Think Tank Test Drive:
• Speed Freak Waist Pack • Whip-it-out lens pouch
March 21, 2005 by Scott Kennedy
Think Tank Photo first announced a Test Drive program for their new line of camera bags in Mid January 2005. Doug Murdoch, President of Think Tank Photo was lead bag designer at Lowepro between 1992 and 2001. I was glad to hear Murdoch was moving forward with great bag designs with Think Tank.
To be a Test Driver, interested photographers who signed up could request any Think Tank bag and work with it for a month before having to decide whether to keep it and pay or give ‘em back. I received my two units delivered on Thursday, March 18, 2005. A confirmation of shipping email informed me they were enroute.
I am thrilled with this kind of customer focus and am sending them this site link as well as any threads that have cropped up on dpreview.com because of my review. I’d appreciate your thoughts on this review as well.
The Basics:
With overall dimensions: 10.75” L x 4.5” W x 9.25” D, the Speed Freak is the middle size waist pack in the Think Tank lineup. The Whip-it-out is a modular zoom lens pouch that stores lenses of the 70/80-200mm variety.
Prices: Speed Freak: $130, Whip-it-out: $47 from Robertsimaging.com and Penncamera.com
Why I chose this setup: I hoped that this setup could hold a pro DSLR and pro zoom attached straight down in the bag plus at least one other stowed pro lens.
First impressions: Fit and Finish: The Speed Freak is an exceptional bag. The Speed Freak has that product confidence that comes from many years of painstaking design. I do not feel the need to set it down somewhere as I shoot. The Speed Freak comes with a single and satisfyingly soft shoulder strap that manages to stay put on my shoulder. Made of excellent materials, the Speed Freak’s fabric, straps, YKK zippers, main buckles, and padding are strong and sufficient. The zippers work with just one hand. There are two ways to access the main zippered compartment. The front pocket organizer is a sensible space for pens and stuff. Everything is included: card storage, tethered rain cover, (4) side pouches and did I mention the soft shoulder strap?
What can the Speed Freak hold at once?
Nikon D2H, w/RRS L Bracket or a D100 w/MB-D100 (slightly taller)
Nikon AF-D 85mm f1.4 (Hood in shooting position)
Nikon AF 17-55mm f2.8 dx (Hood in storage)
Tokina AF 12-24mm f4 dx (Hood in storage)
Nikon AF-D 50mm f1.4
(1) teleconverter (in a pinch)
The Whip-it-out pouch stores a Nikon 70-200mm VR 2.8G (Hood in shooting position)
The Things I like:
• The Speed Freak has a simple padded handle that I can grab when I pull the bag out of the car.
• When the pack is off my waist, the main belt can be wrapped around the front effectively tucking everything away (including the Whip-it-out lens pouch) with the snap of the buckle.
• The tethered pocket card storage is very handy. (it holds ten cards!)
• The seam-sealed rain cover feature is easy to store and quick to use—its tethered too. The Whip it out rain cover works just as well. (I might actually use this feature sometime—I have not yet tested its ability to repel water)
• Two small outer pouches hide-out on each side of the Speed Freak —useable places for tucking body and lens caps.
• Great Modular Stability: The Speed Freak uses mini loops to connect what they call Modulus components that have a plastic “tongue” securely to the belt. The Whip-it-out stays very snug against the bag using this system.
• Most importantly: Protection and Useable Space: As a set, it's just big enough to haul the five pro lenses and one body I usually have with me--something I wouldn't do with bags of lesser quality.
Ideas for improvement:
• The inner foam dividers are not firm like the Lowe dividers. The Speed Freak came with five--two large and three small. They all could be reinforced. (I’ll probably end up using a couple of extras from my Photo trekker in this bag.)
• Sometimes I wouldn't want to have the zoom pouch with me. The Speed Freak bag by itself is only a smidgeon too small to fit the 70-200 inside, hold the 85mm and have the 17-55 attached to the D2H. Otherwise, separately, the four pieces fit. If I swap out the big 85 for the wide zoom Tokina it will all work together.
• The Whip-it-out pouch should have some way to include the 70-200’s tripod foot (A small notch is all it needs). I lose things like removable tripod feet easily.
• The Whip-it-out main zipper is a bit too far away from my hand when I reach around to grab it. For my purposes, it should be migrated about two inches to the left (I have the Whip-it-out on my left side as I like to keep my right hand on the DSLR body.
Notes on the Whip-it-out lens pouch:
I found this zoom lens pouch very handy. The 70-200 can slide in and out with a simple zip. The hood must be removed or in the shooting position to work in this pouch. Did I mention, the tripod foot on the 70/80-200 must be removed to fit? Because of the snug fit against the lens, I cannot imagine it would work with any tripod foot attached.
Will I keep it? How does it compare?
Together, the setup holds one full lens more than my previous Lowepro Orion AW waist bag. With the Orion, because of the gear I ran, I had to remove the body from the lens every time I stowed the kit. I have no other current waist belt bags to reference. I’m ordering another Kinesis belt system to compare against this. When it comes, I’ll try to post some things I like/dislike about it.
I’ve been working assignments for the past week with the Think Tank setup and I like it. I have a feeling the extra three or so inches the next larger bag, the Speed Racer, offers would begin to flood me--and I definitely won't go smaller. I feel no hesitation getting into my bag to change lenses—that is a good thing. I’ve got two more weeks before I have to either give them back or pay…I’m already feeling like keeping them.