Hey folks, Valkor here. And TechGear is glad to have the folks at Tenba stop by and deliver the goods, because they really do deliver the goods. You pro-photogs out there can appreciate this next piece because Tenba has your back with not only a lightweight backpack, but one that's pretty secure too; check it out it's called "The Shootout".
On the outside, The Shootout looks like a standard backpack, but when you open the back compartment, you have six chambers for your camera, lenses, and other equipment plus pouches for other items you might need. The rear flap opens up for additional compartments to hold your SD cards and other small items, plus the inside flap has two pockets for documents, notepads, etc. As an added bonus, the main chamber can be reversed (it's called a "switchback") and accessed from the other side of the bag, in case anyone tries to sneak into the back door and dip into your gear. To finish it off you have two netted pouches on either side for holding water bottles, canisters, or the long lenses and the shoulder straps are well padded. The Shootout is also touted as being very lightweight – only 3 lbs. and you can feel the difference.
SO how did it fare in Val-testing?
The Bang:
First the design; I gotta give it up for the compartments because it helps in keeping your equipment in perfect condition, reducing scratches and breakage of your cam and accessories. The pouches and pockets are well placed and in enough abundance that you'll always have storage space for all you're much needed items. I also find the weight of the bag to be a blessing, who needs additional weight when you're carrying around all your gear. Lastly, love the name "The Shootout". Now that's a name a man can trust.
The Slack:
The Shootout has one flaw that I can see and that the cloth around the zipper of the main compartment can sometimes snag, which can be a hindrance if you're trying to do a quick setup. While it does give the bag a nice discreet look, you wouldn't right away know if the bag could even zip up, but snagging the cloth, yea that can create an issue.
Tenba is a great company for photographers looking for the perfect gear to handle their equipment and though I had a small issue with the zipper, I'd still highly recommend the Shootout for functionality (loads of compartments), security (the "switchback" feature), its ultralight weight and it looks damn good. It comes in three different colors – black/black, silver/black, olive/black and retails for 134.95. Out of TOV 5 stars, I give the Tenba Shootout 4.5 and it's been Valkor tested and TOV approved.
