In the two years that I have used this bag, I can say that the bag held up pretty well. I have used this bag in all sorts of weather all year round be it snow, heavy rain, on the beach where it got wet with sea water and on a mountain trip where it got splashed with mineral-rich spring water by an agitated monkey to name a few. I was most impressed that the materials of the bag survived the abuse and the stitching showed no signs of wear at all.
The two things that showed wear are the back of the bag and the metal loops. The back of the bag looks worn right now because it is in constant abrasion with my jeans but I believe that it got that look a few weeks after I got the bag. Back then, I was wearing a pair of shorts with velcro on the pockets and the constant rubbing between the velcro and the back surface of the bag resulted in the latter looking like it is right now. I feel that this is not the fault of the manufacturers since it was my fault that I forgot to close the side pocket of my shorts.
The interior of the bag still looks OK. The removable compartment and all the flaps are still intact and the velcro is still the same as it was. It might have lost a little bit of “bite” but the velcro was always lacking in “bite” in the first place as stated in the original review.
At this moment, the bag was fully broken-in. It started to sag naturally even when it was full of equipment. Presently, my gear has become heavier and I am now using a 15” Macbook Pro Retina. My 15” Macbook Pro Retina sits in comfortably inside the padded laptop compartment, it was a good thing that I considered this two years ago when I was still choosing the appropriate bag size for me. I am also carrying a D7000 with the 70-200VRII attached along with a D800 with the 24-70mm f/2.8G attached and the bag still has space for an SB-700 flash or a Fujifilm X100s. We are talking about 6 or more kilograms of gear but the Tenba messenger bag can handle it all! I can even squeeze in an iPad Mini in the rear compartment! There are also times that I need to carry a tripod along with me and I can even attach a Benro Travel Angel tripod to this bag via the front clip-on straps!
When it comes to weather resistance, the bag’s material can soak in lots of water since it is absorbent but the interior compartment is kept dry at all times. Sometimes, I really wish that it came with a rain cover but it doesn’t really matter. Having the rain cover will also add the weight and bulk of the bag. There is a space between the top cover and the bag where water can get into but I never had any problem with them in the last two years of abuse. They have corrected this on the second generation of the Tenba messenger bag by sewing in flap to cover that part.
Overall, I am pretty satisfied with this bag. The classic design as well as the durability of the materials makes this bag worth every Peso that I paid for, and maybe even more. This bag just shows that Tenba is a class above the rest and I will most certainly recommend their products to anyone looking for a camera bag. Please remember that nobody sponsored me to write this review. Do check them out at your local stores, Rick.