By Ryan Klos, Calumet Photographic

In many ways the modern photographer’s backpack is the perfect photo bag. Fill it up and you’ve got all you need from lenses and meters to camera bodies and reflectors—even a tripod—right on your back. And with so many different sizes to choose from, you could have a dedicated pack for every style of shooting you specialize in.

On a recent trip to Colorado for some landscape and nature photography, I tested two heavy-duty packs: Lowepro’s Computrekker Plus AW and Tamrac’s Expedition 7. Both full-size packs provide comfort for the long hikes and are meant to make you feel more like a photographer and less like a pack mule.

This review is not a comparison of one pack against the other. They’re not matched products—one is a computer pack, the other isn’t. Instead, this review will focus on each pack’s performance as I experienced it in the field.

Lowepro Computrekker Plus AW
I wore this pack for the most strenuous hike of the trip: Chasm Lake trail. This hike took nearly seven hours with an elevation gain of approximately 2,550 vertical feet. A 1 a.m. departure was necessary to ensure we’d arrive in time to see the sunrise light the diamond of Longs Peak with Chasm Lake below—the main shot I was looking for. I chose the Lowepro Computrekker Plus AW for the AW of its name—All Weather. When it comes to weather, the mountains are unpredictable at best; I wanted to be prepared for the worst. When wearing  several thousand dollars worth of photo equipment on your back, the last thing you want to worry about is the clouds opening up and soaking your gear. Another reason for choosing the Computrekker Plus was that a lot of gear I use for climbing and outdoor sports is made by Lowe Alpine, the makers of Lowepro products. I trust their quality and have never been disappointed.

The Lowepro Computrekker Plus AW is a solid pack made of an extremely durable canvas material on the outside and shock-absorbing, closed-cell foam on the inside. All around the exterior hang several straps and closures for certain security of all your gear, including two clip straps on either side to keep the front flap from flipping open with the top unzipped, and for compressing things when it’s all closed up. Accessory loops for modular pouches and cases line the outside for quick access to water bottles, CF cards or any other accessories you might need instant access to. I attached two water bottle bags to my pack for this hike—a plus because I’ve had nightmares about leaky bottles inside my photo bag. All main handles and straps are reinforced at the seams, and on the very top sits a nylon handle reinforced with a rubber grip for those times you want to carry the pack without putting it on. On the bottom of the pack, sealed in its own pocket, is the All Weather cover. The AW cover itself is sewn into the inside of its pocket so you don’t have to worry about losing it in strong winds.

After seven hours of hiking under 40lbs of gear, any backpack will get a little uncomfortable, but the Computrekker Plus AW fared well for the duration. It didn’t rub any hot-spots on me, not even in the usual places like where the sternum strap meets the shoulder strap. The wide 4.5-inch padded waist belt took most of the pack’s weight while the padded shoulder straps kept it balanced and comfortable. (Waist belt can be removed if desired.) On top of each shoulder strap is a compression strap which, coupled with the adjustable shoulder straps, let the pack conform to my frame, comfortably distributing weight. An expandable sternum strap also helped keep weight balanced and the shoulder straps tight. Where the pack actually touched my back, the padding was strategically beefed up for the fullest contact with my back muscles. This kept fatigue to a minimum. In the center of the padding, an open section let my spine move without rubbing and also allowed for air flow. At the bottom, a hefty lumbar pad fit snugly into the small of my back, but it tended to get sweaty there, especially after several hours (the spine channel doesn’t go all the way through).

I can’t say the backpack was one hundred percent comfortable the entire time. I wasn’t used to carrying 40lbs on my back, so sure, it got annoying. But given the circumstances, it was about as comfortable as I could expect.

For me, a huge selling point on this pack was the laptop compartment with water-resistant zipper. While I didn’t take my 17" PowerBook with me up to Chasm Lake, I did bring it to Colorado. The compartment also makes this pack ideal for location shooting when you need to have your laptop, paperwork, model releases or magazines on hand.

Inside, the main compartment is deep—deep enough to house a DSLR with battery grip, no problem. Shock-absorbing, closed-cell foam lines the entire thing, and it comes with more than enough adjustable, padded dividers—so many that I left some behind. The nice thing about having an abundance of dividers is creating small pockets for gadgets or goodies that really need protection, or for propping up a long lens. While advertisements for camera bags show them filled to the gills with nine lenses, two bodies, four flash meters and six flash units, I couldn’t see myself hauling my entire kit up 2,250 feet. I packed my Canon EOS 30D, 70-200mm, 28-70mm, 10-22mm, light meter, 22" reflector, four extra camera batteries, Canon PowerShot S40 point-and-shoot, extra CF cards, lens and sensor cleaning supplies, camera manual (you never know when you’ll need it), ExpoDiscs and my Manfrotto tripod. Overkill? Maybe, but it’s not everyday that you get up to Chasm Lake, especially when you live in the Midwestern flatlands of Illinois.

