Thinktank Urban Access 15 Review (vs. Peak Design Everyday Backpack)

One of the bags I find myself bringing along most often lately, the Thinktank Urban Access 15 could be one of the best do-it-all camera backpacks out there.
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[@william0310tw]

This is the best review I have ever seen for this bag, very detailed and well demonstrated, well done bro!

[@ScottDumas]

I appreciate that!

[@papsny]

The open shell of the UA15 is a time saver especially when doing gigs. Allows you to access everything vs what the PD offers. Have sold the PD and purchased the UA15. Great review and I agree 100% with your key points.

[@ScottDumas]

Thanks so much! And yes- it's nice to be able to open it wide open when you need to :)

[@Sky-wakka]

wanted one of these forever and finally scooped up a urban access 13 from b and h used for 150$. Couldnt pass up that deal. Can't believe you dont have a larger channel, fantastic video. Much appreciated how much detail and information you include in the video

[@ScottDumas]

Hey thanks so much, and congrats on an awesome deal! Used bags are a great way to go actually, good thinking :)

[@Sky-wakka]

@@ScottDumas for sure! This will be my second used think tank I’ve bought. 200$ is hard to justify for a backpack haha

[@PaulCrouse]

Great review. You're great at being friendly and very informative. And your production quality is great. Keep up the good work!

[@ScottDumas]

I appreciate that! And glad it could be helpful :)

[@MONKEYDUDEELITE]

Love the video!! Been thinking about this bag and haven't seen too many thorough videos like this 🙌🏾

[@ScottDumas]

Thanks so much! :)

[@AndrewVanBeekOttawa]

Thanks for the review. It's the first one that shows me what I needed to know. I bought the 13" since I really needed a good smaller kit bag.

[@ScottDumas]

Awesome! I'm really glad to hear that! Let me know how that size works out for you :)

[@adrienneeee]

I would love to see a comparison between the Urban Access 15 and the Backstory 15 backpacks!

[@rationalcapitalist]

Great review. Regarding the side access zipper orientation, it zippers towards you so you can sling it on the side of your body and access the panel without taking the backpack off. If it opened in the other direction the flap would be in the way of you getting the camera out. My current bag works the same way, which I love.

[@datfly3034]

I have the 13 version - not sure how the size is different, but the design seems exactly the same. Awesome backpack, I much prefer it to the peak design (which I used to have) - you can set it up for side access or back access only.

[@weench]

A really good detailed review, especially in comparison with others.

[@justingreene9724]

I like the video I am considering the think tank and you're showing me why I like it when you have thousands of dollars in camera equipment you need a quality bag.

[@matthoffman6962]

While it might be an older model I think the think tank urban approach 15 is a better bag. But it depends on what you want “more ways to access your gear etc”

[@CaseyHardman]

Been loving my Urban Access 15 for the past few months. I have it pretty packed, but so far it’s handling everything I’ve thrown at it. I have a v1 Peak Design 10L sling for lighter run & gun shoots.

[@ScottDumas]

Awesome to hear you're loving it! The sling style definitely interests me too... curious how the 10L compares to the smaller Urban Access sling style bags as well.

[@jameskeener7251]

Nice review, Scott. Thorough and informative. You answered the questions I had before buying the bag. AND. You reminded me how much I dislike the Peak Designs bag I've had for a long time. The divider between the very top of the bag and the compartment just below it doesn't fully fit the available space, leaving about 3/8" between the divider and the wall of the bag. So anything loose in the top, which I wanted to use for pens, batteries, cards, etc. would slip down into the next compartment. I hate that. Gosh I'm ranting about the Peak Designs. And more. Very tight zippers. And I found the Peak Designs bag very heavy for its capacity. I'm eager to get rid of it.

[@ScottDumas]

Thanks very much! The point about the top of the bag is very understandable- I have the same issue with smaller items falling down into the other compartments. The ThinkTank fixes that really nicely :)

[@AdrianW_photo]

Excellent and very in-depth comparison. Very helpful.

