ThinkTank retrospective 20 vs 30? Suggestions?

I'm interested in a bag that is inconspicuous and I've heard good things about the Retrospective 30. When looking at the design, I noticed the 20 is a taller bag & can hold a body attached to a 70-200 vertically. I use that lens quite a bit when traveling or photographing around town so I like the fact that the 20 is a taller bag.

Can anyone give me their 2 cents about the 30 vs 20 with the above consideration of the 70-200 lens?

Thanks.

dougsturgess wrote in post #15743395
I'm interested in a bag that is inconspicuous and I've heard good things about the Retrospective 30. When looking at the design, I noticed the 20 is a taller bag & can hold a body attached to a 70-200 vertically. I use that lens quite a bit when traveling or photographing around town so I like the fact that the 20 is a taller bag.

Can anyone give me their 2 cents about the 30 vs 20 with the above consideration of the 70-200 lens?

Thanks.

Hi you really answered your own question if that's the lens you use the most and you want to have it fit vertically you have to go with the 20 that's what I do the 30 will hold the 70- 200 attached to a camera if you remove the inserts and lay it in there horizontally but that is kind of wasting space I carry my 5 d mark III with my 70-200 attached on one side of the divider and my 600 rt flash on the other side when I use my 20

I have the Retro 30 and frequently use a 70-200 w/camera in the bag for weddings/engagements. I found it's no problem if you're frequently grabbing the combo as the flap still covers the top opening, but it definitely sticks up about the width of the body. I only went with the 30 as I didn't want to be digging in the bag for lenses or gear stacked on top of each other (a more shallow bag compared to deep).

If you want to close the bag with the 70-200 attached, go with the 20. If you don't mind it sticking up while you're working and taking the lens off when you're packing up for the day, go with the 30. Solely for a travel pack I would have bought the 20 to ensure my gear is sealed off with the velcro when not in use.

Thanks for your input. What other lenses can you fit with the 70-200 w/body attached? I just wanted to make sure I wasn't missing out anything with the 30. Does TT ever run rebates?

I have the Retro 20. In the main compartment I am easily able to put a 100/2.8 Macro (hood reversed) on one side, either a 24-105/4 or 17-40/4 (both with hoods facing outward), and my 5D3 (gripped) with a 70-200/2.8II attached (hood reversed) in the middle. I will usually throw a flash or two in the front compartment. Hope this helps a bit...

Baggs wrote in post #15743460
I have the Retro 20. In the main compartment I am easily able to put a 100/2.8 Macro (hood reversed) on one side, either a 24-105/4 or 17-40/4 (both with hoods facing outward), and my 5D3 (gripped) with a 70-200/2.8II attached (hood reversed) in the middle. I will usually throw a flash or two in the front compartment. Hope this helps a bit...

Are you very happy with this bag? It sounds like what I would want, especially with the 70-200.

I've read some comments about the bag not having good enough padding for lots of travelling. Any issues you've noticed with the bag's padding?

I've been happy with the bag. But, the decent padding (in my opinion) is the dividers. It definitely doesn't have as much padding on the bottom/sides/etc. But for my purposes it has been great.

Thanks. I'm assuming there's sufficient padding on the bottom to set it down on a hard surface. Is there? I never drop my bag but am very careful with all my equipment.

So far I haven't had any issues setting the bag down on anything (grass, tables, floors, etc). But, I'm also careful when setting it down.

Thanks, Baggs!

i love the 20. tall but not that wide and the ability to keep the 70-200 mounted sealed the deal. padding is thin, but customer service mailed me some additional pads at no cost.

the 30 was too wide IMO.

I have the 20 and in addition to a gripped 7D with the 70-200 I carry a 35L, 10-22, 24-105, and a 430 EX II. As far as the padding goes I felt the bottom pad was a little thin so I called ThinkTank and they sent me an extra one at no charge. Not even for shipping! With both pads in place there is more than enough padding down there and it added a little more rigidity to the bottom as well. Overall I have been very pleased with the bag, and every other one I have from ThinkTank as well.

dougsturgess wrote in post #15743493
I've read some comments about the bag not having good enough padding for lots of travelling. Any issues you've noticed with the bag's padding?

Each of the removable padding inserts in the Retrospective is only about 1/3 as thick as the standard padding that you might find in a backpack. Some people look at it and think it is so thin that it couldn't possibly be effective. Guess it depends on what you think that padding is supposed to do. I have no problems with it.

My Retrospective 30 holds my 70-200 with body attached perfectly (no hood) and it will hold the 70-200 with hood (no body) perfectly. I think the Retrospective 20 is about 2" taller and the 70-200 hood is over 4" in length. From those numbers, the 20 won't benefit you much over the 30.

On the flip side, the 30 has more room horizontally for more lenses AND offers two front pockets instead of one. I use one for my flashes and another for snacks/bottles of water.