Lowepro Primus AW Backpack

[moto]

Has anyone seen when this new backpack will be released. The Lowepro site says summer, well it's summertime??

[DDA]

not yet, summer begins on june 21st ;-)

[a100years]

anyone got themselves one yet? i'd love to see some pics of the upper interior. it sounds gr8 but i fear it doesn't hold too much camera gear.

[JohnJ80]

I'm also very interested in this. Word is not that it will be available aug 07.

J

[a100years]

michaels camere store and ted's in melbourne australia are expecting some in soon but they have no dates.

edit: i saw the backpack today at michaels. i wasn't that impressed with it. there isn't too much room for equipment and main access appeared cumbersome.

[DDA]

Amazon ships it on the 20th (so it says)

I'm really interested in this backpack as it says it fits a body with 70-200 2.8 I want to use it with body and 100-400 which, if I'm not making any mistake is slightly smaller than the 70-200...

[cprofit]

Amazon ships it on the 20th (so it says)

I am eagerly awaiting it... :D :D :D

[bigsue19]

We used the Primus AW for a 2-week holiday across Vietnam & Cambodia and it was invaluable!

We were waiting for Ted's to have some stock before we left, but they took too long so I ended up ordering off eBay, but no complaints. I was quite worried with the design of the main access at first, but as soon as we were walking the streets of Saigon, we realised that it was actually more secure than your typical backpack where you worry about exposed zippers being accessed by thieves.

Some thoughts:

The side access was great because we could readily get to our equipment.
AW raincover definitely protected our gear from the intermittent rain -- pretty quick to put on as well.
Comfortably carried all our equipment, the major ones of which were: 30D + grip, 24-105L, 100-400L, and 430EX.
Most importantly, it was so comfortable to carry with all the straps you can customise.


The lower compartment could handle the 30D + 100-400L combo quite comfortably. I'll take a photo and post it here if anyone's interested. Overall quite happy with the product...probably too small for a few, but it was just perfect for our needs.

[DDA]

Thank you for this very interesting review. This is what I was waiting for ;-)

I'd be happy to see a picture of the lower compartment with the 30D, grip and 100-400....

[sheawyatt]

I'd love to see some pics too.

Reviews/impressions of this bag are scarce, here is another hands-on review from a user @ the Fred Miranda forums http://www.fredmiranda.com/forum/topic/566750

[calicokat]

Thanks for the link, I am thinking of pulling the trigger on this bag too, more info would be great :)

[TXLEBER]

Does anyone know of where there are some pics of this bag in use....other than lowepro's site? I'm wondering what the top portion of the bag looks like with equipment in it.

[JohnJ80]

There are some pictures on the Lowepro website but that is all I've seen so far.

J

[S.E.V.]

I bought the Lowpro AW 200 a while ago and still use it as my main walk around bag, got it to hold my 30d & grip with 70-200 f2.8 IS mounted together, my peleng 8mm Fisheye, my 17-85 IS, my video camera in the upper flash compartment, 2 extra batterys, lens cleaning kit, couple of Cf cards, remote, battery charger, and there was room for a nifty fifty on top of the peleng 8mm. also room for a 75-300 kit lens. I just needed to set set the pads so that it housed everything nice and neatly. Got the Aw300 and with my 100-400 in the mix it was way to much weight to carry around on one strap. trying to take it back to canoga camera for a backpack instead.

but i have not tried the new one.

Sorry did look before posting that its a backpak then a sling pak. DUH!!!!!!!! (banghead)

[reecie]

I tried one out in a shop tonight as it was the last day of a Lowepro 20% off promotion in the UK. It looked like it would be a good solution to my perceived need of a combination of Lowepro Rover II and Slingshot style.

Without any actual gear in it I would say it seems a comfortable pack. My main issues are with the access. The top section, broadly similar to a Rover II in volume and shape, has the zip facing the harness straps. Not bad thing apart from the clip compression straps that go from the harness, across the zip to the top of the pack. So they look like they will either get in the way or if not connected would flap around. The access to the rear section is in two ways: the side flap or via the section in the lumber support/belt area of the back section. The zip action in the latter was not great on the one I tried. My main gripe (similarly mentioned in the Fred Miranda review above) is with the side access which is the main feature really. It just seems on the wrong side for right handed people. If it were on the left, when worn, I could have swung the pack round on my left shoulder, unzipped and camera out with my right hand. The side it is on just doesn't give a swift and easy access flow. It's all left hand use then swap over or your right hand is cramped up at an unnatural angle. I guess it could be me as I would prefer the slingshot to go around the opposite shoulder to what it does (or the designer is a lefty) :-) But at the end of the day for £170 in the UK a Primus needs to be just how I want it to be. Pity they can't offer dual opening or left and right models.

