What do you think of tamrac Expedition V?

[domenicco]

I just purchased a Tamrac Expediton V backpack . I have never owned a backpack before because i have always used different cases , but i am starting to feel the damage that " side carrring , together with my careless teeneger years have done on my back. So, i am now with a new tamrack expedition V. I have managed to fit a speed graphic, with a big barrel lens , a tessar 210 f 3.5, a 90 super angulon , spotmeter, loupe, 9 holders , filter bag and other smaller stuff , and i still have some room.. I know that some of you will cringe to my choice of lenses and will wonder if i have suicidal tendencies. I have an old Kodak # 2 5 x 7 that fits nicely in it , changing of course configuration of space, but it won't fit my massive 8 x 10 Kodak d-2, which i will probably replace with a smaller 8x10. Any suggestion for a "not too expensive" one? Also, does anybody owns such backpack? Are you happy with it? Is it comfortable after a while you carry it? Thank you.

[Bruce M. Herman]

I recently purchased a LowePro Super Trekker AW from Photococan. They had advertised it on eBay, where they have a "store." With shipping to Alaska it cost just over $300. Their service was excellent.

I've only used the pack a few times, but I am not sure how happy I am with the way it carries. I've had to tighten the waist belt to the point where it hurt my hips (i.e., they still hurt several days after using the pack) in order to keep the weight mostly off my shoulders. I had been carrying my gear in a couple of plastic containers in a Dana Astroplane, but I was wasting valuable time removing and replacing the gear in the plastic containers which then went into the pack. With the Dana pack, I could carry some of the load on my hips, some on my back and some on my shoulders, and shift the bulk from one area to another. It is either on my hips or my shoulders with the LowePro. Another advantage of the Dana pack is that the waist belt comes in different sizes, which allows you to optimize the fit of the belt. I will admit that I may not have the straps and belt on my LowePro properly adjusted. However, the instructions on the web site are not particularly helpful when trying to position the shoulder straps. I plan to adjust the fit once my hips feel better.

The bottom line is to try the pack on before you purchase it.

Good luck.