Tenba Solstice 20L Camera Backpack (Black)

I was looking for a smaller pack pack that would hold my Nikon Z9. It's a snug fit, but works great. I have an L bracket and 24-70 f2.8 S lens on the camera. In a pinch, I can also put my 100-400 lens or my flash, not both, in the top compartment. There also is room for my 14 - 24 f4 and battery charger. I am getting used to accessing my camera through the back of the camera bag. This is my second Tenba bag and I am impressed with the quality of them both.

I got a Lowepro Flipside AW III right before this, and don't like some aspects of that bag, so decided to pick this up. I paid ~the same for both backpacks, so to me they are comparable. This one retails for more than the LP Flipside AW350 III, which I don't think is justified. The goods: 1. The two side pockets are roomy, and will even hold my bulky tripod comfortably. (Sirui MT2204) 2. No side access! Yay! I can fit a bottle on the second side. So a tripod + bottle definitely works. 3. Top access is great. Not having it might have been fine too, but having it is good. 4. The bag is super light weight. This is an important consideration for me. ~1kg. There is no point on spending money on a carbon fiber tripod only to lug around a heavy backpack. The not so good. 1. No laptop/tablet sleeve on the back cover unlike the lowepro bag. While this is fine for just taking camera gear into the field., this limits the use of this bag as a travel bag. 2. The front tablet pouch is too small to even fit an ipad pro 12.9. Sadly, that's the tablet I have - so it will not travel in this bag. 3. The lack of a dedicated small pouch for battery chargers, cables and such. And the lack of a sleeve on the back, to carry filters and such. 4. The bottom padding also seems to be a little minimal - shouldn't this portion of the bag be more solidly padded ? 5. The back padding and the shoulder strap padding also seems a little minimal - should be fine if you don't carry the kitchen sink. The lowepro is definitely sturdier and better built if a little heavier. I don't like the side access on it, and the front pockets are weird. Otherwise it seems like a more solidly built bag. It has a nice back handle, and a sturdier top handle too. The front has good protection. Overall, at about .100, this seems like a reasonable bag. There is definitely room for improvement though. Will be interesting to see which manufacturer does a better update of the next version of their lines.

This backpack is rugged, stands up on its own (with a water-resistant bottom), and very comfortable. . The straps (sternum and belt) are long enough and padded, so no cutting into your body. There is enough space inside for my equipment; I usually take one camera, a tripod, and three lenses (50, 55-250, and 70-200). I also have room for a water bottle and snacks.