Customer review from the Amazon Vine Program This review is for the Tenba Roadie II HDSLR/Video Backpack 638-333.
This backpack is impressive. They did an excellent job with the thickness of padding and the durability of the outside and inside of the bag. I will post some pictures and a video showing exactly what it looks like soon. The bag itself has these dimensions: 20" H x 14" W x 9" D when standing vertically. There is a Tenba Weather Wrap rain cover included in one of the side pockets. The bottom of the bag is waterproof and features some grip strips to prevent sliding. The top handle consists of two handles that come together via an attached padded wrap to become a single padded handle with great grip. It's comfortable to carry around if you don't want to use the shoulder straps. The shoulder straps are excellent. The zippers are all durable, as are the pull tabs and sliders. All zippers are YKK zippers and the clips are Duraflex.
Pockets:
1) Smaller Front pocket, flat, contains 5 flat mesh pockets, 2 open pockets, and an ID card holder.
2) Larger Front pocket, made for laptops. Dimensions: 19" H x 11" W x 1" D at bottom and 2" D at top. I use it for two Eneloop cases full of rechargeable batteries.
3) Side pocket, bottom area, 6" H x 6" W x 2" D. On both sides.
4) Side pocket, middle area, flat, 7" H x 5" W. On both sides.
5) Top pocket. 4" H (at center point) x 12" W x 6" D. There is a removable padded divider to create two 6" wide pockets. Useful for zoom recorders and audio cables.
6) MAIN POCKET: This is where all the lenses and cameras go. It is located in the back part of the bag, the part that presses against your back. Dimensions are 13" H x 12" W x 7" D when the bag is standing vertically. I was able to fit 8 lenses and a Canon 5D camera. All lenses were prime or standard zoom lenses. Since the larger telephoto lenses are larger (the ones that require a tripod), you may be able to fit one of those, plus 6 lenses, and a camera. Or you can fit 6 lenses and two camera bodies. The padding is excellent for this main pocket. All dividers can be removed completely or rearranged to your preference. The padding between the equipment and around the perimeter of the pocket is excellent.
Shoulder Straps: The straps have a 1/2" of padding. The outside is a durable canvas-type fabric covering 1/4" thick, dense padding, while the inside portion of the straps are a mesh covering 1/4" of soft memory-foam-type padding. That soft memory-foam-type padding is what will rest on your shoulders. Even after walking 10 minutes with this on, my shoulders felt no pain.
The back of the bag, the part that will press up against your shoulder blades and lower back is padded extremely well. For the shoulder blades, there is 1/4" of soft memory-foam-type padding. For the lower back, there is 1/2" soft padding. This padding makes this bag extremely comfortable to wear, even when fully loaded with equipment.
Belt wrap: The belt that wrap around your abdominal area is also padded. There is a strong, durable clasp/clip to lock it together at your belly button. The clasp/clip is 2.5" in height and thick. The belt has a flat mesh pocket on the left side. On the right side, there is a fold-down pocket which houses a mesh cage to hold a 20 oz. water bottle. The cage is right in front of you for easy access.
This bag holds a lot of equipment and accessories. And with the extremely well padding, equipment will stay protected. The clasps/clips are strong and won't unlock easily. It's excellent for filmmaking productions.
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Customer review from the Amazon Vine Program I can't find anything to complain about with this bag. It's got room for 2 DSLR cameras or 1 or 2 video cameras, depending on the size. The cameras storage is accessed from the side of the bag with the straps; that is the "back" of the bag. To me, this means the only way someone can grab my camera whilst I am wearing the pack is to physically attack me. It also means the equipment is well protected against accidental leans against walls and the like.
The storage areas for lenses, flashes, lights, and the like is very ample. The space is also very configurable. Lots of velcro means lots of flexibility.
This is a serious backpack that makes it easy to protect and carry your equipment.
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Customer review from the Amazon Vine Program When you're traveling with valuable audio, video, and computing gear, the best bag is one that will stand up to the rigors of the road while it protects your gear and yet keeps it readily accessible. Insufficient storage, fiddly zippers, and access points that are difficult for the user or easy for thieves all are reasons to avoid a bag. Having made purchasing mistakes in the past, I now run through a "pre-buy" checklist so that I'm not seduced by the next alluring bag. Here's how the Roadie II has performed on long-haul flights and train rides. If you have any specific questions that aren't covered, please leave a note in the comments and I will respond and update this.
