It’s not very common that we photographers come about a product that we really like. There are many factors that play a role in what we want to see in our gear and how it holds up to our daily beatings. Companies have gotten better and better over the years, listening to photographer’s needs and tailoring their products to what we demand, but there are only a select few that hit the nail on the head.

Think Tank photo is one of those select companies. They’re not your average household name or a name that many people outside of the photography world would recognize, but that doesn’t mean they don’t know how to get the job done.

At first I would have to admit that I was very skeptical of Think Tank photo products because I simply had not heard of them before. Let’s just say that I was proven very wrong when I got my hands on one of their amazing products, the Urban Disguise 50 V2.0.

I’ll start off by saying this review isn’t going to be all technical and littered with numbers telling you the dimensions of every pocket and weight with various amounts of gear in the bag; that can be found here. Specs don’t make a difference unless you really like the bag and find it to be useful and better your photographic practices right?

Being a concert photographer means I need gear that stands the test of time and can be put through a lot. I am constantly on the road throwing my bags inside and outside of my car, setting them down, having beer, and sometimes people, thrown on them. My gear needs to be reliable and not fail when I need it most.

The Think Tank Urban Disguise 50 v2.0 is a bag that meets all my needs. It’s light, compact, tough, and still fits pretty much anything I need it to. First of all, it’s unlike any other shoulder type camera bag in the idea that it looks nothing like a camera bag. There’s reasoning behind the name… I would say looks more like a business shoulder bag, but it’s really not. Having the ability to fit a pro DSLR with 24-70 attached tells you something about the efficiency of space in such a small package. Did I mention that your body and 24-70 would fit in the bag in addition to your 50mm, flash, and 70-200? Yes it fits all that and a neat, tight, space saving form figure. The internal compartment is configurable to your personal needs with the adjustable Velcro spacers, that are surprisingly easy to move around unlike some other bags I’ve used. Think Tank did not skimp on the space utilization ability of this bag one bit. And if that weren’t enough, you can even fit your laptop into the available laptop slot. My 13″ MacBook Pro fit very nicely and I was confident that it would stay protected in the padded sleeve.

There’s room for everything in this bag. You aren’t limited by storing just photography equipment either. There’s also space for cleaning supplies, pockets for credentials, pens, flashlights, knives; all the everyday trinkets that you can’t leave home without. I would say this bag can fit most photographer’s needs unless you decide to haul around 2+ bodies and a slew of other lenses. For that I suggest something bigger, but for me, this bag is perfect. It stores all the gear I need it to and is extremely comfortable. Speaking of comfortable, this bag sits very nicely on my shoulder. I personally wear this bag so that strap crosses my chest and I’d have to say this bag is the most comfortable for that “wearing” style. The strap is angled in a way that makes it sit flat on your shoulder/trap and no dig in or pull over into your neck. This makes it very easy to carry the bag at my side or even swing it around partially behind me for added “disguise.”

Going beyond storage and useability Think Tank further impressed me by the quality of the Urban Disguise 50 V2.0. Like I said before, I was skeptical at first, but once I experienced the Think Thank Urban Disguise 50 V2.0 I was confident that is was another great company. The quality of this bag is just phenomenal. Just by the sound of the zipper opening and closing I knew this bag was rock solid and wasn’t going to fail me. Constructed out of very sturdy materials this bag will definable hold up to whatever I put it through. Well, maybe not everything, but you get the point.

The mix between size, space, and mobility is really what I’m looking for because I don’t want to be held back by a huge bag swinging around in the overly crowded photo pits at concerts. I would have no problem recommending this bag to my fellow concert photographers.

This bag earns an A.

Click here to get your very own Think Tank Urban Disguise 50 V2.0!