Lowepro LP36354 PAM Photo Backpack Orange
I took this backpack on a 12 day hike intensive raft trip through the Grand Canyon and it worked flawlessly. Rafting and hiking in the Grand Canyon is a demanding environment for gear and adequately protecting a camera in this situation is no small feat. Between the rafting with its wild bumping, bouncing and frequent splashes, and the hiking provided lots of blowing sand and scrambling over rocks, through creeks, and up or under waterfalls.
For camera gear I carried a Nikon D700 body with a Nikon 28-300mm lens and a Nikon 17-35mm f2.8 lens in the padded compartment plus a Benro C-069 tripod in the side pocket. While on the river I kept the camera with lens in a Outdoor Research 10L ultra light dry bag and the second lens in a smaller dry bag. For additional protection I put a 9 inch by 11 inch 3/8 inch closed cell foam pad it the front pocket over the camera gear. This pad was also useful for sitting on. I also found this large front pocket useful for carrying a Joos Orange Solar Charger partially inserted in the pocket and the top of the solar panel secured to a shoulder strap with a short length of utility cord. The charger stayed on the raft during the hikes.
In the top compartment I carried a waterproof splash jacket and rain pants for the rapids, sun screen, lens cleaning supplies, extra cards, batteries, and a lunch. Even with this gear there was plenty of room to spare in the top pocket.
I also carried a 70 ounce camelbak bladder with the quick disconnect hose. The QD hose is really helpful so that you can remove the bladder and fill it up away from the backpack without having to remove and reinsert the hose each time. The bladder easily fit in the separate pocket when full.
There are many features that I really appreciated about this backpack. Here are a few of them.
- The camera and extra lens were well protected in the padded compartment and yet were easy to get to by keeping just the left shoulder strap on my shoulder and swinging the bag around to my front.
- The backpack easily held all of my gear and there were separate pockets for small items inside the main compartment and in the pull over top to keep small items organized and easily accessible.
- The side pocket for the tripod was both very secure and very easy to access it and everything else when attached. Also it rode in close and tight to the pack so it did not feel unbalanced or like there was an appendage hanging off the bag.
- The shoulder straps and waist strap were very effective at distributing the weight and I could comfortably wear the pack for hours when fully loaded at a weight of about 20 to 25 pounds.
- The pack is fairly narrow and rides close to the body which helps with comfort and maneuverability in tight spaces.
- There were synch straps and loops on the exterior of the pack that made it easy to lash down on the raft and would be handy for carry extra gear.
The only downside I found to the bag was the zipper for the camera access was a little stiff when zippering around the corners of the opening. This was probably as much caused by the incessant sand as by the tight radius on the zipper.
For around town shooting I am still inclined to use my ThinkTank Street Walker Pro which has more room for a pro body likea Nikon D4, and larger lenses. The D4 does not fit in the PhotoSport 200.
I highly recommend this pack if you are inclined to take a full size DSLR camera, a couple of mid sized lenses, tripod and other stuff out for a day hike, especially if you like/need a camelbak capability.
It fits a ton of stuff so if you are concerned about what can fit in there, don't be. I can easily fit a 5D Mark 3 with 24-70mm II lens and a 70-200mm 2.8 right next to it. The camelbak/ipad sleeve can fit a 13" Macbook pro with room to spare. The top compartment can fit pretty much a weeks worth of shorts and t shirts. I always seem to be buying different bags for different situations ( think tank, lowepro, domke, tarmac). This is probably my favorite bag I've ever bought. My only concern would be how the nylon material will hold up over time.
BalasHapusI love mountain biking and love even more being a photographer, so i just couldnt go to this amazing places with the time and do not bring my camera with me, i recently fell down... hard and my camera was intact(i wish i could say that about my leg) but the bag kept my camera in great shape, i have a Nikon D7000 so you can imagine how much i love this bag right now :D
BalasHapusHad to return the 100 AW photo sling due to lack of room in side compartment for pro DSLR. The 200 AW fits my 6D with 24-105mm lens, plus another lens or flash. Then the middle storage leaves room for change of clothes, food, iPad, etc. Have not used the water bladder pocket yet, but looks big enough to fit a good sized bladder. Should come in handy on day hikes or for traveling.
BalasHapusI have been looking for a "cool" camera backpack for years, making my way through Burton, Incase, etc...Finally there is a bag that functions the way its supposed to and doesn't scream "I'm lugging around a bunch of camera gear." I just got back from spending a week in Europe with it and I look forward to a summer of hitting the trails.
BalasHapusEither black or high visibility orange, you cannot go wrong. Has features like the Camelbak packs, but with a photo angle. The size is just about perfect as a dayack and for travelling. The straps look a bit flimsy, but no reason to worry, they stand up to the job. So light, but tough. For me, orange is the way to go! Highly recommended.
