The uncluttered modern design is one of the reasons I chose the Manfrotto Pro Shoulder Bag 20. While stylish, it's also practical and highly protective. Here's my thoughts on Bag 20 after a couple weeks of use:
BUILD: This is a big honkin’ bag. I’m 5’8” and it looks like a serious piece of luggage hanging off my side. Although similar in width to a bike messenger, e.g., Timbuk2 Snoop or Classic (S), it’s markedly deeper and not floppy. It’s slim enough to slide under an airline seat or snake through city streets. Once at your location, you can work from it since it’s stable enough to stand on its own.
Bag 20 is lightweight but feels durable and well made. Bottom, sides and top boast dense protective padding. The high tech black fabric and contoured exterior impart a futuristic vibe. Exterior surfaces are tough (nylon fabric?) and water resistant, taking Honolulu rain without flinching. Interior fabric is light gray--easy to see inside--and the soft brushed cloth is kind to camera delicates.
Pocket design is simple and modestly populated. It’s the only bag I own without pockets inside the main compartment! Stow thin objects like boarding passes or manuals in the rear slip pocket. The giganormous front pocket has room for an iPad and small accessories galore. Finally, the two side pockets are huge and can easily hold a telezoom and DSLR!
A two-inch shoulder strap makes for a comfy ride: smooth seatbelt webbing molds perfectly to shoulder and chest contours. I wear it sling style and the slick seatbelt webbing makes the swing from carry to draw position smooth and fast. A shoulder pad is included and it's wide, padded, flexible and easily removable (secured by velcro). I removed it since I prefer an unadorned strap for fast slinging.
The grab handle is positioned so gear won't spill out if you forget to secure the lid. Unfortunately, the strap-like handle design is floppy and tends to falls out of sight behind the bag. This bag can be secured to a roller suitcase with a passthrough strap.
STUFFING IN GEAR: The lid opens the opposite of most bags: falls forward so it need not be held open while pulling gear. Two padded red dividers are secured by velcro and have a hinged platform to support the camera when stowed lens down. A small divider may be used to subdivide one of the three stalls. My EOS 6D with mounted 70-200 4L IS USM and hood (reversed) easily fit in the center, with a 24-70 4L IS USM and 300 4L USM in side stalls.
MINOR GOTCHAS: The strap’s plastic D-rings and craw hooks don’t inspire the same level of confidence as metal hardware. Hopefully the plastics are tough, but only time will tell. Finally, most bags have numerous small dividers for subdividing compartments or stacking small primes but only one is included.
FINAL MUSINGS: Manfrotto put care into the design of the Bag 20 and it shows: top flight materials, uncluttered design and useful features in a comfy and attractive photo messenger. There are a few minor shortcomings and, at the original retail of one hundred sixty shekels, is perhaps a 3.0 or 4.0 star bag. At the closeout price of fifty shekels, it’s an excellent bag and crazy big bang for the buck.
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