Review: Think Tank Photo UrbanDisguise 35 Camera Bag

One of the things that I am quite picky about when it comes to camera equipment is camera bags. I have multiple ones (Robyn says I am a camera bag horder) and each one has a specific purpose. I probably could not have too many of the either. With this past school year, I purchased a Macbook Air for school, but I also wanted to find myself a great bag to tote around the laptop as well as be able to carry camera gear.  My initial thoughts about purchasing a new camera bag would also have to work with my schooling as well as be sufficient with our up coming 3-month trip to South East Asia this Fall.

I wanted something small that could carry my laptop and camera gear, but not hamper me down with a lot of weight. I also wanted something a bit different from an every day camera bag. When traveling abroad, I wanted to ensure I would hopefully not stick out too much with camera gear and there are some bags that definitely scream out, “Camera Gear!”. Now I don’t know of my choice is totally ideal for traveling in urban tropical areas, but at the moment I am pretty happy with it.

Think Tank Photo: Urban Disguise 35

Think Tank Photo has been around for a while and I am pretty biased towards their products these days (I do have a Think Tank Photo Streetwalker Pro). Now in their product line they do have the Urban Disguise series and they don’t look like typical camera bags, or at least to me they do not.

The above photo is the Urban Disguise 35 and the main reason why I picked that particular model is it fits my 13″ Apple Macbook Air perfectly as well as all my current camera gear. This is great for not only going to school with my laptop, but also toting along my camera gear to my new photography course at Langara. Now, what thing I did eventually notice, is the bag I purchased was the v1.0, whereas out on the market now there is a v2.0. I would have liked to have bought the v2.0 as I thought that is what I originally purchased, oh well. So much for camera shops rotating their gear for sale.

The features of the Urban Disguise 35:

• Carries a 13.3″ laptop with a regular dSLR (10″ if using a pro camera body)
• Stretchable side pockets
• Multiple large pockets, including a flap with more pockets!
• Ability to attach bag to a extended luggage handle
• Seam-sealed rain cover
• Adjustable non-slip shoulder strap

Now on to more photos! Everyone loves photos of camera gear right?

It’s a fairly roomy camera bag, and comfortable to wear for long periods of time too.

An accessory I did pick up for the Urban Disguise 35 was the Think Tank Photo Shoulder Harness. This little harness converts the Urban Disguise shoulder bag (or Artificial Intelligence Laptop cases) into a backpack. This would help for long days carrying the back and help to distribute the weight evenly across your back.

Features of the Think Tank Photo Shoulder Harness:

• Urban Disguise to be carried like a backpack
• Adjustable sternum strap
• D-rings to help hold small accessories
• Fully adjustable and easily compresses for travel (and storage)

It’s really easy to attach to the Urban Disguise and holds the bag securely.

Overall Thoughts and Conclusions:

Now, I know this isn’t the most in-depth review of a camera bag, but I am completely happy with my Think Tank Photo Urban Disguise 35. It fits my 13″ Apple Macbook Air perfectly and was great for toting back and forth to school. It would hold my various books, pens, pencils etc which of course was a requirement.

When adding the padded dividers, it kept my camera gear snug. I did not have to worry about my camera banging into the laptop either. There was room for my Canon XSi, 75-300mm lens, 17-55mm lens, 50mm lens, battery charger, memory cards and more.

If I could somehow get Think Tank Photo to design one of their Retrospective camera bags that will fit a 13″ Macbook Air, like my Urban Disguise 35, the world would be a better place.

Either way, I am looking forward to bringing along my Urban Disguise 35 to South East Asia.