On the inside of the main flap are two semitransparent, mesh plastic zipper pouches, both the same size. I filled these with various filters, cords and my camera manual. While these pockets proved useful for a few things, they can’t be filled with thick items or they’ll push on gear in the main compartment. On the outside of the main compartment is a larger zipper pocket. It’s great for holding extra batteries, filters, CF cards and your extra cords or cables. It has a built-in digital memory pocket right at the top for quick access to your media. Plus, that little pocket within-a-pocket features a Velcro closure to keep media secured.

Inside the main compartment are two removable “digital accessory pouches,” according to Lowepro, but they can be used fore plenty more. For instance, you could easily stuff a poncho, gloves or knit hat in them. And keeping those kinds of items on the bottom of the pack adds another degree of padding for your gear.

One of the coolest features, next to the laptop compartment, is the drop-down tripod pocket. On the front of the pack, a Velcro flap lifts up revealing a pocket for accommodating two legs of a tripod.

Two bungee straps hold the tripod snug no matter how rocky the terrain beneath your feet. Since the tripod’s feet reach below the bottom of the pack, the tripod is centered and well-balanced ensuring its head won’t be too top-heavy. Plus, by keeping it lower, the chances of your tripod head bumping into yours are slim. The only negative is that when it’s on, you can’t easily access any other pockets.

Overall, this pack suited all my needs and was an excellent choice for an eight-mile hike and 2,250 foot elevation gain. All the pockets and compartments were easily accessible (as long as I wasn’t wearing it and didn’t have a tripod on) with more than enough room for all my necessities. Thankfully the waist belt took the majority of the 40lbs, and while I didn’t need it, I was glad to have the All Weather cover. I thought of it as my insurance policy.

This pack is ideal for landscape or wildlife photographers who need to haul a lot of gear out to their locations. (Lowepro has a full line of additional modular accessory cases that quickly and securely fit on the outside of the bag.) The notebook sleeve on this pack makes it ideal for shooters who need to edit in the field or prepare and send digital files right after the shoot.

Tamrac Expedition 7
I used the Tamrac Expedition 7 on several day hikes, most of which averaged about two miles.

The Tamrac Expedition 7 is a sturdy pack that successfully marries durable construction and functionality with good looks. Constructed of a tough canvas exterior, and a thick, rigid foam interior, this pack was made to take abuse. All zippers are either water-resistant or have a water-resistant LockDown rain flap covering them which means your gear is protected from the elements, plus, the zippers to the main compartment are very large for speedy opening and closing. However, several times during my trip the oversized mouths took in too much fabric from the LockDown rain flap and got caught. A small price to pay for an otherwise convenient enhancement. But I ran into another issue. The first time I tightened the LockDown rain flap, the nylon string broke inside. And you can’t replace it. Chances are that won’t happen to most people, but I can’t depend on it for closure and protection from rain on future trips.

At a glance it looks like this pack is hemorrhaging straps—they’re everywhere. But they all serve a purpose and contribute to a fantastic fit that makes wearing the Expedition 7 enjoyable. The sides of the pack feature slots for Tamrac’s Modular Accessory System which includes water bottle holders, additional lens cases and accessory pockets. There are also several slash tabs allowing you to add gear straps for cinching spare clothes, rain gear or whatever else you can’t fit inside the bag. All main straps and handles are reinforced with several layers of stitching and are clearly ready for heavy use.

For such a large pack, the Expedition 7 is extremely comfortable; the shoulder straps are much thicker than what you’ll find on most packs. The only negative with the straps was the ribbing along the outer edges.

Depending on how tight I cinched them, I felt like the ribbing sat too close to my neck. The last thing you want while hiking is hot-spots, but thankfully, I never experienced them. It could be different for photographers with a different build than mine, so be sure to always try on a pack before buying. The adjustable sternum strap fit comfortably and didn’t give me any problems at any time. The waist belt on this pack features two pivot points for more fluid motion and flexibility. Just like the shoulder straps, the waist belt was doubly padded and extremely comfy. All straps are fully adjustable and may require a lot of tweaking before finding the right fit, but in hiking situations I’d rather have more options for adjustment than not enough. Some of the nicest design features on this pack rest against your back. Tamrac took extra care in designing air flow channels that keep air moving and limit uncomfortable rubbing due to sweaty clothes. Plus, Dual-Foam Comfort Pads are strategically placed where the pack touches most: shoulder blades, middle spine and lumbar region.

