Naneu Pro - Military Ops Tango Photo Bag (Available in Black, Blue, and Olive)
Price: $139.99
www.NaneuPro.com

Getting the perfect photo bag that fits your style and your gear can be quite an overwhelming task. From the vast range of different style bags, to the many different companies all competing and saying that they have the perfect solution for you; it is hard to filter through the market and find that perfect bag to spend your money on. The fact that many times it is hard to find a store that has the bag you are looking at in stock only adds to the frustration and confusion.

Intro

Offering up another take on the idea of briefcase/photo bag crossovers is Naneu Pro with their Tango Military Ops photo bag. The other crossover we reviewed a little while ago was the Think Tank Photo Urban Disguise 50.

The Tango is meant to carry all your photo gear, plus have plenty of room for a laptop and any other accessories or things you travel with. It has a ton of pockets and places to put things with its main focus on the main compartment where photo gear is meant to be stored. Many of the zippers also have a fold over flap that protects the zipper and disguises it a bit to make for a very clean look.

Unlike the Urban Disguise 50 that has a more conventional open space with dividers that can be placed where you need them, the Tango has two removable soft bags that have removable/repositionable dividers within them. These two bags velcro into the main bag on the side that faces out towards the edge of the main bag and they fit perfectly.

With the little bags removed we see the main compartment could be used for other things with its vast amount of space. It also has a small zipper pocket and two mesh pockets. Also take notice of the velcro strips on the two sides which is where the soft bags attach.

These little bags have a sack type string closure at the top which makes them easy to get in and out of, plus securely hold your gear.

The whole soft bag inside and out is made of a very nice soft material. The main edges of these bags also have some padding to them that gives them a bit of rigidity. They are still pliable and movable though to fit to your gear. One very neat thing about the draw string tops is that you can fold it down over the sides to get a great view and access to the soft bags. Especially nice for initially setting up the dividers!

Included are six dividers of varying sizes with velcro edges that can be used in the soft bags.

Another very unique area on the Tango is the magnetic pocket on the front. This is like a normal pocket except the top closes with magnets and then folds over which makes it very easy to get things in and out of. No more worrying about zippers for those things you need quick access too!

Up front we also find two snap pockets that could be used for camera bodies like on the Urban Disguise 50 or just for other accessories. Moving on to the side we see a buckle for the strap that goes around the front, this can be adjusted to allow more room for the front snap pockets to expand.

Looking on the very back there is another zipper pocket and pass through to attach the bag to your rolling luggage handle.

Usage

For testing out the Tango, we had our typical assortment of travel goodies in electronics and photo gear.

(T61 14.1", 30D, 24-105L, 100mm Macro, 10-22, 50 1.8, 420EX)

Very similar to the layout I used for testing in the Urban Disguise 50, but split between the two soft bags.

and everything in the two soft bags as depicted in the layout above.

Another neat thing about the way the soft bags close is that there is a lot of room in the top so you can have things sticking up a bit taller than the bags themselves. There also is a bit of room for extra height in the main compartment of the tango bag, so you can set a few things on top of the soft bags if needed.

I felt there was plenty of room for my photo gear in the two main bags, and there was more than enough for accessories in all the other pockets. Most of the other pockets are fairly flat which limits what you can put in them, but for small things and flat items there is no shortage of room.

For carrying, the Tango has a standard shoulder strap with adequate padding and handle, but also a unique sling that folds out of the back pocket. This allows you to wear the Tango on your back with a strap going across your chest and shoulders. The strap is made of mesh and has a pocket on it as well for storing things like a cell phone or accessory you need quick access too. I didn't have any luck getting a decent photo of the sling, but Naneu Pro has a few good shots of it on their site ( http://www.naneupro.com/products/mo-t/ ). The main issue I had with the sling is when the bag was loaded up it did not balance very well on it and it felt as though you had a huge bag flopping around on your back (which you do!). Overall I did not find the sling strap of much use and wish it was removable from the bag (although it does have its own storage pocket).

In traveling a bit with the Tango, I personally felt that it was a great bag although a tad large for my taste. The UD50 is just a tad smaller, but more comfortable for long distance travel. Naneu Pro does make the Sierra bag which is a bit smaller, but I would lose the ability to carry a 14.1" laptop with me. I very much liked the additional pockets over the UD50 though as there was plenty of little places to put and organize my odds and ends that I travel with.

Compared to the Urban Disguise 50

In looking at the Tango and Urban Disguise 50, the UD50 is just slightly smaller. Because of the way the camera compartment bags are split on the Tango though, you can fit about the same amount of gear in the Tango photo area as the UD50 photo area. The laptop compartment was a bit larger though on the Tango which is a very good thing as I felt the UD50 was a bit of a tight squeeze even for a small 14.1" laptop. There also are more pockets on the Tango, although many are very flat which would make them hard to use for larger items.

The construction of both bags is very good with the nod going to the UD50. The tango material is a bit rougher and some of the stitching is not as perfect as the UD50. Overall both are very well made though and should last for years of service.

Here are some side by side photos of the two next to each other.

(UD50 on the bottom, Tango on the top)

(UD50 on the left, Tango on the right)

Conclusion

Overall I really enjoyed using the Naneu Pro Tango. The camera compartment layout with the removable soft bags was a joy to use and I really loved the extra protection it provided for my gear. I found it a bit bulky for my travel uses, but I am a very light traveler and thus many will find it the perfect size. With plenty of places to put everything you need, and decent construction with a price tag under the Think Tank alternatives, I strongly recommend you take a look at this bag if you want a combo Laptop/Photo travel bag.

Pros:

• Discrete Design
• Very good construction
• Tons of pockets
• Removable Camera gear bags
• Sling strap so it can work like a backpack
• Decent sized laptop area

Cons:

• Sling Strap not removable
• Fabric not as nice as on some bags like the Urban Disguise 50
• Could be a bit large for some (personal preference)

Thanks to Naneu Pro for the Review Sample!