National Geographic NG 5160 Earth Explorer Medium Backpack

When these first came on the market I really liked them. I love the look and feel of the canvas. It has a multitude of pockets for small accessories but the storage for camera equipment is lacking. I like to carry two camera bodies and there just isn't enough room in this version.

I really like most of the features of this backpack. It's just the right size to hold all my essential photo gear any larger and I wouldn't be able to carry it with all the extra weight I would pack with non-essentials. It's very comfortable on my back when fully loaded.

My only gripe is that it falls flat on its face (the pocket side) when my laptop is removed from the rear pocket while it's on a flat surface. It makes it difficult to access the contents if I have to tilt it back up everytime I need to open a pocket. I have to prop it up against a wall or post to keep it upright. It could use a firmer and/or larger base to help keep it upright. It's not that I'm packing it excessively full. I tried reducing the contents significantly and it still seems very unbalanced front to rear without the compensating weight in the front.

Otherwise, the construction is impeccably crafted. All the seams are perfectly sewn and there is thoughtful attention to detail, such as the lip around the laptop pocket opening for weather resistance. The zippers are all heavy duty plastic (the best for outdoor use, no rust and self lubricating). There are heavy duty D-rings in convenient places, too.

I am quite satisfied and the cost was reasonable compared to other dedicated photo packs.

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The only flaw is that it doesn't have much room for extra stuff other than your photography equipment... you can carry your laptop but I wish it had a little more extra room for a 1-2 day trip needs.

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I purchased this backpack in anticipation of a sailing trip the West Indies, where I knew I'd have very limited storage space and tons of photo opportunities I didn't want to leave any lens behind. It's hard to believe that so much storage space in available in the backpack, but it is! Lots of nooks and crannies for photo equipment, well padded with moveable liners. Tons of pockets for everything you could imagine and then some. Also a padded pocket for a laptop or iPad. The straps are comfortable and the pack sits well on your back. It also looks great,and fits under an airplane seat or in the overhead compartment. Highly recommend.

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I use this to take my Macbook Pro and Nikon camera equipment everywhere I go. Currently, I have in here 3 lenses and various filters, extra batteries and memory cards, protein bars, fruit, a water bottle, even a tripod strapped to the top. I take this on planes, in trains, on my bike... everywhere. (Sorry, this is for the SMALL version of this backpack yes, I fit all that in the SMALL, which obviously isn't very small. I found the medium one was too large!).

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