[@ScottDumas]

Thanks so much for watching! Glad it was helpful :)

[@HorusTheFalconX]

After a year of looking for the perfect bag, I can say I found it ! Urban access 15 :) All the features I wanted in one !

[@ricardorgomez]

Great review as always! Surprised I missed it. I'm glad Think Tank is getting more and more into the street/casual/travel/fashionable photography market. They've struggled there a bit. I largely use my Think Tank Spectral 15 and LOVE it. But I'm in New York City and it's great because, we tend to love dark colors and especially black. But during the summer and traveling, I want a bag of another color other than black. I used to have a Billingham which was almost perfect. The Peak Design bags are the high quality, street/travel equivalent of Think Tank. The 15" Urban Access is absolutely huge compared to the 13. I check it out here in NYC. I'm also 5'7/8" but built like a tank... I'd get the 13. I loved the Billingham bag not just for it's casual look and incredible quality, but that I can hold everything that my Spectral could carry plus a sweater and very decent Tupperware'd meal. The carrying straps totally made it comfortable to carry for hours. As a fashion photographer, I just loved it's style and you'll see it movies too. I saw "The Prince of Tides" which is like a 30-year old movie and boom, the main character was using a Billingham. I really like the Think Tank Signature series bags. Perfect. Except they don't have anything bigger than the 13. Which is absolutely too small for my needs.

[@ScottDumas]

Hey thanks so much for watching. All very interesting input! It's interesting to hear how significant the size difference is between the 13 and 15 too- I still haven't had a chance to see them side by side unfortunately. I wonder if the 13 would be even better for a day-to-day bag... Anyway, great to hear from you again and hope you're doing well! Cheers!

[@ricardorgomez]

@@ScottDumas Doing well here in NYC! Hope you are too! For me, the 15 would be great for professional work and I'm going to be out for the whole day and I'll need food and sweater/jacket. Or maybe I'm doing a location shoot and don't want to use my International 3.0 to bring my gear. For everyday kind of stuff, I'd take the 13. Mind you, All I really bring is a single m43 camera, a TT Cable Management 10 V2 with bits, 2 lenses and lens blower. Maybe my iPad Pro/15" MBP. And I still got a 1/3rd of my Spectral 15 left to fill. But it's barely big enough to put a small lunch in there nothing to say of a sweater or light jacket. That's where the Urban Access 13 would could be useful. For a high quality, casual backpack, I might consider the TT Retrospective 15 only because it comes in a color other than black/grey. I really like the Spectral stuff. But I'm more of a shoulder bag guy and love the Billingham quality, style and capacity. Best wishes!

[@benleong2008]

Thanks for the review. I am slightly shorter than you and I think I will be getting the urban access 15 too! Have been deciding this or the peak design.

[@robertpizzo5681]

Benjamin Leong what did you end up getting? I’m stuck on the two

[@guydesrouilleres183]

I just picked up the Think Tank. I was messing with the Peak Design, as I thought I was going to initially get it, but the comfortably, amount of padding, and the direction that the side flaps open up, I felt very good about my purchase

[@Whatmovietitle]

Super review, gonna buy it now :)

[@ThiagoGuedesC]

Thanks - this was very informative. I have the PD and honestly can't seem to design the dividers to fit my gear - either they rattle about or I waste space. Things kinda of fall through the cracks in the shelfs. Honestly thinking about switching to this Urban access - how is it holding up? Which one you prefer? Regards,

[@ScottDumas]

Thanks for watching! I haven't used this in a little while actually but it held up very well through lots of use while I was using it and I've never had a ThinkTank bag "go soft" or anything like that on me, so I wouldn't expect it here either. I know what you mean about the PD for sure, and I do prefer it for the sleek design, but the ThinkTank is probably the better bag overall. Cheers!

