Customer Reviews

Lowepro Orion Trekker II Camera Backpack (Black)

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

 

 

I use this camera backpack to transport my Canon EOS 20D when I fly or go hiking. The bottom section carries my camera and four lenses or three lenses and the speedlight 420EX flash. The compartments are deep enough to accomodate a 75-300mm zoom lens. I usually load my camera with no lens attached into the bag face up and in my bag there is still plenty of room for four lenses in the four compartments surrounding the middle compartment. I have flown a few times and the camera bag has been treated less than as gently as I would prefer by security tossing it back in the pick up bin after inspecting it and by fellow travelers trying to make room in the overhead compartment for their belongings. So far the bag has protected my equipment well from any damage. When I have wanted to carry more at times I have transported the camera with a lens on it stored face up with lens pointing to top of bag and I had room in the four surrounding compartments for lenses or other accessories. I definetly would not recommend doing this when flying though and I have to admit that when it comes to luggage I am one to cram as much as I can into any given space. Others may not feel comfortable with such an approach with their equipment. I have had the bag a year though and thus far the bag has accomodated my cramming magnificently and my equipment has been fine.

Another thing I like about the bag is its overall design in terms of storage capacity and function. I have been able to carry lunch with a bottle of water and maps or guide books in the top portion. Prospective buyers should know though that the top storage space is not huge. Think those insulated nylon lunch totes rather than typical backpack in terms of available space. There are also side zipper pockets on the top that in my setup accomodate two spare batteries on one side and a battery recharger on the other. The interior main compartment has some smaller zippered pockets and a netted pouch. In mine I store lens cleaning supplies in the netted pouch and filters in the top gray zippered pocket. Also, this bag has been very comfortable to hike with as the straps are padded and its size is just right for me but I'm 5'6'', my husband who is 6'1'' says he wishes it were a tad bigger. The design of the bag is also tasteful and not attention grabbing which is a consideration when traveling. I also like the mp3 player/media port in the top of the bag when I'm flying.

The Good: Compact, great shoulder and back padding and mesh. Easy access compartments. Carries very comfortable even when heavy.
The Bad: Warning, this pack is not even water resistant. It leaks like a sieve! My D70, lenes and flash were almost ruined from rain leaking in. Not what I expected from Lowe. None of my other Lowe stuff leaks, ever. Beware! A good fair weather pack though. I chose it because of it's compact size. It's really too small. I wanted to carry a D SLR, 2 lenses and a flash, plus a small jacket and snacks. It's really too small for all that. Perhaps an AW Lowe pack would have been best.

I like this pack. It's roomy enough for a camera, extra lens, flash, some rolls of film and, if you're day-tripping, some small food and beverage items. It's comfortable, and a lot more comfortable than my old-school camera bag.

One caveat, though: you should know that this back provides no protection from rain. If you get caught in a downpour, run for cover, kids. I swear this thing attracts rain. Seriously, the padding that makes it comfortable to wear and the nylon that helps it breathe pretty much act like a giant sponge. Consider yourself warned. Otherwise, it would be an excellent product.

I bought this bag for my Canon EOS-20D, and am fairly pleased with it. I was nervous about letting my camera sit at the bottom of the bag, face down, so I rearranged the camera inserts and now the camera sits straight from side to side, which does not leave much room for another lens/flash.

This bag, atleast for me, will work great till I have just one lens on my camera, but after that I might be looking at either having my camera sit face down, or look for another bag.

As far as the quality goes, LowePro met my expectations very well. The bag is well padded, waterrproof and very comfortable on long hikes. The top half of the backpack proves very useful for everything from media to mp3 players. A Good Backpack.

I can't complain too much about this backpack. In fact, I have enough room for my D80 with a lens attached, a speedlight, and 3 different lenses in the main compartment alone. I found the CD/MP3 getup to be not as useful as advertised. Plenty of mini compartments available in the upper half of the backpack. The major peeve I have about the Orion Trekker II is that there is no particular way to prevent the straps from loosening up unless you have some way of knotting them up. The shoulder straps tend to loosen up especially if you are doing some rigorous hiking and the bag is filled to medium or full capacity. I've found myself re-tightening the shoulder straps way too frequently. Other than that, it's a very useful camera backpack.

High quality bag, offers alot protection. And not draw attention in travel.
I am 5'9, feel it is on the small side but acceptable.
However, if you are over 6'0, it is too small.

This is a nice small pack. I have very broad shoulders and this fits me. The chest cross strap is not so great but it is not so great on every day pack I have ever worn. Why can't pack makers pad these straps so they are comfortable on the chest?!
The top compartment (no padding) is for misc. stuff. But it is not tall enough for a one liter bottle. Even with two smaller bottles, and a travel guide, food, etc. It is really stuffed. If the pack was more square up top and did not come in close at the top - making the top compartment a bit taller and boxier - it would be a great pack.
Wish there was a little better bottom compartment that accessed in a different way. The zipper goes all the way around but the gear is not at the zipper but below it. A window style opening would make more sense. As it is now, you HAVE to take it off to get at the gear compartment.
Instead of the rope? loops on the back, I'd rather have another tall deep pocket. The two zippered side pockets are good for thin things like cell phones, maps, but not much else.
Black in hot climates is horrible. They need to make one in TAN for hot places. They need to do that with everything they sell too.
Despite ALL these things, I have STILL not found a pack I like for day travel. This remains my best choice.
Why is it so hard to make camera bags and packs people like?!

I like how this looks like a regular backpack. However, it took a short while to develop a technique to swing the backpack from behind and get the camera out without dropping the camera. I have to unzip the zipper with the buckle attached, then unbuckle with the backpack held carefully.

Lowepro Orion Trekker II Camera Backpack (Red) I simply love this bag. Great value for the money. The bottom section is great for my canon eos digital 400 and all the filters and lens. The top section I use for my camcorder, wallet,and other items for my cameras.
The bag is very comfortable on hikes,even on motorcycle trips.
I would recommend this bag to anyone. Very durable.

I only have a few lenses for my digital SLR, so this backpack works great for me. I've taken it on a couple of trips and use it around the city. Have been wonderfully pleased.