Bag Week Reviews: Tenba Photo/Laptop Daypack

Short version: Tenba’s Photo/Laptop Daypack is more of a photography bag then anything else. That’s not a bad thing, it’s just important that you know that before you start reading this review.

Features:

  • Holds up to a 17″ laptop
  • 30 Pockets, slots, and storage spaces
  • Removable camera insert
  • MSRP: $139.95
  • Pros:

  • Expedition quality strap system
  • Holds DSLR, 2-3 lenses, and a flash
  • Made from military grade nylon, making the daypack fairly rugged
  • Cons:

  • Feels smaller then it looks

Review:
Tenba’s Photo/Laptop Daypack combines a basic padded laptop sleeve with an advanced camera bag. Your laptop (up to 17-inch) slides in to the pocket at the back of the bag, while your camera fits into a special pocket at the bottom of the bag. The camera pocket unzips separately from the rest of the bag, and then folds out, giving you access to your DSLR, 2-3 lenses, and possibly a flash. There are organizer pockets on either side of the pack, with red and green pockets for your memory cards. The top of the bag has a drawstring closure underneath a buckle/velcro secured flap. This top pocket is intended to store accessories like your mp3 player, cell phone, keys, etc.

The support straps on this bag are amazing. This bag has the best shoulder, chest, and waist strap system that I’ve ever seen in a day pack. I’d go so far as to say that the straps on this day pack rival what you would see on a camping backpack! Properly adjusted, these straps make this bag ideal for when you’re hauling around a large load of electronics and photography gear. The bag is made from your standard ripstop nylon fabric, and feels very well constructed. Tenba has made this bag available in multiple colors: black, olive, and burnt orange.

This bag also has a rubberized base, which helps the bag resist water and damage. Like the Photo/Laptop Messenger, the camera insert is removable, and this frees up a large amount of space for other items if needed. This bag is fairly specialized, however, so don’t expect to be able to convert it into a textbook carrying monster.

Conclusion: The Tenba Photo/Laptop Daypack is primarily a photo day pack. It is worth noting that it’s a really good photo day pack, and I’d recommend it even if it didn’t have a large padded laptop pocket. I do like this bag, I like the way the camera insert folds out, I like the drawstring opening at the top of the bag, I even like the “green” pockets for empty memory cards, and the “red” pockets for the full cards. But there’s an odd thing. When you start loading the bag, it starts to feel smaller then it looks. It looks like this massive photo backpack – but you might just find yourself having to leave some of your gear behind because there’s not enough room for it all. Regardless of this issue, I still recommend that you buy it if you need a photo backpack.
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