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Archive 2013 · Which Gi-normous Backpack, Bataflae 32L or Pro Trekker 600?

  
 
OBXGuide
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p.1 #1 · p.1 #1 · Which Gi-normous Backpack, Bataflae 32L or Pro Trekker 600?


I'm trying to decide on a backpack to carry pretty much all of my wildlife photography gear. After a LOT of research I've pretty much narrowed my options down to either the Lowepro Pro Trekker 600 AW or the Bataflae 32L, both of which are a major investment ($400+). I can afford only one shot at this and wish to get it right.

I'm hoping some of you might use similar equipment with either of these bags and be willing to share your thoughts and advice from practical experience.

My hoard consists of:
1DmkIV, 7D, 5DmkII
Canon 500mm f/4 L IS
Canon 300mm f/4 L IS
Canon 70-200mm f/4 L IS
Canon 24-105mm L IS
Canon 17-40mm L
two 1.4x TCs
(old Gitzo 1548 CF or Gitzo 1348 CF)
plus batteries,various filters, etc.

Yeah, I know that's surely 40+ lbs, but it'll double as my front seat access bag as well, and won't have everything in it while hiking with it, it just needs to hold it all. I have no hope of finding either bag in a shop so I can empirically test fit my gear. So I've even gone to the extreme of downloading images of the Bataflae 32L and my major items, scaled them and tried test fitting them on photoshop layers in this image. Got to be a better way.

Advice, comments, chuckles and ridicule all welcome.

Fred



Aug 23, 2013 at 11:59 AM
AmIgone
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p.1 #2 · p.1 #2 · Which Gi-normous Backpack, Bataflae 32L or Pro Trekker 600?


Well the 32L must be a bit longer than the 30L because I cannot get my 500 in there with the body attached. I can tell you though that all of the equipment you listed will fit in my 30L with no problem.


Aug 23, 2013 at 02:24 PM
OBXGuide
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p.1 #3 · p.1 #3 · Which Gi-normous Backpack, Bataflae 32L or Pro Trekker 600?


thanks. Well if it'll all fit the 30 liter (Kobuko I presume) then it should be fine in the 32 liter Bataflae. Their web site shows a photo of a Canon 500mm with body attached in the 32L, but it was all the other stuff I was most concerned about.

Gee I hope this is in the right section. Maybe it shoulda been in the Gear talk area, which I didn't see til just now. Sorry.



Aug 23, 2013 at 11:13 PM
jbledsoe
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p.1 #4 · p.1 #4 · Which Gi-normous Backpack, Bataflae 32L or Pro Trekker 600?


I have a 600AW and you won't get all that in there. At least not and be able to get the 500 out quickly. It has a small front pocket good for the rain cover, cloth, batteries, and a couple TC's. That's about all that will fit. The main compartment is really only for the lens with body but the big plus is when you want to hike with it a ways you'll notice right off it's a real backsaver. Sits in middle of your back and while I didn't like packing the 600mm more than .5mi or so, I really don't seem to notice the 500 in there and feel I could hike as far as I wanted. There's of course mounts on the sides if you want to go that route. I have another bag for all my gear except the big lens. I tend to either go out with my big lens for wildlife or doing landscapes so two bags works for me and for out of the car like Yellowstone I don't care the number of bags. However if I was flying all over, I'd want one bag if possible so I could cover anything I wanted to shoot.

So if the 32L fits everything, sounds good. As for packing everything listed any distance, um a... you're a better man than me




Aug 24, 2013 at 03:27 PM
OBXGuide
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p.1 #5 · p.1 #5 · Which Gi-normous Backpack, Bataflae 32L or Pro Trekker 600?


Thanks for the input on the Pro Trekker 600. When hiking, I expect I would carry one body with a lens (either the 300mm, 70-200mm or 24-105mm) in a Tamrac "holster" I have rigged up like a chest mount, simply hanging the holster by a strap from the shoulder harnesses. So I'd only have at max the 500mm, 2 bodies and 2 sizable lenses inside the backpack (not 500, 3 bodies and 3 lenses). I'm thinking the 600 ought to hold that. I'm not counting the 17-40 or the TCs, since I could manage those in pockets for hiking. In any event, I don't expect to be able to get the 500 out quickly.

I sort of expected I might not be able to pack it all in a 600 AW for use in the front seat as just a camera bag. The one thing about the 600AW that bothered me was it looks to be more for hiking use. With the top pack on it, and the way the side "pockets" are made, it looks cumbersome for sitting in a seat - too many little things hanging on the outside getting tangled and in the way when used that way. The Gura Gear Bataflae is smoother, simpler and cleaner without dangling things on the outside. But it may not be as comfortable and adjustable with a lot of weight in it as the 600 AW is expected to be. So anyway I go it seems there is one trade off or another. In any event, they're both nice backpacks. It's going to be a hard choice..



