Review: ThinkTank Modular Belt System

[Every Miles A Memory]

ThinkTank Modular Belt System Review

After we made the decision to get our first piece of ThinkTank goodness, the Streetwalker HardDrive backpack, the one we both love and have used daily since we got it, we really started looking at other pieces of equipment we could put to good use.

Cindy and I cover alot of festivals and events where we need access to multiple lenses and accessories at the blink of an eye. Backpacks and shoulder bags are fine and dandy when you're out shooting photography that isn't moving lightening fast and you can take your time when it comes to changing lenses or fumbling with filters and accessories.

But when covering a rodeo, motorcycle race or a concert and you only have a few minutes to get The Shot or miss it forever, you rarely have time to take a back pack off or reach into a shoulder bag to fumble for that lens or flash that you need. This is when and where the Belt Systems shine

There are a few companies that make belt systems, but after doing a few days worth of research, all arrows and reviews pointed me to the ThinkTank Modular System

What They Offer Right from the Factory

Depending on what you are looking for in a belt system, ThinkTank offers two different styles.

One is their Skin Components Belt System that is more light weight than the beefier Modular Component System. The Skin Component Belt is unpadded and comes with just the heavy duty webbing and the pouches are constructed of a heavy duty nylon, without the dense padding surrounding what you carry in them.

The Modular Component System is the same heavy duty webbing, but also has a thick padded fabric wrapped around the belt and the pouches all have padded inserts. The fabric itself feels a bit more padded and seems like it would do a much better job protecting their contents. I figured once you have a few pouches filled with heavy glass and accessories, I'd be thankful for that padding after a long day of wearing it around my waist.

The belts and accompanying pouches can be purchased separately if you'd like to mix and match the two styles, or each set can be bought as a package deal where ThinkTank combines the most popular pouches together and takes a little off the total price to give savings to their customers.

Skin Component pouches have no padding on the fabric and are highly compressible if you're the type that needs to bring everything with you in a suitcase, then use it once you've reached your final destination.

Modular Component pouches have a nice thick padding between the durable fabric to help protect your costly gear, and seem much more safe for the type of shooting Cindy and I do on a regular basis. We plan on using these pouches while hiking, biking and using our gear out in the real world when we're not covering events, so I wanted all the extra protection I could get when carrying lenses around my waist.

To be able to know what I was getting, I found a camera shop that carried the ThinkTank line-up and spent about an hour trying everything on, seeing which belt fit me best while I had a pair of jeans on with my normal belt around my waist.

I wanted to see how it fit with a light jacket on and with just a t-shirt on. I slid a few lenses in and out of the various pouches to see how fast I could make a lens change and how easily the belt could slide around my waist.

One of the cool features of the Modular Component System is the ability to lock the pouches onto the belt. If you have the system set up just the way you like it, you can slide a plastic sleeve on the back of the pouch through the hoop on the belt which locks it in place.

If you're like me, and like to be able to slide the entire system around your waist so you dont have to reach around to your back to find something, then you just hook the Velcro system around the belt itself leaving the plastic piece out of the hoop. I was a bit leery of this at first, but when the system is on, it works flawlessly.

The ThinkTank Modular Set

I ordered the box set which included 6 separate pouches. ThinkTank knows what they're doing because while looking through their catalog, these were the exact pouches I would have ordered if they didn't offer the complete set. By ordering the complete set, you save 20% over the price of purchasing the items separately.

The belt is purchased separately, and I'm glad I was able to find a camera store where I could try on an actual belt first. The catalog says a Small-Medium Belt is sized for a 27"-34" waist and I'm currently wearing a 32" waisted pair of pants. (Hold the Fat Boy Comments here)

But when I tried on the belt in the store while wearing a pair of jeans and my regular leather belt used to hold my pants snug, the Small-Medium belt seemed too snug.

Add a few pouches to the circumference of the belt and it all starts to take away from those few inches of leeway. The Medium-Large Belt fits much better even though it says its sized for a 32"-42" waist.

