Think Tank Urban Approach 15 Mirrorless Backpack Review

Eduard

Super Mod
Staff member
Super Mod
Some of you may remember a couple years ago when I purchased and reviewed Think Tank's Mirrorless Mover 20 which was one of the first bags specifically designed for mirrorless cameras. A few of you even accused me of getting you in trouble with the family accountant when you purchased one. :p Don't look now, but Think Tank is trying to get into your wallet again with the new Urban Approach line of mirrorless and small DSLR bags.

Think Tank provided an Urban Approach 15 for this review. As I recently added a second Nikon 1 V2, I had outgrown the Mirrorless Mover 20 so it was timely. First, here is a comparison of the two bags.

UrbanApproach15_08.jpg

As always, the quality of Think Tank bags is superb. The material is similar to the TurnStyle 20 that I recently reviewed - they have a little sheen that really looks sleek and stylish. The Urban Approach uses traditional supportive shoulder straps that distribute weight well. This bag has three external pockets: a stretchy material type on each side (one of which can be used for a tripod) and a small one in front perfect for a phone.

UrbanApproach15_02.jpgUrbanApproach15_03.jpgUrbanApproach15_04.jpg

I was extremely pleased to see that two of my previous suggestions were incorporated in the Urban Approach 15. It is kind of hard to see in the image above showing the shoulder straps, but behind them is a pass-through strap to secure to the handle of a traditional rolling suitcase. Additionally, the camera gear section utilizes zippers that are lockable. Awesome!

UrbanApproach15_05.jpg

Many of the mirrorless focused bags I've seen seem to think that if you are using a mirrorless system that you do your editing on a tablet. With the Urban Approach 15, Think Tank provides the capability to bring a laptop AND a tablet along for the ride. The next image shows a 13" MacBook Air and iPad Air 2 easily fitting in the loaded bag.

UrbanApproach15_01.jpg

I tried to configure the bag with two goals in mind. First to maximize the available non-photography gear area for things like the laptop power cord and cables. Secondly, I wanted to take advantage of having two V2's and have the 10-100mm mounted on one and the 6.7-13mm mounted on the other. Also in the image below are the 10mm, 18.5mm and 32mm. I think it worked out well!

There are two pockets on the back of the outside cover. I have filters, step-up rings and body caps in them.

At the bottom, I have a MeFOTO DayTrip Tripod, the supplied rain cover and a couple spare batteries.

UrbanApproach15_06.jpg

One point to be aware of is that the side of the bag slightly narrows towards the top. I wanted to offset the two bodies with mounted lenses as shown below. This would have allowed me to make the "open" area larger. Unless I trim the dividers or find one from another bag, this won't work.

UrbanApproach15_07.jpg

Bottom line, this is an absolutely great bag! Anyone that wants flexibility with a mirrorless or small DSLR would be well served. I expect more than a few of you will be interested - but don't tell your significant other you heard it from me.
 
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Rick M

Senior Member
That's enough out of you! The Mover 20 is perfect for my Oly gear too. Luckily I'm not a backpack guy or I'd be sneaking something else by the boss!
 
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