Moment, who started back in 2013 with a lens for mobile phones Kickstarter, is back! This time with a new line of Travelwear bags and accessories designed for everyday use. The new collection consists of a backpack (17L or 21L), a Tote bag, and a bunch of accessories: Camera Insert, Tech Organizer with mini Tech Organizer, and a Battery Organizer.
I was planning a trip to the lovely Isle of Lewis when Moment offered me a chance to try their new MTW 21L Backpack. I’ve been using a messenger-style bag for many years, so I jumped at the chance to try something different.
Moment MTW Backpack on Luskentyre beach, Isle of Harris.
I opted for the Clay version which I personally find very pleasing and suits the minimalistic look of the bag, but don’t let its clean lines fool you; A lot of love has gone into crafting this bag.
Above you can see the hidden sawtooth padding running along the back support. It helps with airflow while still feeling supportive; The high-quality water-resistant zips; Aluminum buckles; And height-adjustable chest support that clips off with a simple tab pull. There’s also space for a water bottle on the side and a place to insert a carry handle from a luggage bag to keep it in place when traveling. So yea, plenty of features!
Travelware in the rain.
According to Moment, the outside of the bag is “Stormproof”; It’s made from a “rugged recycled Kodra fabric with double layer waterproof coating”. I tested a bit, and it certainly had no issue sitting in heavy rain for around 10 minutes. That’s the time it took me to set up and shoot this photo. The stuff in the inside stayed dry even though the outside was dripping wet. I am not really sure of the IP marking this test provides. Let’s just say it wing IP fifty-heavy-rain.
While the bag comes with an assortment of pockets and internal zippable compartments, including space for a 16″ laptop. The main compartment is just a large open space so you can use the bag for everyday purposes as well.
The Camera Insert is bought separately and is designed for both the M-TW Backpack and M-TW Tote. (but it can also be used for other bags). The outside has four handles spread around to make it easy to grab, and they double as nice Lummie lights holders which you will see later.
The insert takes up around half the width of the M-TW backpack. It fits by hooking in two little tabs that hold it securely in place.
Inside the main insert, you get two removable inserts that have handy side-pouches. You can use those for filters, cleaning cloth, or other things like lens caps when not in use.
Moving one of the inserts I was able to fit a Sigma fp with the 24-70 f2.8 DG DN and the 12-24 f2.8 DG DN Art lenses.
You can also remove the padding in the top section to convert the M-TW Camera insert into an open-top. This allows for easier access when fitted to the M-TW backpack. I decided to keep it in for some extra protection.
MTW backpack along with the Camera Insert, Tech Insert and 70-200 f2.8 sport with mc-21 attached.
Moment also makes MTW Tech Inserts as part of this collection.
I used the larger one set up as my light-adjusting kit with a bunch of K&F filters and two Insstro c1 lights.
The smaller one was holding my PNY SSD (for 4k DNG raw video) along with my Lensgo Wireless lav mic and receiver, on-camera mic, and wires for the little bit of video work I was doing while there.
Overall I managed to load the M-TW backpack with around 24 pounds of stuff. Surprisingly, it was still infinitely more comfortable to walk around with than my usual messenger style bag.
My nephew modeling the bag for me at Stornaway.
I used the bag for around a week, driving and walking around the Isle of Lewis and Harris to create some content from the butt of lewis (ironically at the north of the island).
To Luskentyre beach, situated in the Isle of Harris which is the southern part of the landmass.
And even a walk around town taking in some random shots like this manikin wearing a Harris Tweed outfit.
The bag has been a pleasure to use. It’s the kind of thing that grows on you the more you use it and definitely helped make my journey more enjoyable.
My only real issue with the bag is that my wife is plotting to steal this one for her own non-photography use. I guess in that sense Moment has done what they wanted, created a stylish bag that is adaptable for many uses.
Dalbeg beach Isle of lewis
Head over to Moment’s Kickstarter to see more details about the range of Travelware bags and the usual early bird discounts, a big thank you to Moment for making my trip better.
- MTW Backpack (17L21L) – $149
- MTW Backpack (17L21L) with the insert – $199
- MTW Backpack (17L21L) with all accessories – $299
You can order any of the MTW right now on Kickstarter with Moment promising to ship in November for early birds and December for everyone else.