The buckle on the belt itself is nice and big and locks very solidly. I dont think there is any way it could accidentally come loose which was a fear of mine before I had actually used it. Who would want a belt system with thousands of dollars worth of gear to come crashing down to the pavement because of a flimsy buckle? ThinkTank overbuilt their buckle, so I dont think this will ever be an issue.

When the package first arrived, I thought I was missing a bunch of pouches, but the guys at ThinkTank have figured out how to fit more into less packaging and stuffing many of the smaller pouches into the larger ones, so make sure you pull everything out before you go calling the Customer Service department to complain...LOL

The Pouches Themselves - Get Ready to Drool!

The 1st thing I noticed about the products was the quality. The fabric is nice and thick and looks like it will take years of daily abuse. The padding is dense and protective, yet not bulky.

The zippers are big and easily pulled and all come with toggles hanging off of them that makes zipping them open or closed very easy without even looking.

I liked the way the Velcro attachment points not only went around the belt with alot of fabric to contact with on the bottom of the pouch, but each pouch also has little tabs that wrap around the sides of the pouch itself to hold securely.

I think you could be weaving your way through a thick crowd with the belt system on your waist and would never have to worry about one of the pouches being pulled off. Something that has happened to me with a no-name pouch that was hooked to my backpack waist harness at a concert. Luckily when the weighted pouch dropped from my waist, I noticed it immediately and was able to grab the lens that had fallen to the ground before it got trampled on.

I tried to pull one of the ThinkTank pouches off the belt system by just pulling at its sides and unless you grab ahold of the bottom of the Velcro attachment point, its not coming loose.

Another unique ThinkTank feature is each pouch comes with its own built in rain-fly. Granted if you have the rain-fly on the pouches, it makes getting into them somewhat cumbersome, but having the ability to cover them if you're at an event and you get caught in a downpour is reassuring. I threw one of those plastic rain-ponchos from the Dollar Store in the Speed Changer Pouch incase this ever happens.

I figure this way I can have the entire belt system covered, and still have my hands free to get to the pouches. This will also give me a protective cover to change out lenses in the rain if need be.

So lets start with the Speed Changer since I just mentioned that pouch.

ThinkTank Speed Changer Pouch

The Speed Changer is the perfect sized pouch to keep on the belt system for carrying spare batteries, a note pad and some pens, business cards, the Epson P-4000 hard drive that looks as if ThinkTank made it specifically for because of how nice it fits inside, and what ever else you think you need to bring along.

Its the perfect size pouch for small nick-knacks that always seem to get lost in the bottom of a backpack or shoulder bag. I've found myself carrying it around my waist even at times when I'm not even carrying the ThinkTank belt system. I just attach it to my regular belt to carry some extra gear while hiking or riding the bike or especially if I'm needing quick access to a pen and paper while covering something newsworthy. It's become my personal Man-Purse.

The Pouch with the Rain Cover being pulled out and a shot of the back with it on.

It has a rain cover that comes off and can be left at home if you know the weather is going to be nice. The rain cover itself is very sturdy feeling and has taped seams to keep out the elements when the weather gets nasty. There are slots to hold extra Media Cards on the padded insert and slots to hold business cards too. They've thought of everything!

The outside mesh pockets are perfect for holding a Lens Pen, Ink Pen and a Energy Bar or two and the zipper pull is super easy to get the whole thing opened.

Once you zip it open, you can reach your hand in there without the zipper itself biting the skin on the top of your fist, and with the zipper closed, there is a nice flap that protects the top for extra dirt and water protection.

It comes with a thick padded insert that I personally thought took up too much room, but its easily removable and fits perfect in the Backpack where it now holds some odds and ends that were bouncing around in there.

Speed Changer with Canon 30D body with Grip Attached, still enough room to tuck in the strap

With the insert removed, the Speed Changer can hold a Pro Sized Body with the largest shoulder strap still attached. So even though this looks small, it will hold volumes of equipment for its size. While trying to see what I could fit in there, I also found it will hold either the Canon 430EX or the 580EX (Standing Up) without the Sto-fen Diffuser attached.

