Vertex 100 AW

So, I recently needed to upgrade from my trusty Lowepro Fastpack 350 (non AW), as I'd acquired another DSLR body and some rather tasty lenses (not literally!).I was very much considering a Peli case but was really put off by the bulk and annoyance of lugging one around, and thats when the Lowepro bag finder on their website sent me to this bag, which looked superb.After pondering on the price for a few hours to make sure I wasn't making mistake spending so much on a bag, I decided to bite the bullet and when it arrived the next day I wasn't anything less than amazed!It was tough, large, robust, comfortable and spacious, i guess they're all the things you need from a DSLR kit bag which needs to hold alot of gear.I've fit into mine the following:- Canon EOS 550d w. battery grip (attached)- Canon EOS 50d- GoPro HD Hero 3 Black Edition- Sigma 18-35mm f/1.8- Sigma 70-200mm f/2.8- Miranda 50mm f/2- Auto Chinon 28mm f/.28- FOTGA follow focus and rail system- x2 160 LED DSLR video lights- Rode Videomic- 3.5x loupe- mmLite Mattebox- x7 550d batteries- x4 50d batteries- x25 AA batteries- 77mm NDX8 filter- 77mm ND4 filter- x2 77mm UVMC filters- UDMA 7 Lexar card reader- Alienware M14x R2 laptop- Monopod- DEV-1000 SliderThat there pretty much filled up the whole bag but its got an amazing capacity and due to the padding it has, It makes it a pleasure to carry on my back for long periods of time

I was looking for a larger camera backpack for my ever increasing list of kit - Lowepro are always a reliable name and produce good quality products. The Vertex 200 AW is no different, lots of neat storage ideas dedicated to specific uses (ie Tripod holder, memory card pockets etc). Its versatile and swallowed up my Camera (including grip), lenses, filters, cleaning gear, tripod, charging, flashguns, laptops, power cables, business cards etc. The zippers are strong with some being weather sealed, the padding is thick and durable, easily rearranged to suit individuals specific needs via the Velcro anchor points. Exterior materials are hard wearing and seem to hold up well to some fairly tough environments. Overall I'm satisfied with my purchase, however there are a few complaints I have...Personally can never seem to get it 100% comfortable when on my back - it seems to sit too high, resulting in the waist strap not being on my waist but rather around my lower ribs, as such its useless for its designed purpose of sharing the weight of the bag. I've had many backpacks over the years (photo, hiking, snowboarding etc) and never had one that fitted so poorly regardless of how i adjust the straps.In addition it does scream "photography" in its design - fine for most situations, I did opt to leave this bag and subsequently some of my equipment at home on a recent trip to South Africa (instead switching back to my more subtle everyday looking duel use photo backpack).

This is a truly fantastic piece of kit, which can easily accommodate a pro sized body (think Nikon D3, D3X, EOS 1D, D300/700 with battery pack etc) with telephoto attached and leave space for another 4 lenses plus flash, batteries, memory cards, cables, filters, cleaning cloths etc, etc. It's quite rigid and very well padded. I use it in my home to keep all my kit together when I'm not travelling. The best part is that it fits into the overhead baggage compartment on a plane (even the smaller jets) and if you travel British Airways, they no longer have a weight allowance for hand baggage, so you can take all your camera kit without having to worry about having to have it weighed. You just need to be able to lift it un-aided into the overhead locker. Very comfortable in use, and holds a midi sized tripod with no trouble at all. I use a Velbon Sherpa 600R. It's weather resistant, so no worries about getting your equipment soaked, and the zip is large and chunky, so less likely to fail than some of the smaller ones. It's a little bulky when squeezing past people while browsing in shops etc, but you should be too busy out taking photos to worry about that! I wouldn't be without it. Only downside is that getting your camera out will require removing the pack, laying it down and unzipping it, but this is a small price to pay. I generally keep my camera slung around my neck/chest in my Toploader 70AW when I'm out & about anyway, which is another excellent purchase for a pro sized camera, and nicely complements the Vertex 200. Highly recommended.