Amazon.com: Think Tank FirstLight 35L+ Camera Backpack for Adventure Travel : Electronics

This backpack is incredible well designed. The material is rugged, the pockets are well thought out, and all of the little details are well-executed.The overall size of the backpack is giant. It will hold about as much gear as a carry-on sized rolling waterproof case.There are a number of well thought out features, including a rain cover, outer sleeves for tripods that are easily adjustable and clearly designed by people who actually carry tripods, high quality zippers, extra padded dividers, small pouches for tools and memory cards, and many more.I'd suggest looking at ThinkTank's product features video on the Amazon product page, as it gives a really good overview of everything included with the backpack. I found all of the features except for the laptop sleeve (more on that below) to be really well designed and to function exactly as advertised. I also appreciated that at this price point, the add-ons like the rain cover were included and not sold separately.One of the little details I was impressed with was the outer sleeves for tripods. I used one of them to hold a metal water bottle, and unfortunately it leaked. The way the pocket was designed, the liquid drained out of the bottom of the pocket through the bungee holes. When I rinsed the pocket out and felt inside, I realized it was sewn in a way that prevented liquid or dust in the outer pocket from being able to easily penetrate the main compartment of the backpack. There are lots of little details like this, and it's those things that set this backpack apart.In terms of negatives, there are only a few. The first is price. This is a very nice backpack. I use another ThinkTank backpack at work, and after 10 years of very heavy professional photo/video use it still looks fairly new. This backpack feels just as well made. However, regardless of quality, the current price for this backpack is really high for a backpack. Over the life of the backpack it might be somewhat justified if you absolutely must have a backpack this size for gear you are using professionally, but it's still a lot of money for a backpack. You're getting a very premium product for the premium price, but the price is definitely high compared.The second negative is the laptop sleeve. My 16" MBP laptop barely fit. Once the backpack was loaded with gear, I was a little concerned that there was too much pressure being exerted on the laptop, so I ended up carrying it in a separate case. I don't know that there is a solution for this in a backpack, but I didn't feel like it protected my large laptop super well.Finally, I wish that ThinkTank included a little more info about what the backpack was treated with and whether the waterproofing of the backpack contains PFAS or other hazardous chemicals. Many consumers want to know what chemicals they are being exposed to that might be hazardous, telling the customer more about what the backpack is coated with (and hopefully having a non-hazardous coating) would be nice.No backpack is perfect, but this is definitely the nicest photo backpack I've owned or used. Given that the build quality is identical or better than the ThinkTank that I've been using and abusing for the past decade, I fully expect that this is going to last a very long time even with professional use. If you are in the market for a professional photography backpack of this size and in this price range, this is an excellent choice.

I have two Think Tank messenger style camera bags that I bought years ago. I have a larger one and a smaller one. I love them both. They are really for different types of trips/ventures. I tend to use the smaller one the most as I like to travel as light as possible. Plus, while I have several camera systems, my preferred one is a smaller mirrorless lens rangefinder system as all the lenses involved are tiny in comparison to fullframe dslr cameras.This camera backpack is in the exact same line and style as my Think Tank messenger bags, so I knew I would LOVE it. This is my favorite line of theirs, as it's very subtle. It does not look like anything special or like you may have thousands of dollars in camera equipment inside. Which is a good thing. Less likely to be stolen.At the same time, it looks very "corporate". I've sometimes combined work and pleasure trips so I feel 100% comfortable rolling in with this style straight out of the airport to a corporate meeting. I think it's one of their geekier looking styles, but it looks corporate, so it really basically works in most settings.The Think Tank line, especially this style, is SO well thought out. Real photographers use this equipment and help design these bags. So they are extremely well-built and padded and work ergonomically and logistically for MOST photographers. You have to understand, in a way, how you take photographs, in order to know which bag most suits your style. As most don't and won't! You also need to know your limitations.I have a few injuries - back, knee, foot...and I'm not the strongest woman at this point, mostly because of my injuries. Plus I have photo karma...basically I can find the best shot and someone always manages to walk in front of my view, right as I'm pulling the trigger. It's bizarre. Anyway, I switched camera systems to something I could pull out and get going very quickly. And I needed my bags to work the same way. I couldn't be fiddling with things too long or taking too long to find things. I don't specialize in any type of photography, so I do need to bring a few lenses on most ventures because I do have to switch them. I find the Think Tank bags work wonders with that. It's easy to access, and it's logical for me, and very ergonomic.This bag is really ergonomic too, but it's BIG. I'm not a huge person. So it's either best for a big/tall person or for someone like me, who is of average height, middle aged with several injuries, best for basically a travel luggage/backpack. This is perfect for camping plus photography for me. Or for trips where I basically use this as my carryon or am not needing a suitcase and the backpack is perfect. It is extremely well thought out just like my messenger bags. There's different allocations for everything. I think this kind of thing is extremely personal.Do I think it's worth the price point? It's a hefty price point but not really, for what you are getting. I do feel like my camera equipment will be very protected and safe in this bag. I don't think it's likely someone will lift it from me. I feel like the bag is really discreet. I also feel like I can take it into a lot of different situations. I probably wouldn't use this for real short day outings - my smaller messenger bag would do - but for longer trips, road trips, camping trips and even trips on the plane - I'd absolutely rely on this bag! I mean if you think about it, why put thousands of dollars of camera equipment in a lesser bag? There's definitely a lot of camera bags to choose from, but would you want to risk your equipment getting damaged or stolen by cheaping out on the bag?It's also quite waterproof. Shockproof, waterproof. I trust my equipment in this.One other thing - it looks as well sewn and manufactured as my other Think Tank bags. I've had those for at least a decade now and despite a lot of use, they look almost new. They never fell apart in any which way. Super high quality. I absolutely recommend.