Tamrac 5273 Expedition 3 Photo Backpack (Rust) Reviews

Customer Ratings:
List Price: $98.95
Sale Price: $60.00
Today's Bonus: 39% Off

I was finding that many of my activities were going unphotographed because I didn't have a way to safely carry my equipment. Activities such as bike riding, cross country skiing or canoeing have not been a part of my photohistory--until I got the Tamrac Expedition 3 backpack.

The "Expedition" holds my SLR with a 300mm lens, my standard lens, my off camera flash, extra film, standard filters and cleaning supplies, with room left over for my keys and money. Everything is well padded and secure, and the pack is quite small and sits squarely on my back. A sturdy top handle allows it to be carried in hand, and its small size makes this possible without dragging it along the ground as I do so. The materials used are very sturdy; the pack can stand on its own and does not "collapse."

The only down side, and this is true of any camera backpack, is the need to take it off and zip it open to get at your gear. If this would be a concern, you may want to check out the top-loading hip packs, which I passed on since they always feel awkward to me. Years of hauling backpacks make the "Expedition" seem like second nature to me. No longer will my photohistory suggest couch potato-dom; now I can shoot my exploits on trail or river, thanks to the "Expedition!"

Click Here For Most Helpful Customer Reviews >>

This pack worked great for about a week. It handles my STsi along with a 75-300mm lens, a 28-80mm lens, a 2x tele-converter, a hot shoe flash, 8 filters, and assorted other trinkets. The one main complaint is there isn't much room for film. Also there isn't any room to grow with the pack. The pack is very small. If you are the "just bring this and thats it" type then this is YOUR pack. I on the other have bought 2 more lens (35-135 & a 1000) and another body. Not a chance of fitting this into the pack. another complaint is that since it is so small lashing a tripod to the pack is just notfeasable. All in all GREAT pack! Although I have a few complaints it is great to just keep your camera with you and your hands free. And I did order a much larger pack. So enough of my whinning!

Best Deals for Tamrac 5273 Expedition 3 Photo Backpack (Rust)

This is a nice, well-made, durable backpack.

It just arrived today and I immediately stuffed it with my Nikon D50 SLR, with an 18-55mm lens attached and 2 additional lenses. It was a VERY tight squeeze getting this little bit of gear into the backpack. The bag is bulging at the sides making it a bit of a pain to zip up. If I had it to do over, I would probably opt for something larger than this backpack but for what it is, and the price, it'll do. The good thing about it is that the space constraints can be somewhat alleviated by purchasing attachable lens cases such as the MX5378 and MX5375.

Honest reviews on Tamrac 5273 Expedition 3 Photo Backpack (Rust)

I'm not sure why people are complaining about this backpack being so small since the description and pictures are accurate (though it looks smaller in real life and the scale is not all that obvious).

I easily fit a medium sized camera with a 28-300 lens attached and and an 18-55 lens directly below it. I don't have other lenses to fill up the side partitions of the main compartment, but could easily fit 2 to 4 more lenses (depending on size) in these areas. The sides of the main compartment seem a bit tighter to fit things in, however.

Even being conservative, this pack should fit a camera with lens attached, 2 additional lenses and a flash in the main compartment.

In the smaller front pocket I fit 2 memory cards, compact lens cleaning kit, larger lens cloth, 8 AA batteries, compact charger. A mini-tripod or compact water bottle would fit in the outside pocket/strap.

Don't expect to carry huge amounts of additional things in this pack aside from additional small items like keys, wallet, map, cell phone.

You're not going to be putting your thermos, picnic lunch and jacket in here. It's not even as big as most computer backpacks, but it certainly doesn't claim to be. You might fit some small additional items, but not anything bulky.

The construction seems good and it's reasonably rigid and well padded. It's a good value for the price.

Find helpful customer reviews and review ratings for Tamrac 5273 Expedition 3 Photo Backpack (Rust)

I ordered this bag over a canon bag for my rebel XT and lenses due to reports of problems with the zippers on the canon bags. The tamrac bag's zipper feels quite sturdy, but it seems to get stuck or a little tight towards the top when zipping or unzipping both main pockets.

Otherwise this was a great purchase. There is plenty of room so far, for my Digital Rebel XT with 50mm f/1.8 lens, 18-56mm lens, 75-300mm lens, charger, two batteries, various cables, manual, lens pen, and tripod mount. Theoretically you can attach a tripod to the bag as well, although mine is too large and even if it weren't I'm not really sure it would hold it in an optimum fashion.

The shoulder straps are comfortable and sturdy, as is the carrying handle. There are enough pockets and seperators to hold most of the little knick-knacks that you might need. I'm quite happy with the purchase.