Great multi-purpose travel bag
My goal:
A single bag for a trip to Europe that will:
1 - Carry my 15" widescreen laptop and accessories
2 - Carry my Canon 40D plus 2 lenses and a flash
3 - Have space for a novel, ipod, a few meds, and travel documents
4 - Center the load and be comfortable to wear with all gear through airports, train stations, etc.
5 - Be comfortable on a 10 mile hike through the swiss alps after removing the laptop
6 - Not look so much like a camera bag
7 - Fit nicely in an overhead bin on 737s and 747s (domestic and international flights)
8 - Carry my lightweight tripod
That's a tall order, and this bag almost gets it perfect.
Here is what it gets right:
Build quality is high, it's big but not huge. It was comfortable enough on a 5.2 mile hike up Iron Mountain here in San Diego. I like the rain cover, sunglass pocket on the back, and little pockets on the waist straps. I have another camera case (crumpler 4 million dollar home) that replaces the included padded divider section quickly and gives me more padding and a bag within a bag (but adds a bit more weight).
Here's what could be better:
The tripod mount is in the middle of the back, meaning that to get to the camera section you have to remove the tripod. I like that the tripod load is centered which is critical for large tripods, but my compact carbon fiber tripod could hang off a side and this pack would still be centered.
I wish at least one of the pockets in the top section was removable, and that there were a few more internal pockets overall. I'd love to be able to have a pocket dedicated to my laptop stuff (power brick, usb cable, ethernet cable) that I could quickly remove when I'm ready for my hike, keeping all the laptop gear contained and easy to add back in.
There is no padding on the bottom of the laptop sleeve area. This means that if you set your backpack down abruptly that your laptop could take a pretty serious beating. I've temporarily fixed this by rolling up a travel towel which provides a good bottom bumper for the laptop.
Overall, I'm very happy with this bag. Keep making great gear Mountainsmith!
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