Think Tank Streetwalker HardDrive Backpack
The Streetwalker HardDrive Backpack from Think Tank Photo combines the best of padded safety for your camera and accessories along with comfortable convenience of a backpack with padded shoulder straps and detachable waist strap.
Ease of Use, Performance: 24/25
Look & Feel: 24/25
Features 24/25
How much I enjoy 25/25
Total: 97/100
Think Tank Photo does it again with the highly comfortable Streetwalker HardDrive backpack that can carry two full pro DSLR cameras and an assortment of gear. The Streetwalker HardDrive also has a large padded slot for holding a 13 or 15 inch laptop to add to the carrying capacity of an all around useful backpack.
Think Tank Photo has a three pack line of carry all backpacks in the Streetwalker series with three sizes and the largest, the Streetwalker HardDrive, that also has the side pocket for the laptop. With the careful design, all the great features and sturdy construction and the Think Tank Streetwalker HardDrive backpack wins my Blue Ribbon for Excellence.
The Streetwalker HardDrive is 11.5 inches wide, 18 inches high and 8.5 inches deep with plenty of room for one full system or even two camera bodies and some gear. The HardDrive comes with the pack itself with shoulder straps and waist strap, the rain cover, two detachable tripod straps and several padded dividers.
You can set up your gear and internal storage how you like with the assortment of Velcro dividers that hold in place well and are easy to remove for configuring. The pack has an assortment of attach points and pockets including the 14” tall side pocket that will fit a 13 or 15 inch laptop.
I tried two of my family’s 17 inch HP notebooks which would
not quite fit into the side pocket but both my Acer and HP 15 inch notebooks easily fit into the pocket with protection all around. There is a flap inside the pocket area for the smaller notebooks that Velcro’s in place that shortens the side pocket and creates a slightly deeper area for the bottom of a larger DSLR camera at the top of the inside.
When you open the inside main compartment there are two side pockets on the opened flap for convenient storage of small manuals, SD Card folders and other smaller flat items like filter pouches. The main storage area allows you to set up your gear how you want and with the included dividers you have plenty of options including two long dividers and other shorter ones.
The two side pockets have an expanding net over the open side for storing odd items or small tripods and even have small pockets on the side. The front of the backpack has two pockets with special smaller compartments and pockets in the top for pens and pencils, and other smaller items. The lower pocket is perfect for the rain cover and unused straps and has the monopod cup tucked under it for storage that easily pulls out.
You can attach a monopod or tripod on the main flap of the backpack when closed using the included straps that attach to the lower end of the backpack and the top. The straps are removable using the locking clamp and have a buckle to make removing the tripod or other accessory easier.
The backpack has an attached fabric cup for a taller tripod that stores under the lower pocket on the front flap and hangs down several inches lower than the bottom of the backpacks base. You can also just take off the straps and store them in any handy pocket and tuck the cup under the pocket and close the pocket with the Velcro strip to keep the cup out of the way when not in use.
The waist strap of the Streetwalker HardDrive is not padded but adjusts easily and fits well along with being able to secure it out of sight under a large padded flap on the bottom and back. The waist strap protrudes out of the sides or you can remove it by undoing the straps and remove the waist strap if you don’t want to use it.
If you have another padded waist strap you want to use like the Pro Speed Belt you can use it with the Streetwalker using the Velcro flap that holds the belt in place on the backpack. The well padded flap secures easily with Velcro and keeps the waist strap like the Pro Speed belt in place and secure on the backpack.
The two shoulder straps are well padded and have small stretch fabric pockets just like the two side pockets for storing smaller items you want to get at quickly while wearing the pack. There is a sliding chest strap that attaches both straps together for even more comfort on long treks that slide up and down the straps along a zipper like track.
There are two D rings on the shoulder straps for attaching items for security while trekking along for things like GPS units, cell phones or MP3 music players that can also tuck neatly into the fabric pockets directly below the rings. They real have thought of everything with the Streetwalker HardDrive including the rain cover that slips easily over the entire pack except for the strap and waist belt area.
The rain cover even has a pocket to tuck the rain cover into when not in use to keep it handy and has Bottom marked on it for easy placement. There are a couple of handy loops, one in a side pocket and one in the front top pocket that secure with Velcro to hold important items like a cell phone or MP3 player if you don’t want to attach them to the front straps.
I am really impressed with the Streetwalker HardDrive and all its features and convenient padded back that feels great while hiking. I tried out the pack around town and out on a field trip taking pictures at a state park and found the pack easy to wear without any chaffing or problems. The pack has plenty of padding and is quite comfortable with padding in all the right spots even with just the unpadded waist strap.
If you are going to be using the streetwalker as a full time backpack I would highly suggest using a padded belt but for an occasional trip out the unpadded waist belt works fine. I can see no other improvements or things that you could want with this backpack that makes a great travel and field camera case for a good sized and highly portable case.
The Think Tank Photo Streetwalker HardDrive Backpack is a fantastic backpack and camera case if you want a portable case to wear as a backpack for the professional. For the amateur like me the Streetwalker makes the perfect case to keep all your gear when not in use and doubles as an excellent field pack to take that gear along so you have everything you need.
I highly recommend the Streetwalker HardDrive as an all around excellent camera backpack for all your travel and field which wins my Blue Ribbon for Excellence.