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jgonzo
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Registered: Dec 17, 2005
Location: Germany
Posts: 0
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Review Date: Jul 18, 2011
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: Not Indicated
| Rating: 10
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Pros:
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material is easy cleanable in bad conditions (snow, rain, sand, etc.), covered zippers, solid deviders, perfect build quality, good protection for equipment
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Cons:
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warm on your back when carrying some hours
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I use this bag now for some years, in a lot of different conditions like rain, sun, wind sand, dust, snow.
The most important advantage is the material wich is made from. It is very easy cleanable, so you can remove sand, water or snow before it come inside you bag when you open it. The zippers are from very good quality and well covered.
The deviders can be easily positioned and are very solid, so they protect your equipment too.
Only bad point is that you sweat on your back like hell when carrying in summer. I miss an "aircompfort system" like deuter use for theyr bags.
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 Jul 18, 2011
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jefflee
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Registered: Feb 23, 2005
Location: United States
Posts: 833
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Review Date: May 10, 2010
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: $119.95
| Rating: 10
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Pros:
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Durable, Holds a good amount of stuff (12/24, 90mm Macro, 800200f f2.8, 300 f4, TC's 1.4/1.7 and a D200). For the size just about the perfect bag. I've had mine 5 years and have not had any issues.
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Cons:
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None for me.
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I own several LowPro products and have been pleased with them all. An AW2 was my first bag and saved my equipment in the rain forest of Costa Rica. I like the size of this bag, use in a car, and then great out in the field. Lots of stuff, enough for a long photo trip. I like the AW cover, here in the northwest in has worked well. After 5 years, still a great tool. I would not want anything bigger and for smaller I use my AW2 or holster and a LP lens case on one their belts.
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May 10, 2010
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molamola
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Registered: Jun 15, 2005
Location: United States
Posts: 11
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Review Date: Jul 14, 2009
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Recommend? no |
Price paid: $100.00
| Rating: 5
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Pros:
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Well-built, holds tons of stuff, padded dividers are great.
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Cons:
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Painful to wear, straps are way too uncomfortable for me. Fully loaded, this is torture for me to wear.
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First, this bag is PERFECT in terms of what it can hold. It's exactly what I've been looking for in a camera backpack. I love that part of it. However, it is extremely uncomfortable for me. No matter how I adjust them, the straps cut into my armpits. If I make them looser, the pack bounces off my behind and quickly leads to an aching back. If I try and cinch them up, the straps dig in to my flesh and the pack rides way high on my back. There is no comfortable middle ground. I am not a large person - 5 foot 9 and 170 lbs - your basic medium t-shirt shape. I must say I'm really disappointed in the comfort of this bag.
For me, the padded upper straps are too short for the size of the bag. They need to be at least a third longer. Comparing to other non-camera backpacks that _are_ comfortable for me (e.g. North Face Surge), the straps on the Mini Trekker are substantially shorter. The location of the strap attachment points at the bottom are probably also contributing to my discomfort.
I really like the build quality of Lowepro bags, but this is one I'm not going to keep.
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Jul 14, 2009
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lacisnot
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Registered: Mar 22, 2009
Location: Australia
Posts: 103
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Review Date: Jul 12, 2009
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: $100.00
| Rating: 9
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Pros:
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fits everything, holds tripod, weather protector, fits a 13" laptop (just)
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Cons:
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Cant remove lumbar supports, the tripod moves around a bit when you put it on
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Jul 12, 2009
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poodlelvr
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Registered: Aug 25, 2005
Location: United States
Posts: 516
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Review Date: May 30, 2009
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: Not Indicated
| Rating: 10
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Pros:
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The Mini Trekker AW is a compact size, carries a lot, comfortable straps, beautifully designed - the newer models a big upgrade. Wonderful for the price.
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Cons:
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None--
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The Mini Trekker AW is a classic bag that's been around for a long, long time. Lowepro has updated the bag and the newest version is excellent. I actually owned this bag earlier and sold it. For a couple of years I have tried numerous bags to replace it as a general bag and failed. When I bought it again recently I was very pleased with the new features. The straps are more comfortable now, the bag itself just a bit more modern.
Lowepro puts out quality gear; the zippers are covered, they have strong pulls with cords attached for easy use; there are 2 zippered mesh pockets inside,the fabric is excellent quality, there are side tabs for adding pouches, the tripod holder is covered until needed and very well designed, lots of inside dividers, easily reconfigured...I really dont know how Lowepro could improve on this great bag without raising the price a LOT.
