thinkTANK StreetWalker Pro Review

The purchase of this bag came out of a need to have a backpack style bag for a shoot of a local mountain biking event. While typically I try to do a little research before making these sorts of purchases, time did not allow for this luxury.  Not the the ideal situation for sure, but was certainly the reality for me.

So off to my local camera store (Overland Photo Supply) to see what they had to offer.

I did have a few requirments I needed to meet and included:

…Capacity to carry my Nikon D700 with three lenses (14-24mm f2.8, 24-70mm f2.8 & 70-200mm f2.8), two speedlights, radio triggers, and all the other assorted accessories (extra batteries, filters, etc.)

…Comfortable/sturdy shoulder straps w/ waist belt

…Ability to carry tripod

After looking over the usual suspects I decided on the StreetWalker Pro primarily because of the the contoured shoulder straps and the well padded back with breathable mesh fabric.  I have owned many a backpack, daypack and hydration pack and these are details that definitely pay dividends on long active days. This combined with thinkTANKs reputation made it a fairly easy decision to make.

Once home I set out to decided the best way to compartmentalize the pack to accommodate my gear. Since this time the pack has served as my main camera bag. Based on 6-months of usage I offer the following comments:

The overall comfort of this the bag is quite good – my only wish is that the waist belt would be a little more substantial and offer some padding without having to purchase their modular belt separately.

The materials and construction have not disappointed…I have drug the bag over rocks, hauled it up into a tree and rolled it around in the dirt & snow and it is yet to show significant wear.

From a design standpoint they should have made the storage pockets on the main flap pleated to allow for more accessories to be stored.  As it stands now they are fairly shallow.

I like that the bag came with a seam-sealed rain cover.  While I haven’t used it for it’s intended purpose – I have used it several times as a ground cloth when laying out gear in the woods.  This helps keep things clean and kept me from loosing things like batteries in the leaves.

This pack is maxed out with my current kit and accessories. I can see adding a larger capacity bag in the future to accommodate a laptop and other necessities such as food, drink and clothing on those longer days when hiking to shoot landscapes or other outdoor activities such as mountain biking and climbing. I have already begun my research for just such a bag and am leaning towards the f-stop tilopa. I already own their Maverick bag and am impressed with their attention to detail as well. Look for a review of the Maverick soon. While I’m happy with the thinkTANK, f-stops removable ICU compartment and access through the back of the pack are features that appeal to me.  With that said, I will look at the other larger packs offered by thinkTANK.

Another important thing to note – this bag fits perfectly under the seat in front of you or in the overhead compartment on most airlines.

Bottom Line – Would I recommend this bag to a friend? The answer is yes.