Aug 24, 2013 at 10:43 PM
m.sommers00
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p.1 #6 · p.1 #6 · Which Gi-normous Backpack, Bataflae 32L or Pro Trekker 600?


Did you consider the F-Stop bags at all? They finally have stock after being backordered for nearly 6 months. Solid bags though. Have a tilopa bc myself.


Aug 24, 2013 at 11:32 PM
OBXGuide
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p.1 #7 · p.1 #7 · Which Gi-normous Backpack, Bataflae 32L or Pro Trekker 600?


Thanks for the F-stop suggestion. Never heard of it until 2 days ago while watching a Bataflae reviewer video who mentioned the F-Stop name. After reading your post, I looked them up. Appears to be a solid quality product, but their web site is convoluted, doesn't explain or show the product well, images don't work at all, no explanation of how the "ICU's" work. Pricing is completely unclear. Their "X-Large" "ICU" is a little too small by measurement compared to others I've looked at. I downloaded their complete set of PDF's, which is the only way I was able to see the products at all. The whole concept is very intriguing, but without having one in my hands, I'm sure I'd never fully understand how it all works. Not real excited about the equipment lid between the shoulder straps like a Lowepro Flipside. That hasn't appealed to me at all in the past. The weight seems extremely light for their physical size, which is a definite plus, but I'd really have to play with one before spending that sort of money. Of course, I have no hope of that happening. Maybe there is an excellent video review out there somewhere that shows what the manufacturer isn't bothering to explain. I do appreciate your suggestion. I will dig further.


Aug 25, 2013 at 11:47 AM
Karl Witt
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p.1 #8 · p.1 #8 · Which Gi-normous Backpack, Bataflae 32L or Pro Trekker 600?


https://www.fredmiranda.com/forum/topic/1233471/0?keyword=low,pro,lens#11736031

This what you are looking for?.............save some $$

Karl



Aug 25, 2013 at 12:03 PM
OBXGuide
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p.1 #9 · p.1 #9 · Which Gi-normous Backpack, Bataflae 32L or Pro Trekker 600?


thanks Karl. I'm going to go check that out right now. In the meantime I found a review of the F-Stop Satori and Tilopa with over 50 photos, which makes things much clearer. Here's the review link.


Aug 25, 2013 at 12:08 PM
butlerkid
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p.1 #10 · p.1 #10 · Which Gi-normous Backpack, Bataflae 32L or Pro Trekker 600?


I guess you are not interested in ThinkTank bags, but I have the Airport Accelerator which I have used as a backpack through airports and also to shoot out of when car traveling. Love it! For the size, it is much lighter than the competition, yet extremely well made.

They have even bigger bags...



Aug 25, 2013 at 01:01 PM
OBXGuide
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p.1 #11 · p.1 #11 · Which Gi-normous Backpack, Bataflae 32L or Pro Trekker 600?


I'm willing to look at anything that will work. I had the impression that Think tank was just bags, the sort that the more metropolitan subject photographers used that were more chic style than substance, and not anything so mundane or large as a backpack that would hold the big glass that wildlife photographers have to drag along. But, I will definitely dig into that as well. All suggestions are appreciated. I had simply researched the things I knew of, or had seen others using. I asked so that I might learn, and so I shall. Thank you.


Aug 25, 2013 at 08:10 PM
butlerkid
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p.1 #12 · p.1 #12 · Which Gi-normous Backpack, Bataflae 32L or Pro Trekker 600?


FWIW - Think Tank is a great company with excellent products. Their customer support is excellent.

I have several of their products and love them all. I've used the Airport Accelerator on several international trips without a problem. When airline personnel were requiring any carryon bag with wheels to be checked, they never questioned my carryon! And it fits in small overheads. When loaded with heavy gear, I like the fact that it is only 4-5 lbs empty! Similar bags were as much as 3-5 lbs heavier.

Good luck with your search!



Aug 26, 2013 at 11:22 AM
jdc562
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p.1 #13 · p.1 #13 · Which Gi-normous Backpack, Bataflae 32L or Pro Trekker 600?


OBXGuide wrote:
I'm willing to look at anything that will work. I had the impression that Think tank was just bags, the sort that the more metropolitan subject photographers used that were more chic style than substance, and not anything so mundane or large as a backpack that would hold the big glass that wildlife photographers have to drag along. But, I will definitely dig into that as well. All suggestions are appreciated. I had simply researched the things I knew of, or had seen others using. I asked so that I might learn, and so I shall. Thank you.


ThinkTank makes many different, excellent, very sturdy, and very efficient pro bags, many of which go way beyond the limits to urban use. For a recent foreign trip, I compared numerous bags by a number of makers, and ThinkTank won. Their bags are very well designed, light, and have numerous pockets to organize your gear. They are very comfortable to back-pack.

