Tenba Roadie v2 Spinner 21 Air Case review: a photo/video roller case that’s as hard as nails but soft to the touch and optionally doubles as a backpack

Tenba Roadie v2 Spinner 21 Air Case product image.

Tenba is a company with a history of designing bags, cases and accessories for photographers, by photographers, going back about 50 years. The history itself is that pro photographer Robert Weinreb used to go about his business, wrapping his camera lenses in woolly hats and stuffing them into regular backpacks, until finally getting a local Manhattan sewing shop to stitch up his own specialized camera bag. That was all the way back in 1977.

Tenba has literally gone from strength to strength over the ensuing decades. The name is derived from a Tibetan word meaning strong, reliable and unshakable, and the company’s motto is ‘Never Compromise’. One of the most recent, upgraded designs, the Tenba Roadie v2 collection launched as the world’s first rolling camera cases with removable backpack straps. Indeed, the backpack straps are so removable that they’re actually sold separately as optional extras. Either way, the Roadie v2 series builds on the success and reputation of the original Tenba Roadie Air Case Roller 21, aiming to be the ‘most advanced camera carry solutions’ to date, and among the best roller bags for photographers. Let’s take a closer look.

The Tenba is right at home rolling around the length and breadth of an airport, railway station or bus garage. (Image credit: Matthew Richards)

Tenba Roadie v2 Spinner 21 Air Case: Specifications

Weight	12.65lb / 5.7kg
Outside dimensions (in)	14W x 21.5H x 9.5D in
Outside dimensions (cm)	35.6W x 54.6H x 24.1D cm
Inside dimensions (in)	12W x 16.25H x 6.25-7.5D in
Inside dimensions (cm)	30.5W x 41.3H x 15.9-19.1D cm
Laptop compartment (in)	12W x 16.5H x 0.75D in
Laptop compartment (cm)	30.5W x 41.9H x 1.9D cm
Laptop/Tablet	Up to 16 inches (40 cm)
Warranty	5 Years

Tenba Roadie v2 Spinner 21 Air Case: Price

I’ve always been highly impressed by Tenba bags and cases. The Tenba Roadie v2 Spinner 21 Air Case that I’m reviewing here is typical of the brand, with the look and feel of an absolutely premium product. Unsurprisingly, that’s reflected in the selling price, which at $549 / £495 / AU$749 is towards the top end of the scale.

It’s certainly more expensive than some of my other favorite roller bag/backpacks, including the Lowepro Pro Trekker RLX 450 AW II at $429 / £319 / AU$549 and the Vanguard Alta Fly 55T G2 at $349 / £250 / AU$469. And although the Tenba’s backpack straps are completely removable, they also cost extra to buy, priced at $39 / £52 / AU$99. Is the Tenba worth the money? Yes, absolutely.

Tenba Roadie v2 Spinner 21 Air Case: Design & Handling

When I’m after the ultimate protection for my camera kit, I’ve often been tempted by hard cases. Personally, however, I’ve never really got on with them. They transmit much of the shock from accidental knocks to whatever’s inside, and can give you a bit of a hard knock as well, if you bump into one. I like that the Tenba Roadie v2 Spinner 21 Air Case feels soft to the touch, its outer being made from water-repellent 1680D ballistic nylon. The inner camera compartment is suitably soft and comfy, as well as being endlessly customizable with a generous provision of adjustable Velcro dividers. Even so, there’s literally a hard side to this roller case.

The bag has a reinforced, rigid inner shell, making it strong enough to stand on, or you can just take the weight off your feet and sit on it when you’re waiting around. (Image credit: Matthew Richards)

In between the soft nylon exterior and padded camera insert, there’s a super-strong hard shell that delivers maximum protection. The bag is advertised as being shippable, checkable (rather than just being designed as a carry-on) and virtually uncrushable. Indeed, it’s designed to withstand weights of up to 500lb (240kg). It’s strong enough to stand on but, as I didn’t want to wipe my dirty feet all over it, I sat on it instead. With that in mind, it can come in handy if you find yourself in for a lengthy delay at the airport.

Capacity is generous for a carry-on roller bag. (Image credit: Matthew Richards)

So yes, ultimately the Tenba is designed to be compliant with carry-on regulations when flying on commercial airlines, while also being tough enough to check as hold baggage if the need arises. Although the dimensions are limited to carry-on specifications, the bag is nevertheless sufficiently voluminous to carry two or three mirrorless or DSLR cameras, or a pro-sized cine camera complete with a grip. You can also stash eight to ten lenses, ranging in size up to a typical 400mm f/2.8 prime or a 180-600mm super-tele zoom. Oh, and there’s a separate compartment for holding tablets and a laptop of up to 16 inches (40cm) in size.