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May 30, 2009
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jamesf99
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Registered: Oct 9, 2004
Location: United States
Posts: 7323
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Review Date: Oct 31, 2008
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: Not Indicated
| Rating: 9
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Pros:
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Small, light, with great capacity for many lenses, good tripod attachments, and adequate storage for most accessories.
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Cons:
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Could be deeper for bodies with grips attached.
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This is a great bag overall. I've used a Mini Trekker AW for many years and have found it very versatile. The build/construction quality has been very good and after all this time it's still in excellent shape so I wouldn't worry about quality.
Using Canon gear as an example, this bag comfortably holds an xxD, xxxd, or 5d/5d II without grip. If you add a grip or use a 1 series, then the bag is a little shallow but still works. This will be the same for Nikon/Sony shooters.
Depending on what I'm doing, I can load this bag with a 1 series or a 5d with grip, a 100-400L, a 24-105 or 24-70, a 16-35, a 24 TSE, a 45 TSE, and maybe a 90 TSE. I can also fit the hoods, accessories like extra batteries, CF cards, filters, etc. without trouble. That's the max though, and I'd strive to put less in there whenever possible. The front has a nice zippered storage pouch and there's a second velcro closed pouch below that also holds the tripods attachment. Swap something else out if you want to carry a flash.
Regarding the tripod, this holds a Gitzo series 2 tripod easily with the fold out tripod holder and two attachment points. This is only important part of the time, so if you don't use a tripod it's not a factor.
There's no perfect bag. Anyone looking at bags should have an understanding of what they need before choosing one, but even then there will be trade offs and compromises. Decide what lenses/items you want to carry and get a bag to fit those items with a little room left over.
If you want to step up to a deeper, more rugged, and higher quality bag, the Vertex 100 provides a tad more storage at the same approximate size, but at close to twice the price. There's also the new Flipside 400 (just released) that holds about as much, has a more sophisticated strap/harness system, but the tripod attachment is not designed as well and you lose some front storage space.
In short, this is a flexible, useful, and well priced bag. Highly recommended for those wanting a small, light, inexpensive backpack camera bag.
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Oct 31, 2008
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DavisHammer
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Registered: Jan 22, 2008
Location: Canada
Posts: 1
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Review Date: Jan 22, 2008
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Recommend? no |
Price paid: Not Indicated
| Rating: 7
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Pros:
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Holds a lot of equipment, small, compact, light.
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Cons:
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Too short lengthwise, and sticks out too much. Extremely unattractive. No quick access or useful sidepockets.
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This camera bag is decent and holds a lot of equipment. You end up stuffing a lot of camera equipment in the main compartment, and also a lot of your belongings in the front pouch.
It is suitable if you prefer quantity over quality.
It is extremely unattractive as it sticks out extremely far, and it is not proportionally correct to the length of the bag. It looks like the little Dora The Explorer bags that preschool children use.
The side pockets on the bag don't even hold a plastic water bottle. Holding a lens there would be suicide. It would fall out. a 50mm couldn't even be safe in the side pockets.
This is a good buy if you are extremely short and don't mind looking unprofessional and extremely amateur.
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Jan 22, 2008
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Jonathan_M
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Registered: Jul 1, 2005
Location: United States
Posts: 157
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Review Date: Dec 30, 2007
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: $100.00
| Rating: 9
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Pros:
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Definitely does not look like a camera bag
Straps make carrying comfortable
Despite the small size, it can carry quite a good bit of equipment should you need it to
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Cons:
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Belt doesn't tuck away as neatly as it should when you're not using it. If there was away to detach the belt and stow it, that would be a nice solution.
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I have different bags depending on what I'm doing. At events, I use a ThinkTank Speed Racer for easy access to the gear I'll need. Whenever I'm out shooting nature or when I need more of my equipment on me, the Mini Trekker AW is the bag I go to. Despite it's relatively small size I'm able to carry:
Main compartment:
5D with BG-E4 Grip - 24-70 2.8L mounted
20D with BG-E2
70-200 2.8L IS (hood reversed)
50 1.4
10-22
GF lightsphere + hoods for the lenses and an off-camera shoe cord
Interior pockets:
cable release
a few filters
2 extra BP-511 batteries
extra tripod camera plate
Exterior pocket:
Sekonic 558R meter
580EX
430EX
Think Tank Pixel Pocket w/10 CF cards
Rocket blower
4 sets of 4-AA batteries
Small flashlight
Business cards
Like most backpacks, you do have to take off and put the bag down to access the contents. That's just how that works and the reason I use the Think Tank for when I need immediate access to things. LowePro's design makes for a nice, compact way to carry your gear around comfortably and inconspicuously.
