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Home >> Photography >> Accessories Camera Bags
This small backpack replaced the awful Black’s bag. I liked the versatility of its dual-purpose design. The bottom is padded and used for storing the camera body and two or three lenses with a flash. It doesn’t have room for much else in that bottom section but you still have the top compartment for other items. Lunch, a book or two or a big heavy 80-200mm 2.8 lens can be stored in the upper section. It’s the perfect pack for taking out on a light day hike or jaunt about town. Best thing is it doesn’t scream out photo bag so one could walk through the slum area of Main and Hastings St. in downtown Eastside Vancouver without drawing attention to oneself and the expensive gear packed inside. Priced about $80 in Canada. Given the chance to buy this pack again, I actually wouldn’t. I would spend a bit extra and buy the Orion AW. The Orion AW is a bit bigger and can be used as a bigger waist bag. The top compartment can be stored in a side pouch on the front of the bottom section. It also has Lowepro’s brilliant rain hood that can pulled up from under its bottom storage pouch to protect the pack from the elements (all AW designated bags have this feature). *No longer part of my collection of bags and sometimes I miss having the versatility of a small, dual purpose backpack. The Lowepro Rover holds some interest for this purpose. My big pro bag that I use for my 35mm gear. Enough storage space and internal configuration choices that I can pack all the essentials on location. I can pretty much pack all the 35mm gear that I own into the Magnum but that of course makes it a pain to work around with in the field. I can fit all the essentials but not quite all the non-essentials that I like to bring just in case, like all the Cokin filters and holders I was silly enough to buy. I probably should have bought the larger Commercial AW bag to fit in all the junk I have accumulated over the last two years. The standard non-medium format oriented bag is also not very good for my Bronica kit. The dividers and spacers are not adequate to build the internal configuration that I would like to have. I also dislike the two-tier design for storage. My experience in using the bag on location has led me to desire a single layer bag that allows me to see everything I have available to me. I’ll probably sell the bag later on and pick up a Lowepro Omni Trekker or two for my equipment needs in the city. *No longer part of my collection of bags. Sold in favor of the Lowepro Omni Trekker. So far I’ve made mistakes with my first three bags. The fourth follows in that fine mistake filled tradition. When I bought the Nature Trekker, it was a brand spanking’ new design that had just come into my favorite shop. It’s not as large as the humongus Super Trekker or the Pro Trekker or even the older Photo Trekker. It is a mid-sized bag that is ideal for a small system, which at the time that I bought it, my system was. If I had any inkling that I was going to accumulate as much gear as I did, I would have bought one of the larger bags like the Pro Trekker. The Nature Trekker can accommodate all that I think I would require out in the field for either my Nikon kit or my Bronica but not both to any satisfaction (one kit, typically the 35mm, must be very basic to fit in). It is otherwise a fairly decent bag but one that could have been improved with a few minor modifications. Heavy duty in construction with a fantastic harness system that distributes the load evenly on your back and shoulders. The backpack has three thin elastic bungee type cords that can be used to secure a tripod to the middle back or to one of the sides of the pack with the supplied tripod holder. I don’t use the tripod holder myself as I find that it is next to useless for Manfrotto type tripods. It seems like it was made specifically for Gitzo style pods with the knurled leg locks instead of Manfrotto’s twist levers or finger grip locks that stick out. Other features to the pack are two pockets on the front cover. One is very modestly roomier then the other but both are equally inadequate to fit anything more then a couple of thin notebooks or other very minor incidentals. If your main pack is loaded for bear with photo gear, forget about packing anything else like a jacket or even your lunch, there just isn’t any more space available. You can buy accessory packs and pouches for the Nature Trekker that will carry that extra large lens or your lunch or a jacket but I think that’s a bit chintzy on the part of Lowepro to make you buy more stuff to an already pricey backpack. Current retail price in Canada is $300 at Lens and Shutter. In addition to the nit-picks I have, I think Lowepro should have made the internal accessory pockets bellows style so that you can actually fit in filters in their cases and other items. The flat design of the pockets does not allow fitting much in the way of the little doodads that one needs to take into the field. The Nature Trekker does at least come with Lowepro’s brilliant All Weather protection cover. This is a rain hood that stores itself in a flap at the bottom of the pack. Pull apart the velcro and pull the hood out and tighten the drawstring. The best part of the bag is probably the shoulder harness and waist belt system. When tromping out in the bush or trails, this system can squeak a bit under the load but it is wonderful in weight distribution. I hiked up the first peak of the Squamish Chief with the Nature Trekker carrying most of my Bronica gear and it was a joy to use. I never felt like I was terribly burdened with a heavy load. I could have hiked all day with that pack thanks to the harness system. Of course the size and design of the pack limited what I could carry with me. I couldn’t even store my water bottle with me (my wife carried that for me). I would like to buy a pack that could handle my present Bronica kit as well as future additions to it such as a longer telephoto lens and TC combo and a wide angle and macro lens. Add to that three film backs, one for transparency film, one for B&W film, and one for either higher speed or print film. If I actually owned all this now, the Nature Trekker would be packed to capacity with just the medium format gear. But I still want to pack along a small 35mm kit too. Primarily at the focal length extremes like a very wide angle lens to cover what the Bronica doesn’t have and/or a lens reaching out to about 300mm. Presently, I think the Lowepro Pro Trekker would fit the bill nicely. *No longer part of my collection of bags. Sold in favor of the larger and more accomodating Lowepro Pro Trekker.