The inner side of the lid has its own built-in organizer. (Image credit: Matthew Richards)

I like that the lid has captive straps to stop it over-opening, and that you can remove the straps altogether if you prefer. Like the dividers, they have Velcro fasteners. Better still, the lid has an organizer layout with four separate sections that are ideal for storing photographic filters, spare batteries and other small accessories.

An internal neoprene sleeve is featured for playing host to a Bluetooth tracker. (Image credit: Matthew Richards)

To help you keep tabs on your bag, one of the four zippered sections in the lid has an internal neoprene sleeve that’s designed to accommodate an AirTag or Tile type tracker. And to help bring on the joy of movement, I’m pleased that the bag has four sets of wheels rather than just two. This can be a big plus point when maneuvering the bag along narrow aisles in aircraft or on a train, and in other confined spaces. And they’re not just any old wheels. The ‘WideTrak wheels with CloudDrive technology’ are placed to give maximum stability, and designed with carbon steel bearings and large-diameter, elastic, shock-absorbing outers to ensure smooth and quiet rolling on the widest possible range of surfaces.

Something of an easy rider, the bag has specially designed and engineered wheels to ensure smooth and quiet rolling on many and varied types of surface. (Image credit: Matthew Richards)

Going from bottom to top, the rolling action is based not only on tricked-up wheels but also a three-section extending handle, which is made from tough aluminum. As such, it folds away flush with the top of the bag but also allows for three different height options when in use. I’m unusually tall at 6ft 5in but found that the maximum height setting of the handle was very comfortable for me.

The extending handle has three separate locking height options, along with a comfortable and grippy, rubberized handle. (Image credit: Matthew Richards)

There’s a good range of handles for grabbing and carrying the bag when you’re not rolling it along. I’m particularly pleased that there are two comfortably wide and padded, leather-finished strap handles on the top and side of the bag. Not only that but there’s also a more basic grab strap on the bottom of the bag, which can come in useful if you’re trying to retrieve it from an airport carousel or other luggage area, and the bag happens to be facing away from you.

The handles on the top and side of the bag are comfortably padded and soft to the touch, with a luxurious yet tough leather finish on the inners. (Image credit: Matthew Richards)

The grab strap on the bottom of the bag is more basic but well worth having. (Image credit: Matthew Richards)

For the security conscious (well, the bag is designed to hold a stash of pro-grade camera gear, after all) there’s an integral combination lock for the zippers that open the main camera compartment. As I’d expect in this day and age, the lock is TSA-approved. The same goes for the steel cable that you can pull out from one of the pockets to tether the bag to a fixed object. Again, this comes complete with a TSA-approved combination lock.

Guarding against casual interlopers, there’s an integral TSA-approved combination lock for keeping the zippers closed and denying access to the main camera compartment. (Image credit: Matthew Richards)

A steel cable extends from a small upper pocket. One end is fastened around the aluminum handle inside the bag, the end other can be used for tethering the bag with the supplied TSA-approved combination lock. (Image credit: Matthew Richards)

Over on the other side of the bag to the steel cable pocket, there’s a tall pocket that’s designed as a drop-in for a tripod. It has a generous opening circumference and features an adjustable strap to secure the tripod in place.

The tripod pocket is neatly designed and is quick and easy to use. (Image credit: Matthew Richards)

Up on top, there’s yet another small pocket. This one opens to reveal an internal adjustable strap. Extend it to the desired length and you can attach a second bag, keeping them tethered together.

One bag not enough? Use the pull-out strap to tether a second bag to the roller bag. (Image credit: Matthew Richards)

A laptop is all but essential for many photographers on the move. Sure enough, the bag has a specially designed compartment for holding laptops of up to 16 inches in size. It’s a new addition in the v2 series but that’s not quite the whole story. The Air Case is strong enough to be shipped as cargo, but that strength is compromised if you put a laptop in the internal compartment. The bag is therefore supplied complete with a reinforced block that slides into the laptop compartment to ensure maximum robustness and integrity. If you’re using the bag as a carry-on, you can simply remove the block and pop in your laptop instead.

