Even though I've always had a love, a weird love of camera bags, I've spent the
last year trying to nab the right bag.
To bag the perfect bag for me.
And I think that I have, if I can find it down here, I think I have found it.
This is the Tenba Fulton 14 L, and it's cool as L.
I've had this bag for about six months now and I've used it a lot, so it's been, it's
become like my "everyday" camera backpack and I'm so happy to have found one that
works on my Goldilocks camera bag journey.
So I want to share this with you and explain how it fits in with some of
my other camera bags and the journey I've been on and maybe, maybe this
could be the right bag for you too.
So, if you've seen my other camera bag odyssey videos, you know the
thing I'm looking for is a backpack that can hold my camera and a laptop
and isn't too crazy big, but also has the ability for me to store my
camera WITH a microphone attached.
Now this bag here, this is the Manfrotto Prolight Backloader,
this is listed as an 18 liter bag, but it's the exact same size of the
25 liter Peter McKinnon Everyday bag, and both of them are great.
I have a very in depth video comparing the two of them.
I like the Manfrotto more than the Peter McKinnon one, and even though these
are listed as everyday camera bags and they're pretty compact, they're still a
little too big for me to use every day.
I'm five foot 10 inches, or I know this, I'm not looking at notes: 177 meters...
centimeters tall and I am about 140 pounds, which is about 63 kilograms.
Definitely didn't have to convert that beforehand.
I just know the metric system.
And I really like this Manfrotto bag.
It does almost everything I want, but it's still just a little too
big and a little too bulky, you know, to take kind of everywhere.
So this has become my "big" camera bag, even though it's a compact camera bag, and
the has become my everyday camera bag.
So this is the Tenba bag fully loaded, and this is the Manfrotto bag empty.
There is a pretty big difference in size, and so for me and my size and the things
I'm looking for, this bag just, it feels more like an easy to carry backpack.
It doesn't bump on things.
It doesn't feel too big, but it still does everything I need.
What is making the sound over here?
It's the water bottle.
So there are a few reasons I went with this bag.
First, I've used Tenba bags in the past.
I've had a couple of Tenba messenger bags, and these are amazing.
Even after years of daily use, they basically look brand new,
even going through a crazy weather and long trips and stuff.
And so I was really happy to find a Tenba bag that kind of fit all of my needs.
So what I really wanted was a bag that had straps on each side.
The weird thing with this one is this is like a kind of traditional stretchy pouch
that you can put a water bottle in, and this one over here is a less stretchy.
It's like an envelope type thing.
I'm not really sure why or what the benefit is.
I actually would've preferred it if it was just two stretchy things.
That's how the Manfrotto is.
They're just the exact same pouch on both sides.
It's not really a huge complaint, but it's just kind of weird.
I usually keep my PGYTech MantisPod in there because this is a great
little travel tripod.
Now the front compartment is pretty compact and narrow, but this is a small
bag, so any complaints that I have about the bag being small don't really
make sense because it's a small bag.
There is a 10 liter version, which is even smaller, and there's also a
16 liter version, which is bigger.
But again, the Goldilocks situation, the 14 one right in
the middle kind of worked here.
So there's a couple pouches in here that I have stuff like pens
and earplugs and snacks and stuff.
Sometimes I put batteries and memory cards in there.
There is a pouch that will fit a 14 inch MacBook or a computer of similar size,
or an iPad or a tablet or something.
It is a pretty tight fit for the MacBook, but it totally works.
I like that the laptop compartment is in the front and not up against your back.
You don't feel this when you're wearing the backpack, and that's nice.
You actually feel the cushion on the backpack, which is very well done.
But it also isn't like the most padded laptop compartment, so I usually don't
put my laptop in here for the whole day.
I usually use this for quick travel, like if we're going to a hotel
or something, you get there, take the laptop out and then go with
the bag wherever you're going.
