Spotlight On . . . Medium Size Camera Backpacks and Rolling Cases

Our capsule reviews and comparisons of the National Geographic Earth Explorer, Crumpler Keystone, Lowepro CompuTrekker Plus AW & Think Tank Airport International. The full product reviews can be found here. The National Geographic Earth Explorer is deceptively nice, but unfortunately proves to be less than practical in actual use. The inner cinch protecting the top compartment provides additional protection against moisture, but can also be annoying because it gets in the way of fast access. Ditto for the mid/central compartment retainer zipper. I think the bag is a bit too soft for backpack use. As well, it doesn't offer enough bump & bang protection or bottom protection to make me stop worrying about my gear. I've got the small and medium size shoulder bags (which I really like) and the backpack (which is for sale now). It's also difficult to lash the bag tightly enough to your waist in order to get it positioned for your hips to take the load - something that's absolutely necessary for proper/ergonomic and comfortable backpack use. However, the laptop compartment is positioned lower than it is on the Lowepro so there's little chance of any dangerous flex. The rain cover is a bit fiddly to get in and out of its pouch on the pack. It's strictly for short hikes as far as I'm concerned. The full product reviews can be found here. The Crumpler Keystone bag is great . . . for a while. Then the annoyingly wide zipper facings which prevent the top compartment from being accessed easily will become tiresome. In use, my Crumpler bags (I've got this backpack and the 4, 6 & 7 Million Dollar Home models) offer better protection than the National Geographic bags. Still not great for fast access off the shoulder or even on the ground. Crumpler compartments are invariably tight. Your gear won't shift around (which is good), but some of it will be a bit more difficult to get to. This bag carries well and secures to your waist quite well also, which makes it a much better carry than the National Geographic bag. A laptop is well protected as long as you make sure to position it at the bottom of the compartment to avoid any flex across your back. The full product reviews can be found here. My favorite general travel backpack (car, airplane, train, bus, light to medium hiking) is the Lowepro CompuTrekker Plus AW. For my purposes it's been wonderfully durable, fully protective of all my gear, comfortable on short and medium length hikes, legal size on all airlines, and extremely versatile with respect to not only how much gear I can pack into it, but also with respect to how easy it is to get at everything quickly. This bag is also weatherproof, with the built-in All Weather rain cover almost redundant considering how well the bag itself is designed and waterproofed. Different backs will give different results, but on my back the CompuTrekker Plus AW is a great carry. It secures comfortably around the waist and ensures proper weight distribution on the hips. Getting the right adjustment with a laptop in place however, definitely takes a bit of initial fiddling. Too tight and you could flex the laptop. Too loose and the load won't be properly distributed. You really only need to unfold the rain cover for heavy downpours. Anyway, the Lowepro gets my vote. The full product reviews can be found here. For general air travel, at the end of which you pack only a day's worth of gear into a smaller sling pack (such as a Kata T-214 or a Lowepro Slingshot 200 or 300), I am absolutely in love with the Think Tank Airport International. It's expensive, but what a bag! Like the CompuTrekker Plus AW it holds everything including iPod, Treo 700p, cables, adapters, laptop, emergency socks, underwear, etc., etc. I purchased one the same week that Think Tank originally offered them for sale (18 months ago?) and have logged thousands of air miles with the thing. Great stuff. If you're traveling with a lot of photo gear and a laptop but not hiking/backpacking, the Think Tank Airport International is a great choice. The full product reviews can be found here.