Not a bad waist bag but I think it’s far too expensive for what it does. I believe it cost as much as the Orion Trekker. You would be better off to buy a waist pouch from an outdoor outfitter if you just want to pack incidentals. But for one or two pieces of delicate photo equipment, the Sideline Shooter does provide padding to some degree. Hmmm…I guess I’ve screwed up to a certain degree with all the bags that I’ve bought so far. Live and learn and do some good research into what your needs are now AND in the future for a better way to buying.
The bag itself is also capable of being more then one kind of bag. I bought the Omni Trekker by itself but it can be purchased as an Omni Trekker Extreme which adds a hard Pelican case to really protect your camera gear from the elements. The Omni Trekker as is resembles a very large laptop computer bag but it can also double as backpack if need be. A removable shoulder harness is included and a waist belt is built in on the back or bottom side of the bag. The backpack system is obviously not as good as the real Lowepro backpacks from the Trekker series but it aquits itself quite well in this secondary role. The bag also comes with a shoulder strap that is contoured for greater comfort. A small pocket is located on the front flap of the bag for incidentals and two translucent pouches for accessories and film are located on the inside of the front flap. Behind the the inner pouches is another thin storage space that is ideal for paper or a notebook. When carried normally either by the hand straps or the shoulder strap, the top, zippered section allows for quick access to equipment in the main compartment. Indeed, Lowepro sets up the movable spacers in a default set up to strongly hint at this feature. The way the bag is set when first bought, one could fit a pro sized 35mm body with a 80-200 2.8 lens attached and carry it by the shoulder strap while still being able to access the large kit without setting the bag down and opening the main flap. I wish I had bought this bag instead of the Magnum AW. The Magnum is a nice bag but for my purposes and requirements the Omni Trekker is just about ideal. I have to try and sell off my Magnum so that I can buy another Omni Trekker for my 35mm kit. The Omni Trekker is highly recommended. Link to Lowepro Link to Kinesis Gear, makers of photo and video bags and cases |
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Correspondence & About this website Copyright © 1998-2008 Edwin Leong |
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I
bought this waist pouch after seeing a few local pro photographers
and videographers use something similar for their own use. It seemed
quite handy to pack items other then camera bodies or lenses in a
pouch that provides you with direct access whenever you need it. A
vest would also do the same but given that the most popular vest is
the Domke and given how hideous it looks and feels, I think I’ll stick
to the Sideline Shooter for a while longer. It can pack a few filters,
plenty of film as well as a modest sized lens in a three sectioned
main compartment (it uses two removable dividers). The Sideline Shooter
also has two mesh pockets at either end and a small zip pouch at the
front for minor incidentals. (Ironically, I now own a Domke Photo
Vest because I found the Sideline Shooter a bit too bulky in practice
to use all day) 
I
had been wanting to buy this particular bag for quite some time.
Now that I finally have it, I love it. Exactly what I had been wanting
from a camera bag. A single level, open architecture so that I can
see everything with a quick glance. I use it primarily for my Bronica
kit, which you can see from the photo above. You can see from my
arrangement above that I still have room for expansion. This is
quite important for me as I know I am not finished with the Bronica
kit yet. I need at least one more film back and wide angle lens
as well as another extension tube or teleconvertor. I still have
plenty of room for adding to the kit. When doing ambient light shoots,
I can dispense with the flash and load up with filters or take along
a basic 35mm kit along with a basic Bronica kit. The 80-200 2.8
Nikkor fits in perfectly with its hood attached in the space where
the Metz flash rests. Take out the SQ-i Prism Finder and I can fit
my F90x in that space. Other 35mm lenses and odds and ends can be
fitted into various unused spaces. I love the Omni Trekker's versatility. 