One of the other things I did want in a camera bag was a rear loading system,
so that way nobody can come to the front of your bag and unzip everything.
I like camera bags that open from the back and this one has the bottom half
here is the pack that opens and there is a little luggage strap, which seems
really small but actually totally fits.
It totally works on suitcases.
Every time I use this bag, I get more impressed with it.
The inside compartment is pretty standard, but it can actually hold quite a bit.
It comes with a decent amount of dividers, and then I added an extra one here.
So usually I have stuff like batteries and memory cards in here.
This is also slotted out to fit a camera.
But I'll explain why there's not a camera in there in a second.
I usually have at least one lens in here, because again, this isn't
the "All Gear Everywhere" bag,
this is the "Everyday Wherever" bag.
So usually I just have a camera that has a lens on it and
probably one extra lens with me.
Usually I have something like my GoPro or my 360 camera in here.
Probably some filters, usually like a mic or a little wireless system.
And then sometimes a second camera, like this is the Sony ZV1-F.
Which is "F for fun."
"Fun with a capital F-U."
So usually that's how I have this kind of organized and it's easy to move around.
I like that it's not a black interior, so that way all of the
black camera gear is easy to spot.
I've also been able, depending on what I'm doing, I've been able
to fit my drone in here as well.
So I have the Mavic, what is this?
No, this is the Mini 3 Pro and then the remote, which is like the exact
perfect height for the remote.
This will fit most regular mirrorless bodies, but the really tall ones,
things like the R3 or Z9, like really full grip attached bodies probably
won't fit in here vertically.
You'd have to lay them down.
But it's really cool to be able to then, like you can put a drone
set up in this little bag and have everything that you need.
But here's the part I really love about this bag, and it's the
part where most bags fall apart.
There's a roll top that I can open and then ta-da!
I have a full frame camera
with the lens AND a microphone attached in here, ready to go at all times.
Very few camera bags make it easy to access a camera with a microphone
attached, and that's really important to me because the last thing you want is
to try to do something quickly, and then you're fiddling with a microphone and you
miss the thing because you're trying to get your microphone put on the camera.
Even my awesome Manfrotto bag has a top compartment, but it's not deep enough
to fit a camera with a microphone on it.
This is the first time I've used a roll top bag.
It is really cool because it also makes the bag quite big.
It goes from being this big, which is 14 liters.
I don't know what the capacity is when the roll top is extended,
but it's significantly larger.
So you could also fit like sweaters and some clothes or a lunch or whatever.
You can fit a lot of stuff in this roll top.
There's just one Velcro thing.
I was looking at other bags, like the Wandrd PRVKE Lite, which I really liked
except it only had one pocket on the side.
And it has two Velcro things when you open the roll top, which is like, and
then you open the roll top and that's...
um,
it can be distracting depending on the environment you're in.
So this just has one Velcro, and then there's just a little buckle
that lets you lock down the roll top.
I don't think once you roll top, I don't think you roll back
down because it's just too good.
But something I really like about storing my camera up here in this roll top is
that basically the height of the camera body is sort of like a hard shell.
So the roll top kind of goes like this part of the bag right here and
it's got at least a structure to it.
It's not super hard or protective, but the camera body's not just being
tossed around like in a loose bag.
It feels like it's solidly in there and then the microphone sticks up
a little bit, but you just kind of gently put the roll top over it, latch
the thing, and then you are all set.
Yes, if something smashes on top of this, it will hit the camera's microphone...
so don't let that happen.
If I'm ever going to be doing something where it's maybe a little
rougher or crazier than that, then I'll put the camera usually in here.
Although in the six months I've had this bag, I haven't had the
camera in here hardly at all.
So that's why I kind of use it for other stuff.
Because the other option, which I recommend for any camera bag is the
Peak Design Capture Clip, because these then let you, it's really close to the
mic so you'll really hear this, let you just clip your camera right here.
And now if you want easy access, forget having to take it out of a roll top,
the camera is just right here and ready to go.
