I just returned form two weeks in Alaska and found the Lowepro Vertex 300 was what I expected from Lowepro. I found that it easily stored in the overhead bin and was easy to carry in the field. I carried a Nikon D100 and F100 both with the extended battery packs, a 170-500mm Sigma Telephoto, two additional lenses, an Epson P-3000, DX-80 Flash, various Cokin filters, extra batteries, chargers, flashlight, 20 rolls of film, manuals, tools, canned air and a Gitzo 2530 with no problem. So, as you can see I had just about everything but the kitchen sink! The ability to carry this by it's top strap made it easy to get around. The build quality is very good also. I will purchase Lowepro again!
One comment though that I hope makes it to the LowePro people is to begin to pay more attention to the needs of the mobile video community. More on this later.
I was carrying a Panasonic HVX200, high definition, a hand-held form factor video camera, three Focus Enhancements DTE FS-100 portable digital video recorders, a .6x wide angle adapter and a large, heavy 2x telephoto adapter both by Century Precision Optics and a set of rods for mounting the telephoto adapter. Of course there was the full complement of batteries, lens cleaning acessories and a small Pentax 7.1 megapixel point and shoot camera.
The tripod I carried was quite a bit heavier and bulkier than a typical still camera tripod. For HD video a heavy fluid head and stout sticks are necessary, even with image stabilization on, to get clean video. Using a telephoto adapter this is especially important.
My total weight load was between 35 and 40 pounds and I must say that the Vertex 300 AW was comfortable beyond belief! I have been backpacking since before the invention of the internal frame pack (almost 40 years) and this pack under load was as comfortable as any I have ever carried. In addition when adjusted and cinched properly the Vetex 300 AW was as stable as any pack I have worn. Even climbing 700 feet in ohe-half mile on a narrow trail the pack was comfortable and stable and truely a joy to carry.
I could easily have carried more weight, if this pack could stand up to more. I have not been able to find any maximum-load recommendations on the LowePro website so I do not know if I exceeded the recommendations of LowePro and/or the design specs, but I could have easily shouldered more weight using this well designed pack.
LowePro should give a bit more thought to design for video camera carriers. The Vertex 300 AW is rated to carry a "professional" video camera. The shoulder mount form factor of most pro cameras (like the ones you see TV news videographers carying) make the cameras larger than the Panasonic HVX200 that I was carrying and I cannot imagine there is enough room in the Vertex 300 AW for a pro camera, unless the lens is detached. That is something the vast majority of videographers are NOT willing to do on a regular basis as a crew travels, sets up, shoots, breaks down and travels again. So I cannot recommend to pros that this pack would be roomy enough. However if the camera you are using is the hand-held form factor this pack is great!
One other concern must be addressed for video camera use with the Vertex 300 AW. Video tripods are generally heavier and bulkier than a still camera tripod. The HD head on mine (a Manfrotto 503HDV with Manfrotto 35-1MVB2 sticks)makes up about half the weight I was carrying. Because the head is so heavy, for stability it has to be carried head down (tripod feet up). The Vertex 300 AW comes with an adjustable and removable attachment that holds two feet of the tripod at the pack's bottom. This is great for my still camera tripod, but two feet of my video tripod do not fit into the attachment. In addition because of the weight of the head I had to carry the tripod head down. Using a couple bungee cords and the straps that are part of the pack I was easily able to attach the tripod and carry it comfortably. I hope LowePro comes up with a simplier solution.
As far as air travel, even stuffed to the gills the Vertex 300 AW fit into overhead bins with ease.
This is a great, comfortable, stable pack if you need to carry a great deal of equipment and long distance and keep it safe this is the pack for you.
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I recently went on a 3-week cross country RV-styled trip and took this bag along to handle photography equipment and my 17" macbook pro (uni-body style). It worked well for me.the laptop fits just fine, and if you're needing to shove something else in with the machine (a book for instance) it can accomodate that, though i get nervous of the screen taking more impact than it normally would.
the exterior compartments do well to hold misc items (headphones, point and shoot camera, etc), and the interior storage is more than adequate. I actually didn't take a whole lot of photography equipment, but it was intentional to give me a pack that could handle photo gear along with all of the other miscellaneous items that i had along (books, point-and-shoot cameras, batteries, chargers, etc, etc.
it has a shoulder strap covering panel so you can zip it up if you don't want to have the shoulder carrying straps get caught on things, and it has a waterproof, cinch-down covering in case you go hiking in the rain. speaking of rain, the zippers are the rubberized, waterproof looking variety (I haven't tested it yet in wetness).
the shoulder straps fit well and the waist band is broad to help offload the weight from your back.
it's spendy, for sure, but i think it'll last quite a while and suit my needs well. I don't think I have anything bad to say about the bag. it's only the price that made me swallow hard.
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I am heading to China for a year and needed a bag to carry a substantial amount of my photo equipmenton the plane and the Lowepro Vertex 300 AW Backpack does the job nicely. One is able to move the velcro
dividers and adjust the interior of the bag to meet ones storage needs. Also, there are added compartments for miscellaneous items adding to it's versatility.
This bag is definitely for someone who needs to travel with a lot of equipment for an assignment or for an extended photo trip. If you need a bag for walking around with two or three lenses and a DSLR /SLR then honestly this might just be too much bag.
I am able to pack away quite comfortably the following:
Nikon D300s body w/battery grip
Nikon D3s body
50mm lens
85mm lens
180mm lens
28mm-75mm lens
80mm 400mm lens
8mm fisheye lens
12mm 24mm lens
2x teleconverter
15" MacBook Pro
SB800 speedlight
Light Meter
Nikon SC-28 cord
Battery Charger
70" tripod
an international electrical plug adapter kit
various filters, flash memory cards, dust cloths, etc....
I have used Lowepro products before and have always been happy with their quality. I have been caught out in the rain and snow before and their bags have always protected my equipment. As far as airport carry on back pack camera bags that carry a great deal of equipment it does not get much better.
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Lowepro gets it right, February 11, 2009I have had Lowepro backpacks for many years and always loved how they fit me and how practical their compartments & configuration were. I bought my Tamrac camera backpack 4 years ago and it is also a nice backpack but I outgrew it and on a recent trip to Europe, it developed a split on one side. A couple other photographers in Europe were using various Lowepro Vertex packs and I soon bought the Vertex 300 AW to upgrade and replace my Tamrac.
I dont know why I didn't get a Lowepro to begin with as I knew their reputation and my own experiences with their packs. It is simply a great backpack and fits 2 DSLRs, 100-400mm, 70-200mm, 100mm macro, 24-70mm, 17-40mm, 10-22mm, 580EX & 430EX flash, Macro ring light and all my CF cards, batteries, card readers, & my 15.4 inch laptop (although it will fit a 17").
The straps are easy to control and snugs up tight & comfortable making this heavy load easy to carry.
It is harder to pick this loaded backpack off the floor than it is to carry it on your back.
It also comes with 2 pull out covers: 1. for covering the belt/shoulder straps for storing in overhead bins, etc.. & 2. a rain cover that covers the entire backpack to keep everything inside protected from rain/weather. I love this feature as I live in the Pacific Northwest and it rains a lot here.
On top of all this is a tripod carrier that is also easy to position and use.
I highly recommend this pack but will warn that when it is full, it is very heavy. Lowepro Vertex 300 AW Backpack
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