+Materials and Workmanship. Sturdy. Larger-gauge zippers at two main access points (laptop on outside and camera gear on inside) ensure durability. The bottom of the bag has a waterproof panel but unfortunately it does not go partway up the sides of the bag. There are many hints that the design was more than a pretty drawing, but also was tested in the field. One that I noticed almost immediately was the low-profile clips that keep the belt excess neatly tucked away. The Roadie II also ships with a collapsible removable whole-bag raincoat that popped on quickly and provided protection on several rainy days. The five-year warranty on materials and workmanship is a reassurance of the company's confidence in this product.
+ Modularity. This bag has many sections, with movable, customizable padding, which I detail below. It is designed to be worn as a backpack, but the grip handle at the top also is convenient for short distances and to retrieve the bag from overhead stowage.
+ Intelligence of Design. The Roadie II provides three main storage compartments, along with seven exterior pockets of various sizes and configurations. Five of these smaller pockets are on the bag itself; the other two are mesh pockets on the hip belt. The first main compartment is accessed through the back panel, and that's where you'll find the customizable honeycomb of padded dividers for your cameras and lenses. I can fit two DSLRs and several lenses, including a 75-300 zoom, with room to spare, so on overnights I have been able to squeeze in a compact change of clothes. The second main compartment is accessed from the top of the bag, and is a good catchall place for audio equipment, pocket cameras, and other items you want to grab quickly. The third compartment, accessed from the front of the bag, is designed for a laptop or tablet up to 17 inches. I can stow a 13-inch laptop in a protective sleeve plus an iPad. (This is the one major pocket that could stand to have additional exterior padding.)
+ Protection. Padding in the video compartment is outstanding, and even the five smaller exterior pockets on the bag have padding to protect against incidental bumps and jostling, such as on an overhead rack or airline stowage bin.
+ Comfort. Empty, this bag weighs in at 5.9 pounds, which is a fair tradeoff for the level of protection and storage space it provides (by contrast, my Kata R-103 GDC Rucksack is just half a pound lighter and has significantly less storage space). What helps disperse the filled weight of this bag is a thoughtfully sculpted back panel, cushy shoulder straps, and a hip belt that really does help transfer and bear the weight in comfortable fashion. Although at first I was leery of having my laptop be at the front of the bag, after hours on the road with the Tenba II, I appreciate not feeling the flat stiffness of a laptop on my back, and I rationalize that the laptop is at less risk of damage when the bag is stowed because it is not bearing the weight of my camera gear when the bag lays flat.
+ Airlineand Train-Friendliness. This bag just squeaks in under the linear-measurement cap for carry-on luggage on both domestic and international flights. On some smaller aircraft, you may have to stow the bag sideways rather than bottom-first, in part because these bins also tend to have limited vertical space, which you'll need if your bag is fully packed.
+ Theft-Unfriendliness. Accessing my video gear through the back panel took some mental adjustment, but this is now one of my favorite features of the bag. No one but me can get to that zipper when I'm wearing the bag; and I stow the bag straps-down in overhead bins/shelves to make access more difficult for strangers. The zipper pulls all have large loops so that you can add a lock. The bag's nondescript exterior also does not advertise "electronics within," which I see as a definite benefit.
Honest reviews on Tenba Roadie II HDSLR/Video Backpack 638-333
Customer review from the Amazon Vine Program First impression: This is a BIG bag! Quite frankly, I did not expect it that massive, and when filled with photo gear, I doubt that I would haul it through the wilderness on an extended wildlife shooting tour. But for transporting your stuff to, say, a studio or outdoor location, or keeping it in the car for ready access to your gear on short excursions in the city, it is ideal.
There are a lot of pockets on this bag, both inside and outside, so you can not only stow your gear, but also do it in a logical and organized way. The main compartment is voluminous and highly customizable with dividers. There is a compartment that holds a 17" laptop, which is accessible from the rear of the bag, and also there is also a top-loading compartment, which adds tremendously to the utility of this bag. The material for the outer shell is 1680 denier ballistic nylon, which is extremely robust and also water repellent. The straps and hooks used are also of very sturdy material all in all, this bag is built like a tank, and its sturdiness, quality, and utility absolutely justify the price tag.
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Customer review from the Amazon Vine Program This massively proportioned and impressive camera backpack is just the ticket for a large outfit on the run. Mind you, once loaded down with two DSLRs and a couple of lenses you will need every last inch of generous padding that comes with this bag. There are many, many pockets and it is essential to read the pictorial guide carefully. The unique opening of the main cavity is from the inner facing (i.e. touching your back) side. At first this is quite odd but then I see the logicif you forget to zip up, at least you stand less of a chance from seeing your lenses and cameras tumble onto the concrete. My only beef is that there seems to be no place (such as a bigger elastic strap) to slide a tripod into.
Tenba makes premium bagsI've had some of their bags in the past. All are characterized by quality materials, solid construction and very sturdy and smooth zippers.
All in all, I highly recommend this!
