Step 22 is a newer company that is making waves in the bag-making industry. While they have a wide variety of products, they are mostly making bags for those who overland, camp, fly, hike, photograph, etc.
I first met Adam, the owner, at an expo. His booth was slammed the entire time, and he sold out of everything. Every show since then, this theme repeats. Mario at AT Overland even designed the storage of his new camper around Step 22’s Stingray Flatbox. The thought and quality behind every pack Step 22 makes is outstanding. Having had the opportunity to have my hands on each of his products, you could pick up any of them and be amazed.
Once it was back in stock, I picked up the Step 22 Tenkile Tech Pouch in Multicam Black. I needed to organize all of my batteries and cables when traveling for shoots and was tired of having 2-3 pouches to hold everything. The first trip with this pouch was on a two-week work trip, and I needed to pack efficiently, so I was excited to have it in hand.
Who It Suits
At 9″ x 4.75″ x 5.5″, the tech pouch can hold quite a bit. For this trip I condensed my previous three pouches into the Tenkile for a more organized process for charging and storage. I was holding 2 Mavic Pro batteries, 2 Nikon DSLR batteries, 3 mirrorless batteries w/ charger, the charger for my gimbal batteries, Rode wireless Go mics, and all of the cables needed for each charger, as well as a few extra cables. So if you need to hold a lot of tech, this is an excellent pouch for you.
At the last expo, Adam had his Mavic Mini drone and controller inside the Tenkile with room to spare. You can also use a small strap to carry the Tenkile as a small sling. Depending on where I’m headed and what I’m shooting, this may hold audio equipment or my GoPro and accessories. If you like high organization with room to spare, this pouch is one to pick up.
Who It Doesn’t
For those with minimal carry needs this pouch might be a little overkill. With the shape of the Tenkile, it might be bulky in some bags and just not fit in others.
The Good
There is so much good about the Tenkile it is hard to know where to start. The build quality is impeccable; not only can it take a beating, but the design, sewing, and lines are beautiful for such a rugged piece of gear. The internal organization is thoughtfully laid out. The rear of the bag is MOLLE / PALS compatible so that you can mount this in your bag or on an organization panel.
There are slightly padded pockets that are organized to accommodate a variety of items, as well as a hook and loop center point to adjust the main compartment even further. There is a mesh zipper pocket on the opposite side of this compartment to keep some items separate. The zipper pull for this compartment has a micro SD card slot. So if you are like me and occasionally forget to put your card back in your drone or device, you can store a backup for those moments.
The front panel has a mesh zipper pocket that allows charging cable access to the pouch’s exterior.
The lid portion also allows for cards/batteries to be placed and organized so you can remember if they are spent or fresh. I used this to help organize cables so they were not bunched up in the other pockets. When the pouch is open, it clamshells and keeps things off the ground if you’re shooting out in the field.
Not So Good
There’s not much to say here when it comes to this pouch – it’s a very well-executed tech pouch. My only complaint has been that the battery/SD card slots on the top only fit specific dimensions. Out of all my cameras, the only batteries that will fit in these slots are the GoPro batteries. So I have some extra space that is not utilized unless I stash cables in this area.
Verdict
Step 22 nailed it with the Tenkile. Not only is it versatile, but it is well made and well organized. I am looking forward to the future adventures that I can put the Step 22 Tenkile Tech Pouch through.
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