Top Compartment Inner Dimensions: 12.5 W x 6.5 D x 1
Exterior
14.6 W x 9.4 D x 21.3 H in. / 37 x 24 x 54 cm
Weight
3.75 lbs / 1.7 kg
Material
water-resistant 600D TXP™ and 600D TXP™ ripstop
Colours
Black, Forest Green/Black
About this bag
This award-winning, convertible beltpack/backpack sets the standard for serious trekking photography. A regular on Mt. Everest, it can swing around for instant access to gear when worn as a beltpack. Designed for heavy professional use, it includes an All Weather Cover™ to protect against rough weather and dust, a tripod attachment system, a fully customizable interior, reverse-open lid for fast access, removable, padded, contoured shoulder strap, and a detachable daypack. A DryFlo™ mesh-covered lumbar pad and compression straps provide extra comfort for heavy loads.
What fits inside
large pro SLR with 80–200mm f/2.8 lens (most makes, not attached), 3–4 additional lenses, flash, com
This was my first camera bag. I selected it for the convenience of being able to separate the daypack from the beltpack and the convenience it can offer. In the end, I hardly ever used it as a belt pack and found it very inconvenient used as such. It made a decent backpack although the harness is not practical for serious trekking (the daypack is made of soft material without any kind of rigid back). I traded it for a Mini Trekker AW after having bought 2 medium/long lenses which did not fit in the bag on-body (70-200 f/4) or at all (300 f/4).
What works
LowePro quality, AW cover, roomy enough if you do not have to take long lenses, convertible bag can be convenient
Room for improvement
inconvenient to use as a belt bag and as a backpack for serious trekking photography (the daypack is made of soft material without any kind of harness); cannot hold long lenses on body
In the bag
Canon EOS 350D XT
Sigma Lens 18-200mm F3.5-6.3 DC
Canon EF 70-200mm f/4 L USM
Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II
PD70X portable storage device
lens hoods
canon 350d rebel xt
This is the first bag I bought to carry my 10D (I'd earlier had a fairly crappy shoulder bag for my EOS 5), and I bought it because of its versatility: the bag can be used either as a belt pack, a shoulder bag, or a back pack. I also liked the idea of the day pack, which I could use to store non-photo items for short trips (food, clothes, etc).
In practice, I found that using the Orion AW in the back pack setup (i.e. with the day pack) was very unpractical. The camera part is attached to the day pack part by means of two straps in the back pack, which are threaded through D-rings in the camera part and then clipped back to the back pack. The pack can theoretically be swung over to the front by opening these two clips, but I found that the clips then would get stuck in the D-rings and needed to be guided out. After this, you could finally open the camera bag part.
Therefore I've not really used the bag in the back pack configuration at all. The bag's use as a belt pack is also somewhat difficult, because when loaded with the gear I carry in it, it gets rather heavy and due to its size (38x25x25 cm), it tends to sag. It is also rather impossible to sit down anywhere.
However, I do use the bag pretty often as a shoulder bag. It fits my usual walk-around gear pretty well, and the shoulder strap is padded and comfortable. I also like the small handle the bag has, which is good for quickly grabbing the bag to move it a short distance. The handle is on the hinge side of the top flap, so grabbing it does make the bag tilt a little but I've not yet had anything fall out of the bag in this situation (but it does give me a scare every time that happens though).
In the bag
Canon EOS 10D
Canon EF 17-40mm f/4 L USM (+ hood)
Canon EF 28-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM (w/hood)
Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II
Canon 550EX Speedlite (with Stofen Omni Bounce)
Canon Off Camera Shoe Cord 2
Canon RS-80N3 Remote Switch
72 and 77 mm circular polarizer filters
Batteries, CF cards, etc.
canon 10d
