Perfectly fine for a day pack/camera bag

By Rick in Va Ranked #1351 - Luggage October 14, 2009

I just did a short hike in the Grand Canyon (rim to Indian Gardens) and I would have liked to have had this pack with me. For that hike I used a Camelback Blowfish with a 100oz bladder. However, the MountainSmith would have worked better for me. It has space for plenty of water and if you have a CamelBack Stowaway bladder (70 or 100 oz), that will attach easily to the Mountainsmith.

The nice thing about this pack is that the camera slips easily into the weather/rain resistant top compartment and there is room for 2 other lenses in a compartment that is easily accessed on the back of the pack. When hiking I only carry two lenses plus the body - if you are looking for carrying much more gear than that you will need something else.

As to adequacy of volume for a day hike, it has room for a shell, food and other gear. It may be a tight fit, but no more than you'd expect. Access to the main compartment is through the back of the pack.

The pack has outside mesh pockets and compression straps and plenty of attachment points. The pack is built with contours that sit on your hips and the hip belt, though not fancy, is made of 2" wide webbing and has a substantial Rock Lobster buckle. The tripod/gear straps on the bottom are handy and well made.

There is also a wide rubber coated webbed handle at the top of the pack for grab and go carrying.

Materials are high quality and construction/stiching is very good.

View Details: Mountainsmith Quantum Camera Backpack - 1709cu in

Helpful Votes: 1 Yes | 0 No