- Today we are going to talk about the best camera bag
that I've had in my entire life.
And I've had quite a few camera bags.
But the best one overall is the Tenba DNA Messenger Bag.
I've had this bag for just about four years now.
And sometimes with reviews there this push to be first
and this new thing comes out
and you want to review it, and share it.
But really, some of the best review information
you can get is from really long term performance.
And so, after four years of using this bag,
I feel like I know it pretty well,
and I can vouch for it pretty well.
So, this is a messenger style bag.
This is the cobalt color,
but it comes in a bunch of other colors.
Usually sells for about $160-ish, which when I bought it
was the most I'd ever spend on a camera bag.
But it's lasted for four years,
and it still basically looks brand new.
This hasn't just been my camera bag for the last four years,
this has actually just been my daily bag
that I use at work every single day
even when I'm not using a camera.
And actually to be fair, one of the things
that I love about this bag,
since it's a messenger style bag,
(Velcro scrapes)
it does have a laptop compartment which is awesome.
But, as you might know, a little while ago,
I upgraded to the new beautiful 16 inch MacBook Pro.
And unfortunately it doesn't fit in the 13 inch bag.
Which kind of makes sense, because it's 16, 13,
and those aren't the same numbers.
So I needed a new bag that would fit my computer.
And I decided if it's not broke don't fix it.
So I ended up just getting the 15 inch version
of the same bag.
So, technically the bag that
I've been using every day, I've only been using
for about three months now.
But it's the same quality as the one I've been using
for the past four year before that.
So I can speak to it pretty well.
And let's jump into what's so great about this bag.
And I guess if you're curious about the difference in size,
this is the 15 inch version.
And this is the 13 inch version.
They're basically the same in every way,
just scaled up and scaled down.
The one thing is when I went with the 15 inch version,
I got the slim edition.
So if I turn these sideways, you might be able to see
the 13 is actually a little bit wider than the 15 inch.
And that's just because I thought if I was gonna get
a bigger bag, I didn't want it to be this giant thing
that was bulging off of my side,
since it's a messenger style bag.
It's great, I love it.
Basically both of these bags have stood up.
And really let's talk about durability first.
So that's where I'm gonna jump to my older bag.
So in terms of durability, this bag is about four years old
and really it looks just like it did the day that I got it.
There's a little bit of wear and tear on this pad,
like the shoulder pad has these rubber grippy things
that are starting to peel a little bit.
And that's kind of it.
The bottom of the bag is this really tough (scratches nails)
material, I don't know what it is.
It's super tough, I mean it's been on the floor
of everything and it's held up great.
And it's been in all kinds of weather.
But it does have these little marks kind of on the corners
where it's sort of starting to fray a little bit.
Like a tiny fraction of an inch,
little bits of wear and tear.
And that seems totally fair after four years,
and that's it, otherwise, (rustles bag)
it's just like the day that I took it out of the packaging.
And I have taken this thing literally all over the world
in like every weather condition you can imagine.
From scorching hot deserts to crazy rainfalls,
snowstorms even, crazy wind.
It constantly carries computers and cameras
and expensive gear that I need to take care of.
And that gear has never gotten dirty,
never gotten wet, never gotten damaged.
So obviously it's a messenger style bag.
If you're looking for a great camera backpack,
I have a couple camera backpacks that I love,
I just don't use those every day.
I use them on specific trips when I know I want
a camera backpack.
But this, it's just kind of a daily driver,
my go-to quick trip photo bag is awesome.
So no matter which version you get,
the 13 inch or the 15 inch.
It comes with a camera block that looks
pretty much the same.
This is the 15 inch,
this is the 13 inch. (bags rustling)
They come with these sort of standard camera cubes,
camera blocks I guess they're sometimes called.
They're almost the same size.
Obviously the 15's a little bit bigger,
but they're the same basic structure.
You can easily fit a DLSR, a lens.
They're tall enough to accommodate
a 70 to 200 millimeter lens if it's not on the camera.
But I have no problem fitting cameras, full size DSLRs,
even with battery grips, in these camera blocks.
And as you saw, the camera block is removable
from the bag itself.
So if you don't want to use it as a camera bag,
you can take that out and then it just becomes
just a messenger bag.
Which you know, (rustles bag) can be a little bit slimmer
since there's not that camera block inside of it.
Whichever size bag you have the pockets are the same.
You've got a laptop compartment.
You've got like a small tablet compartment
that doesn't really fit an iPad.