In comparison, my two Lowepro field bags have nice zippers that seal well against wet and dust, but their straps are needlessly stiff and bulky, making them hard to use and using up too much space for easy airline use in overhead bins.



Aug 27, 2013 at 10:01 PM
OBXGuide
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p.1 #14 · p.1 #14 · Which Gi-normous Backpack, Bataflae 32L or Pro Trekker 600?


thanks for your thoughts on the Think tanks and Lowepro's. I was looking through the Think tank site today and they do have one large enough to compare with the two I was considering. Now I have to hash out the fine details like the "stiff shoulder straps", the sort of information I wouldn't have without hands-on examination... or input from folks who know. Since I'm not doing any commercial flying with my gear, airline limitations are not a consideration for me. I'm quickly coming to the conclusion there is no "perfect" backpack, or camera bag of any sort for that matter. In the end it'll be the least objectionable compromises that win out, I think.


Aug 27, 2013 at 10:28 PM
Tim Kuhn
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p.1 #15 · p.1 #15 · Which Gi-normous Backpack, Bataflae 32L or Pro Trekker 600?


If it NEEDS to fit in an aircraft overhead... Think Tank Airport Addicted is the ticket. It may be a touch small for your needs, not sure. I use it to travel with the 800 and lots of smaller <400 lenses with 2 pro bodies. Packed 38 lbs of gear into once

Tim



Aug 27, 2013 at 10:52 PM
OBXGuide
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p.1 #16 · p.1 #16 · Which Gi-normous Backpack, Bataflae 32L or Pro Trekker 600?


Thanks Tim. It seems the Addicted is not current. It's not on the Think Tank site. The Accelerator is the current model that's a similar size but just slightly smaller internal dimensions than the Addicted. I'd have to find a used Addicted if I got one. I did some testing the past couple of evenings and I find my gear I plan to put into such a bag comes to no less than 35 lbs., so sounds like your load was even heavier. I appreciate all the input from you and the others.


Aug 28, 2013 at 04:05 PM
butlerkid
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p.1 #17 · p.1 #17 · Which Gi-normous Backpack, Bataflae 32L or Pro Trekker 600?


I"m not sure if this image will help....This was just one of the many configurations I have used with the TT Airport Accelertor. I have even had both the 300 (or was it the 200-400) and the 500 in the bag at the same time.

I really like the fact that the bag accommodates lenses with bodies attached. Great when working out of the bag. The bag also has good depth.

http://butlerkid.smugmug.com/photos/i-vstvSZX/0/L/i-vstvSZX-L.jpg


Even with all the weight and hauling it all over the country, the bag is holding up extrememly well.



Aug 30, 2013 at 12:33 PM
OBXGuide
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p.1 #18 · p.1 #18 · Which Gi-normous Backpack, Bataflae 32L or Pro Trekker 600?


Wow, that's a lot of trouble to go through adding labels on a photo. I appreciate the info. The TT users seem to be happy with their packs. That's a good sign. They look like a clean design too, like the GuraGear. Not all cluttered and busy with doodads hanging all over the outside like the Lowepro and Tamrac stuff. I'm hoping to use it in the truck seat next to me to work out of, as I mentioned, and stuff hanging off the outside just gets tangled and in the way. They look much less like a backpack and more like luggage than Lowepro and Tamrac too. That's the sort of clean look I'm after. Thanks again.


Aug 30, 2013 at 03:07 PM
butlerkid
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p.1 #19 · p.1 #19 · Which Gi-normous Backpack, Bataflae 32L or Pro Trekker 600?


Glad the image helped! Actually I prepared this image a year or two ago, including the labels, and decided I might as well use it again! ! Using PS, the labeling was easy!

What is also very nice is that you can move the dividers around to accommodate many different configurations! There are special dividers that cradle the point where the camera and lens mate up. That way you can have two bodies with lenses attached. Handy!

I'm really not pushing TT.....it's just the bag that I have and it works for me.

I will soon leave for a 7-8 week road trip. This bag will be on the back seat of the truck filled with 2 bodies, 24-70, 70-200 and 14-24, +++++...tripod across the floor, separate bags for the 300/2.8 and 500, and probably a bag for my IR camera and 24-120/f4!!! (after all, I CAN'T leave anything home! !)

Oh yeah, and still room for the dog on the back seat!



Aug 30, 2013 at 07:30 PM
goldscout
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p.1 #20 · p.1 #20 · Which Gi-normous Backpack, Bataflae 32L or Pro Trekker 600?


Lots of choices. I have the Bataflae. Holds the 500, 300 2.8 two 1dx bodies and the 24-70 without trouble plus extra batteries and the charger. Think tank won't hold all that. Well made, good zippers. I retired the kikobo after 7 trips to Africa and 4 to China plus all sorts of domestic stuff with small holes and a lot of wear and tear, but it still works as well


Sep 01, 2013 at 12:08 PM
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