Lowepro Orion Trekker Backpack

I loved the idea of this bag, it should be versatile and it's not as immediately appealling to theives as a more conventional/obvious camera bag. However, having used it for a year or so, I can't recommend it at all. The non-camera compartment is too small to be any real use (won't even hold A4 paper unfolded), and use of any of the pockets eats into the space further. It has very little stiffness, shape or support making it uncomfortable and sweaty in use. Anyone over about 5 ft tall will find the waist band too high, which only exacerbates the problem. Surprised to read good reviews of the camera compartment, I find that a 35mm SLR and one spare lens fill it completely (OK, you can fit in a change of filter but not much else). It takes seemingly ages to get the camera out - even with a friend to help! I guess this is good for security again, but I've missed a few animal shots while I fought with the zips and buckle. A nice idea that nobody bothered to think through.

Carries your camera in a padded pocket. Doesn't immediately look like a camera bag. Fits into airline "hand baggage" no worries.

Small Uncomfortable Slow access

"Ordinary" (non-photo) backpack

N/A

I have had my Orion for about a year and a half, and have been very pleased. It has been through 5 states with me and has held up beautifully.

You can fit A LOT of gear into the bottom section if you pack carefully. I regulary carry my Pentax ZX-M (with winder, in everready case, 35-80mm zoom attached), a 16mm lens, a 24mm lens, a 50mm lens, a 80-200zoom lens, Sunpak flash, 10 filters, film, etc. If I don't want to haul my SLR it also does of nice job holding my camcorder & accessories and my point & shoot.

The upper pocket is decent for day trips but I would have liked something a little bigger for longer trips. As it is, it will hold a (thin) windbreaker, my organizer, a few snacks/candy bars, keys, etc. I would have like a few easily accessible mesh pockets on the outside. As others have mentioned, you can't access your gear quickly - I am currently shopping for a more compact waist pack (probably the Off Trail) to carry when hiking.

The product is a compromise. Its great for travelling where there's room for photo gear, travel documents, food, water etc. However room for additional lenses and flash is limited. Longer zooms will have to go into the upper compartment. Weight distribution is far from ideal and not at all comfortable compared to a proper backpack.

Cheap and versatile. Well padded photo compartment.

Quality is so-so. Stitching on mine has started to come apart after a 2 week trip. Slow access to camera. No attachment straps for tripod.

I paid £50 for this pack. I bought this for two reasons - I needed something that would carry my SLR outfit when it outgrew my previous bag and I was attracted to the idea of something that combined a camera bag with storage for other items. So far I haven't been disappointed. It stores my outfit pretty well (A Minolta Dynax 7 with 28-70 f2.8 lens, 70-300 lens and 24mm prime plus filters - this is about the maximum it can store) pretty well. The camera section is padded so your equipment is kept safe from knocks and its water-resistant - not completely waterproof like some of the more expensive Lowepro models but certainly safe from the rain. Additionally its quite ergonomically designed and you can comfortably carry equipment over large distances without much discomfort. So as a camera bag for a small-ish SLR outfit I don't have any complaints with the exception that its hard to get instant access to your camera when the backpack is fully sealed up. This however is a fault common with all photo backpacks. The pack is well made and comes with a lifetime guarantee from Lowepro. The combination of a photo bag with a conventional backpack space is useful. On the downside the backpack space doesn't store a huge amount of stuff but its better than nothing. Its particularly handy if you are travelling as it is useful for airline carry on luggage- you can keep your passport, camera gear and other valuables all safe and in one place and also for travelling. If you are on holiday its hand to be able to store things like a jacket, sunglasses, guide books, food, etc in the same bag - I tried carrying a normal daypack with an over the shoulder camera bag and it was much less convenient than using this believe me. Now I only need to carry one bag which is better for security (less stuff to keep an eye on) and makes it much easier to access both your camera and other stuff. I feel less vulnerable to theft with this backpack than with my old over the shoulder bag - it looks less obviously like a camera bag so is less of a target and it is harder to snatch. The camera part of the back is quite secure with zippers and a catch so I doubt anyone could steal anything without you noticing it. To summarise I would heartily recommend this to anyone who wants a photo backpack and doesn't have a huge SLR outfit - particularly for people who travel a lot.

-Well made - like all Lowepro gear. -Plenty of room for a small SLR outfit. -Good for travellers. -Extra backpack space is more useful than a larger padded section if you don't have that much kit. -Weather resistant. -Your equipment feels secure from theft and accidental damage.

- Not completely waterproof however few bags this price are. - If you want to carry more gear than I have it won't fit. - Backpack section small but much better than nothing. - No strap for carrying a tripod and can't attach Lowepro's sliplock accessories.

Lowepro Nova 2

N/A

Great bag when it comes to just carrying camera equipment around, not that good when it comes to taking stuff in and out. It's a great bag if you don't need instant access to your camera. It holds all that extra stuff that you always bring with you anyway (cellphone, keys, wallet, warm sweater, water bottle / coffee thermos...). The lower camera compartment can hold a lot of stuff (1 SLR body, 3-4 lenses, flash and accessories), but it's hard to fit bigger things there (such as large lenses). They have to go in the top-compartment, where they aren't very well protected. If you just want to carry camera equipment and have easy access to it, get another model.

Comfortable to carry, even with heavy things in it. Fits some "extra stuff" in the top compartment. Really good quality (it's LowePro!). Doesn't look like a camera bag (lesser risk of theft).

BIG minus: You can't get stuff in and out of the lower compartment without putting it down or risk dropping stuff. Takes too much time to get stuff out. The lower compartment is a bit too thinly padded, and the upper compartment isn't padded at all. Could really use some external mesh pockets, straps and stuff. Waist strap isn't detachable.

LowePro Nova 3

For a camera bag? No.