But it holds notebooks and things really well,
depending on an iPad model, you might be able
to fit one straight up.
But I just use it as an organizer.
And it's got the big main compartments,
and a few smaller pockets and pen holders.
There is a zippered interior pocket.
And on the outside, each side does have
a stretchy mesh water bottle holder, accessory holder.
There's pockets on the outside.
There's two layers of pockets actually that are pretty deep.
And then on the lid of the bag,
(zipper scrapes)
you have a zippered pocket here,
and a smaller zippered pocket here.
You've also got on the back.
(zipper scrapes)
This is a very thin pocket which when the bag's full
you can't really fit much more than papers in here.
But it is another pocket with some pen holders
and little organizers and things like that.
So there's plenty of pockets all over the bag.
And there is a zipper on the top,
(zipper scrapes)
that actually lets you access everything inside the bag
without opening the flap.
So it's great when it's just on your shoulder,
and you need to take something out of the bag.
This top zipper makes that super easy to do.
And even though I don't use camera's with it every day,
I actually keep the camera block in it.
Because I have found the compartments
are awesome organizers.
So, for example I usually keep my MacBook charger
and charging cable in here.
(charger thuds) I usually keep a couple
of hard drives in here.
And then, a lot of times like my lunch or snacks,
or whatever, I just put that here.
I notice whenever I review bags I always mention
the compartments to store snacks.
And I guess that's a priority that I didn't realize I had.
But it's a really important priority.
Like where's your snacks gonna go in your bag?
This is probably worth pointing out.
On the 13 inch version of the bag on the front flap,
this pocket has a zipper.
But the smaller one is just sort of like,
it doesn't have a zipper, it's just open.
And on the bigger bag both pockets have zippers,
I think because now this pocket is a little bit larger.
I usually keep like business cards,
sometimes mints or something in there.
And then in here I usually keep stuff like a cleaning cloth
or just small little snacks.
The bags do come with a shoulder strap
which is surprisingly comfortable and padded,
and super strong.
All of the connectors are made out of metal.
And they're just these, I don't know what these are called,
but just sort of these standard grabby hook things.
Which go right on there.
This is the newer bag that's only three months old,
but my four year old bag, they honestly look identical.
So there's not really wear and tear.
There's no damage, they're not ripping,
or anything like that, they work really well.
To close the bag, you do have a couple options.
There is Velcro (scrapes fastener) that keeps the bag,
there are strips of Velcro that keep the bag shut.
And then there are these magnetic latches,
which very satisfyingly, watch this.
(magnet clicks)
They just kind of latch on there and then
they quickly slide off.
But they can't be pulled off, which is kind of neat.
Once they're on there, you can't pull it off,
it has to be slid off in a certain direction.
And then the Velcro, it has these giant Velcro pads
to make sure this lid stays shut.
So your computer, camera, all your gear is protected.
When you open it, (Velcro scrapes)
it makes that crazy Velcro sound.
So you don't want to be in the middle of a wedding,
or an important event or something,
and you're trying to discreetly grab another camera body,
or a battery out of your bag.
'Cause everyone's saying their vows and you're just like.
(Velcro scrapes)
But, there's some kind of voodoo witchcraft on here,
which is great, (smacks bag)
because not only do those Velcro pads keep the bag closed,
but if you kind of pull down and open,
it hardly makes any sound at all.
It's really no louder than just like rustling clothes
and no one's gonna notice it,
and no one's gonna be distracted by it.
It's a really cool design, 'cause Velcro's so useful,
but it can be so annoying with the loud sounds.
And this kind of just avoids that altogether.
And just to clarify the DNA 15 does fit
the 16 inch MacBook Pro.
So there is no 16 inch version of this bag,
but the 16 inch MacBook Pro,
(Velcro scrapes)
fits in here.
(fabric rustles)
No problem, there's no pressure being put anywhere,
it totally fits.
Since I just got this computer and I really love it,
and I'm paranoid about it,
I pretty much always keep it in a sleeve,
just to keep it extra protected.
(zipper scrapes) And then, I know this is like
the nerdiest, dumbest thing in the world,
beautiful I usually then keep the sleeve (laughs)
in the bag, which is dumb, 'cause I just makes
the bag poofier and bulkier.
But then I know like
that really expensive really important computer
is safe and secure.
And just to be fair, it's not a perfect bag.
I think it's probably about as close as you can get.
But I have found three things that kind of bother me
over the years, none of them are very big deals.
But, they're worth knowing about.
The first one, as I mentioned, the bag has a top zipper.
