Accessories

tests a pouch to keep accessories neat and tidy

● £50 ● www.peakdesign.com

IF YOU’RE fed up of not having enough storage space for your camera essentials, or maybe nd the pockets in your camera bag don’t offer suf cient protection, a dedicated pouch to keep all your accessories safe and secure in one place could be the answer. Not to be mistaken with Peak Design’s similar-looking Wash Pouch, the Tech Pouch is an organiser that’s designed for anyone who owns a modular bag, or the kind that has a spacious open compartment, and wishes to store cables, everyday gear, or travel essentials neatly together.

Made from nylon canvas that’s weatherproof and easy to clean, the pouch features a 270° zipper path that allows it to be opened widely. On the inside you get origami-style pockets, some larger, some smaller to separate accessories, as well as a hidden central zipper pocket with four elasticated sleeves that’s an ideal place to store spare memory cards. Heavier items such as batteries and chargers are held in the pockets securely so there’s no fear of them ratting around or damaging smaller, more fragile accessories. There’s even the option to pass a charging cable through from a portable USB power bank housed inside the pouch to the large external side pocket.

The two hoops behind the large external pocket can be used to turn the pouch into a small day bag – the type you might like to throw over your shoulder to carry a small point-and-shoot compact camera and a few general items, or a larger xed-lens compact and any small accessories. To use it for this purpose you’re required to attach a quick connector anchor link to each loop before clipping it onto one of Peak Design’s sleek camera straps. The ultralight Leash, or the versatile Slide-Lite, are two examples that cost £30 and £37 respectively.

Finally, the pouch has carrying handles, which are are useful for grabbing it from a larger bag. By sliding your hand and thumb into the bottom handles you can hold it comfortably, and stretch it open to reveal the contents inside.

Verdict

If the accessory pouch that came with your camera bag isn’t suf cient, or you fancy a bigger one that keeps all your camera-related bits and pieces neatly organised, I’d highly recommend this example. It’ll serve photographers on the go extremely well, but have a measure-up rst to make sure your camera bag can store it, as it’s larger than I expected.