Tenba Fulton V2 16L Backpack Review

The Fulton V2 is a 16L camera backpack. While 16L might not sound a great deal, the layout of the bag is more than enough to fit in a camera body, four lenses, a flash and accessories along with a 16-inch laptop and some personal effects.

While the advertising material shows the Fulton 16L with a DSLR camera in use, the likes of the Canon 5D IV will fit, but the height is pushing the upper depth limit for the bag.

In this test, I found that it was perfectly suited to all mirrorless cameras that I tried from Sony and Canon, with plenty of room and comfort when laden.

The Fulton V2 has a lot going for it, with the outer materials really setting the scene for the use and function of the bag. The main outer of the bag is made from water-repellent 600D canvas; this has a slightly rubberised feel and, through the test, repelled water exceptionally well in the few showers and light rain that are inevitable at this time of year in the UK.

This outer material also covers the base and helped to protect the kit multiple times; the bag was set down on wet and muddy surfaces.

The roll-top section of the bag, again made from a tough material but this time finished with a black camo effect. The design of the rolltop enables quick access and generally kept a jumper or coat in this section. While the access is easy and the aperture helped to stay closed with a magnetic clasp, the metal securing hook didn’t always stay in place through the securing hoop. Here I found that I just had to make sure the straps were closed tight, which when the top section was full, they usually were.

On the sides of the bag are two long slot pockets. The first is a mesh pocket that is perfect for holding a water bottle; I generally kept a Chilli 500ml bottle in this, which fitted perfectly and slotted in a standard bike water bottle without any issue.

The pocket on the other side is reinforced and designed to hold a tripod securely. I’m never keen on this type of tripod side mounting where the tripod sits high above the top of the backpack. However, the packet expands enough to fit travel-sized tripods in without too much effort, and a securing strap at the top helps to hold it in place.

On the front of the bag is a large YKK zipped pocket that offers space for a 16-inch laptop or large tablet. This pocket is of the slot design and features several neat inner pockets to help keep hard drives and other items organised.

The main access to the pack is through the back, and opening up reveals the inner section, which features a 300g brushed tricot material surface that helps protect your kit.

On first accessing, it’s nice to see the inner divides are velcroed in place and can be moved around as needed. Tenba has seen fit to include a huge amount of smaller dividers, so there’s plenty of flexibility over the internal layout.

Once the bag’s layout is adjusted, I placed in a Sony A7 III with 24-70mm, 70-200 f/4 and 90mm along with a Profoto A1x and H&Y Revoring with ND400.

What’s instantly apparent is the depth of the bag is quite slim, so while a Canon 5D Mark IV will fit snuggly height-wise, anything with the slightest bit more height will be too much. To that effect, the NiSi v7 Filter holder case was a case in point, just too large to slip into this bag.

Kit loaded, jacket in the top roll section, I was ready to go with the bag.

The weight from the kit is well distributed, and the shoulder straps offer a good amount of padding without being overly bulky. On one of the longer walks I’ve done in the last few weeks with the bag, I did resort to using the chest and waist straps. These secured in place easily, and the lightweight clasps did their job.

While the waist strap is just a strap, it was comfortable enough considering the amount of kit that I was carrying. Had I added a little more weight, I think I would have appreciated a little waist strap padding.

Being at the tail end of the British winter, the bag was subjected to drizzle, light rain and a couple of heavy showers, all of which it and (more importantly) my kit survived. The materials and zips proved weatherproof with no water ingress.

In use, the bag functioned well. Although side access would have been nice, I preferred the ability to carry a light travel tripod and water rather than the convenience of side access.

I also liked the front pocket for carrying a laptop. Having damaged a screen on more than one occasion in the back slot of some backpacks, this front option feels much safer. The low profile of the bag also means that it doesn’t weigh the bag if the laptop is on the front.

The Fulton V2 is an outstanding day camera backpack. The design is excellent, with plenty of carrying space and shoulder and other straps that are good enough to help you carry the load comfortably.

I also like the fact that there’s carrying space for a laptop and a few personal effects.

There’s a lot that I like about this bag, and it’s just about as close to perfection for a bag of this type that I have come across. However, there is a lack of small zipped pockets to keep memory cards, batteries, or cables in; I’m not a fan of the tripod mounting position; maybe a sock rather than a pocket would be an idea, and then there’s the metal hook that secures the rolltop. While it works, for the most part, there were a good amount of times where the hook had become disengaged from the loop. It wasn’t a major issue but was a small bit annoying.

However, those small points aside, it’s difficult not to be impressed with Tenba’s outstanding design. The bag works well for what it has been designed to do. It’s a camera backpack that’s ideally suited for a day’s adventure, whatever the weather.

Functionally, the bag works well, and for once, that function is met with outstanding looks through an inspired use of materials. Who knew I’d like the weatherproofed black with the camo-look quite so much.