(zipper scraping)
And that's really, really helpful to just quick,
easy access to all your stuff.
But I have had the top zipper,
specifically on the 13 inch bag,
there have been quite a few times when the zipper gets stuck
on like the material that's inside the bag.
And so I'll quickly be trying to open it,
and then it gets jammed.
And then I have to spend time trying to unjam it.
That has happened many times.
I haven't had that happen on the 15 inch bag yet.
So I don't know if the larger size fixes it.
It doesn't happen every time, it's just once in awhile,
especially if the bag is bunched up for some reason.
If the bag is nice and straight you can usually
(zipper scraping)
pen the zipper no problem.
And it's worth mentioning too that all the zippers
are YKK zippers, which in the world of zippers
they're very, very good, they're super reliable,
they're super smooth.
They don't tend to fall apart or cause issues.
Which again, one of those reasons that the bag
can last forever and still look and function great.
Another thing that I've had trouble with over the years,
are these magnet straps, they never come off.
But, when you try to adjust them,
so that it fits perfectly and holds everything
nice and secure, I have found on both bags
that it's very easy.
It doesn't really take much at all actually
for these to then go to their full length.
Sometimes then they're just sort of hanging
instead of being nice and flush with the bag.
It's nothing close to a deal breaker,
it's not like these are gonna fall off or anything.
(Velco scraping) It's still gonna hold
the bag shut if it were to open up,
or someone were to try to open it.
But it just doesn't look as nice and organized.
And so it's a little thing that bothers me.
And then the other thing is,
actually you can kind of see it right now.
If you have the camera block inside
it's this very soft, cloth like material.
And the laptop compartment does have a little Velcro
slip right here, so you have this strap
to strap in your computer.
And it goes on that Velcro.
But sometimes if you're not careful,
especially when you take your computer out,
this strap can go forward onto the camera block.
And then it can start pulling at this fabric.
And over time, even though this bag's kind of new,
this area's starting to like just become
a little more textured, or worn out.
It's not like breaking the camera block or anything.
But, I try to make sure that I always put this
on the Velcro part over here.
So it doesn't ruin the fabric in the camera block.
But it's not a huge deal.
It's just those are the three things,
top zipper, loose magnet straps, and the computer strap
catching on the camera block sometimes.
Those are the only negatives that I have found
with these bags over the past four years.
Oh, and they also have
(Velcro scrapes)
a strap on the back, which is for luggage.
So if you have a carry on piece of luggage
that has a handle that pops up,
you can strap this around it and then the bag
will sit nice and securely on top of your suitcase.
And it makes it really easy to travel with,
like a piece of luggage and this bag.
And you don't have to have everything hanging off
of you and your shoulders.
Most importantly though, like I said over the years
of traveling with cameras and computers,
and stuff that I value and that I think is really important,
I've never had a problem with this bag.
Nothing has ever gotten damaged in this bag,
knock on wood, like I don't want next week
something to go wrong.
But so far, it's been great.
Even in crazy, crazy wet weather.
And just based on the design,
the bag has these little like ear flappy, foldy things.
That when you close the lid, they sort of fold in.
So even though this doesn't zip up,
it's just held shut by the Velcro and the magnets,
when it's closed it becomes pretty sealed in.
In fact, here's a test that sort of proves this.
Here's the bag.
Inside of it I have my 6D Mark II
with my 16 to 35 millimeter lens.
I've also got my 24 to 105 millimeter lens.
And, I don't know some other stuff in there.
Close the bag, and then.
What?
I'm just gonna pour water all over it.
(water sloshing)
Did you want water, too?
(water sloshing)
Yeah.
Well let's get the water off of it.
Once I open it up,
not a single drop of water on anything inside that bag.
So if you're looking for a great camera bag
and you want a messenger style bag,
especially if you're looking for something
that's not just a good camera bag,
but can also function as an every day bag.
This is the best one I've ever used.
10 out of 10 amazing bags.
But, if you are looking for something more
in the world of a backpack camera bag,
Tenba does have a few things that they offer.
I haven't used them myself, so I can't speak to them.
But I'm sure they're amazing.
I did however make a video about this little bag.
It's a Dakine camera backpack that is pretty awesome,
especially because it's small.
And I was looking for a small,
normal human sized camera backpack.
And this thing's amazing.
So if you're still in the market for camera bags,
and you want to know more about this camera backpack,
go ahead and take a look at that video.
And I will see you over there.
Yes.
(easy going digital music)