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Dec 30, 2007
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sachkan
Offline
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Registered: Apr 22, 2007
Location: United Kingdom
Posts: 113
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Review Date: Sep 3, 2007
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: Not Indicated
| Rating: 9
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Pros:
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Can contain a lot of kit safely, Comfortable to carry, unobtrusive
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Cons:
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Straps not detachable (mostly), weather resistant (not proof)
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The most comfortable bag I've had. You can change the size of the pockets easily and it can hold a camera , grip, proper flash 4 lenses (or 3 if one is big) and assorted cables, batteries, cards, etc. Has an outer attachment for a tripod as well. After trying several bags over the years I locked into this one. I especially like the fact that when you're travelling with this people assume it's a regular rucksack because ity does not look like a camera bag. LowePro in general are quite good quality and this is no exception.
If you do go out on many mini excursions it can be a bit too much. I would recommend a smaller bag for those (slingshot size)
All in all very pleased with this.
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Sep 3, 2007
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James Sawle
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Registered: Jan 28, 2007
Location: United Kingdom
Posts: 0
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Review Date: Jun 27, 2007
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Recommend? no |
Price paid: $89.00
| Rating: 6
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Pros:
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Easily Configurable, Handles 1 D-SLR and a few lenses OK, Comfortable to wear, Looks like a ruck-sack and therefore less lickly to be picked up thinking it's a Camera Bag.
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Cons:
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Not at all Waterproof, the so called waterproof cover is a JOKE!, Too small really and therefore you will out-grow it FAST, Price now that I know...
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It was the first bag that I brought, I wanted a bag that was not a 'Camera' bag to look at, and also being that I go most places on a Motorbike, the ruck-sack looking bag seemed the obvious choice.
It fitted my camera gear for all of 2 months, like most people starting out a purchased the Camera, with 2 lenses, after two months I had 4 lenses, filters, and loads of accessories, and then I had to start leaving stuff behind.
My pet hate on this bag is the so called waterproof cover that LowPro have, first of all it fits the bag well, IF the bag has nothing in it, if the bag is fully packed, and you stuff a few items in the outer pockets as well, then the cover takes ages to pull over the seams, it is also so not water-proof, as I found out one day, luckily for me my gear is insured, but I was not happy.
The ripod mounting is a joke, yes it does hold a tripod in place, but not that well and it is also unconfortable when wearing the bag with a tripod as the tripod can not be completely locked in place so it will swing from side to side, and also pulls on the bag, generally a annoyance.
The straps are generally OK, all in the right placed and all can be adjusted OK, works for me on a motorbike at 150+ mph, so a thumbs up here, although more confortable could be nice, but then this is an entry level bag really so expected.
I now use this bag just for day trips when I know I am just going to be a snapper as opposed to anything serious. If you need a bigger and waterproof bag, then look at Tamrac or Think Tank, both are better quality and bigger.
Would I buy another Lowpro. Nope NEVER!
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Jun 27, 2007
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Joshua June
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Registered: May 14, 2007
Location: United States
Posts: 3
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Review Date: Jun 16, 2007
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: $42.00
| Rating: 10
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Pros:
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Good price, Good Design, Solid padding on camera and arms, efficient room use, convenient accessory pouches, I could go on.
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Cons:
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for its purpose, the only complaint I have is that it is not water PROOF just resistent, but a can of scotch guard fixes that easy enough.
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The camera bag is not meant to be a camel-pak water supply or hold your laptop or connect to a hang-glider for extreme sport base jumps... although it might be able too... It is meant to secure your camera with a snug custom fit and do it well. I bought mine off E-bay (42$), if you go to Ritz camera cause you like your local camera shop pay the 70$ and don't complain about the price, this is the finest most compact bag you can purchase without a custom made leather job. It has 2 different lateral straps for mountain or jogging purposes to keep the bag from sliding around or wearing into your skin, small clasps for holding the zip buttons shut, and other sewn on goodies for additional equipment connections. It has good padding, excellent stitching, easily water-proofable, and ridiculously good internal camera padding, firm yet supple. It saved my lenses and body many a times. People that complain about price have apparently not shopped in the same price category, for anything less then 200$ this is the way to go, and is deliciously compact, without necessarily screaming out to the yokel never-do-wells "hey I'm a camera bag, take me take me!" Get this bag for your adventure photography.
