Lowepro Photo Trekker AW II Backpack

Comments about Lowepro Photo Trekker AW II Backpack:

First, Jamelle, the rain cover is stowed in the bottom of the backpack. You'll find a compartment closed with velcro, and the cover is inside.

I first purchased the Lowepro Nature Trekker, and it is a fantastic backpack. The problem was, it was just a bit too small for all of my lenses and gear. The next size up was this pack, the Photo Trekker, and it's just right for me.

Like the Nature Trekker before it, this is a very well made pack. Very comfortable and easy to configure to one's needs.

The harness is very comfortable, and it's nice that it's adjustable (Unlike most other dedicated photo backpacks.)

The one downside is that the waist belt is not removable. This does make the back a little bulky when carrying off the shoulders. The built-in handle on this pack is a nice addition over the Nature Trekker also.

I haven't had the chance to try it out in really wet weather yet, but I've had no problems in dirty or light misty environments.

Tenba and Tamrac packs are very nice, and may meet other's needs, but the Lowepro fit me better.

If you need one bag to store all your gear, and you want to be able to take that same bag with you on long hikes or simply in the car, this is a winner.

Before a photo backpack, I was using a shoulder bag for all my gear. Still a great place to simply store everything or if only working out of the car.

However, if you hike at all, do yourself a favor and get a photography backpack.

Comments about Lowepro Photo Trekker AW II Backpack:

I recently purchased the Photo Trekker AW II backpack buy Lowepro because I didn't not have a good bag for all my camera gear... This bag is perfect and fully customizable to your needs. One surprise was a small back pack hidden inside. The only problem i noticed was it didn't come with the rain cover or I just can't find it. It's nice to just be able to toss a bag around and know your gear is safe, i even can put my laptop in too if i want.

Comments about Lowepro Photo Trekker AW II Backpack:

I hike a lot in semi arid and desert areas and occasionally in forest areas and this is a really comfortable pack.

Pro: Adjustable and comfortable harness system, good padding for components, easy access, good zippers, water resistant. Fits everything I need for a trip and even survived a drop or two. Encourages couples talk, i.e. she says "how are you going carrying my gear?"
Con: too big for airline carry-on baggage but if you want big and well padded, you won't be surprised.

Comments about Lowepro Photo Trekker AW II Backpack:

This backpack is huge. I can transport now all my equipment in one bag without worries about what I have to leave at home. I carry my Canon 1d mark iii, my 5d mark ii, 3 lenses (including 70-200 2.8, two flashes, filters etc. Additionally you can put a laptop in the outer pocket-but without foam protection. Everything fits in easily. You even get a "daypack" (small backpack without any shock protective material included.
Downside is also it's size: it will hardly be accepted as carry-on luggage in planes and it gets pretty heavy when fully loaded.

Comments about Lowepro Photo Trekker AW II Backpack:

I carry a lot of equipment. 2 Minolta Maxxum 35mm SLR bodies. 1 Sigma 500mm APO lens, 1 Sigma 70-210mm zoom lens, 1 Sigma 90mm macro lens, 1 Minolta 50mm lens, 1 Tokina 20-35mm lens, 1 2x APO extender, 1 1.4 APO extender, 1 2x extender, 1 Minolta program 5400 HS Flash unit, 1 Sunpack auto DX 8R Ring flash, 6 rolls of 35mm film, assorted Singh-Ray filters, cables and a few other things. And attached to the back is my Gitzo try pod with a Graf studioball.
All the above equipment fits real nice. The bag weighs in around 35-40 lbs. Wich isn't at all bad to carry. The back pack is very comfortable.

Comments about Lowepro Photo Trekker AW II Backpack:

I spend a lot of time hiking in the mountains in Washington State and I needed to find a better way to carry my camera gear on these trips. My research needed to find a backpack that would get my camera gear in and out of the mountains safely, ensure my gear was protected from the wet elements common to our area, provided enough room to carry extra non-photographic gear, while doing so in a comfortable manner. On top of this the gear needed to be sturdy and withstand the rigors of carrying lots of gear over many miles of hiking trails. After considerable review I purchased Lowepro's Photo Trekker AWII backpack. I won't repeat all the information provided by the other reviewers, but will say this product exceeded my expectations. I generally make it a practice to purchase the best gear available based on experience....you get what you pay for. In this case, I believe you actually get more than you paid for. The pack handles all my gear and provides enough room to carry other essential hiking gear. The Photo Trekker comes with Lowepro's "Trekker Daypack II" which provides ample room to store gear such as food, extra clothing, water, etc. The Daypack clips firmly to the front of the Photo Trekker backpack without interferring with access to your camera gear. The adjustable harness system ensured the pack fit my 6'2" frame nicely. The last comment I'll make is the product is built to last. Anyone wanting a way to get their gear in and out of tough terrain will certainly want to give the Photo Trekker some serious consideration.