The supplied blue block shown here slides into the laptop compartment to make the bag as tough and as resistant as possible to weight being placed on top of it. (Image credit: Matthew Richards)

With the block removed, you can slide in your laptop and secure it with a safety strap. The separate zippered enclosure also includes an additional full-height pocket plus an organizer section for stowing the likes of a passport, business card, wallet and so on.

With the blue block removed, you can add a laptop of up to a 16-inch size. I’ve also slotted in a passport and business card into the adjacent organizer section, shown in this image. (Image credit: Matthew Richards)

Tenba Roadie v2 Spinner 21 Air Case: Performance

The main performance criteria is that the bag should keep my camera kit safely cosseted, and it does this in fine style. I use the word ‘style’ advisedly, as the Tenba looks just like a regular roller case, rather than advertising the fact that it’s accommodating a lot of expensive gear. To ensure that cameras, lenses and other gadgets don’t rattle around, the moveable dividers come to the fore, enabling an endlessly customizable fit.

(Image credit: Matthew Richards)

The lid is equally useful for stowing smaller items, and it’s nice that there are no less than four separate zippered compartments. I tend to stuff them with photographic filters to which I need quick and ready access.

Here’s the tethered lid playing host to three of my favored filters, all in separate compartments. There’s also a specialized pouch for a Bluetooth tracker. (Image credit: Matthew Richards)

A nice little extra that’s often supplied with photo bags is a weather-proof cover. You get one here, that scrunches down into a little self-contained bag, despite the outer material of the bag itself being very weather-resistant in its own right. Better still, the all-weather cover is reversible, so you can have black or silver on the outside. The latter is a good option for reflecting light, and therefore heat, under a blazing sun.

The weather-proof cover folds up into its own integral bag for compact stowage. (Image credit: Matthew Richards)

The cover is reversible, giving the option of a black or silver exterior. The latter helps to reduce the build-up of heat within the bag if you’re out under the sun. As such, the weather-proof cover guards against both sun and rain. (Image credit: Matthew Richards)

I said earlier that the large-diameter wheels are designed to give smooth and quiet rolling on a wide range of ground surfaces. They’re also positioned right at the corners, to maximize stability. However, with the best will in the world, there’s no way you can effectively drag any roller bag across mud, sand, snow or really bumpy terrain. With that in mind, the pair of backpack straps that are available as an optional extra can pay dividends. They’re of high quality, comfortable, very adjustable and come complete with a sternum strap for added stability.

The removable backpack straps are well worth buying as an optional extra. They work really well and make the bag comfortable to wear. (Image credit: Matthew Richards)

My only reservation is that the bag weighs in at 12.65lb / 5.7kg and is therefore quite heavy even when empty, before you’ve started adding your camera kit. Given that some airlines have a maximum weight limit of as little as 14.43lb / 7kg, you might well need to check the allowance with your carrier, to avoid any last-minute problems at departure.

Tenba Roadie v2 Spinner 21 Air Case: Verdict

I feel that the Tenba Roadie v2 Spinner 21 Air Case offers the best of both worlds. It’s largely soft and shock-absorbing on the outside (and the inside) but with hard reinforcements on critical points of the exterior. It also has a rigid and super-strong shell that sits between the exterior and the camera compartment – so strong that you can literally stand on the bag with no danger of damaging anything within. It therefore works equally well as a camera bag that you can use as carry-on luggage, or check into hold baggage if space (or weight) doesn’t allow.

Adding further to the versatility, I’m pleased that the Tenba works so well as a roller bag on all sorts of terrain, apart from sand, mud and the like. And furthermore that straps are available to buy as an optional extra, for effectively turning the bag into a backpack. To be picky, I’d have liked the backpack straps to be supplied as part of the standard kit. The only other issue is that the bag is quite weighty, so you might fall foul of carry-on weight limits with some airlines. Even so, it’s a top-quality bag that’s full of clever tricks and design flourishes. Excellent work, Tenba!

Features ★★★★★	Top features include a soft shell and a rigid liner that adds strength and makes the bag ‘crushproof’. Security extras are built in, there’s plenty of space and excellent levels of customization.
Design ★★★★★	Excellent design is something that typically sets Tenba products apart from the crowd, and that’s exemplified by this roller bag, which is also really well made and impeccably finished.
Performance ★★★★★	This is a roller bag that can really take a lot of punishment. It can also keep on rolling when others grind to a halt, and the optional backpack conversion takes care of the most demanding terrain.
Value ★★★★☆	It’s one of the priciest roller camera bags on the market but you get what you pay for and more besides. Ultimately, it’s expensive but still very good value for money.

(Image credit: Matthew Richards)

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