 

[Every Miles A Memory]

Depending on what I'm going out shooting, I dont always have all the lens pouches on the belt at the same time, but I've yet to go out without having the Speed Changer attached. I would say this is one of the Mandatory Pouches if you dont buy the whole set.

ThinkTank Lightning Fast Pouch

Carrying a flash around with me has always been a pain and a big worry of mine. I dont like to keep it on the camera if I'm not using it because of how much heavier it makes the camera feel. I've also had a few flashes go flying off when they got bumped while slung around my waist resulting in numerous shoe replacements from Canon.

This means I usually leave them at home or in the backpack and again, if needed in a hurry, by the time I sling my backpack off, get the flash out and on the camera, I've usually missed the shot.

The Lightning Flash pouch has allowed me to carry the flash with me secured tightly on my waist and within a moments notice have it out and on the camera. I've found that I now carry the flash with me at all times and have said a big "Thank You" more than once for having it, rather than cussing because it was left in the bag.

I've found that the Pouch holds the Canon 430EX very tightly with the padded sleeve inserted. Take the padded sleeve out, and the flash is alot looser, but allows it to be pulled out even faster.

One of the things I like best about the Lightning Fast is that I can store the flash in the holder with the Sto-Fen Diffuser on it so I dont have to worry about fumbling with that when it comes time to whip it out.

With the Padded Insert in the pouch, it was too tight for the 580EX and I found myself working too hard to get the flash stuffed in or pulled out. But, with the padded insert removed, the 580EX slides in like butter.

There is also an extra pocket on the outside of the pouch that is perfect to hold an extra set of 'AA' batteries.

I'd say if you own a flash, and you're thinking about getting the belt system, the Lightning Fast Pouch is like the Speed Changer and should be on the Mandatory List.

ThinkTank Lens Changer 50 Pouch

If I had to choose one lens pouch to use 100% of the time, it would probably the Lens Changer 50.

This pouch is small enough to not get in the way, yet big enough to hold almost every lens we own.

90% of my shooting is done with the 24-70 f/2.8 lens and the 70-200 f/2.8 lens. So having one pouch that will hold both of them was a God Send. Now I dont know if I'd recommend doing too much walking around with the heavy 70-200 f/2.8 sitting in this pouch, but if you're in the press pit during a concert and you're only moving the length of the stage, this is the only pouch you'll need to carry if you're looking to go fast and light.

Sigma 24-70f/2.8 Lens Beside the ThinkTank Lens Changer 50

I like that the top of the pouch is somewhat ridged and stays open so you can just drop the base of the 70-200 in there without even looking. I love the fact that it holds a 32oz Nalgene bottle perfectly, I also love that it has the outside mesh pocket to hold a Lens Pen, an energy bar or the lens cap.

Being able to drop the 24-70 lens with the hood on in the shooting position into this pouch puts a big smile on my face. Its almost too big for our smaller lenses, but it is big enough that you can dump your entire hand in there to retrieve one of the smaller lenses that might be sitting sideways or upside down.

There isn't too much I dislike about this pouch. About the only fault I could find with it was the elastic cinch cord around the top. Its the only thing that makes this pouch a two handed operation. I haven't found a way to pull the cord to cinch the top closed with only one hand yet, although I seem to find myself always trying to complete that task.

I like the outside mesh pocket to hold a Lens Pen or a spare power bar and I've also found that this pouch is the perfect size for a 32oz. Nalgene bottle.

ThinkTank Large Lens Drop-In

My second favorite pouch for the lenses it the Large Lens Drop-In. This reminds me of a well used Chalk Bag in my earlier climbing days and is a breeze to use.

This pouch looks less business and more laid back and un-official. It doesn't have the mesh pockets on the outside and isn't as straight laced as the others. This one almost looks like the hippy brother of the Lens Pouch Family line-up.

