Top positive review
5.0 out of 5 starsQuality. Give the designer an award!
Reviewed in the United States on March 4, 2020
The individual or team that designed this camera backpack should get an award, if they havent already. The first thing you notice is its durability. Nothing was held back in materials, padding, stitching and overall tank-like construction. The straps are super padded and very comfortable. I'm an avid hiker and this pack is built to, and even surpasses in some cases, the specifications of the best hiking packs you might find at your local outdoor recreation retailers. Even the bottom is especially reinforced with tough material, and its very flat so the pack stands UPRIGHT and doesnt tip over, which is an exceptional feature for a backpack every time you set it down. Perfect!
The second thing you notice is the number of pockets. Wherever there is real estate on this bag it has a pocket, and its definitely making the best use of space for its moderately smaller, much easily-manageable 45L size.
The next thing that stood out was how well it looked. The designers put in the effort and attention to making it look nice, with the angles and layering of the materials and overall appearance. It's stylish and less box-square, bulky shaped than your typical camera bag. Yet even this is an illusion, because it maintains its reinforced inner shape to keep your lenses and gear stacked and padded in that compartment shape but it just doesnt look like it on the outside --which lends itself to the added brilliance in the design.
Now nothing is perfect ... so here are the few (and there are only a few) features I wish were different: When you open the main compartment via the back of the bag (which is the best method by the way, than from the front face on camera bags), the flap does not stay open and lay back, but always falls closed. When you're reaching for something or putting it away quickly that's fine, but when you're packing and organizing it would be nice that it stayed open. (I lay my jacket on it to keep the flap back). But its annoying.
You also have to turn the should straps so they flip backward and out of the way while accessing this back compartment, but they do so just fine, and that doesnt count as a problem of this pack ---as all packs of this style would require that.
Really the only other thing I wish were better was the selection in sizes. It may appear that many sizes are offered but they alternate in style/design as you go up in size.. So I cant get this same type of pack in a slightly larger size (which I would prefer a slightly larger 49L would be perfect) without jumping from 45 to 51 to keep the same style. But the 51 is too big for what I want. The one(s) in between are a style that doesnt have the compartments in the locations I prefer that are found on this one, the 45, and 51. But oh well.. I just have to get a little creative with the (slightly too small for my needs) 45, and just hang a few more things off its side, or strap it over the top or something.
Overall, VERY pleased with this purchase.
Good job Vanguard engineers/designers.
