Photography News Issue 64

Photography News | Issue 64 | photographynews.co.uk

85

First tests

ThinkTankAirport Commuter £199

Specs

Price

£199

Key features • Conforms to international airline hand baggage regulations • Combination cable lock • Lockable YKK zips • Takes laptop and tablet • Two padded handstraps, plus bottom pull strap • Waist strap • Cushioned shoulder straps with sternum strap • Elasticated exterior pocket • Document/accessory pocket Capacity • One deep-bodied/gripped DSLR • Long prime or zoom telephoto • Five/six additional lenses • Flashgun • Accessories • 10in tablet • 15in laptop Exterior materials • Durable water-repellant (DWR) coating • Polyurethane coating • 1680D ballistic nylon • YKK RC Fuse (abrasion- resistant) zips • Antique nickel-plated • 2x polyurethane coated nylon 210T seam-sealed rain cover • Closed cell foam & PE board reinforced dividers • Clear mesh pockets Internal dimensions (wxhxd) 29.2x41.4x17.3cm External dimensions (wxhxd) 31.6x45.7x21.6cm Laptop/tablet compartment (wxhxd) 27.9x40.6x3.3cm Weight 1.5kg Contact snapperstuff.com metal hardware • Nylon webbing Interior • 210D silver-toned nylon • Polyurethane backed velex liner & dividers

Wheelie bags are popular among travellers for their comfort and carrying convenience. In many ways, though, a conventional backpack is a better option and has the advantage of being good for everyday use too. The ThinkTank Airport Commuter is a fine example of a purpose-designed travel backpack but has appeal as a multi-purpose bag too. It conforms to international airline hand baggage regulations, its deep body lets you stand lenses on their end which helps with capacity and it has the custom pockets for those travel essentials, a laptop (15in) and a tablet (10in). Being wheel-free also means the bag is relatively lightweight at 1.5kg before you start loading it up. And when you do start filling the bag its capacity is impressive. The interior of the main compartment features two bag-length, padded dividers and ten thin dividers. With the bag interior (base and sides) and dividers fitted with hook and loop fastening, you have plenty of freedom when it comes to configuring the bag to suit your needs. Its depth (around 17cm) also means that a fast aperture telephoto – even something like a 400mm f/2.8

or 500mm f/4 – will happily fit and be well protected. I don’t own such exotic telephotos so went with a mixed format Fujifilm travel outfit to test capacity. This amounted to a medium-format GFX 50Rwith three lenses and two X-Series bodies, one fitted with a lens, plus four extra lenses and a Lee Filters system. The kit was rounded off with a 13in laptop and a 9.7in tablet and a few accessories. Getting my outfit safely housed with high protection levels in this bag was no problem at all. Total laden bag weight tipped the scales at 13kg so significant but for travelling around it is perfectly fine and it proved very comfortable. WC

MindShift Exposure 13 £149

Specs

Price

£149

Key features • Extreme abrasion, tear and weather resistant Sailcloth with X-Pac technology • Tarpaulin bottom • Weather resistant YKK zips • Cross body stabiliser strap • Tablet and laptop pocket • Rear trolley strap • Available in black (tested here) and solar flare Capacity • One full-frame/APS-C DSLR body with standard/ tele zoom attached • Two/three additional lenses • Accessories • 10in tablet/13in laptop Exterior materials • Exterior fabric has a durable water-repellant (DWR) coating, plus underside has a polyurethane coating • YKK AquaGuard® (weather resistant) zips • High-performance Sailcloth • 420D velocity nylon • 600D polyester, heavy- duty nylon tarpaulin • UltraMesh pockets • Anodized aluminium hardware Interior • PE board reinforced removable closed-cell foam dividers • 200D liner • Polyurethane backed nylex liner • 2x polyurethane coated nylon 190T seam-sealed taffeta rain covers Internal dimensions (wxhxd) 35x23x12.5cm External dimensions (wxhxd) 41x27.7x10.6cm Laptop/tablet compartment (wxhxd) 34x24.5.6x2.5cm Tablet pocket (wxhxd) 30x12x2cm Weight 1.2kg Contact snapperstuff.com

If you need a rugged shoulder bag, the MindShift Exposure 13 could very likely be your perfect partner and its ruggedness means it’s the ideal bag when you don’t know what conditions are round the corner. A waterproof tarpaulin base, use of Sailcloth, weather- resistant zips and all round thoughtful design means your kit will get good protection against the elements. The interior is just wide enough to hold a full-frame camera even with an L-grip attached. A Nikon D850 with a 24-70mm f/2.8 went in lens- first no problem at all; that left room for two more lenses including a 70-200mm f/2.8. I had a medium-format Fujifilm GFX 50R three lens kit around at the time of testing, and this fitted perfectly into the Exposure 13 too. A 13in MacBook fitted perfectly into the internal laptop pocket and I stowed a 9.7in iPad in the front zipped pocket. There are three external, non-zipped pockets suitable for a couple of filters, batteries and even a flashgun. Finally, I’m not a fan of the tripod stowage on the bag’s base (you can’t rest the bag on the ground without resting it against something) so I took off the locking clips so the bag could free-stand on the ground. Those locking clips can be used on the bag’s flap which has

Verdict

The Exposure 13 is not the biggest shoulder bag you can buy for £149 but what you lose on the swings you gain on the roundabouts. Its build quality is really impressive as are its skills when it comes to keeping out dust and rain, and space-wise it is still roomy enough for a three lens outfit and your laptop. This is a shoulder bag of undoubted quality and has got to be on your shortlist. Pros All weather build quality, capacity Cons Shoulder strap could be broader and more padded, under bag tripod stowage not ideal

Verdict

The Airport Commuter is a quality product, and at under £200 is a backpack that offers excellent value for money. Pros Great capacity, fitted combination cable lock, comfortable in use Cons Deep body means you need to swing round with care

loops, so that might be a small tripod carrying solution, though again not that convenient. If I had any gripe about the Exposure 13 it is with the strap. The shoulder section could be wider and feature better padding and the attaching clips could be better too. WC

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