Tenba 638-222 Small Messenger (Olive)

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Price: $100.95 Too low to display   

Product Feature

• Fits most 15-inch laptops
• Removable photo insert
• Easily holds D/SLR body, 3 lenses, flash, magazines and files, in addition to your laptop
• The most time-tested and proven outdoor textile ever; the optimal combination of strength, durability, and light weight
• Over 20 pockets and compartments to keep mobile hard drives, cell phone, MP3 player, cables, chargers, pens, and business cards

Product Description

The Tenba Messenger is an urban-inspired laptop bag that is designed to hold everything you need for a day; on vacation or at work; at school or at the gym. A removable photo insert holds camera gear as well.

Tenba 638-222 Small Messenger (Olive) Review

The small is actually only 1.5" less is width and 1" less in height and the same 6.5" depth as the "large" version. I opted for the small as it was less conspicuous by a hair and this was why I was buying a messenger style bag in the first place. It looks like a briefcase or satchel and not at all like a camera bag - helpful when dealing with potential thieves and airline gate people.

The 6.5" depth is not a true measurement as there are two internal padded sections to provide for a laptop and this reduces the interior depth for a camera to 5.5" at best. Not a problem with a small DSLR like a Canon 50D or a Nikon D90 but very tight for a full size pro DSLR (which needs a full 6.5 inches).

The small holds a full size DSLR with a medium lens attached (135mm or less) and there is room for one full size lens like a 24-120 or 24-70 lens and one side section that will hold a standard flash or a small lens (50mm prime for example). The interior is well padded and comes in two different colors, a dark gray and a very light gray. The lighter inside makes it a lot easier to find camera items which tend to be black. The large bag is 1" taller and so will do a better job with a 70-200mm lens but on the whole it will not hold much more than the "small" one as it is only 1.5" wider and the same depth.

The bag has a large flap with a lot of Velcro to secure it along with the two buckles. There is a top zipper so you can access the inside of the bag without unbuckling it but it is not going to work with a full size DSLR. The strap is well made and has an offset section that is well padded and "grippy" so it will not slip of the shoulder. As you cannot put more than about 9 lbs. of gear inside for a total weight of 12 lbs. in total these shoulder is quite adequate.

There are several aspects of the bags design that are less than optimum. First is the lack of any exterior pockets large enough for a flash or similarly sized piece of gear. When I want to add a flash to a shot I don't want to have to unfasten the two buckles and open up the bag to get to the inside each time to retrieve it and again to put it back for the moment. It is a waste of time and it provides more opportunities for dust and dirt to get into the bag and into the camera and lenses.

Another drawback is the lack of any provision for a waist or security strap. A waist strap can help shoulder the load, keeps the bag close to your body which helps in both outdoor and urban settings, and a waist or security strap makes it very hard for a thief to grab the bag off your shoulder and run off with it. This is a common oversight and even LowePro will provide waist straps for its junior bags for small cameras but leave them off its Stealth Reporter bags intended for use by pros carrying 15 lbs. or more of very expensive gear.

The satchel has a small amount of material that can be folded in before securing the flap to help keep out dust and dirt and windblown water but it is not going to be all that effective. This is a good city bag but not a bag to protect your camera gear in hostile conditions. Too bad because adding a side section to the cover flap would make a big difference but this is a detail that Tenba overlooked. If you intend to go ahead and get this bag and use it in possibly dusty or dirty conditions it would be worth the expense and effort to have someone sew on the side flaps to the bag using a little coated nylon fabric.

Recommend adding a small flat see-through pouch for all the small items you may want to get to quickly (like a cable shutter release or lens cleaning supplies, filters, etc.) as this bag has none and the exterior pockets are not even big enough for most cell phones.

I looked at a dozen different camera satchel bags by Promaster, LowePro, Tenba, and others and the Tenba was the best, not great but a lot better than the others. I have 4 LowePro bags and the Tenba is as well made as any of them and more reasonably priced.

Be wary of the colors as they are lot brighter than appear in the pictures, especially the "olive" green which is more of a metallic green, and the orange which is also a metallic orange.

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