Think Tank Photo makes some mighty fine bags and so when they sent MediaStorm samples of their new Multimedia Wired Up Collection bags, we were excited. Recently I had a chance to put them through their paces working in the field.
Intelligently designed and well constructed, the combination of the WiredUp 20 beltpack and the Mic Drop bag best fit the still and audio gear I carry. The belt is brilliant for taking the weight off your shoulder and I find that adding a strap helped me balance it perfectly between my hips and shoulder and made it a snap to spin it from back to front so I could quickly change from carrying mode to working mode. The belt also serves as base to attach other components, including a cool headphone hook (it’s included) and the auxiliary Mic Drop bag which big enough to carry a large “dead cat” wind screen and my shotgun microphone with the top sticking out, ready for action.
As with all Think Tank bags, there are a lot of cool little features: holes and slots between compartments allow audio cords to be pulled out the side of the bag instead of always running out the top. The “full view” front pocket of the Wired Up 20 was large enough to fit my Marantz PMD-660 and designed so I could easily check levels while I was working. There are also two large and loose side pockets for extra’s like water bottle, cards, microphone handle umbrella, etc. And it’s very comfortable to work out of. (I would love to know where they get those very cool coiled XLR cords in the pictures.)
It’s not quite perfect yet. When I travel, I really want to carry my main microphone, a Sennheiser ME66/K6 shotgun, inside the bag so I can grab a single bag and be ready to roll with everything I need. But that mic is too long to fit completely inside and I’d hate to have a $500 piece of gear sticking out when I toss it into the overhead compartment. Maybe the next revision will take care of that.
This is the first Multimedia bag I’ve seen that works like a charm. I’m making it my main camera/audio/multimedia bag. You can see the line in a very cool video made by Deanne Fitzmaurice and Dai Sugano.
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