and more square. That combo means it wears heavier too. I see the Vertex more as competitor to the Airport line rather than the StreetWalker line. To me the TT bag (especially the Harddrive) is an around town, fast moving, shooters bag that can also work as a secondary travel bag. For that need, it's a pretty solid design as it wears very well, holds a lot for its size and is rugged enough for the task without adding unwarrented weight. I'm happy with mine, but then I also have a CompuPrimus which I use for more rugged day hikes, an Osprey pack for overnighters, a TT UD60 for my daily haul, a Tamrac Pro5 for light, walkabout duty and a TT DH40 for single lens action.
I was thinking of getting the largest the HardDrive but i want it to be able to hold my tripod a Manfrotto 190xprob and my lightstand the Manfrotto 5001 (001). The tripod is about 4" wide at the bottom and the lightstand is about 2.5". With a total of 6.5", do you think they both will fit in the bottom pocket?
-Thanks
