Buying a backpack

<p>I don't like using backpacks. I much prefer a shoulder-bag where I can access everything from a body to a filter or cleaning cloth without putting the bag down on sand, in the wet/mud and so on. But there are some types of trip where I just need to use one, so I'm in the market, not with great enthusiasm, but resigned to buying. </p>

<p>I've been borrowing a Lowepro mini-trekker, which is about the right size- and whilst there might be better at about the same size (please say) at least I know I can use it. But when I go onto eBay to find someone who might have some stock of what I think is a discontinued item I find loads of new ones. From China. Very cheap. Am I right that these are likely to be knock-offs that might photograph OK, but won't possess the same qualities as the original?</p>

<p>For all I can find, it is discontinued indeed. I don't know how cheap exactly the eBay offers are, but if they're substantially below the $100-mark, I'd pass. I've seen a fair share of cheap(er) bags of friends, and every single one of them made me glad I spent a bit more. They may look the part, but stitching, zippers, armstraps - always something that doesn't feel/look durable. I've got the Minitrekker AW for quite some years now, used it a lot (but nowadays prefer shoulder bags and bringing less junk along) and in any kind of condition. All the zippers still smooth, the fabric still good, the armstraps perfectly OK. And a lot of the time, I put way too much in the bag, averaging 12kg frequently, for day-long trips. The bag's still perfectly fine.<br /> I think out of the new range, the Flipside 400AW or Pro Runner 300AW are probably closest to it, but it seems they've changed every single product name, so it's hard to figure out what's what.</p>

<p>I have been using a couple Tamrac products for years now--an Expedition 8 for the MF kit, and an Anvil 17 for a mixed (35, TLR, digi) assembly. Back in Spring, I was confronted with the need to get a new backpack--one for the full D7100 kit I was putting together.</p>

<p>Weeks were spent poring over offerings by Lowepro, Tamrac, and Tenba. Names I knew. Even hit a couple camera stores in Rochester & Buffalo to look at the real deal. You know, I am not really impressed with the directions that these companies have taken in design--nor the matchup between quality and price point.</p>

<p>At the end of it all, I decided on a brand that I hand never heard of--and gave my friends at B&H more of my money. Probably amounts to a wheelbarrow load over the past 16 years... But anyway, I have been well pleased. Solid construction and materials, ergo design, and better configurability. You might want to take a look. The company is Ruggard, and I went with the Thunderhead 35. Great all day bag for when working the streets on foot--and perfect for keeping an entire kit of body, 3 lenses, flash, usual accessories, Surface tablet PC, and a Slik AMT tripod.</p>

Great bag for carrying gear while hiking: rotation180 by mindshift. The lower compartment rotates around to your front

without taking the pack off allowing acces to a body, a couple lenses and miscellany. There is also an available tripod

sling so that the tripod can be accessed without taking off the pack.

 

Even the upper compartment can be accessed without removing the pack, for example to get a long lens out.

 

I use it all the time now.

<p>I bought a Lowepro Mini-Trekker on Ebay a couple of years ago. It arrived with a distinct chemical odor which was cured by a day opened up in the sun. The sternum strap pulled out after a few months; I stitched it back on. I am wary and keep a watch on all the other stitching. So far, so good. The bag has seen quite a few miles.<br>

I like the bag but am conflicted about the purchase of what is almost certainly a knockoff. It is the bag I wanted. If Lowepro still sold them, I would have gladly bought it from a local dealer. I looked for a used one before making the purchase. Many of the newer bags seem to be heavier in both weight and "features".</p>

<p>Camera bags are a very personal choice, and backpacks in particular.</p>

<p>Mindshift is an highly innovative company, a spin-off (I think) from Think Tank. Mindshift has a new line of backpacks with a serious harness and frame. If you intend to do some serious hiking, you might look there.</p>

<p>I'm more earth bound (specifically car bound), but I will hike 5-10 miles on occasion. Mostly I need a bag to carry stuff around town, in a car and on airplanes. I have found Think Tank "Airport" backpacks especially suitable. The YKK zippers are heavy duty and operate very smoothly. The bags have a semi-rigid rectangular shape for efficiency, and handles on the top, bottom and one side. The middle size is about the same as a mini-Trekker, but is deeper (7") to accommodate a full-sized DSLR with a built in grip without bulging the lid. I recently bought the smallest one for a Sony A7 kit. It's 5" deep, which would fit a DSLR without a grip.</p>

<p>I'm actually selling one on eBay atm. If you're in the UK, it's in very good condition.<br>

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/172003941236?ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1555.l2649</p>

<p>Gareth</p>

<p>Thanks William P/Gareth. That's interesting because I may well rather stick with what I know, just so long as it has the qualities associated with Lowepro rather than a knockoff from China.</p>

<p>Our Mini Trekker was discontinued almost five years ago, so those advertised as "new" and at super-low prices are almost assuredly counterfeit.</p>

