Customer Reviews

Lowepro Nature Trekker AW II Camera Backpack (Black)

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

The pictures of this bag that you may see on the web are a little deceiving. Initially, I thought that this could be a pretty good bag for carrying my gear on a day-to-day basis, but when I received it, I was shocked to see how large the bag is. Don't get me wrong - the bag is wonderful - I just wasn't expecting something this large.

The inside of the bag can be fully customized as everything is attached using Velcro, so you can move the dividers around or remove them altogether. The picture that is shown above gives you a good idea of how much space you'll have. I can easily fit my 20D, a 70-200mm lens, the lens hood for it, an 18-55mm lens, a Speedlite 550, and several other things in the bag.

A nice surprise that I found with this bag is that it includes a small day pack. The day pack is a little bit smaller than a normal-sized backpack and is designed to carry food, small bottles of water, etc. It can be attached to the camera bag or carried standalone. Another nice feature is that it has a built-in rain cover. You just open a zipper at the bottom and the cover comes out and wraps around the bag. You pull a string tight so that it fits neatly over the bag. Finally, the bag can hold a tripod, but I have not tried to attach one yet.

All in all, this is a wonderful bag, but if you need something for day-to-day use, the Lowepro Mini Trekker AW Backpack might be better since it's a bit smaller.

I received this great trekker pack yesterday and I'm very happy with it. One very neat feature is that you can adjust the height of the hip hugging flaps to suite your torso height. I fiddled with that a couple of times until I got the flaps to high hip level, where, when buckled together, transfer the majority of the bag's weight onto the hips, releiving the shoulders and neck, a great feature. The looks are also very cool and stylish, but I think there is a bit too many ribbons and bucles flying around. Granted, they allow you to fine tune the bag to suite your body to a great extent. The interior is large and is actually more than I need for my EOS 20D, 3 lenses, and a camcorder.
One of my selection criteria was that I wanted a bag with extra space to hold other stuff, not just cameras. This bag meets that criteria very well and it has another smaller bag that can be attached to it.
Overall, I think I've made a good choice and I'm happy about it, although it does seem a bit too heavy that I kept checking to see if it contained some temporary shipping stuffing that was making it such. This extra weight is why I give it 4 rather than 5 stars.

My philosophy was to buy the best accessories first before sinking dough on a brand new camera. Thus, after much researching, I decided to purchase the Nature Trekker AWII.

The construction is really rugged and, though I haven't tested it, supposedly can withstand all weather conditions. There is an all weather cover stowed underneath the bag that doubles as a dry spot to temporarily keep your gear.

The main compartment is cavernous and the velcro styled compartments can be reconfigured with ease. The bag easily holds my XTi body, a 70-200mm White lens, a 17-40mm wide angle, a 100mm Macro, couple of filters, a polarizer and 2 lens caps. No sweat there. The camera sits snug inside its customized compartment and is well insulated from the elements outside. There is another zippered compartment to store manuals, and other small bric-a-brac.

The bag is supposed to come with a tripod cup and a DayPac. It didn't. I had purchased it through Amazon and even after a circuitous Customer Service feedback, I couldn't reach the seller. In a futile attempt, I mailed LowePro directly and they were prompt in sending replacements. Excellent service there.

The tripod holder sits either in the front or on the sides, depending on your choice. The holder and the straps for the tripod are really robust and it could support my Bogen system without trouble.

I only wish there were zippers on the side of the bag for keeping small and easily reachable items like my CF card holder, etc. But no complaints otherwise. Worth the money

I use this bag as permanent storage for my photo gear. It usually holds a Nikon D200 with a 70-200 f/2.8, along with 2 or 3 smaller lenses. Also in the bag are a light meter, SB-600 speedlight, batter charger and cable, memory card case, and some other misc. items.

The shoulder straps are fully removable. I took them off, and attached the included (but not shown) single strap. This makes it easy to grab and go, when you are not going on a full hike, but rather a trip to the park. Unfortunately, the hip straps and padding are not removeable, which is why I only give it 4 stars.

It is well padded, and well built. I have no worries about any of my gear getting damaged as long as it is properly stowed.

I have carried this bag on airlines several times with no problems.

I needed a backpack that could easily accommodate a tripod and carry a camera body, several lenses, and photo accessories. This one met my needs perfectly. Although slightly larger than I expected, size and weight are no problem. The weight rests primarily on your hips, making it very comfortable to carry on long hikes. The backpack harness adjusts easily, and a shoulder strap is included if you're inclined to carry it that way. I also like the raincover that folds out of a pouch on the bottom of the pack. All-in-all, well worth the price.

