Tenba Skooba Checkthrough Bag

Make Holiday Travel Easier With CHECKTHROUGH™

Elmsford, NY – November 12, 2008 -- With the holiday season upon us, travel stress and frustration will be at an all-time high, and photographers are probably at the top of the grief list. Anyone who’s gone through airport security with cameras and a laptop computer knows why: gear equals grief. Add to that having to take off your shoes, empty your pockets and, well, you get the idea. The accompanying graphic—inspired by the all-too-familiar airline safety cards—shows what we call “The Checkpoint Shuffle.”

Enter the patent-pending Skooba Checkthrough™ Bag. This bag meets the “checkpoint-friendly” requirements recently issued by the Transportation Security Administration, allowing it to be put through security screening without removing the laptop, like “Steve” in our graphic. This not only eliminates one of the biggest annoyances from the process, but also serves to protect the laptop from damage and theft (industry reports say that as many as 12,000 laptops are lost or stolen at US airports every week—a staggering 600,000 or more each year).

The bag looks like the high-end business case that it is, but features a zipper that opens it like a clamshell, allowing your laptop to lay flat on the conveyor belt. The computer is in its own, dedicated compartment, covered by a clear window so the inspectors can see it. On the other side are compartments to hold your passport, cell phone, PDA, iPod/MP3 player, cords and accessories, and more. The Checkthrough bag boasts 20 pockets and compartments in all. After you go through screening, simply zip it up and you’re on your way. Designed for all 15-16 inch laptops and many slim 17 inch models, including all Mac PowerBooks. Suggested retail $139.95. Skooba products are available through photo specialty retailers as part of the growing Tenba family of bag brands and collections.

More info at http://www.tenba.com/

Tenba Convertible Photo Sling Bag

Tenba Smaller Convertible Photo Sling Bag

As part of the growth of its Sling series Tenba has announced the addition of the 2nd in a new series of Convertible Photo Sling Bags to its growing Shootout™ collection. According to the company, the new Slings are unique in their ability to be converted from a “quick-draw” shooting bag to a long lens bag configuration, offering significantly more versatility, especially to sports and wildlife/outdoor photographers. Tenba says its new line brings a variety of other new, innovative and exclusive features to the sling-style bag category.

The Sling Bag is carried on the back, but with a single, contoured and padded cross-chest strap rather than two shoulder straps. This design allows it to be instantly swung around in front of the photographer, providing immediate access to a primary camera with mounted lens, for fast shooting right out of the bag. Movable padded walls within the bag allow the “quick-draw” compartment to be fitted precisely to the main camera/lens combination, and also create additional spaces for extra bodies, lenses and accessories. These walls can be completely removed, turning the Sling into a vertically-oriented long lens bag. In this configuration, a pro D/SLR with mounted telephoto—up to 300mm/2.8 for the small Sling (depending on specific equipment used)—is loaded straight down through the bag via the large top door.

According to Tenba Product Manager Peter Waisnor, “we set out to see what we could do differently with a sling-type bag, and of course we turned to our pro shooter network to get a sense of their wants and needs.” Waisnor says that some of the many requests incorporated in the Shootout Slings include the use of durable, water-resistant nylon instead of the more common polyester for the exterior, weather-sealed YKK® zippers on all outside openings, monopod straps, protective rubber bottom treads, and more. Tenba’s Sling offering also provides a full-access back panel that can be opened to fully expose the interior for setup, loading and cleaning.

Other features include Tenba’s fast-deploying WeatherWrap™ rain cover, a strap front-mounted phone/audio pouch, auxiliary security strap, and a variety of accessory pockets and compartments. Despite the special materials and arsenal of features, the Sling weighs in at only 25-38 ounces, depending on configuration. “We tried to meet the challenge of including every bell and whistle the professionals asked for, while keeping the bag ultra-light,” says Waisnor, “and those photographers who have seen and tested the Sling seem to think we hit the mark.”

