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Camera Backpack recommendation e-m1 plus wildlife lenses

Started Mar 1, 2015 | Questions thread
Arizona Sunset
Arizona Sunset Veteran Member • Posts: 3,797
Re: Camera Backpack recommendation e-m1 plus wildlife lenses

Have researched this a ton, because LowePro and the other popular gear companies don't make a legitimate outdoor / adventure / climbing backpack with modern suspension and layout.

Here are three options that I considered after reviewing and handling dozens more. Each has their own unique layout and features, an external tripod attachment, and is extremely lightweight.

1) FStop Loka UL - the sensible, lightweight choice

My cousin saunters around the flat lands "wilderness" with his FF kit (similar in size and weight to yours) with fstop backpacks, and swears by them. The Fstop Loka UL is something that I've looked at a couple of times, but ultimately, due to having so much space, decided against. I tend to fill the bag up, which means that I'll be less likely to make it to the next ridge or top of the mountain if it's too big.

Fstop has a variety of options - here's the Loka UL

2) Click Elite Obscura (for quick draw pouch) - probably not great for your case

I briefly owned an adventure camera pack from Click Elite (or however you spell it) called the Obscura. It's really a clever design for storing a camera, has a quick draw padded insert, and it relatively light. I would have kept it but abandoned the bulky and heavier zoom lenses from my kit in favor of fixed compacts, and didn't need the larger padded space.

For your purposes, this would fit the bigger telephoto zoom and the EM1:

3) MindShift Gear Rotation 180 Panorama

This is an innovative product with a patented waist belt.

If I were you, I would seriously consider this option, however, you have so much gear, that I'm not sure that it will work - perhaps you could figure out how to make it work.

I'd probably go with choice #3 to see what innovation in a backpack can do for my photography, however, your needs may be different.

All three options would require separate pouches for your extra stuff, but that's kind of a given.

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