I think it's not bad.

Obviously it's the same back drop but

I'm still kinda toying with this idea.

See, I wanted to get a standing desk

and I certainly do not have the funds for that

at the moment.

So, this is actually my kitchen island bench

which has wheels, my partner made it and I love it

and I think it's beautiful.

It's at a good height and I think this will be suitable

right now, until I can afford a standing desk,

and then I can be all fancy like the fancy YouTubers.

I'm just not there yet.

So, you all know I have a bag problem,

which actually isn't really a problem to start with,

'cause you always have a bag for every situation.

Well today, I'm actually gonna fix one gap

that I do have in my collection,

and that is the messenger bag.

I've decided to do a review on the Tenba DNA 13.

Yes, you've seen me review messenger bags

like the Messenger 13 from the Peak Design,

but I decided to go down a little bit of a different route

because I didn't quite have the funds to get

a Peak Design bag considering how expensive they are.

And I kinda wanted to see what more

budget friendly options were out there,

and that's where the Tenba DNA 13 came in.

But here's what I was looking for in my research,

and hopefully maybe you were

also thinking of the same thing and this might help you.

I'm getting into more photography these days

and I was looking for more ease of access

so that I don't have to keep opening the bag completely

to get one thing out.

I just want to be able to quickly be able to

get in to the main compartment of the bag

and take out what I need

without revealing everything else to the world.

I also wanted it to at least be able to

hold my Bronica GS1,

which is quite a beefy camera, it's very wide,

and it's not often you find compartments

that will fit it correctly.

Often times they're just bulge outwards and it isn't

quite a suitable fit.

I wanted to find something that was wide enough to hold it

and heavy duty enough to hold it

but also hold other things in there as well.

I also wanted it to have pockets galore,

I wanted things to be really easy to find

so that I wasn't fumbling around too much

when it comes to getting out the smallest little item

like a battery or a card.

I also wanted a sleeve for my iPad

because I not only wanted to use the bag

to take out on photo shoots or film shoots,

I also really wanted to use it as an everyday messenger bag

so I can convert it and put an iPad in the back

and take it to a meeting,

or just take it out anywhere really.

I also wanted something that wasn't too big

or overkill for my boney shoulders and my slight frame,

but I also wanted it to be big enough to be able to carry

everything that I needed and the necessities for a day.

So, I did all that research beforehand

and I landed on the Tenba DNA 13.

I did go in blind though,

I haven't actually seen the bag in real life,

I've only seen reviews on YouTube, and I've seen

that it has a lot of different sizes in the range

so, I knew that there were options there,

if I did like the style of the bag

I could get a different size.

However, it is really difficult to know if something is

suitable for you if you haven't actually seen it in person.

And that's where these reviews kinda come in handy,

and I know they come in handy for you all

because you get to see the item.

I know it's not in person so it is a little bit subjective

and a bit hard to tell still but it is a step forward.

So, hopefully this video helps you.

So, I bought it just in time to take on a shoot

with some friends in the Dandenong Ranges

(camera clicking)

and I thought that that would be a perfect opportunity

to run it through it's paces considering the terrain type

that we were going to be wandering through,

it was gonna be quite wet that day as well so,

it's perfect conditions to check the durability

and the usability of something that is supposedly

really durable and highly functional.

So, let's start off with the features of the Tenba DNA 13.

It goes for 159.95 USD retail price,

you can actually find it cheaper at a number of places.

It also comes in a variety of colors including

graphite, cobalt blue, which is this one here.

There's also a copper color

and there's a special edition black.

There's also a selection of sizes in the range as well.

So, you've got the Tenba DNA 8

which is the smallest of the lot,

and then you've got the 11, the 13, and the 15.

The Tenba DNA 13 will hold a mirror less camera

and four to five standard size lenses

or a DSLR and two to three standard size lenses.

Using that sort of terminology though

in the specs of the bag,

I don't think that really helps, as a consumer,

as to whether that bag is gonna work for me.

It does a little bit, kinda gives you a little bit

of a guideline, but then again,

everybody's camera is different,

and it's all gonna fit differently in different bags,

so it's not a standard to go by.

If that makes any sense.

On top of that it can also hold accessories

like a flash or a microphone, a 13 inch laptop.

