The Primus AW is a nearly perfect multi-purpose camera backpack. I've been looking for a backpack that could hold a reasonable amount of photography and non-photography gear for several years, and this is the first I've found that manages get the balance just right. It has many things to like about it and only a few minor flaws.
The photography gear section is at the bottom of the bag. It is able to hold a professional body with a 70-200mm lens attached (but without the hood), along with a couple of other lenses and a flash. For most of my day trips, this is plenty of gear. The padding in this area is quite sufficient and there are dividers that can be arranged to partition the gear however you like. Access to the camera gear is through the back of the backpack, which helps prevent theft and allows you to get the gear out without getting the part of the bag that touches your back dirty. The photography section can also be accessed by a side panel that allows easy removal of the camera. While this works great for a regular-sized camera, my Rebel XTi with the battery grip on doesn't fit through the opening easily. I wish they would have made this access panel a bit bigger to accommodate the bodies with grips.
The upper compartment is a slightly padded area that can hold a lot of non-photography gear. I packed a first aid kit, food, maps, and a GorillaPod table-tripod in it and still had room to spare. On the front of the bag is a sort of half-open expandable area that is perfect for holding a jacket, books, or other items. It can even hold a small notebook computer. The outermost part of the bag has a tripod attachment that also worked great for trekking poles. Underneath the bag is the storage for the attached all-weather cover, should it begin to rain. Finally, on the side of the bag is an expandable pocket for a water bottle.
There are very few downsides to the bag. The first is the already-mentioned size of the side-access panel. This won't be a problem for most people that don't own cameras with grips. The second downside to the bag is that it only comes in one size. The bag is slightly short for my torso. It would have been great if they offered these in different sizes like camping backpack makers do. For me, an extra inch would have been great, allowing me to put more of the load onto my hips. The final negative that I have encountered is that there are no SlipLock attachments on the bag. I have a few accessory attachments that I use with my other Lowepro bags and they won't work with this bag.
Overall, if you're an average sized person who wants a bag to carry around for a day hike through the park or while touring a city, this bag is a wonderful choice. I have other bags for other purposes, but I can see this being my go-to bag for most occasions.
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I debated a long time before settling on the Lowepro Primus pack. There are a lot of other great packs out there, but this is the one I chose. In hind sight, I may have elected to go with the Lowepro Compu-Treker, but I'm still not sure about that.
Here goes:
PROS:
1. Very very comfortable to wear around.
2. Made from recycled water bottles
3. Has a tripod holder
4. All-Weather (AW)
5. Nice large upper storage compartment for water, snacks, jacket, etc.
6. High quality zippers and fabric
CONS:
1. Camera compartment is pretty small. (I can fit my D300 w/ battery grip and the 17-55mm f/2.8 lens mounted on it, plus two additional smaller lenses (i.e. 10-20mm Sigma, Nikon 50mm/1.8, extension tubes, or tele-extender)
2. The easy access side door is very small. No way to get D300 w/ batter grip out the side door. It comes out ok without the battery grip, but it's still pretty tight.
3. The top compartment is a challenge to get into without unclicking the load lifter straps. It's easy to do, but it's just another step in the process.
4. There are a lot of straps on the backpack (this is both good and bad) and it makes it a challenge to open and close zippers with all of the straps in the way.
In summary, it is a very good/well built backpack, but it won't carry a ton of camera gear unless you put more gear in the upper compartment. It's very comfortable to wear, but is a little bit of a pain to get into.
I'm not sure if it's worth $200, but you're paying a little bit of a premium because it's made of recycled water bottles.
For someone who just carries a camera and a lens or two and does a lot of hiking, this is an excellent backpack. If you're looking for something to lug all your camera gear around on the subway or in the car, I would get something different.
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Cool concept, mediocre execution. The side-access panel, which is a great idea, is simply too small. No way a pro-DSLR or smaller SLR w/vertical grip will fit. Even a larger non-pro body like the Nikon D300/D700/5D/40D doesn't really fit.
As a backpack, it doesn't even come close to being a real, outdoor quality pack. One size, few adjustments = difficult to put the load on the hips for someone taller.