[buto]

This looks like a great bag. I never new they had this. I think I may consider buying this over the rover aw

[bigsue19]

Sorry for the poor quality of the photos, but since my 30D had to sit in the bag, I used a lousy compact for these photos. These are two configurations of how we organise the lower compartment, depending on which lens is attached to the body.

Hope these help!

[buto]

thanks for the pics bigsue19. If possible, can you take a front, back and side view of the bag? I'm really interested in purchasing this

[bigsue19]

Also, here are a couple of pics of the upper compartment. The first shows that you need to unclip the straps before you can get to the zippers. This may be annoying to some, but we saw it as added security. The second shows the size inside.

buto, I'll take some shots for you...will post asap.

[buto]

thanks bigsue!

I think this may be my next bag

[moto]

Thanks for photos Bigsue. I was wondering if you can use the side access with your grip attached?

[S_Egbert]

Great looking bag! I've been waiting for this one to finally come out, I think it will fit my needs perfectly, I'm a lefty so the access should work well. Thanks for posting the pics.
The only question now is blue or black.
Bigsue, have you used the tripod attachment? How will it handle a larger tripod, like a Manfrotto 3021Bpro?

Thanks
Steve

[bigsue19]

Bigsue, have you used the tripod attachment? How will it handle a larger tripod, like a Manfrotto 3021Bpro?

Steve, I'll soon find out 'coz I've just recently purchased my first tripod (Benro C-297n6). I'll post my findings as soon as I try it out.

[bigsue19]

I was wondering if you can use the side access with your grip attached?

Moto, the setup w/ the grip will go through the side access, though it's a bit of a squeeze.

[taber]

I have this bag for use when I am on the mountain bike or the snowboard, though there is no snow here yet to try. The main reason I got it was for easy access to the camera when I am on the bike and need to shoot quickly, and its ability to hold a camelback bladder. Here is the problem, it will not allow you to retrieve a 1D MarkII or III from the side opening. In fact, it won't even work when you have it off your back on the ground. All they had to do was change the shape of the opening a bit, and extend the zipper about an inch. The lower compartment will fit my 1D with an attached 28-300L IS and a Sigma 17-35, but I have to swing the bag around on the waist belt to get at the camera. All and all, it is a nice bag that fits well on the bike or hiking, but Lowepro needs to address what in my opinion is a major failing. You really can't use a 1D or a D3 in this bag as intended.

Taber

[sheawyatt]

I have this bag for use when I am on the mountain bike or the snowboard, though there is no snow here yet to try. The main reason I got it was for easy access to the camera when I am on the bike and need to shoot quickly, and its ability to hold a camelback bladder. Here is the problem, it will not allow you to retrieve a 1D MarkII or III from the side opening. In fact, it won't even work when you have it off your back on the ground. All they had to do was change the shape of the opening a bit, and extend the zipper about an inch. The lower compartment will fit my 1D with an attached 28-300L IS and a Sigma 17-35, but I have to swing the bag around on the waist belt to get at the camera. All and all, it is a nice bag that fits well on the bike or hiking, but Lowepro needs to address what in my opinion is a major failing. You really can't use a 1D or a D3 in this bag as intended.

Taber

Dang it. That was a really poor design choice, Lowepro. I've been wanting this pack for similar reasons (camelbak, hiking, snowshoeing and skiing) but this might be a deal breaker.

[DDA]

BigSue: while having the 30D with grip and 100-400 attached, can you leave the hood reversed on the lens? (I see that you don't have it in your shot)

[bigsue19]

BigSue: while having the 30D with grip and 100-400 attached, can you leave the hood reversed on the lens? (I see that you don't have it in your shot)

Yeah, you can leave the hood reversed on the lens.