Comments about Lowepro Photo Trekker AW II Backpack:

I needed a backpack for a trip to the Grand Canyon, it had to be carry-on and fit into the overhead. It had to fit a large prime lens, at least a Nikon 300mm, two bodies, my large 14-24 zoom and other gear. I bought 4 other bags trying to find a solution and returned all of them.
Tamrac #787 SPR PHOTO BACKPACK (BLK) - TA787B
Tenba AW-XMP AIR CASE WHEEL ATTACHE - TEAWXMP
Lowepro PRO TREKKER AW II BAG - LOPTAW2B
Lowepro VERTAX 300-AW BACKPACK - LOV300AWB

This is a great bag, worked extremely well getting my gear to the destination well protected and the daypack was perfect for serious hiking down the canyon.

Comments about Lowepro Photo Trekker AW II Backpack:

This will be used to backpack in National Parks

Comments about Lowepro Photo Trekker AW II Backpack:

This is my first Lowepro product and I must say I am impressed.
The bag is built very well, is comfortable with a heavy load provided that you take the time to adjust the harness properly. Thankfully LowePro provides a nice instruction sheet on how to do that. My bag currently holds a Nikon D700, D80, AF Nikkors 24-70f2.8, 70-200f2.8VR, 200-400f4 AFS-VR (my fave!) SB800 flash, small binoculars, filters cables etc. Bag weighs in about 30 pounds roughly but the great harness makes it feel like less. One note...I am not sure that this bag will pass airline carry on restrictions however regular hiking with it in the wild will negate ever needing a gym membership!

Comments about Lowepro Photo Trekker AW II Backpack:

Lowepro has a good reputation for quality and careful design, and this bag does NOT disappoint. I needed a large pack to accommodate a Nikon 400mm lens with camera body mounted, and this bag does that nicely. The internal compartment dividers are all adjustable, making configuration for one's specific gear very easy. With the big Nikon lens, D300 camera body, and 1.4 Teleconverter attached, there is NOT room for another camera in the bag; room for plenty of extras like another lens or two, filters, batteries, collapsable covers, and the like - but definitely NOT another SLR camera with any kind of lens attached.

The big pluses for me are:
a)) really solid construction, lots of padding; your gear is well protected
b)) the harness with waist belt for the bag makes it relatively easy to carry the heavy gear I carry in it
c)) two handles on the bag make picking it up and moving it around pretty easy, even fully loaded
d)) I didn't know what to expect about the rain cover, but it was a pleasant surprise, built into the bottom of the bag, easily accessible, and it easily covers and snugs around the back-pack (on your back or off); Note though that a moderatly long tripod mounted on the back will be too long for the cover to come out and cover too.
e)) the zippers are quite well sealed, for moisture and dust with a rubber type of gasket built into the zipper
f)) the small, extra back pack was sort of an unexpected bonus, one that I truthfully haven't used yet, but it too is nicely made and I'll likely find a use as a brief excursion day pack.

As a final note, be aware that you will not get a larger set-up than I have in this bag. I think my set-up with even a bigger teleconverter on it (say the longer Nikon 2.0) would be too long for the bag.

If you are looking for something to carry the type of gear I describe above (or a combination of smaller but mutiple set-ups), you would have trouble finding a better built / designed bag.

Comments about Lowepro Photo Trekker AW II Backpack:

This pack is great for lugging large quanties of gear or quantities of large gear in the bush. The harness system is the most comfortable one I have ever used. Like all the Lowepro packs, equipment organisation is made easy by straightforward internals and not so many pockets that you loose track of where you have put things. The all-weather cover is easy to use and stow. It is a well made, well designed pack. The only criticism (not major) is that it would benefit from having plastic/rubber lugs on the base of the bag to prevent scuffing.

Comments about Lowepro Photo Trekker AW II Backpack:

I bought this bag unseen on B&H (From Switzerland). As it arrived I was pretty surprised that it is that big.

I use the bag to bring all my gear with me while travelling and for this it is great, but for bringing gear to 2.500 m altitude it is only for real men with big backs.

The Photo Trekker is 100% professionally made and I am impressed by the quality. It could have more small pockets for utillities, small stuff sort of gets lost in its big pockets.

The tripod mount is great and the size of the Photo Trekker causes the tripod to mount very well on the bag.

I am not so sure that the Airline carry-on size including the straps etc. I had a fair discussion with a guy at check-in in Zurich airport while trying to bring the Photo Trekker on the plane. He let me do it but I am not sure that this would be the case everywhere. So be careful here.

Comments about Lowepro Photo Trekker AW II Backpack:

Well made, spacious for 2 Nikon D300's and 4 lenses including an 80-400 zoom.