Think Tank Urban Access 15 Review

External Design

Based on first impressions alone, the Urban Access certainly lives up to the "urban" moniker.

Boxy, charcoal-colored, with hidden zippers and a decidedly modern look (as opposed to, say, the company's Retrospective line), the Urban Access is certainly a Think Tank product, but carving a new niche for itself in the company's lineup.

The bag stands perfectly upright when put down, thanks to a flat bottom and good balance.

The external fabric has a smooth but slightly stiff texture, giving a reassuring feeling about its sturdiness. It will have good water resistance.

The bottom uses an even sturdier weave, which will help protect the bag against abrasion.

The general shape is rather boxy, with an angled top.

The front of the bag appears plain on casual inspection, but hides a few tricks.

The first is that the whole front is actually a thin and deep pocket.

Accessed by releasing the two magnetic clips and lifting the flap, this pocket can expand outwards quite a lot thanks to the folded fabric on both sides. There is no padding so the pocket won't be well suited for anything fragile. The clips can be attached even with the pocket loaded.

To lock the clips, simply bring them close together, the magnets will do the rest. These clips really work well, and more easily than regular clips.

The other interesting aspect at the front is the hidden tripod holder. Simple and very effective, it is made of a sleeve and strap at the bottom, and another strap at the top. These can all be tucked back in when not needed and released in seconds.

The bottom sleeve is tucked away behind a Velcro closure (magnets would have been nice for silent operation). An extra strap helps to secure the tripod further.

The top straps hide in two minuscule pockets on each sides of the bag.

Tripods attached that way are extremely stable. The top strap goes over the flap of the front pocket, which will hinder access.

Mindshift Gear and Think Tank often place tripod anchor points in the front of the bag and, even if the details vary, there is a high level of consistency between all their bags.

The tripod attachment system works easily and flawlessly for regular tripods. Sadly, for smaller travel tripods the attachment points are actually too far apart. One solution is to extend the legs or center column a bit to let it reach the top attachment. Another is to place the tripod in one of the side pockets.

The sides are identical, dominated by the large access panels for the internal storage.

There are two zipper pulls. Usually, this would mean that the bag can be opened by either the top or the bottom. In the present case, the two zipper pulls are together when the bag is closed. Users can indeed open the compartment by either end, but that must be decided when closing the bag. This might be a bit counter-intuitive at first. Once muscle memory builds, this will become automatic.

On each side panel is located a deep pocket. Perfect for a water bottle or smaller tripod, this pocket sits flush against the side when not in use. A fold lets it expand outwards.

It can accept large items, such as the wide water bottle inserted above. Its depth means that any but the tallest items will be stable.

Depending on their size, two water bottles could even go in there side by side.

A cinch strap at the top of the pocket helps to stabilize items inserted, and cinching it helps to keep the fabric folded when empty.

The loose end of that strap slips into the top of the pocket, for a more elegant look. Inserting the loose end requires a bit of fiddling. It's also surprising that there is no stabilizing strap above the pocket, but given its depth such a strap would rarely be necessary.

The top of the bag shows the long zipper path giving access to the top compartment. The fabric folds over the zippers to prevent water ingress and to give a more elegant look.

There is a lot to say about the back panel. This is possibly where the Think Tank DNA is most apparent.

The panel itself relies on thickly padded “airflow” perforated fabric with empty space between the contact points. The same padding is used on the shoulder and hip straps. This type of support is probably the next best thing to a trampoline mesh and generally works well except for high intensity activities. In other words, it is well suited for the bag's intended usage.

Shoulder straps have always been a high point of Think Tank bags, and the Urban Access is no different. The straps are wide, thick but supple, and well shaped.

A surprising inclusion is the presence of load lifters at the top, for an even better fit. This is rare except for dedicated hiking backpacks.

There is one band to attach small items high on each shoulder.

There is also a short but nicely padded top handle.

The sternum strap may seem like a standard affair, but includes a few tricks. The buckle is an ubiquitous design. Height adjustments are possible by sliding the attachment points along a tube on each side. These tubes have small holes, letting the height be locked in place. That feature is new, and useful to prevent the sternum strap from moving.

Another neat trick is the fact that, by moving the attachment point all the way to the top, the sternum strap can be completely removed. This also allows the user to store the two parts of the sternum strap on one side, to get it out of the way.

Elastic bands hold the extra length of the strap.

The hip strap has wide and short wings, the rest being a wide nylon webbing band closed by a typical buckle. Here also elastic bands hold the extra length. The hip strap has no dedicated area to hold a camera clip, or a lens, or accessory case.

The hip strap can be completely removed. It is held in place inside the back panel via a Velcro pad.

The back panel includes a Velcroed section which can serve as a luggage pass-through.

The whole of the back panel serves as an entry point for the backpack. Note that the shoulder straps to get in the way when opening that panel.

Every zipper's pull tab is large and rigid. This is excellent, as it means the zippers will be easy to operate. The zippers move easily and appear durable.

As is typical with Think Tank , the bag ships with a rain cover.

Verdict

The number of external features on the Urban Access 15 backpack is impressive. Without being overwhelming, this is a full-featured bag. The amount of thought that went into its design is remarkable.

While it is obvious that some backpacks currently on the market served as inspiration, the Urban Access is truly a Think Tank bag at its core. Many signature elements of the brand (superb shoulder straps, hidden tripod support) find their way here. The result is an elegant and serviceable backpack.