Lowepro Photo Trekker

[vjhanak]

Hi All,

 

I will be travelling to Tanzania for a Safari. I need to carry my

Canon 100-400 L lens, camera bodies , filters and other media

equipment. I am strongly considering the Lowepro Photo Trekker

 

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?

O=productlist&A=details&Q=&sku=107961&is=REG

 

Can you please advise if this is a good backpack to carry? I

definitely do not want to carry around a backpack that

shouts "Expensive lens and camera up for grabs" :)

 

Appreciate your comments.

 

Vijay

[awahlster]

The Lowpro Photo trekker is a very large very expensive looking backpack. Wiether a thief will think it has your dirty underwear or expensive camera equipment the bag alone is worth stealing. I would worry less about the looks of the bag causing thieft then how you keep track of it. DO NOT LET GO OF IT if in a risy area. If you sit in a chait wrap the strap around your leg etc. If you fall asleep on a train have it locked to your body etc. If it's on your back and they want it it wouldn't matter what it looks like if it's on the ground and unattended again it won't matter what it looks like it's more then they have so it's worth stealing.

 

It will how ever protect your equipment from anything short of a thief you are likely to run into. I have the Classic Trekker and the Lens Trekker 600 AW and both are so over built I doubt I will ever need to replace them. I carry up to my 500mm f4.5L S.S.C in the Classic and My 600mm f4.5 nFD in the Lens Trekker Both are super comfortable with heavy loads and I can say enough about the built quality.

[Ed_Ingold]

I have a Photo Trekker, and it is a good bag that hold and protect a lot of stuff. It is 6 inches deep, which means it will hold a pro SLR or DSLR without bulging the top. It will hold a pro DSLR, three f/2.8 zooms, plus an Hasselblad and 3 lenses, meter, extra batteries -- a total of about 42 pounds of gear and bag. Carrying it is another matter. The shoulder straps are comfortable and very adjustable, and can be removed and stowed in a pocket on the backside.

 

It is the largest bag that (except for weight) will be acceptible in the US for carryon baggage. In Europe, weight limits are lower, but not always enforced if you have your bag on your back.

 

I feel obliged to fill all the empty spaces with gear, and that makes it really hard to carry. The zippers are covered with a flap, which makes the bag rain-resistant but also hard to open. With any backpack, you have to be totally anal about zipping it up as soon as you take something out, or risk dumping everything on the ground the next time you put it on.

 

I have found that a LowePro Computrekker holds my DSLR gear, including an extra body, and supplies. It is much easier to manage. Now there is a Computrekker Plus, which is a little smaller (and tidier) than a Phototrekker. The Plus also comes as a combination backpack/roller, but weighs 4 pound more.

 

Does it advertize it's contents? Not unless you open it! You can carry your gear in a ratty hiking bag wrapped in socks, but it won't protect your gear properly, be hard to deploy, and you still have to open it in public.

[david_seng]

Hi,

 

I just bought a classic trekker last week because I needed some extra room for my equipment. It holds my eos 3, elan 7e, 28-300L, 50 1.4, 200 f2, plus one other lense ans well as a 420ex and 580ex with enough room for film, batteries, cable releases, plus other extras. With a bogen 3221 attached to the bag it gets pretty heavy but adjustable staps work great and so far I have nothing negative to say about the bag. Be sure to post photos from Tanzania. Happy shooting, David

[r._j.]

I have this bag and I am happy with it. I bought the black (low-key, hopefully!) one, although I believe they are available in other colors. I have had to do some jobs in fairly risky areas, including dangerous urban areas (just finished one such job at 2 o'clock this morning) and I have found it helps. Keep all of your gear inside the bag, nothing on the outside, and act casual. The bag itself is well made and can accommodate a lot if packed properly.