The lumbar support provided just the right amount of Dual-Foam Padding to keep things perfectly balanced when I had everything snug against my body. For all the smaller day hikes I did with this pack, not once did I feel uncomfortable or fatigued because of it.

The Expedition 7 has compartments galore—enough to handle my entire kit and then some. By far the coolest and most useful—and most accessible—compartments on this pack are the “wing” accessory pockets.

These were great for items I needed to access quickly and easily like memory cards, batteries and cell phone. Plus, these pockets can be reached even with a tripod strapped on. Speaking of which, below the wings is another pocket earmarked for the legs of a tripod, but when I wasn’t lugging mine, I keep extra batteries and chargers in it (more on the tripod pocket later). On the front behind the wings, is another big pocket that accommodated my rain jacket while on the trail. It’s big enough for magazines, paperwork, model releases and all sorts of equipment. I currently stow my Speedlite and battery chargers in it with lots of room for more gadgets if necessary. This pocket became the catch-all pocket on the trip—a nice option instead of constantly looking for an inside compartment to stash stuff.

On the inside flap of the main compartment are three see-through zipper pockets for filters, cords, batteries or granola bars. Then the interior of the Expedition 7 is deep enough to handle my 30D with battery grip comfortably, and has plenty of room to simply toss my neck strap in without tucking it to one side or the other. It’s also packed full of adjustable foam-padded dividers to make custom sizes and supports for everything I needed. The foam dividers on this pack really impressed me. They were thicker and stiffer than most other packs out there and appeared to hold up to more abuse without bending or folding when stressed—but soft enough to cushion sensitive gear. On day hikes I took a fairly full pack, just as full as my Chasm Lake hike: Canon EOS 30D, 70-200mm, 28-70mm, 10-22mm, light meter, 22" reflector, four extra camera batteries, Canon PowerShot S40 point-and-shoot, extra CF cards, lens and sensor cleaning supplies, camera manual, ExpoDiscs and my Manfrotto tripod. All that gear fit perfectly and with room to spare.

Finally, the tripod pocket and straps. This was a weak spot on the pack for me, but that may be because of the size of my tripod. Because the legs only reach down as far as the bottom of the pack, the head of my tripod sat about even with my own head.

Even with the straps keeping it close, it felt top-heavy. The head was just too high for proper balance. Bending over, I could feel the pull of its weight. While I don’t think my tripod is particularly huge—three section legs and a standard size head—a smaller tripod would likely be fine. The leg straps were nylon, not bungee, which meant less movement while climbing on the trail.

The Tamrac Expedition 7 performed very well in the field and met all my expectations. But despite having water-resistant zippers and a rain flap, I doubt I would have felt comfortable wearing this pack in a storm—especially considering the nylon cord snapped at the first cinch. Aside from that, this pack is durable, strong, extremely comfortable and easy to wear. I say easy to wear because not once did I feel it was a nuisance. If you’re not carrying a laptop, this pack is great for longer hikes, wildlife, nature and landscape photography. And, if your kit is small, it doubles as extra storage.

Recommendation
Both Lowepro’s Computrekker Plus AW and Tamrac’s Expedition 7 performed exceptionally well in the field, were comfortable for extended wear and boasted durable construction throughout. I strongly recommend both, depending on your needs. As with any backpack, the best way to find out if it’s right for you is to strap it on and see how it feels. Evaluate your needs on your most common outings and make sure the pack has enough room for necessary gear, plus a little extra. I’d venture that either of these two packs will accommodate most wildlife, nature and landscape photographers, as well as most sport shooters. Both feature plenty of space and are rugged enough to be tossed and dragged through the dirt. Having said that, I was slightly surprised that neither had a specially waterproofed or rubberized bottom. On wet days or in snowy conditions, such reinforcement would be helpful as you’re sure to set your pack on wet terrain. To its credit, the Lowepro pullout All Weather cover could be spread on the ground as a footprint, but that’s not its main intent, and I’d be careful when laying it on rocky surfaces or sticks for fear of puncturing it.

Neither of these bags are on the low end of the price scale, but unless your location shooting needs drastically change, either may very well be the last bag you need to buy.