[@stevex441]

Good review, thanks.

[@GabrielFereira]

Man. Great video. I was about to get the peak design 20L bag and now I have doubts. Which one do you recommend the most for daily street photography? Thanks in advance

[@FQ8]

thank you for trying it on. so many reviewers do not do that!

[@ScottDumas]

No problem! It's usually a big deal for me haha, so I was always frustrated when others don't do that too :)

[@rosyaugust7095]

Great reviews and I am considering to buy Think Tank 13” . Thanks bro

[@ScottDumas]

Thanks so much! I'm sure you'll love it

[@rosyaugust7095]

@@ScottDumas if I got two options Think tank urban access 13” and Thank Tank back story backpack series 15”. Which one will you recommend? Thanks 🙏

[@ScottDumas]

@@rosyaugust7095 I'd personally go for the Urban Access I think. Side access can sometimes be very useful but I like that you're not stuck to using only that either. The top separate storage and surprisingly spacious, but flat folding front pocket is really nice. The Backstory is a solid bag too of course, but a bit more "basic" (for a ThinkTank bag, haha... they're all pretty intense anyway). I haven't tried it personally yet though, and I doubt you'd be disappointed either way, the quality is great and I like the new ThinkTank style they both share :)

[@rosyaugust7095]

@@ScottDumas Thanks for detail explanations. I really appreciate you

[@DimusTech]

Oh I didn't know you also have the Peak Design everyday backpack, honestly I like it more, and regarding the dividers, at first I wasn't that comfortable with them, but now I must say after some play with it, it's really good! I put the top one as high as possible and in the created to compartment usually I put my over ear headphones, sometimes a jacket as well. the divider below it, I've put it sort of upside down, that way it resists more to collapse down (You might try it as well with your top one, might fall less) and the bottom one has only a tiny place left at the bottom where I put my pretty big power bank (got a long cable for it that I can pull from the top to charge a phone or a gopro etc.) this way I have a pretty big empty space at the middle that on daily basis I can put my lunch there for work or some heavier coat or some groceries from a supermarket, when I use it for photography, I just push the middle one down and that's it, it looks like the average dividers arrangement that everyone uses, hope that can maybe help you arrange yours better. oh and I'm probably the only "camera" person in the world that just hates the back opening bags such as on the ThinkTank lol. Besides, How can you call yourself short in Japan? haha! I'm shorter! 1.60m

[@ScottDumas]

Yeah I have loved the Everyday backpack despite my picky complaints with it. They are indeed picky haha. I've re-organized the dividers a hundred times and they do work extremely well compared to a lot of bags' dividers, I think my frustrations are just specific to certain particular setups and I really appreciate that the dividers stay in place super securely even though the velcro is really small and smooth (?) feeling. It's a hard bag to beat lol. I don't love the rear opening bags but I don't hate them either. That's part of the reason I was happy this has side access as well. Anyway, glad to hear I'm not the smallest one haha! It does boost my confidence a bit being here though :-P

[@DimusTech]

@@ScottDumas Wait, so you don't see smaller Japanese around you? Are you sure you are in the right country? haha... I really enjoyed Japan for many reasons, but the fact that people are mostly smaller there, made it better for me, for example on buses and trains in my country, I sometimes can't fully reach that top pole to hold from falling, but in Japan it was like it was made for my size, it's those small things that you notice there, being shorter than usual, I don't complain on my height, but I definitely felt better with it in Japan (So, know any single Japanese girl who wants to marry a nice foreigner? haha)

[@ScottDumas]

@@DimusTech Haha ...well I guess I just happen to be surrounded by average to above average height guys ;) But yeah- I also notice clothes fit me better here haha. Usually an XS in the states, often a M or even L here :)

[@DimusTech]

@@ScottDumas Yes that's the point, It was also easier for me to find clothes there, and I'm one who HATES choosing clothes

[@bill3117]

Would this 15 fit under a coach airline seat? Thanks for the comparisons. I'm returning a Peak Design Backpack, too gimmicky for me.

