Review Think Tank Airport Acceleration Backpack

grumpybadger

Alan Rickman
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Paul Beastall
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I (like many others on here) was an avid user of Lowe Pro stuff for a large number of years. However, I never found a solution I was truly happy with for larger lenses. The Lowe Pro approach seems to be to place the main body down the middle of the bag and then ancilliaries either side. This proved difficult with some of the bigger telephotos.

I was alerted to Think Tank (www.thinktankphoto.com) by a report on Rob Galbraith and though they looked worth a try. I wanted a bag that was small enough to be accepted as hand luggage by major airlines but also look lots of kit. The Airport Acceleration looked to fit the bill as it was well inside hand luggage size requirements (certainly for BA) and, being a cuboid shape, had plenty of storage space.

I've taken the bag to Africa twice with 2 bodies and a 400DO as the main lens. Both times it worked exceptionally well. The things I like about the bag include the ability to remove the waist band very easily and tuck the back-pack straps away behind a panel. This makes the bag sit much flatter and be more stable - critical if you are shooting from a vehicle with the bag on a seat next to you or on the floor.

In the original configuration, it took the following:

- Canon EOS 1D Mark II
- Canon EOS 5D with battery grip
- Canon EF 17-40 f/4L
- Canon EF 24-70 f/2.8L
- Canon EF 70-200 f/2.8L IS
- Canon EF 400 f/4DO IS
- Canon 1.4x extender (x2)
- Canon 2x extender
- Canon 550EX Flash
- Canon CP-E3 external battery pack
- Angle Finder
- Remote Flash Cord
- Kirk Better Beamer
- Flaxtrax Backup Device
- Epson P4000 Backup Device
- NP-E3 spare battery (x3)
- BP-511A spare battery (x6)
- 8x42 Binoculars

thinktank1.jpg


As you can see, it is possible to store 2 bodies side by side and ready to go. I've since changed out the 5D for a second 1D and replaced the 400DO with a 500L. This kit still fits in the bag ok but the bigger lens obviously takes up more space. The photo below is set up for Shuttleworth this afternoon.

thinktank2.jpg


It's not quite as heavily packed but does include:

- Canon EOS 1D Mark II (x2)
- Canon EF 17-40 f/4L
- Canon EF 24-70 f/2.8L
- Canon EF 70-200 f/2.8L IS
- Canon EF 500 f/2.8L IS
- Canon 1.4x extender (x2)
- Canon 2x extender
- Remote Flash Cord
- Hyperdrive backup drive
- NP-E3 spare battery (x2)

Overall, I'm happy with the bag. I've been using it as my main bag for the last 14 months and can't really complain. It's not perfect, but it's the best I've found for my needs.

Pros
Lots of storage space, considering the size
Removable/packable straps
Tripod mounts on side, not on front - bag can be opened with tripod attached
Build/construction
Less obvious as a camera bag

Cons
Removable laptop case makes bag too deep for hand luggage when fitted
Nowhere to easily store keys/documents etc (like Lowe Pro Computrekker etc)
Rain cover needs space in bag

I've also got a couple of other bags I'll review at some point.

Paul
 
Thanks for that Paul, great review! (y)
 
I've got the Think Tank Inter roller and I must say it's a very very nice bag.

If you need one with wheels then have a look at that model, Think Tank have just created a new bag as well which mixes both roller and backpack straps
 
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