For more product or purchase information, visit www.tenba.com

To view video: http://tenba.com/t-video-shootout-sling.aspx

Tenba new Shootout Backpack Bags

Tenba adds new Backpacks to “Shootout” collection

Tenba has added two new backpacks to its popular Shootout collection of professional outdoor photo/imaging bags. The first is a Daypack which offers an expandable outer compartment that adds 246 square inches of storage space, and the second is a medium-sized Rolling Backpack.

The new Shootout Daypack is a compact, lightweight photo backpack that features Tenba’s exclusive new PackOUT compartment—a rear panel which expands to provide over 240 additional cubic inches of “soft” storage space for lighter and non-fragile items like clothing, snacks, first aid supplies, etc.

The New Rolling Backpack is a scaled-down version of Tenba’s popular Large Rolling Backpack. The new size meets most airline carry-on requirements, and will accommodate large D-SLR and medium format camera systems, lenses up to 300mm f/2.8, along with most laptops up to 15 inch screen size. Unlike many rolling backpacks, Tenba’s models feature a full-sized, fully-padded, expedition-type belt. And when converted from rolling case to backpack, the wheels are completely covered by a padded panel for carrying comfort.

Both the Daypack and Medium Rolling Backpack share many of the features of Tenba’s other Shootout backpacks, including fully-adjustable, well-padded interiors, movable/removable media and accessory pouches, weather-sealed zippers, the fast-deploying WeatherWrap auxiliary protection cover, and much more. The large, padded side cargo pockets feature interior panels that can be moved to convert the space from cargo pocket to pass-through interior hatches. These “QuickAccess” pockets allow fast, easy retrieval of a lens or accessory without having to fully remove or open the entire pack.

Shootout Backpacks are made of lightweight but tough dobby and ripstop nylons, available in either black with olive trim or silver with black trim.

The Dual Purpose Daypack has a list (MSRP) price of $246, and the Medium Rolling Backpack is $320.

For more information, visit www.tenba.com

Tenba Xpress Camera Bags

Tenba has introduced Xpress™, its new collection of colorful, lightweight, camera / electronics bags.

The new series is launching with three pouches, three shoulder bags and a photo backpack, all offered in five color combinations. The company, long-known for its high-end professional bags, says that the Xpress designs, colors and pricing will appeal to a broader audience, including casual shooters and hobbyists.

The Xpress collection features pouches to fit all popular point-and-shoot digital cameras, as well as a range of other portable electronics such as iPods/mp3 players, PDAs, and portable video games. For the photo hobbyist, the various-sized shoulder bags will hold everything from bridge cameras up to digital SLRs, some with room for additional lenses. All Xpress shoulder bags have room for accessories, memory cards, instruction books and other small items. The compact, comfortable and versatile photo backpack can be configured to meet the needs of virtually any imaging enthusiast, with room for a full-sized DSLR and multiple small- to mid-size zoom lenses.

The new collection stands out with its colorful micro-ripstop trim panels and color-matched woven logos. The bags are crafted of durable, weather-resistant, 600 denier outer material in black with teal, red, grey or olive accents, or in gray bags with orange trim. Streamlined zippers with concealed coils and easy-grip, rubberized pulls, padded shoulder straps with heavy-duty, twistfree hardware, and protective rubber bottom feet (on shoulder bags) are among the other features included. All Xpress bags and pouches also include Tenba’s exclusive Clearview media card windows, for protective storage and easy identification of flash cards.

Tenba, founded nearly 30 years ago, has traditionally focused on elite/high-end professional camera bags and shipping cases. But according to Tenba product manager Peter Waisnor, “with the introduction of Xpress, the hobbyist or casual shooter can own a quality, ‘status’ brand with great features, at a consumer-oriented price point.”

Xpress products range in (manufacturer’s suggested) retail price from $13.50 to $90.00.

For more information, visit www.tenba.com