BalasHapusI got this bag a few weeks ago and have been mountain biking a couple times a week with it since. As always, Lowepro has made another great bag. This is basically a day pack with a camera holder in the side. The new cinch mechanism seems to work pretty well to keep the camera in one spot. I have a Nikon D3100 right at the moment (waiting on my D7000 to get here) and it fits fine with a 55-300mm lens on it with space for another lens or flash. I have no doubt that my new camera will fit just fine with the same lens. I have been able to stick a small, lightweight tripod in the side that has the bottle holder, but I wouldnt recommend doing that to often to the strechy fabric bottle holder. If you were hiking, you could also strap it underneath. Nothing to heavy though. Another plus is that other than the Lowepro label, it does not look like a camera bag.
BalasHapusI will try not to cover stuff in other reviews, but here is a couple of minor things I didnt know before I bought it:
1.The stuff sack at the top actually goes all the way to the bottom of the bag around the camera case. This is great and not great. Great because you can put stuff down there; not great for keeping medium size things in the larger compartment without them sliding to the bottom. This can be fixed by pulling the outside cinch straps tight. If I had a choice, I would leave it the way it is. It turns out that an Adventura 120 bag (maybe even a 140) fits perfectly in the top part of the stuff sack, so I took all my little parts, flash and extra lens and put them in that in the top of the stuff sack of the 200AW. When I go mountain biking, I just take it out and go.
2. A hydration bladder does not come with it. There is a place for one up to 70oz with a nice hole for the hose. I put an old Camelback bladder in and it works fine although the bottom next to the camera case is a little tight. With no bladder, you could also put a small laptop in this section if you needed to.
3. The waist straps do not fold in to anything to hide them when not in use. Once again it is fine with me but I could see them being a minor inconvenience while traveling. The waist straps actually work very well for me. I was able to put most of the weight on me hips which surprised me. The aluminum stiffeners work pretty well.
Aside these minor things it is a great bag for the active person, especially for the price. It isn't made for holding all of your camera equipment. It is however made for taking your camera and some equipment somewhere where the view is great in comfort and style.
Product is great. This bag is a great fit for any outdoors photographer who needs or enjoys to travel! Product was as described, new and never used!
BalasHapusI took this backpack on a 12 day hike intensive raft trip through the Grand Canyon and it worked flawlessly. Rafting and hiking in the Grand Canyon is a demanding environment for gear and adequately protecting a camera in this situation is no small feat. Between the rafting with its wild bumping, bouncing and frequent splashes, and the hiking provided lots of blowing sand and scrambling over rocks, through creeks, and up or under waterfalls.
BalasHapusFor camera gear I carried a Nikon D700 body with a Nikon 28-300mm lens and a Nikon 17-35mm f2.8 lens in the padded compartment plus a Benro C-069 tripod in the side pocket. While on the river I kept the camera with lens in a Outdoor Research 10L ultra light dry bag and the second lens in a smaller dry bag. For additional protection I put a 9 inch by 11 inch 3/8 inch closed cell foam pad it the front pocket over the camera gear. This pad was also useful for sitting on. I also found this large front pocket useful for carrying a Joos Orange Solar Charger partially inserted in the pocket and the top of the solar panel secured to a shoulder strap with a short length of utility cord. The charger stayed on the raft during the hikes.
In the top compartment I carried a waterproof splash jacket and rain pants for the rapids, sun screen, lens cleaning supplies, extra cards, batteries, and a lunch. Even with this gear there was plenty of room to spare in the top pocket.
I also carried a 70 ounce camelbak bladder with the quick disconnect hose. The QD hose is really helpful so that you can remove the bladder and fill it up away from the backpack without having to remove and reinsert the hose each time. The bladder easily fit in the separate pocket when full.
There are many features that I really appreciated about this backpack. Here are a few of them.
- The camera and extra lens were well protected in the padded compartment and yet were easy to get to by keeping just the left shoulder strap on my shoulder and swinging the bag around to my front.
- The backpack easily held all of my gear and there were separate pockets for small items inside the main compartment and in the pull over top to keep small items organized and easily accessible.
- The side pocket for the tripod was both very secure and very easy to access it and everything else when attached. Also it rode in close and tight to the pack so it did not feel unbalanced or like there was an appendage hanging off the bag.
- The shoulder straps and waist strap were very effective at distributing the weight and I could comfortably wear the pack for hours when fully loaded at a weight of about 20 to 25 pounds.
- The pack is fairly narrow and rides close to the body which helps with comfort and maneuverability in tight spaces.
- There were synch straps and loops on the exterior of the pack that made it easy to lash down on the raft and would be handy for carry extra gear.
The only downside I found to the bag was the zipper for the camera access was a little stiff when zippering around the corners of the opening. This was probably as much caused by the incessant sand as by the tight radius on the zipper.
For around town shooting I am still inclined to use my ThinkTank Street Walker Pro which has more room for a pro body likea Nikon D4, and larger lenses. The D4 does not fit in the PhotoSport 200.
I highly recommend this pack if you are inclined to take a full size DSLR camera, a couple of mid sized lenses, tripod and other stuff out for a day hike, especially if you like/need a camelbak capability.