This is a solid photography backpack for the outdoors, fits well, decent materials and burly enough for most hiking, backpacking, and climbing. Right after delivery I crash-tested the bag on an outdoor photoshoot involving a struggling hike up a creekbed followed by four pitches of shooting a climber on rappel. I was thankful for the solid tie-in loop, as I hung the backpack from my harness for some lowers. I wore it otherwise and it balanced well while on the rope. The good: thoughtful design, excellent camera access points, and nice details throughout. Zippers on front and back of the bag access the padded lens cube inside, which is attached with buckle straps. The bottom of the pack is also outdoor zipper accessible, with a zippered, internal divider above. The detachable lid has pockets on both sides too; and there is a hydration pocket. The bag wears and cinches nicely, distributing full weight of lenses, body, climbing harness/gear, water, food, clothing. Where it could be improved: the suspension system is basic compared to a dedicated backpacking backpack. The materials are substandard, and the straps have no ventilation. The velcro attachments for adjusting the suspension are an evident point of wear and weakness. Likewise, the waistbelt and shoulder belt material is not as padded or strong as I'd like it to be. Internally, the bag is sorely missing a divider above the removable, padded photo cube. This means that every time you take out the photo cube, whatever is stored above in the bag falls down and out of the bag. So I am going to get a custom nylon divider sewn that I can attach with the internal tie-in points. This is such an obvious design snafu to me that the divider seems outright missing in the bag's construction, and I looked for it in the packaging, just in case... As for the bottom internal divider, it only has an accessible zipper from the top, which is annoying, so I am going to mod it so that the zipper can also be pulled and accessed via the bottom of the bag, which makes far more sense. As for the padded cube, it is standard high quality LowePro foam, super handy, comes with plenty of internal dividers, and has lash points. The bag itself comes with a shoulder strap system to carry the cube separately, which I haven't used, but could be handy in certain scenarios. Overall I am happy to own this bag, and I would much rather use and abuse it than wear out my standard LowePro bags in outdoor scenarios. But it is still a compromise, lacking in the suspension and quality, burly-but-light materials and design one would expect of a bag in this price range. Got it on sale, and for me it still feels pricey for what it is. But then... isn't everything these days. Thanks Camera Store for the excellent selection and fast ship!