[@ScottDumas]

It's been quite a while but I think I did fly with this in coach and got it under my seat. I could be wrong because my memory is terrible though. I also have the PD backpack and it's a really really close call between these two and I love them each for different reasons. If I have a little less gear I prefer the PD because it's smaller and less bulky feeling, but when you have more gear, the ThinkTank is amazing and I love the organization.

[@arianatolbert3421]

Thanks for the excellent review. I've watched this video twice already. I'm a hobbyist photographer. I have one DSLR camera body and about 4 lenses (but I'm growing my collection). I do portraits and street photography in NYC. I like lots of space for extra equipment and gear. Which of these bags (or any other bag) do you recommend for these purposes?

[@ScottDumas]

Thanks so much for watching! The pockets and organization on ThinkTank bags are incredible if you have a lot of accessories and extras... Depending on the size of the camera and lens of course, this could be an excellent choice- I've always found it to be very comfortable and you can fit quite a lot in a very organized way. The smaller size (13) would most likely be enough but I'd take a look at the sample photos on ThinkTank's website where they show the bag with cameras and lenses inside- those are always very very accurate representations of what can fit (unlike some other brands) Aside from that, the Urban Access has been a great style and fit for me but it's all personal preference in that area

[@arianatolbert3421]

@@ScottDumas Thank you! The reason I'm leaning towards the 15 is because I have a 15in MacBook Pro. in your experience, is the bag super heavy when packed? Their website says it's 4 lbs with no gear inside!

[@waawaaweewaa2045]

Whats your height, and how comfortable is the Urban access bag compared to the peak design? Also, do you know if it fits a 16 inch macbook? Thanks!

[@ScottDumas]

I'm about 5'7", and the peak design is a slightly better fit (the 20L). The Urban Access is not bad at all though, just a little tall and sticks out just a bit more. I have a 15" macbook and it fits easily, I feel like 16" should be ok even if it's tight, but I'm not 100% positive.

[@benleong2008]

How are you liking the 15"? Did you regret getting the 15" over the 13"? I am slightly shorter than you and am deciding which size to get.

[@ScottDumas]

Benjamin Leong I’m actually liking it quite a lot. I don’t often need the full depth of the bag, but the size overall is very nice

[@briangoh2403]

Hi! Thanks for the very informative review! May i know what’re the dimensions of the front compartment? Was wondering if i can fit my Aputure Amaran AL528W inside (19 x 24 x 3.5 cm) Thanks again!

[@ScottDumas]

I'd have to double check the exact dimensions but I'm 99% sure it should fit. I can easily fit the A4 paper sized grey card which is 21 x 30 or so, and the gusseted pocket is pretty deep when expanded.

[@briangoh2403]

Scott Dumas That’s wonderful! thanks for the help!

[@Leo-jd2ny]

... can also be divided vertically for two cameras with telezoom lenses? ... and up to what maximum total length you can go?

[@ScottDumas]

Hey sorry for the delayed reply- there's velcro all around so you could probably do it, but might have to frankenrig it a bit... the inside is around 14 inches tall (long?), and the long dividers don't quite reach but combining them with another of the standard dividers should clear the gap.

[@Leo-jd2ny]

Thanks!

[@robertpizzo5681]

I have a Nikon Z6; weebel s gimbal, peak travel tripod, Mavic air drone with controller, which bag would you recommend? I was looking at peak everyday V2 30l but came across the think tank bag, which one of the two do you recommend?

[@ScottDumas]

I honestly think they'd both do pretty well- the ThinkTank has more internal organization/flexibility, but the Peak Design has great external carry as well, plus might be a little slimmer (I think?) if you don't need the depth that the ThinkTank has. In terms of overall space... it's hard to say without holding them side by side, but the ThinkTank is definitely spacious. It's definitely an incredibly hard choice between these two lol. The biggest difference is probably rear access.

