The NatureScapes Store recently provided me with a ThinkTank Urban Disguise 50 to test out and put through its paces. After unpacking it, my first impression was that the bag was too small to be useful as a small carry-on for traveling by plane – it didn’t look like it would be able to store much gear. Was I ever wrong. It’s diminutive size, no larger than a regular laptop case in appearance, is very deceiving. I was able to load up the bag with my D3x, a 17-35 f/2.8, a 24-70 f/2.8, and a 70-200 f/2.8, plus an SB900 flash, extra battery, filters and other small accessories with no problem at all. In addition, the laptop pocket still easily accepted my 13.3” MacBook Pro and a notebook. The front pocket was able to house the charger, my iPod Touch and other small items. My entire landscape travel kit, sans tripod, fit into the small bag with the velcro dividers removed. I do this with all camera bags, backpacks and rollers, as I prefer to pack my gear in neoprene pouches.

The build quality of this bag, like all other Think Tank products, is the usual high standard, and the bag comes with detachable Velcro dividers for those that prefer to use them. The laptop pocket is generous enough to fit even most 15” notebook computers.

Unlike most shoulder straps, which I find become fairly uncomfortable after a while, the padded strap on this bag can be worn on the shoulder for a long time without undue discomfort. It is very wide and very thickly padded. Furthermore the rubberized underside is dimpled, making it almost impossible for it to slip off of your shoulder. This is particularly important for those without broad shoulders, where other bags can be a constant source of frustration in this regard.

Overall, I could not be happier with the Urban Disguise 50. While I haven’t tried the other models of Urban Disguise bags, I believe my findings would apply to them as well, but for me, the 50 is the ideal size.

Editor’s Note: The Urban Disguise 50 is one of seven bags in Think Tank’s popular Urban Disguise shoulder bag lineup, all of which are available for sale through NatureScapes.Net. For more information about this bag and others in the collection, please visit the NatureScapes Store. 

E.J. was born in 1960 in Augsburg, Germany and moved to Ohio in 1969.  E.J. attended Purdue University and earned a Bachelors Degree in Electrical Engineering.  He then completed graduate studies in Microelectronics and Semiconductor Physics and worked for the Intel Corporation for 27 years.

E.J. has two sons, Nicholas and Gregory, and has lived in Chandler, Arizona since 1994.  E.J. is a professional freelance photographer and has formally studied photography at the University of New Mexico and the Rocky Mountain School of Photography.  He specializes in artistic images of ducks and teaches bird photography through his DuckShopTM workshops.  E.J.’s first photographic love, however, is landscape photography.  E.J.’s photographs have been published worldwide in books, advertising, magazines, billboards, murals and more.  Some of his clients include The National Geographic Society, The National Parks Service, US Fish and Wildlife, the United States Navy, State Parks Arizona, Barrons, Dorling Kindersley, and zoos. Visit E.J.'s website at: www.ejphoto.com.