Tamrac is one of my favorite bag makers, and they build all of their gear to the highest quality standards. I bought this pack because I do nature photography, and my style involves constant hiking. This looked like the ideal piece of equipment. After owning it for a year, I have discovered that despite the extraordinary quality of the bag, this is not my favorite and indeed I hardly use it anymore. The reason for this is simple logistics. It turns out that in terms of carrying a camera, backpacks are just about the most difficult apparatus to use efficiently. In order to access your SLR, you must essentially remove the pack and place it on the ground. This is then followed by accessing your camera, which generally has to be set down in order for you to re-shoulder the bag. Quite an unpleasant, time consuming and burdensome process especially when the ground is covered in snow or mud. The bag I reach for most often is the LowePro Off Road, which is a combination hip pack/shoulder bag. Tamrac, however, also makes several of these. With the hip option, you can easily access all of your gear while walking, not even needing to stop, and all of it is upright and will not fall out. You are not forced to set anything down on dirty surfaces. For longer pack trips, such a bag is also very easily placed inside a standard backpack, which is again difficult w/ the larger model. For anyone that is not simply traveling from one site to the next (and may photograph en route) I highly recommend you look at the hip pack/shoulder bag combo models. You'll find yourself reaching for them every time you go out.
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Having used and enjoyed the Tamrac 5749 Velocity 9 Pro Photo sling pack for about a year, I suddenly found myself with more equipment than the pack was meant for. This wasn't obvious to me at first, but became painfully obvious on a trip to Budapest. I knew I needed a bigger bag to overcome the problems I was facing.
For Christmas 2005 I received the Expedition 5. The Tamrac model 5575 Expedition 5 mid-size photo backpack is well designed, sturdy, and built for organization. On the top, the Bag has a handle, modular accessory attachment slots along the sides. Externally the bag measures 12 3/4 W x 10 D x 16 H or 32 x 25 x 41 cm and weighs 4 lbs. 5 oz. or 1950 grams. The internal main compartment measures 11 W x 5 D x 13 1/2 H or 28 x 13 x 34 cm. This is significantly larger than the Velocity 9 pro photo sling pack and more than twice as heavy.
The interior main compartment is separated into compartments with foam padded dividers attached to the bag using Velcro designed to hold an SLR camera, 5-7 lenses and a flash. What you actually will get in the bag depends on what equipment you have. I pack my Canon 70-200mm or 100-400mm lens down the center, a 16-35mm and 24-105mm lenses on one side, a camera at the top, a flash and a few odds and ends on the other side. I still have room for a second camera. Behind the interior flap, two windowpane mesh zippered pockets hold more stuff.
On the external side of the flap, there is a large pocket with a water resistant zipper, two accessory pockets with water resistant zippers and a memory & battery management system, plus a tripod attachment system. Each wing pocket contains two windowpane mesh pockets for memory cards with a red flags on the inside flap. I use one card per pocket although two cards can easily fit in each. The red flap stays tucked into the pocket for empty cards and the flap is pulled out to indicate the card is full. A single pocket large enough to hold two BP-511A batteries takes up most of the rest of the space with no flags. The Tripod attachment system uses the space between the wing pockets for balance. The tripod rests in a plastic reinforced pocket with a drain hole and is secured in place by three straps with quick clip closures.
The harness is like those found on hiking backpacks with two shoulder straps connected by an adjustable sternum strap and a waist belt. Included on the straps are strap accessory system attachment points and D rings for use with the Tamrac N-11 camera straps. The back uses dual-density comfort pads for comfort while maintaining adequate airflow to keep you cool and dry. When I want to take all four of my lenses with me, I just attach one of the lens cases on the side and I am good to go.
Having owned this bag for a year now, I have not been on a trip to compare my experience with that of Budapest. My equipment fits in this bag and I have a little room left to add a few things. I can see where one day I may need a larger bag or my very own sherpa, but for now this one does the job.
Unlike the sling pack, I have to take this bag off and find a place to set it down to do any task I need to complete at the moment. Getting a fresh CF card is a chore without using a memory and battery management wallet strap accessory. On mass transit, forget trying to wear this beast of a bag. While it is really not that big, it is deep enough that you will not be able to sit comfortably on the bus or rail car while wearing it.
PROS:
Well designed and sturdy
Manages weight comfortably when worn properly
Customizable with a large range of accessories
CONS:
Accessing equipment is a chore
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Excellent quality throughout! Very solidly built, heavy material and reinforced stitching. All of the zippers are a special self-sealing, waterproof type except for the main zipper, which is protected by an extra weatherproof flap. Plenty of room and partitions to securely hold all of my gear.
However, I'm going to agree with the other reviewer and question the actual utility of this pack (or any pack of this type and size for that matter). You definitely wouldn't want to take this on any type of strenuous hike. When I get this sucker fully loaded I can see it easily topping out at 50 or 60 lbs and that's without any other incidental gear like extra clothes, food, water, etc. I too will likely get some type of smaller, waist bag to use as my daypack. This one will be pretty much for storage and protection. Besides, you really don't need to be lugging all of your extra gear (battery chargers, cables, manuals, etc) up and down a mountainside anyway (unless you have issues)! Just the camera and an extra lens or two is enough to be mobile.
I still do like the backpack style camera bags though. They are convenient to carry, even if moderately heavy, and you're not advertising that you're loaded with $7k+ worth of premium photo gear!
Honest reviews on Tamrac 5575 Expedition 5 SLR Photo Backpack (Black)
Remember: "You get what you pay for". This pack is the prefect marriage between value and performance...and peace of mind that your gear is safe inside this pack. The zippers are STRONG and I see no threat of it opening on it's own. There's a ton of compartments for gear, accessories, and more. I wore this pack for 4 hours straight and almost forgot it was on my back toward the end of that timeframe. It is very comfortable and feels great! I even strapped my Manfrotto tripod to it and still felt great.
I have the following gear being carried in this pack:
Canon 400D body (although there's room for even a 5D body!
Canon 17-40 L lens
Canon 24-105 L lens
Canon 100-400 L lens (yes, the biggie!...even in it's own carry pouch!)
BG-E3 battery grip
Tons of batteries
Lens hoods for all my lenses!
Several CF cards
Cable release
IR shutter remote
Pad of paper and pen
My camera manual (just in case)
Several filters.
All my gear fits into this pack and the quality is very sturdy!
I highly recommend this pack!
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By far the Best camera bag I own, and I have about 5. Got this bag just in time for a 2 week photo trip to Alaska. Easily holds, protects, and organizes all my gear, plus room for the weather clothing that is nessesary in Alaska. I love the fact that tamrac bags are very weather proof with out needing and optional rain cover, it makes getting to your equipment much faster. The tripod straps work great, kept everything so balanced I forgot I was carrying a 'pod. The shoulder straps on this bag are very comfortable as well. I definaely recommend this bag to anyone looking for a camera backpack.