[@robertpizzo5681]

Scott Dumas would both hold everything I need? I’m new to photography so it’s hard to tell. It’s so hard lol, would you recommend the larger or smaller versions of each? Thank you for the help

[@phil6355]

Do you use this for your F6 at all? Would love to see how it works with a zcam setup!

[@ScottDumas]

You know, I haven't yet but I absolutely will! The deeper body will be perfect and quick side access for lens changes could be nice. Lots more organization for small tools and accessories than what I've been using for it too haha. Will have to play around with the setup a bit :)

[@phil6355]

Scott Dumas yes, I’d love to see it! I’m in the FB group as well if you want to post some pics there, or a video is fine too haha. Love your content!

[@ScottDumas]

@@phil6355 Thanks so much! I'll be sure to share when I can and if you don't mind following my FB page, maybe there's a better chance to see some pics :) facebook.com/scottdumasreviews Cheers!

[@phil6355]

@@ScottDumas Will do!

[@bladerealm124]

Will the urban access 15 fit the new 16" macbook pro?

[@ScottDumas]

Good question... I have a mid 2015 15" and it's a tight fit, so that might be pushing it.

[@bladerealm124]

Scott Dumas it looks like you'll have to get the 16" now to find out. For science

[@ScottDumas]

@@bladerealm124 Hahaha, for science ;) I do need to upgrade my computer at some point soon, don't tempt me :-P

[@edknight9153]

Bro, how short are you? Coz im short too lol and I just ordered my tank a month ago from B&H but still backordered.

[@ScottDumas]

Haha... I'm about 5ft 7in/170cm.

[@edknight9153]

@@ScottDumas bruh I'm like 5'5, shorter than you haha. Thanks for the awesome review man. I am patiently waiting and excited for mine to come once it get restocked.

[@ScottDumas]

@@edknight9153 haha, thanks for watching and I hope it works out well for you! :) Cheers

[@matthoffman6962]

Can you fit a gripped body in this bag?

[@ScottDumas]

Generally it might be a very tight fit, and probably not recommended. Depends which gripped body though- a smaller gripped EOS-R for example might be ok but the 1DXIII is quite large and probably would not.

[@AlfaMedtech]

How big is the top compartment in inches?

[@ScottDumas]

It's roughly 20cm wide, 15cm front to back, 5-10cm tall (shortest at the front, tallest at the back)

[@AlfaMedtech]

I was wondering if you can fit the GoPro Casey on the top compartment ?

[@ScottDumas]

hard to say for sure without trying it, but it would be a tight fit I think

[@AlfaMedtech]

Scott Dumas do you mind trying and letting me know if it fits ?

[@ScottDumas]

@@AlfaMedtech I would but I don't have one, sorry.

[@albawitt]

Are you still using it?

[@ScottDumas]

I haven't been recently, but not because I don't like it (lots of bags to review mean I have to change the bag I use day to day fairly often) ...if I had to pick one bag to use though, this would be near the top of my list

[@albawitt]

Thank you! And which one is the top of your list? The pilot?

[@PawelChyrowski]

I need a hat. Where I can find something like your ? :) Seriously. It's hard to find a great hat :)

[@ScottDumas]

Haha, I just grabbed the softest one I could find at the outlet! I have a super shallow head though so baseball caps are so hard to find!!

[@PawelChyrowski]

@@ScottDumas lol ;) same here

[@tykimikk8605]

am i the only one who doesn't like side access ? Or maybe i just live a country with alot of theft hahaha

[@ScottDumas]

Haha in all honesty I don't use it 90% of the time except on the peak design because it's the only way to access it, and in that case being the entire side of the bag it's actually not bad. But yea- I totally get it lol.

[@andamiro_photo]

I'm no.1 👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍

[@ScottDumas]

+안다미로포토 haha that was fast! 😁