Think Tank Photo Glass Taxi Camera BackPack Review

I’m a huge fan of Think Tank Photo’s wonderful camera bags; currently owning three. I think two of the most appealing things about Think Tank Photo are: 1) their bags are made and designed by photographers and 2) the bags are very functional and look great. The latest bag I picked up is the Think Tank Photo Glass Taxi Backpack, a great portable backpack that is easy to use, light, and carries just enough equipment.

Design

Unlike other bag manufactures, I find Think Tank Photo’s design to be very clean, sleek, and unassuming in way that doesn’t scream “steal me” (well right up until I had the Bui Photography logo stitched on it anyways…). Many of their bags contain plenty of pockets (including hidden pockets) for things such as pens, phone, business cards, memory cards, etc. Some people may notice that some of the Think Tank Photo bags look similar to Lowepro bags and that might be because Think Tank Photo CEO, Doug Murdoch, used to be lead designer for Lowepro; but that’s not to mean that Think Tank Photo bags are merely imitation in design, but rather I find they are superior in design.

The Think Tank Photo Glass Taxiis a unique backpack in that it can function as either a backpack or a shoulder/sling bag, although it doesn’t have the quick access convenience like the SlingShots. I haven’t used the Glass Taxi as a shoulder/sling bag much, but much prefer to use it as a backpack to evenly distribute the weight on both my shoulders. One very cool feature of the Glass Taxi is the “self locking” YKK large zippers that prevents the front flap from accidentally opening resulting in an expensive repair bill.

The Think Tank Photo Glass Taxi Backpackcan also house a small-to-medium monopod and/or tripod on either side of the bag. It has a little pouch on both sides that you put the top or bottom of the tripod/monopod in and then using the supplied straps, you secure it to the sides. I rarely carry along a tripod/monopod and instead use the side expandable pouches to hold bottled water or snacks.

On the front of the Glass Taxi, in them middle, is a mini rail that you can attach Skin or Modular components to, which is great as the Glass Taxi is a small backpack in itself. By adding the Pro Speed Belt and/or Skin/Modular component to the rail, you can expand the carry capacity when needed, but travel light when necessary.

Another great advantage of the Glass Taxi is the ability to use it with the Think Tank Photo Pro Speed Beltthat allows attachment of Modularor Skincomponents such as the Lens Changer 25, Whip It Out, and so on. The Pro Speed Belt attaches securely (and nicely) to the Glass Taxi via an ingenious Velcro backing on the backpack which also helps keep the backpack planted to your body. You can also remove the backpack from the Pro Speed Belt without removing the Pro Speed Belt by pulling open the secure Velcro backing. Be warned, there are no zippered pockets anywhere on the outsize of the bag. If you need outsize zippered pockets, I would suggest you consider the Think Tank Photo Streetwalker, which is similar in size, but slightly larger.

Despite being a smaller backpack, the Glass Taxi is capable of carrying any number of lens/camera configurations. At the largest lens configuration, it can securely fit either a Canon EF 400mm f/2.8L IS USM or Canon EF 500mm f/4L IS USM with hood reversed with no SLR attached. It also fits the Canon/Nikon 200mm f/2 lens. You can carry a 300mm f/2.8 with SLR attached. I use the Glass Taxi most often when I need to travel light and can’t set anything down to lock it up such as event photography. My typical configuration is to have my Canon EOS 1D Mark II with Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS with hood reversed on the right side of the bag. There is actually enough room to mount the hood in the “ready” position, but I usually put a Canon 580EX II in that little space. On the right hand, I’ll have my Canon EOS 1Ds Mark II, body only. Below it houses my Canon EF 16-35mm f/2.8L USM without hood or my Canon EF 85mm f/1.2L II USM without hood. Above the 1Ds Mark II, I 2-3 carry extra 1D batteries. I also have enough space for some gaffer’s tape, a Sto-Fen diffuser, Wigley’s 5 spearmint gum, and some model releases.

Utility

Despite it’s compact size, the Glass Taxi is very expandable. There is a simple rail on the front using Think Tank Photo’s trademark modular system which can take any single number of pouches from their Skin or Modular system. I commonly use the 35 as it fits either a wide angle lens or 3-4 PocketWizard transceivers and cables. On the each side of the Glass Taxi are expandable pouches to hold a small tripod or monopod with included straps to tie them the bag. They are a number of D-rings for clipping the shoulder strap or media passes (as I do) and/or credentials.

There is a single, small Velcro webbed pouch on the front, inside flap that can hold business cards, front lens cap, additional memory card holders, and/or cleaning cloths.

By unclipping one of the shoulder straps and slinging the other shoulder strap over, the Glass Taxi can become a sling bag. While neat it is quite useless as this does not give the Glass Taxi the quick access that a sling bag (such as the Lowepro Slingshots) generally has. But it’s nice to have choices.

You can also add Think Tank Pro Speed Beltwhich attaches nicely to the Glass Taxi and add Think Tank Modularor Skinpouches.

The Glass Taxi does not have a laptop slot anywhere. If you need a portable bag that also carries a laptop, I highly recommend that you consider the StreetWalker HardDrive or maybe even the Think Tank Shape Shifter, but they are certainly larger.

Comfort

The Glass Taxi is comfortable of a backpack that you can wear for extended periods of time, even when carrying a heavy lens like the 200mm f/2 or 300mm f/2.8 because the weight is better distributed on your back then on one shoulder. There are also plenty of padded cushions on the back of the backpack that rest up against your back so your equipment isn’t hitting up against your back as you’re moving around.

Another feature of the Think Tank Photo bags is that you can purchase Camera Support Straps that allows you to hook your camera to your bag to balance the weight on the backpack as opposed to your shoulders or neck; you may need to purchase their camera strap if your existing strap does not have a large enough o-ring to snap the buckles into.

I use the Glass Taxi a lot when I’m doing event photography because there really isn’t any place to set down my equipment to come back and forth for like a wedding reception. Carrying the backpack around for 3-4 hours isn’t too much of a strain with most of the equipment unloaded. This backpack isn’t meant to carry everything you own.

Conclusion

I’ve had the Think Tank Photo Glass Taxi Backpackfor a couple of months and use it primarily for event photography or cases where I need to pack a camera, few lenses, small accessories (camera batteries), and a flash. For daily use, I often use my Think Tank Photo Urban Disguise 60 as it has a slot to carry my MacBook Pro.

I’ve had many people ask me this: no, Think Tank Photo does not do custom stitching or embroidery on their bags. The amazing embroidery of the Bui Photography logo was done by COVERITALLCO, an amazing local Bay Area company that does all the embroidery for our apparel.

Also if you are looking for a local Bay Area dealer that has Think Tank Photo bags on display to try and buy, go to Bear Images Photographic, Inc. located at 417 Lambert Avenue, Palo Alto, CA. Their phone number is 1-650-321-2327. They have virtually every Think Tank bag and the customer service is top-notch. I’ve purchased from them a couple of time and have been very satisfied. Note that Think Tank Photo does not sale their bags in person, only online at their website. So you have to go to a retailer to be able to handle and try the bags. Calumet in San Francisco has a very dismal selection compared to Bear Images.