Re: [Leica] Tenba Pro Packs

[Bmceowen@aol.com]

I have a P550 (no longer offered but the same as the P595 but no end pockets) 
which I picked up cheap at a pawn shop. First the good news: The divider 
system is PERFECT for Leica gear (which often gets lost in D-brand 
compartments) because you can set the dividers very close together (just trim 
the Velcro tabs) to accomodate the smaller Leica bodies and lenses.

The bad news? The top compartment is TOO large. If you put much in it at all  
you'll find it cumbersome when getting in and out of the bag (it will hold a 
tabletop tripod and large ball and socket head nicely, though). The outside 
pockets are secured with strips of VERY STRONG Velcro -- so strong in fact 
that they are impossible to get in and out of quickly without a giant ripping 
sound (I taped off part of my strips with gaffers tape so I had less area of 
Velcro at play). Also, the bag does not ride nearly as well on your shoulder 
as the D-brand. Like other padded bags it tends to bounce off your hip rather 
than hug it and the strap doesn't want to stay put on your shoulder nearly as 
well as the D-brand bags. It almost seems like the form of the bag and the 
inferior strap conspire to want to slip the bag off your shoulder. I'm 
constantly having to hoist mine back into position -- unlike that other brand 
which tends to stay right where I want it. As for the long strap and buckle 
arrangement that secures the top of the bag -- this is a mixed blessing. When 
cinched down it's very secure, when backed off to hold the lid open, it does 
this job well but the rest of the time it's just something to mess with -- a 
consideration that rarely arrises with the D-brand bag.

What I was wondering was if the dividers from the Pro bags would work in 
Tenba's Metro bags -- which are a rip-off of the D-brand original bag -- that 
would seem like the perfect world answer. I posed this question to the e-mail 
address at the Tenba website but the guy who answered never really understood 
what I was asking so I didn't get my question answered. 

My overall feeling abou the Tenba Pros is that if you tend to carry your gear 
somewhere, set it down and then work from that fixed position then they're 
pretty nice bags. If you work out of your bag on your shoulder then the 
D-brand is superior.

Hope this helps.

Bob