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Jun 16, 2007
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hexentanz
Offline
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Registered: Apr 10, 2005
Location: Germany
Posts: 614
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Review Date: Mar 30, 2007
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: Not Indicated
| Rating: 9
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Pros:
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I like it so much that i often recommend it, I also own 3 of these bags.
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Cons:
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Does not fit under airplane seats on smaller planes (at least this was the case on frontier)
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I was recently on a business trip and had this bag on me, well on the connecting flight from Denver to LAX I had to put this in the overhead bin. Along came two gentlemen who shoved things on the side of the bag pushing it deep back in to the bin and shoving things in front and on top of the bag. I kept cringing thinking stuff was definitely broken inside, but to my surprise nothing budged and nothing broke. I definitely will continue to only buy lowepro gear because of this factor.
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Mar 30, 2007
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bitflogger
Offline
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Registered: Dec 12, 2005
Location: United States
Posts: 4
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Review Date: Sep 5, 2006
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: Not Indicated
| Rating: 6
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Pros:
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Holds camera gear well and not hard to configure it for my gear. A fine product for minimal activity and general safe carry of gear. Fine compared to similar products.
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Cons:
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Poor quality, maybe terrible quality would be honest considering the price and amount of use it has had. The right shoulder strap is coming apart with surprisingly little use. I have much less expensive packs from CamelBak and North Face that have had much more use with out problems.
Carries poorly for active use, and does not accommodate carrying water without the over priced Lowe add ons. It seems most camera bags are not designed people who get miles into the back country. I have resorted to carrying a subset of gear in a CamelBak HAWG or BlowFish model where I can properly hydrate myself and where the design is better for activity.
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A poor overall rating might not be fair because this is not too unlike other models and my quality problem may not be common.
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Sep 5, 2006
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HoboSyke
Offline
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Registered: Jul 26, 2006
Location: Australia
Posts: 0
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Review Date: Jul 26, 2006
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: Not Indicated
| Rating: 8
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Pros:
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Sturdy,holds a good amount of gear
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Cons:
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Looks like a photo bag, too many straps everywhere,
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Jul 26, 2006
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CrescentPens
Offline
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Registered: May 9, 2006
Location: United States
Posts: 3
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Review Date: Jun 24, 2006
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: $110.00
| Rating: 10
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Pros:
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Ideal capacity/weight, excellent protection, well designed interior.
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Cons:
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Detachable straps would be nice.
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Just about the perfect size and weight for my day trip needs. Easily holds all the gear I want to carry at one time. Currently holding the following - 20D with BG E2, 70-200 f2.8 IS, 60mm Macro, 18-55 zoom, 1.4 extender, 580ex speedlight, battrery charger, tripod mounting bracket, filters, extra battery & memory cards, 2 hoods, instruction booklets, eyeglass case, and 2 bags of snacks. Still have room for the 17-40L or 24-70L I hope to add soon.
Love the fact that the center section holds camera with 70-200 f2.8 mounted and 18-55 or 60 Macro stowed below, or with simple movement of one divider can store camera with shorter lens attached, and 70-200 in space below. This allows me to quickly stow the camera without removing whichever lens I happen to be using.
Found I can conveniently tuck unneeded straps into velcroed compartments, but it would be a nice touch if they were removable.
I'v been using Lowepro bags for 25 yrs or so. This is the best of a good lot.
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Jun 24, 2006
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fdldb
Offline
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Registered: Jun 10, 2005
Location: Belgium
Posts: 179
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Review Date: Jun 19, 2006
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: Not Indicated
| Rating: 9
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Pros:
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build quality, has lot of room, gear is well protected, easy to configure with lot of velcro and dividers
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Cons:
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look like a photobag, pouch on the front could be bigger to hold more (books, jacket, ...), price
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I used this bag for more than 1 year and was really happy with it.
I can use it to protect the following gear :
20D + BGE2 + 70-200/2.8 L IS
EF-S 17-85
1.4X Extender
50mm 1.8
Flash 580EX and spare batteries
PSD to empty my CF cards (NextoCf)
battery chargers for 20D, flash and PSD
+ cables, CF cards, filters and other small stuff
Build quality is really good and the AW cover works fine against heavy rain.
Even if it's top quality, I find that the price I paid is too high.
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Jun 19, 2006
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Reviews
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Views
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Date of last review
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30
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75328
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Jul 18, 2011
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Recommended By
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Average Price
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90% of reviewers
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$105.56
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Build Quality Rating
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Price Rating
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Overall Rating
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9.17
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8.73
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9.0
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