 

[Every Miles A Memory]

It's a little baggy and has nice lines on the outside. Dropping a lens into it is simple as long as you have the cinch cord loosened. This pouch can also be tightened with one hand and I'm finding it to be used more and more because I can throw it on my belt if only bringing one pouch out for an afternoon of shooting and dropping in a few items I might need.

I like how simple it is to use, how versatile it can be when it comes to what it will hold and how it doesn't draw attention to it like the full belt system does.

The Large Lens Drop-In is plenty big enough to hold the widest of wide angle lenses with the hood in shooting position and insert or remove the lens without even looking down. Once you get the feel for reaching in and where it's positioned on your waist, it really becomes second nature.

For me, these lens pouches up to this point get the most amount of use. They all work flawlessly, they carry their weight fantastically around the waist and its amazing how fast you learn to use them while working without even really thinking about it.

The next two lens pouches work good, but I've found that with my short size, I'm only 5'5", having these larger lens pouches hung from my waist is a bit uncomfortable for me.

Maybe its because of the heavy lenses I'm trying to carry in them, or the fact that they tend to bang into my thighs while trying to walk or move around in a busy crowd, but I've found that if I'm going to leave anything off the Belt System, it's going to be one of these pouches.

They might work much better for a taller person, or if I was to add the ThinkTank Pixel Racing Harness to help pull the weight up and off my hips, it might be a little more comfortable for me to use the larger pouches.

ThinkTank Lens Changer 35

This lens pouch is ideal to bring along the 70-200 f/2.8 with the hood in the shooting position. I mean lets be honest, who wants to be swapping out hoods and their positions while they're out shooting?

I know I dont, so if I'm going to be using this pouch, it has to be able to carry the lens with the hood on and in the shooting position....which is does nicely.

ThinkTank Lens Changer 35 beside the Canon 70-200 F/2.8 IS for Comparison

I'd like it if the pouch was a touch wider so I could drop in the lens with the hood facing down, so the lens would be less likely to drop any dust off the front of the glass when sitting in the pouch, but I'll be totally honest, you have to work at it a tad to get it to do that.

It Fits, But it doesn't like it and it becomes a bit top heavy

Now if you're in a hurry, say shooting a concert and you only have those first 3 songs to get your cover shot, then who really cares about which direction you're dropping the lens in as long as it's sitting securely around your waist for when you need to swap out lenses.

This is the way I find myself using it the majority of the time

You can then drop the 70-200 in with the hood facing up and the lens drops in super fast and with the majority of the weight being on the bottom, it rides much more comfortably around the waist. It swings less and just feels more comfortable this way, but again, I dont like to leave it in there for long because any dust or debris being kicked up is likely to land right on the glass.

If I'm going to be putting this lens on the belt system, it's usually to carry the Canon 28-300 L lens around which is by far their best Walk-Around lens. Problem is that lens is crap for action, close-up's or anything in low light. So I usually find myself keeping the 24-70 F/2.8 in the Lens Changer 50 and dropping the 28-300 in this pouch.

The lens fits in here very snug and feels comfortable walking around. For comparison, the Canon 28-300 L IS lens is roughly the same size as Canon's 100-400 L IS lens.

Forget dropping either of these lenses in hood down. They're just too wide at the top of the barrel to slide down into the pouches, but they slide in smoothly with the hood facing up. You'll have to decide if you want the glass exposed or not depending on the shooting conditions.

This moves us to the last Lens Pouch in the Component System, the ThinkTank Lens Changer 75 Pop Down.

This pouch is basically the Lens Changer 35 with a little more room to spare when it comes to width and the ability to unzip a section on the bottom of the pouch to add more length if needed.

Remember all my complaining about the tightness of the Lens Changer 35 when trying to drop the lenses in Hood Down? Well the Lens Changer 75 will allow you to do this no problem....Here's the catch. You cant have your cake and eat it too.



