Think Tank DarkLight 20L Camera Backpack, Montane Green

2025-08-09T20:00:00

My favourite mid pack ever! The DL20 Green matches my Nikon Zf beautifully. I use this pack for my daily onset kit with all my editing equipment and extras. It's also my main on board flight pack and I love how I can slide it over my roller handle to get me around an airport with no fuss. 5 stars all around!

JASIN B.

Originally posted at

2025-06-10T20:00:00

I picked up the bag early last month and quickly moved into the new bag. I used it hiking in the Redwood National parks and along the Northern CA coast. Then the real test, flying from Northern CA to Eastern Europe where I live, it fit nicely on my my carry on suitcase, and held me equipment very organized. I use an a7r5, 70-200 f4, 35 f1,8, 85 f1.8 and a Venus Optics Laowa 15mm f/2 FE. It even held my DJI mini 4 pro drone. The one thing I have had to improvise with is a removable organizing pouch for the front. Any recommendations? Overall, I really like the bag!

David S.

Originally posted at

2025-05-31T20:00:00

If you've ever owned a ThinkTank camera bag, you'll know what to expect. Exceptional quality, from the durable exterior to the internal padding, everything points to careful design and precise execution. I love the MOLLE attachment capability, the zippers are smooth and snag-free, and it's a relatively light-weight camera bag for the capacity. I can easily store 4 lenses + a Sony A7IV with another lens attached and the bag doesn't feel cramped. You can even carry a Sony 200-600mm (by itself or attached to a body with the hood reversed, though it's a tight squeeze) if you get creative about the layout of the padding. It has ample storage space for a day-long outing. The laptop or tablet tablet sleeve in the lens compartment is well-padded and seems very secure. The thin top pocket can fit a phone, notebook or battery bank but backup camera batteries look a little bulky in there. The outer pocket works better for those and there's a little zippered pocket for memory cards. Inside the outer pocket there's a thin fabric divider. You can fit a small field guide in the smaller pouch and maybe a light jacket in the larger side or it's big enough to carry a Sibley's Guide using the whole thing. You could probably use this bag for an overnight trip but you'd have to pack light. If you're really minimalist about it, you could pack a weekend's worth of socks and underwear, maybe a shirt or two but you'd need to sacrifice some space in the lens compartment. Spatially, it's a day-bag in my eyes but I suppose the MOLLE would allow for some expansion. If I had to find something I would change, it would be the two large dividers. If you're not an obsessive reorganizer of your camera bags, you probably won't need this information but here goes: It comes with two long dividers. One shaped like an "L" (where the padding runs the height of the bag and then bends either left or right) and the other more like a "C" (about the same total length of the other but with two flaps that can be oriented left or right). The bend of the "L" divider measures about 2.75" (70mm) and the flaps on the "C" measure closer to 3.5" (89mm). What this means is that the longer "L" divider doesn't comfortably support the diameter of larger lenses (It can fit my 85mm F/1.8 but not my 35mm F/1.4) when attached parallel to the side of the bag. It does create a thin cavity for, say, a shotgun mic but it limits the possible configurations. The long leg of the "L" measures 11" but the interior width of the bag is only about 10.5". This means that it cannot be arranged horizontally without buckling and again reduces the options for organizing your kit. The "C" shaped divider allows space for my 35mm F/1.4 and my 24-105mm F/4 but the length of the middle section is 8". This means that if you orient the "L" with the short end against the outer wall of the bag's interior, you cannot fit the long "C" section running horizontally across the bag. (I will upload pics if I can.) Ideally, the bag would come with two of the "C" shaped dividers because they can hold wider lenses and the double bend offers more options for configuration. In a perfect world, the "C" shaped divider could also double as a removable "shelf" that could serve as extra storage when you access the lens compartment from the top and also act as a barrier to someone trying to access your gear without your knowledge. With the length of the "L" shaped divider, this isn't really feasible. (I realize this review took a rather esoteric turn and I apologize to anyone who had to read the entire thing.) In short, it's worth the money and if it holds up as well as my Backlight 36L, it will provide years of use.

Mark S.

Originally posted at

2025-05-12T20:00:00

My overall impression of the DarkLight 20L was favorable. The size is sufficient however I use a battery pack on my Nikon SLR camera and with the battery pack attached my 15" laptop will not fit on the laptop sleeve. Small problem with an easy but inconvenient workaround. Other than that the backpack is a great addition to the ThinkTank line.

Bud K.

Originally posted at

2025-04-21T20:00:00

Right size and weight to accommodate my needs. Going to use it on a two week trip starting next week.

Forest

Originally posted at

2025-04-14T20:00:00

Overall great bag. 25L would be perfect. Front pocket should unzip full length. Held up well on my firdt trip was able to carry my 14" MacBook Pro, 11" iPad Pro along with Z8, Z6II, 24-200, 14-24 and 100-400.

Dennis

Originally posted at

2025-02-27T19:00:00

I have been on the lookout for a new smaller travel bag for awhile and saw one of your ambassadors post about this bag and with a little review of it in one of my gear groups. I'll be honest it was him (Jasin Boland) that sold me on it. Now that I have it and have had some time with it was worth the hype. You have definitely sold me on future bags, you can tell how well thought out just this bag is and everything on it has a purpose, I'll be replacing my large bag with a Think Tank bag later this year.

Chris Y.

Originally posted at

2025-02-23T19:00:00

The Darklight 20L is a good concept if not a little basic. My immediate reaction was that it was designed by an accountant with a focus on engineering out cost - the absence of the usual selection of robust internal pockets or security zips being obvious points. It will be fine for unadventurous photography but I wouldn't rely on it for demanding trips. Hopefully ThinkTank will introduce some Molle pouches - this functionality was a big attraction for me buying the bag in the first place.

john d.

Originally posted at

2025-02-12T19:00:00

Not my first (or second, or third) Think Tank bag but my favorite to date. It's a perfect fit for my Nikon Z8 and the trinity lenses plus Kase filter kit, cold weather essentials and cleaning supplies. IMHO, this bag is a perfect choice for a landscape photographer.

Geoff H.

Originally posted at

2025-01-26T19:00:00

Bought this to replace my 12-year-old Shapeshifter and to use primarily for my NHL hockey assignments. Construction is the standard high quality by ThinkTank and looks great. Unfortunately, it wasn't designed around full-sized bodies like my Nikon Z9s. If it were about 3/4 deeper (internal), it would be just about right. But with the laptop in the sleeve and Z9s, the back access flap zips very tightly, and I am afraid the zipper will be the failure point after heavy use.

Steven

Originally posted at