Outdoor and Hiking Camera Packpacks

[bbg404]

In addition to a previous post about shuffling my gear I'm also after a new Hiking backpack!

I had 2 in mind, the Lowepro Pro Rover 35l and the Manfrotto Off-road Hiker 30l..

Basically the only backpack I have at the moment is my trusty and awesome Manfrotto Professional Backpack 50, but its always got all my gear in and not really the best for hiking as I cant carry much of my own additional items.

I've had Lowepro before and liked them but the difference in comfort between the Lowepro Pro Runner I had and the Lowepro Pro Backpack I've got was night and day.

So you'd think it would be common sense to just get the Manfrotto but I just cant choose.....

Any Hikers out there use one of the mentioned??????

 

[Tringa]

Don't use the bags you mentioned but another alternative would be to get an ordinary rucksack and use inserts for the camera and lenses. If you Google for 'Camera Bag Inserts' you'll find loads. The access to the camera and lenses is probably not as quick as with a dedicated bag but from your Flickr photos you take a lot of landscapes so that is unlikely to be a problem and you'll have plenty of choice of size and design.

Dave

 

[rob-nikon]

Another to have a look at is F Stop. Their backpacks are designed for hiking and depending on which icu you put in it can be quickly altered to suit what you want to carry (especially useful if you don't always want a full camera compartment but extra room in the main part for other bits). They can be quite expensive compared to other manufacturers but you may find a deal on last years 2014 model bags with all these Black Friday sales. They are very versatile if you have a couple of ICUs, it makes switching load capacity much easier.

 

[phil_b]

I bought one of these for hiking http://lowealpine.com/us/shop/airzone-pro-45-55-4
One side panel opens at the bottom and I have a camera bag insert inside that can be easily accessed. This easily holds a camera body with lens attached plus 2 other lens if necessary.
This is effectively at the bottom of the rucksack and I can put spare clothes, food etc on top of this and it all doesn't have to be taken out to get at the camera stuff. The webbing at the back holds a tripod with a small extra tie I added myself to hold the tripod head in close at the top. Very comfortable to carry all day as it sits nicely off your back. There is a smaller size than this too.