*REVIEW* Think Tank Retrospective 20

Thanks for the review! Looking to get the 10

mzbarsk wrote in post #10210985
It seems close to the size of Domke F-804. That might be a little too big. I used 804 for "take all the gear I can". Is R20 more portable?

Some interesting calculations:
Domke F-804
Interior Dimensions: 14W X 10H X 6.5D = 910 cubic inches
Exterior Dimensions: 15.25W X 13H x 8D = 1586 cubic inches

Retrospective 20
Interior Dimensions: 12W x 11.5H x 6D = 828 cubic inches
Exterior Dimensions: 13W x 12.5H x 7D = 1137.5 cubic inches

Based on this it seems that space-wise internally they can fit similar gear but externally Domke F-804 has much wasted space?

I've never used an F-804 but from pictures and those measurements it does look like there's some wasted space there. Also, the R20 looks to be a lot more streamlined. No buckles or pockets sticking out from the bag. The R20 is VERY portable, of course.

This honestly looks like the same exact review as the Lowepro classified series.....

Your description of wants covers many many bags out there from Lowepro to Domke. Why not get one of those?

Thanks for the review. But I am already sold. Have my on order from Adorama already. Just waiting for them to ship Actually have been waiting for a while now. Wonder why it is taking them so long to get these when Think Tank has had them since last Friday?

if you guys are ordering these, don't order from adorama, order from TT direct... They have them in stock, sure they're in CA so shipping is a bit longer to the right coast but who cares. Also, I'm an affiliate w/TT, if you order using my link YOU GET A FREE ACCESSORY (the pixel pocket and cable management are the 2 better freebies). Use my link in my UD30 review here: http://gear.benjacobse​nphoto.com …s/think-tank-ud30-review/

I'm posting that so YOU guys get a freebie, but being 100% honest I do get something as well.

Wonder why they didn't designed it to work with the backpack harness of the urban disguise series.
Since it can fit so much gear, an optional backpack harness would make carrying longer periods easier on the shoulders

wizard13 wrote in post #10214629
Thanks for the review. But I am already sold. Have my on order from Adorama already. Just waiting for them to ship Actually have been waiting for a while now. Wonder why it is taking them so long to get these when Think Tank has had them since last Friday?

They're closed this week.
http://www.adorama.com​/catalog.tpl?op=adoram​a_inside

midicity wrote in post #10214973
Wonder why they didn't designed it to work with the backpack harness of the urban disguise series.
Since it can fit so much gear, an optional backpack harness would make carrying longer periods easier on the shoulders

I often need to carry my Urban Disguise on my roller bag. The Retrospective can't do this because it lacks the roller bag slot on the back and the strap is non-detachable. I guess I'll be sticking withe the UD.

mzbarsk wrote in post #10210985
It seems close to the size of Domke F-804. That might be a little too big. I used 804 for "take all the gear I can". Is R20 more portable?

Some interesting calculations:
Domke F-804
Interior Dimensions: 14W X 10H X 6.5D = 910 cubic inches
Exterior Dimensions: 15.25W X 13H x 8D = 1586 cubic inches

Retrospective 20
Interior Dimensions: 12W x 11.5H x 6D = 828 cubic inches
Exterior Dimensions: 13W x 12.5H x 7D = 1137.5 cubic inches

Based on this it seems that space-wise internally they can fit similar gear but externally Domke F-804 has much wasted space?

I can assure you there's virtually no wasted space in the Domke satchels. In addition to the main inside compartment, there are two thin (papers, etc.) pockets, one outside-accessible from the back and the other covered by the flap. There are also two bellows front pockets that cover the full front, and two pockets on the flap. Also there's a typo on the inside dimensions - it's 15" wide, not 14.

I have a couple of monitors and the color of the pinestone color all look very different on it. 1 look greenish to me and the other look greyish. Some mentioned its more of a biege tone.

I wanted a non-black camera bag, any 1 got the pinestone color of any of the retrospective series can comment on how gd it looks and does it attract more "eyes" than a black version? I wanted a very low profile bag like a domke and soft enough to be used for everyday. I heard the black version is softer. Any comments?

Jon wrote in post #10215337
I can assure you there's virtually no wasted space in the Domke satchels. In addition to the main inside compartment, there are two thin (papers, etc.) pockets, one outside-accessible from the back and the other covered by the flap. There are also two bellows front pockets that cover the full front, and two pockets on the flap. Also there's a typo on the inside dimensions - it's 15" wide, not 14.

These are the dimensions straight from Domke site...

Exterior Dimensions: 15.25"W x 8"D x 13"H
Interior Dimensions: 14"W x 6.5"D x 10"H

I'm just wondering what accounts for such a big difference between interior and exterior volume. Don't get me wrong I'm a big fan of Domke bags. I have the 804, F3x, F2, 803. But I am looking to replace 803 with R20 for more flexibility in city photography.

I like the looks and design of the R20 a lot, but pragmatically speaking, it overlaps with my UD50 too much to drop another ~$160 on.

But dang it's some kind of pretty.

mzbarsk wrote in post #10215601
These are the dimensions straight from Domke site...

Exterior Dimensions: 15.25"W x 8"D x 13"H
Interior Dimensions: 14"W x 6.5"D x 10"H

I'm just wondering what accounts for such a big difference between interior and exterior volume. Don't get me wrong I'm a big fan of Domke bags. I have the 804, F3x, F2, 803. But I am looking to replace 803 with R20 for more flexibility in city photography.

Go to the Product Literature PDF for it; says 15" there, and 15" is what it is (15"x6.5"x12.5" in fact). There's minimal side walls on it. I suspect the webmonkey cut and pasted from another Domke's writeup.

Hmm, I wonder how D20 compares to Domke F-808.

_aravena wrote in post #10214571
This honestly looks like the same exact review as the Lowepro classified series.....

Your description of wants covers many many bags out there from Lowepro to Domke. Why not get one of those?

I checked out the Classified and Stealth reporter bags from Lowpro at a local camera shop that has a lot of bag variety. I've never been a fan of the zipper tops seen on a lot of shoulder bags, the Classified series included. I prefer to just flip up a main flap and be able to pull out my gear unhindered by a zipper catching on my gear.

The smallest Classified and Stealth Reporter bags I've found that could fit my gear (this camera shop had the full range of both bags) have HUGE external dimensions compared to the R20:

R20: 13" W x 12.5" H x 7" D
Stealth Reporter D550: 16.1" W x 11.8" H x 11" D
Classified 250: 18.3" W x 14" H x 11" H

Like I said in the review, I don't want to be carrying a microwave on my shoulder. These bags have big width and depth measurements and these are the measurements I want smaller in my shoulder bags. I don't want a bag that's going to be sticking out nearly a foot from my body.

As for Domke bags, I was looking at the 804, but again, the external dimensions were a little big for my liking.

The R20 was simply the smallest bag that could fit my gear I could find. It has great build quality, numerous features, and great style.

...I guess a shorter answer to your question might have been: "Because I got this one."