DAKINE Sequence Backpack - 1800 cu in - 2007 BCS

First of all, thanks to Dakine for putting the two together.
I'd say overall this is a great pack. I usually can't stand Dakine packs. I feel that, while they have great ideas put into their packs, the actaulization of those ideas is shaky at best. However this pack is one exception. Seems pretty bomber, rides well on your back - ie. doesn't flop around, easy to use sectioning inside,zippers don't jam, you can use the hip pocket without having to take the pack off (like the cruddy design on the heli pro), and cool other features. My only complaint is the lack of room for food/water/extra layers. By the time you put your camera, lenses, shovel, and probe in there there is little if any room for much else. Obviously designed by someone who rides lifts. My advise to Dakine is to hire less marketers and engineers and more people who use gear like this in the backcountry to design your packs....anyway best Dakine pack I've seen.

I was looking for camera packs that were built and designed for outdoor specific pursuits in mind. I typically carry a Nikon D50 and a Panasonic GS300 camcorder all the cables/batts/cords associated with them, some extra room for jacket/food/misc. so my list of requirements were these: 1)Good protection for my gear (90% street/10% for my occasional snowboard trip) 2) Load distribution and ease of carrying 3) Sporty looks 4) Accomodate all my gear. I narrowed my search to include the Burton Zoom, LowePro MiniTrekker AW and the Sequence. I did not have the opportunity to visually inspect and try on each pack, but armed with lots of testimonials and reviews by actual people (and not just the description provided by manufacturer), I decided to go with the Sequence and am mostly satisfied with this bag.

Positives - Rear access for security and cleanliness reasons. Well padded camera removable camera block-I can separate the pack from the block when I need to carry unplanned items. Good load distribution - when you tighten the belt straps, it really does secure the load, however shoulder lift straps don't work that well to take weight off of shoulders. I have to tighten belt and loosen shoulder straps to transfer most of the weight to the belt, but that results in sloppy fit where bag is not tight to upper body. Well padded shoulder straps. Safety whistle on sternum strap - nice touch. It is a great looking sports inspired pack that doesn't scream "I have photo gear here. Please steal me". So far, coated nylon is repelling water very well.

Negatives - I wish every interior seam was taped (more durable and less fraying). The outside pocket needs bellows/gussets to allow for extra room. When the camera block is in and takes all of the interior room, the outside pocket can hold a laptop, or a bunch of magazines, but won't hold a balled up jacket or anything that isn't flat. Haven't put a shovel or avalanche probes in yet, but I would imagine it to be an extremely tight fit.

Wishlist- I wish the zipper pulls for the main compartment were painted neon yellow so they would be easier to find, as they are now black on black, and I have to look and feel behind one hip belt first and then the other. The top compartment has only one zipper slide. I would love it to have two zipper slides for convenience. When you remove the camera block, it has three panels of hook side of Velcro. Dakine should sew a loop side along one side, so when you take the block out, you can just fold the loop over the hook and not have it gunk up with lint, catch on your clothes etc...

All in all, it's close to the ideal pack for me. The one major beef is that it can really only carry whatever is in the camera block and doesn't allow for much more. The other negatives or wishlist aren't make or break deals but things I would do to improve the pack. Hope this helps.

This pack is SIIICKKK. I am in love with it. I just got a new camera and needed a new pack to sport it and my lenses. There are ample pockets in this pack. The only point of questions in the engineering of the pack is its a little girthy. If you are looking for a hop on the chair, day pack, this may be a little over the top for you. Otherwise, enjoy!

There aren't a lot of choices for a camera ski pack -- Dakine Sequence and Burton Zoom are it, and they are very similar. Sequence is a nice pack. Comfortable harness, room for two bodies, back access, removable camera block. Looks like it will last longer than the Zoom. In the end, I went with the Zoom because it's a little slimmer and a bit nicer inside. But, I would have been happy with the Sequence, too.

This is amazing - very versatile and the best quality I've ever seen.

If you are looking for a camera bag,this is great! Easy access, plenty of room for a couple telephoto lenses and a body or two plus smaller lenses and film. If you are looking for a skiing backpack to put your camera in look at something else, there is no room for anything. I can hardly fit my shovel probe and skins in it and even then there is no place to put the shovel handle if you have a standard metal shovel. Also there is nowhere for extra layers or food or anything like that.

What a great find! I love to take my camera out on my adventures but have been extremely reluctant to take my photo gear out with me. Then I found this pack! I know there are some things that could be changed about the pack- larger zippers, more flexible storage space in the front compartment and hideaway straps, but this is still one hell of a pack! I took it skiing with me on the northern border of South Korea and it stayed with me the whole time, never failing to allow me access to my gear or protect it from snow, ice, and occasional wipeout.

I'll be using this for years to come!

This is an awesome pack. It holds my large body Canon with extra battery pack, 100-400 lens, an extra wide angle lens, my Canon video, tons of gear and is very comfortable. My only wish is that the front pocket stash was a bit deeper to accommodate an extra jacket or when its time to shed a layer. Winter X-Games approved and tested!! AAA+++

The pack works great as a camera pack, it keeps everything organized, and safe (padded compartments). the pack is very comfortable too. However, there is no place for water on the pack, which is key for back country use. It is not camel-pak compatible nor does the side water bottle holder adequately hold a nalegene bottle with out it falling out.

The new sequence has some improvements on the old one, and a couple short-comings. There is no longer a small inner mesh pocket in the top pocket, which was perfect for keeping track of small random things, such as keys. One thing they made better is the water bottle pocket which used to take a lot of wrestling with to fit a nalgene bottle into....now it's a pocket that unzips to turn into a water bottle pocket. it is sized better for a nalgene bottle and when not in use you have an extra zippered pocket.
Overall the pack is still great for hauling camera gear while skiing, and it skis really well (i.e. it does not feel cumbersome or hinderng). On longer hikes it's not the most comfortable pack to hike with when it's fully loaded and your diagonally loaded skis are pulling back at your left shoulder, but for shorter hikes it's just fine.