Surprise.

And an iPad.

The weight of the bag without gear is 1.3 kilos.

The exterior of the bag is made out of a

600 denier helix material which is water resistant.

I wouldn't have it in a torrential downpour

but it is rather water resistant.

It also has these nifty little flaps

on the inside of the bag also attached to the lid of the bag

which kind of protect it a little bit more from the weather.

Sort of an attempt at avoiding water dripping into the bag.

For anytime when the back is being used in heavy rain

you do have a rain protector in the bag as well.

A little bit of a bummer here is

it's not actually connected to the bag in any way

so it is a completely separate item that you'll have to

strap to the side or put in another pocket

and it will just end up taking space in the bag.

What I would have liked to see with this

is maybe a pocket on the bag itself

where it can flip out of.

Much like on the Lowepro bags

which usually come out of the bottom

and you can flip them up and around the top

to protect your bag from any rain.

You can also turn this inside out

and it can become a sun reflector to reflect any heat.

I managed to find a carabiner clip that I had at home

and I was able to hook it onto

the inside of the bag quite easily.

So, it is out of the way for me

and that was my solution to the problem but again,

it would have been nice to not have it taking up space.

It's also got a heavy duty base as well,

so it is scratch, tear and water resistant.

There's heavy duty straps and clips,

and there's also a luggage strap at the back which means

you can just put it on top of your rolling suitcase.

They also have clips on the front of the bag

called Fidlock Clips.

They're magnetic, they're really sturdy,

and all it is is a simple push to the side to undo it,

and then when you're putting it back on,

it's a magnetic clip,

so it's just gonna slide back on very easily.

However, it is really hard to undo any other way but that,

which makes it rather safe.

A quick access zipper.

This bag has a quick access zipper on the top

which means you can very easily reach into the bag,

find what you need, without having to open up the straps,

undo the Velcro, open the bag to the world

so that everybody can see what's inside your bag,

and then fumble around for a while.

So, having that quick access zipper makes things

a lot more streamlined and very, very simple on set.

If you're somebody who is constantly changing cameras

or constantly changing filters

that is a really good feature to have.

One of the coolest features, I reckon,

is the quiet Velcro, it's not silent

but it is very, very quiet.

(Velcro ripping)

Need I say more?

Well actually I do have to say more.

The interior of the bag,

it's made of a soft tricot material

and it has those regular Velcro dividers

that you usually see in bags of this type.

The interior compartment of the bag,

the part that actually makes it a camera bag,

is also completely removable

so you can just turn it into an every day bag.

There's also heaps of pockets

for almost every need you can think of.

There was, however, one thing

that I feel was missing from the bag

and that would be a clear or a mesh pocket

that your could put batteries or cards into

and you can see what's inside very quickly.

I mean, it is a really minor thing

but I feel like cards and batteries

are something that I want to keep on top of,

be able to access easily,

and be able to see immediately in the bag.

Now, I was able to fit almost everything I needed

in the bag and I will show you on screen now

what I was able to fit in the bag on the day.

And I could have put more in there but the reality is

it would have just been way too heavy for me

and I feel like this is a good size to weight ratio

for my body type and for my usage.

It can fit a lot but it's not overkill.

And that's the think with messenger bags,

it can very quickly become overkill

depending on how much you put in the bag.

Because of the design of the bag

and the way that it fits on anybody's body

it can be a fine line between

having a really nice, comfortable bag

and having a really bad experience.

So, when I was carrying this around all day,

yes it was heavy and yes it did get uncomfortable,

but because I was doing photography

I was able to take the bag off, sit it at my feet,

take the photos, put it back on.

I mean, if it was lighter

I could have just kept it on my back the whole time

but the reality was that I was carrying enough

to make it uncomfortable throughout the day.

And with a female figure things can get in the way,

especially when you're using a messenger

or a sling style bag that has a strap over the front,

it can be rather uncomfortable.

Now, I am not the largest chested woman in the world,

but as far as comfort goes with this bag

I found it more comfortable than some of the other bags

and the cheaper brands that I have tried out in the past.

In short, the padding is supportive and I do love

the non-slip feature on the shoulder pad.

All in all the Tenba DNA 13 messenger bag