Great camera protection from water, dirt and impact (courtesy of the Pelican case). Well made, comfortable waistband, materials don't absorb water.

More hassle to use than a zippered pack. Minimal space in the compatible Pelican cases. When used with the Pelican 1300 case (the largest this pack can use) the load is heavy and it bounces around. Unless you buy both the case and harness from Gexar, you have to do some drilling.

For kayaking, running rivering, or any other activity where you may have to swim (say, hiking desert slot canyons), this pack is a good way to go. The Gexar online store has a "sale" price that has been in effect for quite a while. The $60 price for the harness alone is fair for the product... full retail would be out of the question for me to pay, considering the finest lumbar packs made could be had for less. You can use a Pelican case inside any standard lumbar pack and have the same protection for your equipment, but the Gexar offers the advantage of not absorbing water and staying soggy. Be sure you are familiar with the size of Pelican case you choose for this pack. I have the 1300 (the largest). It's pretty much full with my F100, a 24-120 zoom, a 20mm, and a couple rolls of film. The weight with the case is too much for the harness to hold stable... it boings on your butt and tends to slip after a while. I ended up adding a Mountainsmith shoulder strap harness to better support the load. With a smaller case and a lighter camera, the Gexar harness should work fine on its own. The Gexar accessory pockets would be nice since there's not much space in the compatible cases, but they're quite expensive. I use an Ultimate Direction accessory water bottle holder and I'm sure other similar products would work too. Value rating is based on "sale" prices.

Customer Service

Not needed.

Similar Products Used:

Mountainsmith lumbar pack with a Pelican case inside.