Because of the added width which allows for the lens to be dropped down hood first, the top of the lens, which is much narrower is now able to flop around in the pouch.

 

[Every Miles A Memory]

Remember, I'm being 100% anal here and there is no way the lens itself could fall out of the pouch, unless you were to attempt a cartwheel, I'm just trying to be 100% honest with what I feel about these products.

For some reason, I hate having the lenses move around while around my waist. When they flop while I'm walking, I tend to keep my hands on them to keep them from banging into my hips. If you take the time to cinch up the draw cord, this really helps in eliminating that hip slap, but again, I'm talking about using these during a fast pace event when time is of the essence and I never take the time to pull the draw cords.

Canon's 28-300 IS Lens on the top with the 70-200 Lens on the bottom. Both lenses have their hoods in the shooting position to show how far they'd stick out of the pouch. I should mention in these photos, both lenses were in the pouch with it in the stock size. I dont have the Pop-Down Feature popped down for these shots?? I'm also too lazy to re-shoot it...LOL

So take what I'm saying with a grain of salt. I'm short and having a lens that weighs over 3lbs slung around my waist isn't really comfortable no matter what pouch I put it in.

Conclusion

From what I've found so far, I've yet to figure out a way to bring numerous lenses with me whether it be hiking, covering an event or just out for a casual day of shooting and have them be so accessible.

The ThinkTank Belt system is well thought out, it's built bomb proof and has made my job of photography a much easier task.

I'm saving up for the Pixel Racing Harness because I seriously think it would help make the belt system more comfortable to wear for long periods of time, but to date, I've had it slung around my waist for a good 4 to 6 hours at a few different events and have yet to come home complaining.

I knew this past summer when my wife and I spent a week in the July sun covering the Cheyenne Frontier Days Rodeo and all I had was my ThinkTank Streetwalker Hard Drive Backpack to lug my gear around, a belt system was next on the list of accessories to purchase.

By the end of each long day, my back would be soaking wet from sweat and I'd be tired from having to take the pack off numerous times to grab different lenses as the scenes changed.

The next week I ordered the modular component system and the next event I covered with it around my waist I was kicking myself for not having it sooner.

 

[Dennis David]

I have the same setup but I also bought the shoulder harness so I wouldn't end up with "pants on the ground".

 

[ywen]

I use a Boda bag, which is also designed to hold only lenses. I use it with its belt strap as well to take weight off of my back. The big plus of the boda is it's weather proof and you can zip it up and use it for off-body gear storage as well

http://www.goboda.com/main.html

 

[Every Miles A Memory]

I have the same setup but I also bought the shoulder harness so I wouldn't end up with "pants on the ground".

I keep thinking more and more about the harness every time I use it. I'm also wondering if I might be able to incorporate a Camelback system harness/bladder system onto the belt system so I can carry lots of water and not have it sloshing around my waist

I use a Boda bag, which is also designed to hold only lenses

I've never seen those Boda Bags, got any photos of the interior or what it looks like with all of that packed in there? How accessable is it when wearing it?

Does it come with its own belt system or are you incorporating it with the ThinkTank system?

 

[john101477]

Lowe pro also makes a pretty nice system that i have been looking at for the same reasons you state. They also have a harness system that looks like it would work well.

 

[ywen]

I keep thinking more and more about the harness every time I use it. I'm also wondering if I might be able to incorporate a Camelback system harness/bladder system onto the belt system so I can carry lots of water and not have it sloshing around my waist



I've never seen those Boda Bags, got any photos of the interior or what it looks like with all of that packed in there? How accessable is it when wearing it?

Does it come with its own belt system or are you incorporating it with the ThinkTank system?

Pat the Boda bags are popular in the wedding photography industry.. You can view many reviews here.. http://www.google.com/search?rlz=1C1GGLS_enUS354US354&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8&q=Boda+Bag+review

It comes with a shoulder strap but you can buy a belt strap from them.. It doesn't integrate with other belt designs..