So this can be a solution if you have a bag that doesn't let you put a
microphone on top of your camera, but it also honestly does feel a little weird.
You have a big camera right here and you can feel that.
So sometimes it's nice to be able to stow your camera for quick access, or you're
walking around somewhere where maybe you don't want to have a giant expensive
camera just hanging off the front of you.
But the Peak Design Capture Clips are awesome.
So this combined with the roll top, combined with a safe regular
camera compartment- all in this tiny little bag, it's like
everything you need, it's perfect.
The straps are super comfy.
They're padded on the back, they're durable on the front.
The back is really comfy.
There are little sort of hook, I don't know if you would call them
hooks, but at least little loops that you can put stuff on there.
There is a sternum strap.
My only real complaint is that you can't take off the sternum strap.
I love it when a bag has one that you can just sort of unclip, because I don't use
them a lot, but sometimes you need it and
on other bags, like my Manfrotto, I've just had to cut it off and then I,
I don't have the option ever again.
I think the Peter McKinnon bag had the option to easily take off
the sternum strap or put it back.
That's really smart.
I do wish this bag had that ability and it doesn't.
Now, the price of this bag is also pretty great.
So I'm mentioning the Manfrotto bag.
This I think was $180.
The Peter McKinnon bag is, you know, $400 once you get all the camera cubes,
this bag was $160 (actually $140).
So unfortunately the Tenba is a little more than Ten-bucks,
but it's really worth it.
And there's actually two different price levels.
There's a $140 (actually $120) version that comes in two colors,
I think it's black and brown.
And then there's this, the $160 ($140) version that is an all weather version.
So it's got like this black camouflage print, which I
actually really like, because it's subtle, but it adds some texture.
And then the whole bag is just built sort of out of like stronger material.
You can kind of see we've got some marks and things on here, but
you could just take a damp cloth and then it looks brand new again.
The bottom of the bag is super tough.
The bag can easily stand up on its own.
It doesn't tip or wobble.
And then all of the zippers are these really nice YKK ones, and you can kind
of see here like how weather sealed.
This zipper is right here.
The back is a nice YKK zipper.
It's not weather sealed, but I don't know, I guess if there's a flood on
your back, you got bigger problems.
I don't know.
So the reason I love having a small everyday camera bag is
for that exact reason: for it to be an everyday camera bag.
When your camera bag or your camera equipment becomes sort
of a hassle to take with you places, you take it with you less.
If every time you need to go somewhere, there's a large heavy bag that needs to
be stocked, and then you're constantly figuring out - and this is a small bag
honestly, but you're constantly trying to deal with carrying this big bag with you,
it's sort of less fun to take.
If what you're taking essentially is just almost like a backpack
you would take to school as a kid, and it doesn't take up very much
space and it looks pretty discreet.
It's really easy to take this.
I've taken this lots of times places where I didn't end up even
using my camera- which maybe isn't the best ad for a camera bag?
But it's nice to not feel that pressure, like it's not a hassle to take this,
so I take it more places which means I do end up using it more overall.
So between the usability, the durability, all the different features and just the
overall style, this has really become my favorite camera bag of all time.
And it's really nice to have the other bag, the Manfrotto bag, when
I need to take all of my gear, I can then put more in this or
combine it between these two bags.
And it's a really, it's been a really good system for me.
And this little bag right here, it's pretty lightweight.
It's relatively inexpensive, but it is worth its weight in gold.
And speaking of things that are worth their weight in gold, Thank
you to everyone who helps support my channel through Patreon and
YouTube Channel Memberships.
If you want to check out the rest of my camera bag odyssey, I have a
video that really dives more in depth on the Manfrotto bag and what I'm
looking for in a compact bag, along with a really in depth comparison
of the Manfrotto versus the Peter McKinnon Nomatic everyday backpack.
So there's a lot of info packed in those backpack videos.