Think Tank Photo - Retrospective 10 Shoulder Bag
Price: $149.99
www.ThinkTankPhoto.com

One piece of gear that every photog seems to struggle with is their bag. I have looked high and low to find the best bags for my different uses and it seems like over the years many brands have slowly gotten closer and closer to perfection. Today I am getting a chance to take a look at Think Tank Photo's latest and greatest shoulder bag, the Retrospective 10, that competes directly with my daily carry, the Crumpler 6 Million Dollar Home (MDH).

The first thing any Think Tank Photo regular will notice is the color of the Retrospective 10 we have for review. Unlike all the other bags Think Tank Photo makes which only come in black, the Retrospective line is available black and pinestone. Pinestone is a weathered looking greyish-green color that looks great in my opinion. The outside material is soft, yet durable in feel and all the stitching is excellent as we would expect from Think Tank Photo.

-Outside Dimensions: 13” W x 10.5” H x 7” D (33 x 26.7 x 17.8 cm)
-Lifetime Warranty
-Rain Cover included

In addition to the adjustable shoulder strap, the Retrospective 10 also has an adjustable handle. I found the handle to be nice for grabbing the bag quickly and moving it around, but if you don't want to use it you can remove it. There are no quick disconnects though so it is a bit more work to remove than just a simple buckle or clip.

One of the absolute best features of this bag and a testament to Think Tank's attention to detail are the velcro silencers on the top flap. Shown below as one silenced and one in the usage position, these velcro strips are easy to make silent or functional at a moments notice. When working in theaters or other places where you don't want to have the classic velcro "riiiiiiiiiiipppppppppp!" whenever you want to get into your bag, this feature is absolutely essential. The flap also has enough weight to it that it will stay shut on its own even without the velcro holding it in place.

Getting to the inside of the Retrospective 10, the main compartment takes center stage. Unlike many other shoulder bags though, the Retrospective 10 still features a lot of different open and zippered compartments to help organize all your gear. There are two pockets on the outside under the main shoulder strap, but I found them quite useless overall because of how tight they were. A more flexible top band would help to make them more useful. There are loops to attach other Think Tank modular bags on the outside edges, so if you need the extra room there you can still get it.

Another feature not often found on shoulder bags are these small flaps on the edges of the main compartment. They don't seem like much and might even seem like a nuisance at times, but when shoulder bags get loaded and carried by the top handle they tend to sag. This sagging then opens up the sides and essentially lets anything and everything into your main compartment area like it is not closed at all. These little flaps help to deter this problem by filling the gap if you do heavily load the bag.

Starting from the front of the bag, the first pocket is quite large and has a loop for the included fitted weatherproof  rain cover (black bag, the cover clips onto the bag and works well if bad weather strikes). This pocket has folded sides that allow it to lay flat and also expand out as necessary. A velcro flap is used to secure this pocket shut, but there is a velcro pad inside the pocket as well that allows you to not use the flap if you like and have it stick out of the way.

The next pocket in the Retrospective 10 faces the inside main compartment and has a few pockets for organizing. These include some pockets sized for CF cards, pens, and other miscellaneous small parts. There also is a blue lanyard with a clip attached permanently which could be used for keys or other items like cleaning tools which are easy to lose.

Like the front pocket, this inside pocket also has a velcro flap to secure it closed if necessary and a velcro pad inside the pocket to secure the flap if you do not want to use it. This one extra strip of velcro is extremely convenient for those that want the pockets freely open for quick access (they are still covered by the main large flap).

The final main pockets are the zipper pockets on the back of the main compartment and the very back of the bag (pictured). These pockets are for thinner items, but can still fit straps and other accessories easily. The zipper closures also ensure that anything in these pockets is kept safe during travel.