My kit includes a Nikon D50 body and a few primes as well as a 70-200VR f/2.8 lens which is pretty long. It also includes a Gitzo 1348 and a ballhead. The backpack is heavy when empty (easily more than the sum of all my kit). It seems that Lowepro equates protection with weight. It was important that the backpack stow my tripod and it does not. The tripod support is a joke and I would guess that it would only support the aluminum tripods. It is the way that the tripod is strapped in that is the problem. The strapping for this could not support any decent tripod. They flop around as you move with the pack on - and I mean a foot side-to-side without too much movement from you. I prefer to not have the 70-200VR lens on the D50 when it's in the backpack and wanted to store the D50 with my 50mm lens on. Impossible. But I did get it to fit without a lens. So the D50 body sits without a lens and the 70-200VR underneath it. And I wedged in the separating panels they give you to pad between them. There is a daypack in the outside pouch. That pouch gives a little room for a pair of socks and very little else. For its depth (not length or height), it holds no where near what you would think. Do I feel my kit is secure? Yes, no question. Would I buy it again? No. Holding my tripod for hikes in Bryce was very important and this pack absolutely fails at that. If I did my research ignoring the tripod question, I would not have setled on this backpack.

I am rating this backpack 3 stars even though I am unhappy. The reason is that if you ignore the claim of holding a tripod, it's a decent secure backpack that should be made of lighter material.

After using this bag for several months in the field, Im completely satisfied with the built quality, materials and padding, that makes you fill your equipment is well protected. Although is a little bit bulky has the capacity to easily carry all my equipment without extra bags. If you are looking for a bag that can handle rough use and room for big lenses this is the one. Completely recommended.

Lowepro Nature Trekker AW II is a BIG backpack camera. The main purpose of the camera is to store or transport your complete set of gears to one location to another. It also contain removable day pack, which you can use to store your daily items, such as clothing, books etc.

What special about this bag is the amount of customization and adjustments that you can do. It also has so many features that is useful. The bag has many rails in the side so you can expand it by getting compatible modular products. This bag is designed to fit your body like glove. It is especially important because you might end up carrying 20 lbs of gears or more.

Built and Design

The built quality of the material is impressive. It is made from high quality material and will withstand harsh environmental condition. The design is pretty good looking, it does not look like a camera bag, instead it looks like usual backpack for hiking. This is a good to deter a thief.

Ironically, because of the size and weight, this might not be ideal for a long walk, but if you want to carry most of your equipments, you have no choice but to use this kind of bag.

Compartments and Capacity

The main compartment is fully customizable, and deep enough for you to place your professional cameras like Canon 1D series or Nikon D3. It barely fits pro camera with battery grip like Nikon D300 or D700. The inside flap is useful to store memory cards, small notebooks and other accessories. The front compartment is quite spacy. You can put in your clothing, small notebook (14' or smaller) or other supplies.

The bag can hold typical professional DSLR camera system. The typical load show in the picture above are:

* 1 Advanced camera with battery grip and 70-200mm f/2.8 + 1.4 tele converter attached
* 1 Back-up or second DSLR camera
* Up to six medium sized lenses (wide zoom, prime lenses)
* 2 External flashes
* Small to medium sized tripod (can be attached in the back of in the side

What is the negatives about the bag?

The bag is heavier and bulkier than average camera backpack. I wish that I can remove some elements like waist belt for light weight travel but I can't. The bag is not flat and square like Think Tank Photo Airport series. So it is quite cumbersome when you want to store it.

Conclusion

It is a great bag if you travel and walk a lot with your equipments, It is a very customizable and provides optional rooms for expansion. However, you won't able to walk comfortably when the bag fully loaded (25-30 lbs) for a long time. So keeping a balanced load when hiking / walking is essential.

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I was very surprised and disappointed at the heavy weight of the pack (empty) and all the straps and toggles, just too much stuff, too fussy for my liking. In that respect the picture is deceptive. The pack is very sturdly built undoubtedly, and has a useful collection of compartment walls, that attach with velcro, but in my opinion it is just over padded and too heavy as a day pack come photo bag. This bag might be for the gadget man/woman who perhaps does not need to roam too far from the RV. Combine photo gear, water, food and a tripod and this pack could easily weigh in excess of 18kg or 40lbs. Fine if you are in a field 100yds from the car but not practical for mountainous hiking, there are easier ways to get great shots! Not for me.