Owner contribution
I bought this bag as one in a series of unsuccessful purchases, and ended up returning this bag. I ended up keeping the Keen Alameda 15, also reviewed on this site. For the price this bag just did not bring enough to the table. Outside this bag is very sharp and well built. The strap is solid with a nice pad and a quick adjust buckle. It has an odd hook shaped protrusion near the buckle that I presume is to attach something, though I couldn't determine what. There are tripod attaching straps on the bottom and reflective strips on the flap straps. Unfortunately there are no exterior pockets on this bag. Opening the flap you find one main compartment and four zippered pockets. In the pictures you'll see my hand in the "napoleon" side pocket (?) and three pieces of paper in the three horizontal pockets, the bottom of which has see thru plastic. The strange part is these pockets offer almost zero usable storage space. They don't expand whatsoever, so unless the gear is perfectly flat it will not fit in any of these four pockets. All four literally share the same "room" on the outer panel too so putting something in one would limit what could be squeezed into another. Very poor design. Conversely, the main compartment is pretty well thought out. It is roomy (not as roomy as the Keen) and contains a laptop divider and a removable padded, divided camera "case." It's unclear on their website, but this case has its own zippered flap that CAN be zip'd closed while in the bag. OR, you can unzip, tuck the lid behind by the laptop sleeve and slide a velcro lip over the front to secure the case in the bag. Being able to zip the case closed while in the bag is nice for keeping your gear where it belongs, especially when they bag is laying on its side (in an overhead on a plane). The dividers are usable and well placed, though you only get 4 so your options are limited. My D90 with battery grip technically fit in the bag, but it made the entire bag bulge outward. Removing the grip it fit pretty well, if not too snugly. The tripod fit standing straight up, which was nice. Of note, I would NOT carry my laptop in this bag without at least a neoprene case of its own. The back panel is not padded, nor is the divider between the laptop sleeve and the main compartment. The tripod straps are cool, but the more I thought about it, this bag was intended to be discrete and not look like a camera bag in the first place. Hence the "snoop" moniker. So why would I want to strap my tripod to the outside of the bag anyway- that would blow my cover! In the photos you will see my D90 without the battery grip, then with the grip. Note the bulge. You will also see a comparison side view of the bottoms of the snoop and the Keen Alameda 15. Note the nearly 2 more inches of depth. Overall I applaud Timbuk2 for the idea, and for several of the features. However, this bag is just not quite ready for photo enthusiasts- and definitely not for what it costs.
What works
well built, padded removable compartment
Room for improvement
expensive, useless accessory pockets, no padding for laptop