If you want fast access, consider a Slingshot or Fastpack. If you want a quality hiking pack, consider a non-camera hiking pack w/lower access panel then insert a padded camera pouch of appropriate size. That basically simulates the Primus. You give up the fast access side panel but get a quality suspension and ability to a pack that fits your build.
Honest reviews on Lowepro 35092 Primus AW Premium Backpack (Arctic Blue)
Before getting to the (big) negative, I'll begin by saying this is a phenomenal backpack. The construction is some of the most robust I've seen to date (only Kata's backpacks beat it). The padding for both the camera and the poor schmo who has to lug it on his/her back is top-notch. The fold-out pouch for a tripod is excellent, as is the top compartment for carrying additional gear. The straps are infinitely adjustable and the waist belt is solid. All-in-all, I would keep this backpack in a heartbeat if only... the D300 fit :(
When I suggest that the D300 doesn't fit, I'm speaking of a specific case: the side flap. To be fair, if you take the backpack off and unzip the compartment flap (which rests against your back in an EXCELLENT nod to securing your valuable camera from thieves), you can get the D300 in and out no sweat (also, the fact that the flap is on the back means that when you set the pack on the ground, the part that will go on your back won't get dirty). The problem is that if you try to access a camera sized like the D300 (also D200, D300s), you will have to wrestle mightily to get it out. In fact, the image shown on the main product page with what appears to be a Nikon D300 coming out (or going in) to the pocket is a sign of what actually happens: the camera catches on the edges of the flap and will not go in or out easily. Part of this is that the hole is shaped in a curve, rather than a box like a camera shape. Undoubtedly this was chosen to make the zipped easy to use, but it makes removing the camera nearly impossible. If you have a battery grip (or a D3, for example), forget it completely. you will NOT be able to remove to insert the camera through the side port. Which brings me to the second problem: A D300 w/ battery grip is a tight fit regardless. One of the things that makes this pack so nice if that there is a *signifiant* amount of padding in the main compartment. Unfortunately, due to the shape of the pack, the camera compartment is barely 5" deep at the bottom. A D300 w/ grip (or a D3, etc) will be a snug fit and will press against the back of the pack... and your back. it's not terrible, but it could be an issue in the long run.
In the end, I knocked off 2 stars because two of the cameras in the manufacturers pictures (A D300-type model and a D3-type model) are the two cameras that will defeat some of the features for which the backpack is noteworthy. In the end, I would say that this is an incredible backpack for the photog who uses a "consumer-level" camera (i.e. sub-$1k) but is NOT good for those using prosumer/pro bodies.
PS The compartment is really only big enough to hold a body, a mid-range zoom (attached) and a flash. If you want to carry a telephoto, it will need to be attached to the body or will need to remove the center divider. My 70-300 VR only fit attached to the body or sideways in the pack. Since I like to also carry a speedlight, this was another deal-breaker.
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This is my favorite camera bag. None of the others I have come close to filling this same role. It's elegantly designed. The amount of space in the top and bottom are just right for many situations. I even went around Europe with this as my only bag for weeks. Clothes and toothbrush in the top, gear in the bottom (I travel light, except for camera equipment!) The back-opening design is really nice in that one doesn't have to take the bag all the way off to get at the pockets. You can sling it around or reverse it, and open it towards your chest. The camera access point on the side is MAYBE a little small, but really well positioned. It's easy to access and stow your things quickly, and the rigid extension tab on the zipper makes it easy to close-it's a tiny detail, but it makes a big difference. It also shows that the designers were wide awake on this one.
It's not big enough for all your gear, but if you have a rough idea of what you'll be shooting, you should be fine.
Now, another important point:
I have a number of Lowepro bags. They all serve different functions. They're all really solidly built, and very well designed. They have the occasional SMALL design quirk, but easily they're the best I've used. I really want to mention their customer service. I had a zipper on a bag die a slow death a while ago, and I wrote in about it. They offered to quickly send me a replacement without having to ship in the original. In addition to being a really classy move, it tells me that they take product quality and customer retention very seriously; which is worth a LOT to me in today's market of caveat-ridden warranties. Any company that makes products which they're willing to back so strongly wins my admiration.
Use these bags with confidence. If something goes wrong, they stand behind their products.