<p>Maury Cohen - Product Specialist, Lowepro US.</p>

<p>Maury. I called Lowepro UK today. Basically I was asking whether they could advise where I might find a MiniTrekker that wasn't a knock-off, and how I might distinguish between the real thing and the imitation, given both are/were made in China. I got no help at all, and they made no attempt to persuade me that there was meaningful difference between Lowepro and "Chinese copies". I left the conversation wondering how Lowepro still had a business, given that the availability of new/cheap/made in China extends to current models too.</p>

<p>This is no crusade. I simply don't want to be wandering round somewhere like Bisti Badlands or Greenland when zips or stitching choose to give way. </p>

<p>What surprises me is that no suggestion is being made for an equivalent bag in current offerings. Maybe there isn't one in Lowepro's lineup. </p>

<p>Whether used or new, it's hard to escape things made in China. Correct me if I am wrong, but my understanding is that Lowepro is made in China. The only company that boasts of US manufacture is Tamrac. We understand that simply because an item comes from a line located in Asia, that does not mean that it is junk. Seems to be the domain of cheap knockoffs. There is a wealth of fora chatter going back to 2008 concerning Minitrekker clones...</p>

<p>If you are dead set on obtaining a genuine Mini--and given as many years as it has been out of production used may be the only option--a 'wanted' in several metropolitan Craigslist locations might yield up what you are seeking...</p>

<p>There are an absolute myriad of backpacks available for photographers, so many I find it hard to believe that you need to concentrate on an older Lowepro. B&H lists 545 of them. Like most bags they are all much of a muchness - you need to decide which you like the look of (flashy logos/colors or not) and which are the right size to keep all your stuff, not sure what else there is to them to be honest.</p>

<p>Robin, fair point. But I don't know a lot about backpacks, will continue to use a shoulder-bag for 90% of my photography, and I have about a couple of weeks' experience with the Mini Trekker so I know I can use it . Getting one of those would save me a time-consuming finding -out process and probably also a fair amount of money for something I want to buy because I need it rather than because I want it.</p>

<p>And as I said at the outset, if anyone wants to make alternative suggestions, feel free. I suspect though that you're right when you say that there's not a great deal between them - so if I'm familiar with how it fits/works and its about the right size and can be weatherproof, and could end up costing be 10% -20% of the price of a current model, why not? </p>

<p>Backpack technology has advanced quite a bit in the 5 years since the Mini-Trekker was discontinued.<br>

If I were in the market for a backpack today, I would take a serious look at the Lowepro ProTactic. The ProTactic 250 sounds like it may fit your need.<br>

I'm also a big fan of Thinktank bags, although their backpacks may be bigger than what you want.</p>

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<p>I hate backbacks, so have taken to using sling bags instead. They go over one shoulder and can be rotated around to your front easily for quick access to your gear. No need to take them off and lay them down. I have a smaller one from Vivitar that can hold both of my pentax DSLRs with smaller lenses attached (i.e. 17-70 and 55-300), and one from Ruggard that can hold both cameras, 4 lenses (including my Sigma 150-500) and accessories, and also has a small tripod attached. Not the lightest thing in the world, but I've carried it for a couple hours at a time with no issues. If interested, I can look up the specific models I own.</p>

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<p>Backpack technology</p>

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<p>What? Surely you jest sir!</p>

<p>I hate backpacks too, but I seem to be in a minority.</p>

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<p>What? Surely you jest sir!<br /> I hate backpacks too, but I seem to be in a minority.</p>

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<p>You hate backpacks (implying that you do not use them) yet you question an assertion from a backpack user? How would you even know anything about the existence or absence of backpack technology if you do not use them?<br /> <br /> But just for kicks, backpack technology encompasses suspension systems, backpack materials, components, layout design and spatial management, etc...<br>

<br /> And by the way, sometimes using a backpack is not a like or hate consideration but almost a necessity for folks with lower back issues. In those cases, opinions go by the wayside.<br /> <br /> I jest you not.</p>

<p> </p>

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<p>You hate backpacks (implying that you do not use them) yet you question an assertion from a backpack user?</p>

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<p>Just 'cos I don't use them does not mean I don't look at them occasionally or have used them in the past, so there's no need to to be offended: obviously if you need them you need them. </p>

<p>David, I have had issues with almost every backpack I have owned. I have owned 5. I must say that I am pretty rough on them. I do a lot of Chattooga River walks where there are no trails. Some areas I have to get on my hands and knees to crawl under trees in the pouring rain. That kind of thing is not good on a pack.</p>

<p>Currently I am using the Lowepro Pro Runner 300 AW. I like it because it is inexpensive and holds everything I need for an outing. However, a couple weeks back the zipper caught the water guard and got hung up so bad that it would not back off. Good thing there are two zippers! Prior to that pack I used a Tamrac Jazz, it is the worst bag I have ever owned. The velcro padding has completely fallen apart, cheap, cheap cheap! The best bag I have owned is by far the Lowepro Photo Trekker AW 2 but I like that bag to much to bring it out in the elements. </p>

<p>Derek</p>