ThinkTank Citywalker 30 Review

This is part One of a very quick, down and dirty review of the ThinkTank Citywalker 30.  I am at my office as I write this and preparing to leave later this afternoon for a four-day work/personal trip up north.  I received the Citywalker 30 a few days ago and I have been using it for about a week now as my daily commuter messenger bag.  These are just my initial impressions, and how I have it packed and ready to go on this trip.

The first thing I did upon opening the box is I took the huge insert out.  I mean, it’s huge. If I were still shooting FX dSLR such as my D800e and my bevy of Nikon lenses it would be just about right to fit it all in, but man it would weigh a ton.

The bag is a ballistic nylon; very well made.  I got the black with the blue piping/stripe which looks really sharp and I’ve received several compliments about it at the office.  The interior is just huge–  I’ll talk about that a bit more in the images which follow as to what’s in the slots but the second thing I did upon opening the box was to place my old Jill-E insert in.  The bag dwarfs the insert but it works and doesn’t take up too much room.  This short four day trip will give the bag a true workout.  It’s the only one I’m taking with me!  A normal trip for me involves taking all my gear in a backpack, then one or two smaller bags to swap gear as needed.  Unfortunately I don’t always get to swap gear from the backpack into another smaller bag, especially if I’m running late getting to a location —   Case in point, back at the end of March I was photographing some old pier and pilings on the North Carolina Coast and put my backpack down in the sand.  An rogue wave grabbed the backpack and was dragging it back into the ocean! Thank goodness I had it closed tight; and, if it hadn’t been for my daughter that was shooting with me who snagged it with the tripod leg of her rig, the next wave that was coming in would have swamped the bag completely!  Had I had my messenger bag over my shoulder as I normally do, this would not have happened.  But luckily, catastrophe avoided!

Anyway for this short, four-day trip I decided to only pack a few folders I need for work with my Macbook Air, and as far as camera equipment goes I loaded the X-T2 with the 16mm, 23mm, 35mm and 60mm lenses, leaving behind my zooms.  This is a first for me..  I love love love my 18-55 and my 55-200!  I just hope I don’t miss them too much!

I also packed  only one of my four battery chargers to go with the three batteries – instead of my usual eight.  A polarizer, a ND filter, tripod and remote shutter release rounds out my rig.

Here are a few images of the bag, and what’s in the pockets.  As I mentioned earlier, I pulled out the huge insert that came with the bag and am opting for the smaller Jill-E insert to see how this performs in the field and on the road.  One thing about the original insert that I can say is that it keeps the bag much more rigid overall, but I wanted a more flatter, close to the body profile.  In all honesty I think I made a (intentional) mistake in getting the Citywalker 30 as it has a compartment which will fit up to a 15″ laptop –  instead of the CityWalker 10, or the 20 that only hold a small iPad or such.  But, for the price of 79.00 brand new, and free shipping from B&H I couldn’t pass up the deal when this same bag sold from anywhere between 145.oo to 200.00 US just a few short months ago.

Overall, as a work bag to and from the office on a daily basis I think it’s absolutely fantastic!  I can’t be happier.  This weekend will be test of the CityWalker 30 as a camera bag first and foremost.

Not shown in these images is the rain pouch which comes standard, nor the ThinkTank strap where I can put my keys, or my ThinkTank Pocket Rocket memory card holder, etc.

Front Flap of the Bag.  Very Discrete i think and it has a zippered area as well for boarding passes, passports, phones, etc.

Back area – where just above this lable is a  back much with Velcro outlined in the colorful Blue for documents, folders, iPad, etc.

 

Interior, contains two pockets inside at each end that velcro shut with a strap. You can see my 23 1.4 with a 77mm Step up ring and a 77mm lens cap hence the size.  the strap that keeps the pocket secure is open up to the left. You can also see a compartment of the Jill-E insert with the 16mm 1.4 and the same step-up and lens cap setup as the 23 1.4 so everything is interchangeable and quickly available

 

 

This is looking at the bag with the main flap open.  This pocket velcro’s atypical ThinkTank with the black flap just behind the phone.  I pulled it out to show it hence the bulge.  Normally it sits tightly velcroed against the main part of the bag. The Main compartment which is huge (!) has my Jill-E insert, not the standard insert that came with the bag, and it has my X-T2 with the 35mm 1.4 attached, the 16 1.4 in a second slot, with the 60mm F2.4 in the third compartment.  In the rear compartment which also velcro shut sits my Macbook Air and a moleskin notebook.  This compartment easily accommodates a 15″ Laptop such as my MBP.

Closer image of the Macbook Air and the notebook in it’s separate velcro’d compartment.  You can see the 11″ air has plenty of room in there. As I said this bag is large!

This is another view looking in to the bag. at Each end, INSIDE the bag, are those HUGE pockets that easily would accommodate any lens I have up to and including my hooded 55-200 zoom if I wanted to.

This is the zippered pocket on the front flap.  Another great place for miscellaneous stuff – papers, passports, boarding passes, iPad etc.

The bag also has two breathable, mesh pockets on each end of the bags exterior.  These will hold a water bottle, a phone, a zoom lens such as the 55-200 or the 18-55, etc.  Large, roomy and they expand a bit.  My plan is to use both of these pockets while in the field to hole remote, lens caps, filters, etc.  while I keep the main compartment closed.  Compared to the outside compartments on the ThinkTank Retrospective series these are huge!  On the Retro series, which I owned, you can’t even put a phone in there without having to dig for it as they are so tight.

And one of my favorite parts is this small carry strap.  Whether the bag is open or closed you can just grab and go without all your stuff falling out. I can’t say that about my other bags.  I love this feature!  On the backside that sits against your hip there is a velcro’d pocket that runs the length of the bag for papers or whatever you want to use it for.

The bag also comes with a card holder plus the amazing Sound Silencer Velcro tabs, AND a secondary clip to keep the bag secure.  Trust me, if the sound silencers are engaged NO ONE is going to open that bag without you noticing it!

On the inside front of the bag, just behind the outside velcro pouch that I showed in an image above (with the cell phone) is another zippered compartment.  This one has my remote, and a couple of batteries in there now.

Overall:  An excellent value and a kick-butt utilitarian bag that will serve my purposes for many years to come.  Roomy, safe, secure, large. Heck, if you are going away for a weekend you can probably pack some overnight clothing, a jacket and snacks in there and still have room for your gear!

This trip will be it’s first official outing as a dedicated camera bag instead of a to-from the office messenger bag.  I’m very much looking forward to working with it and I’ll prepare an update when I return.

Thank you for reading.

May 11, 2017May 11, 2017 by Jorge L Moro Categories: Citywalker30 Bag review, Fuji X-T2, Gear, Review, UncategorizedTags: bag review, City walker 30 review, Equipment, Gear, ThinkTank, Thinktank Citywalker review 11 Comments