ThinkTank Retrospective 7

Wissel

Wissel

Messages
1,132
Name
David
Edit My Images
Yes
I've been looking for a new bag and keep going back to the ThinkTank Retrospective 7.

Size and feature wise it seems almost perfect for me (would like an easy solution to attach a tripod but have a few ideas on this).

Before I order one I thought I'd ask here if anyone has one and if they're happy with their choice?

Cheers,
David
 
I have the Retrospective 20 so my comments aren't about the specific bag you're looking at, but if it helps your decision I can say the construction, features, ease of use are all excellent. Lots of nooks and crannies in addition to the main storage areas, and the strap is very comfortable too. It's certainly the best shoulder bag I've had, and the Pinestone colour makes it look less like the usual camera bag.
 
Manxmaid said:
I have the Retrospective 20 so my comments aren't about the specific bag you're looking at, but if it helps your decision I can say the construction, features, ease of use are all excellent. Lots of nooks and crannies in addition to the main storage areas, and the strap is very comfortable too. It's certainly the best shoulder bag I've had, and the Pinestone colour makes it look less like the usual camera bag.
Click to expand...

Thanks for that, exactly what I wanted to hear.

I've watched loads of reviews on YouTube about the range but don't fully trust them. Always better to speak to someone who's spent their own money on a product.

I guess I'll order one then. But in blue :)
 
Wissel said:
Thanks for that, exactly what I wanted to hear.

I've watched loads of reviews on YouTube about the range but don't fully trust them. Always better to speak to someone who's spent their own money on a product.

I guess I'll order one then. But in blue :)
Click to expand...

The blue wasn't available as an option when I got mine, just black or pinestone, but I do like that! Enjoy your new bag (y)
 
I have the 7 and it's the bag I use most of the time, other than putting it on top of the main compartment and taking the flap over it, I wouldn't think of a way to attach a tripod, you could always use bungee cords and wrap it round and dangle it from the bottom but it might not be the best and I doubt it would be comfortable, I would just carry my tripod seperately
 
Nicely made but seemingly designed for California rather than the UK - unless you like to fiddle about with the extra raincover. A Billingham is rainproof out of the box.
 
I had the Retrospective 20, it's not the bag for me. The padding is not thick enough, it's not rain-proof and it is uncomfortable (you can feel camera bits when wearing the bag).

I sold it for Billingham Hadley pro. It's smaller (similar size to the 7), it is so much better in every other respect: It's rain-proof, it's thickly padded, it's comfortable (due to the thick padding). Best part is that I can take off the padding insert and use it as everyday bag.

Tripods are not suited to messenger bags. I carry mine separately using a basic strap, making a X across my chest, and balances the weight.
 
droj said:
Nicely made but seemingly designed for California rather than the UK - unless you like to fiddle about with the extra raincover. A Billingham is rainproof out of the box.
Click to expand...

I will add, ive had it out in the rain, all be it only spitting and it was ok, the rain cover is very difficult to put on, I had to watch a video on YouTube to figure it out, it attaches around the straps with 2 clips and then goes around, and there's a right way to do it as well, you can put it on wrong...
 
I have a 20 and a 7, both in pinestone and my wife has a 7 in blue. They all work perfectly and as said are very well made. I also have a Hadley Pro, but that only gets used without the insert as a day bag now when I don't take anything bigger than a compact.
 
I have the 7 and im very happy with it, use it to carry my Sony A7R usually with 24-70 fitted and a 35 in the bag, along with a couple of spare batteries.
 
Thanks for the comments Guys.

With regard to the tripod I'll get a tripod strap and have it separate as a few of you have suggested.

I'm not worried about the rain proofing. I don't seem to go out in bad weather and besides, I'm in Cornwall, the weather is always lovely here ;)
As long as I have a rain cover for if I do get caught out I'm fine with that. In fact it's what I do now with my Tamrac backpack if I'm out on the moor's etc.

I did look at the Billingham range but I want a less formal looking bag. I spend most of my time in shorts and flip flops and want something that looks very casual. This is the reason I kept going back to the Retrospective series. There doesn't seem to be very many well made but trendy and casual bags on the market?

Also I like some of the features on the 7 like the internal side pockets and the rear tablet pocket. I also like the large front pocket as it gives me an area for swapping out filters or lenses with ease.

Padding wise, as long as my gear is adequately protected for normal use then it's fine. I use a small and light CSC setup. Currently it's a body and 4 lenses, couple of extra batteries, few filters etc and the whole lot weights just under 1.5kg. That's less than my old 7d with a 24-70 attached. I'll have a second body in a few weeks and I've ordered a very nice set of Hitech glass filters (one of the reasons I need a new bag) so I guess my bag will be holding just over 2kg (plus bag). I can see that with a heavier set-up the 7 could become uncomfortable (I had this issue with a sling bag a while back), but I think it will be fine with my gear.

Any recommendations on a strap for my tripod?

I use an OpTech sling strap and wrist strap (easy to swap between them) already, has anyone tried the OpTech tripod strap?

Again, thanks for the help,
David
 
I have a 5 and a 10, the 5 is more than big enough for my M4/3 kit, I daresay a 7 would be too big. The 10 hasn't been used in ages as its pretty large - I keep my FF kit in it.

Size wise, in comparison to apple products, you can fit in the front pocket:

5 = ipad mini
7 = ipad
10 = macbook air 13"

Protection wise they are fine for but I can understand how some people find them a little soft, especially on the bottom - if its full of heavy kit you might want to put it down softly but generally mine takes mild abuse fine.
 
Last edited:
Use a 10 here, very happy with the design and construction and material quality. Lots of clever touches, best bag I've used in 30 years.
 
Well my Retro 7 is now here and I'm very happy with it :)

Really great build quality, more padded than I thought, not to big but easily fits everything in and looks great.

I also sorted out my tripod strap by using a standard OpTech neck strap and extending one side. Their dedicated strap didn't fit as well on my tripod but attaching the standard short QD's directly to my tripod works perfectly.

Thanks everyone for your help.
David
 
Regarding the lack of waterproofing on the Retrospective bags unless you put the raincover on, I am considering treating mine with some Gtechniq I1.
 
I also have the 10 and 5 they are great, I don't carry a lot of gear, I've found them great for camera and girly bits n bobs . I'm sure I read somewhere that the pinestone and blue slate ones have a waterproof coating?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top