A must for the digital photographer on the move
Written: Mar 30 '06
|
Product Rating:
|
|
|
Pros: Fits all digital SLR camera gear plus laptop and accessories, sturdy construction, waterproof cover.
Cons: 17" laptops won't fit, bulky to carry around town and on busses ans subways.
The Bottom Line: Whether it's in trains, planes or automobiles, the Computrekker AW is the best way to transport all your camera and portable computer equipment.
|
|
|
| rfman's Full Review: Lowepro Computrekker Aw Carrying |
Traveling with any significant amount of photography gear requires some preparation, as any serious photographer will tell you. The advent of digital photography had increased the amount of equipment a photographer must travel with in the last few years. Not only do I travel with two cameras and 3-4 lenses, I’m now bringing along a variety of memory card readers, USB cables, battery chargers and last, but certainly not least, my laptop computer.
So how do you take all that gear and safely pack it luggage that can be carried on to commercial aircraft and placed in overhead compartments? (Checking in photographic equipment baggage is nothing short of suicidal) The best solution I’ve found is the Lowepro Computrekker AW backpack (referred to subsequently as the AW for brevity’s sake), which is specifically designed to digital photographers.
The AW is sized to be allowed as carry on luggage on all major airlines, and I’ve had no problems bringing it with me on flights run by major Canadian and American airlines. There is an AW model that is bigger, but I’m not certain that it would be allowed as carry-on baggage on small aircraft.
The AW looks like a regular black backpack on the outside, which is great as it will not tip off thieves to the contents of your bag. There are straps on the outside to secure a compact tripod, but I do not like to carry the tripod around with me through airports and terminals, so I usually pack it with my clothes. It’s great to be able to strap on the tripod once arrived at destination for hiking trips.
The AW is very well-constructed, and it’s obvious when handling it that this is a quality backpack. The zippers work smoothly and are solidly built, all seams are double-stitched, and all the dividers and compartments are made to ensure all your photographic equipment does not get damaged.
A waterproof rain cover is incorporated in the bottom part of the bag to protect your gear in the event of a sudden downpour. In fact the AW in Computrekker AW stands for All-Weather. This is a great feature, but it completely blocks all access to your equipment when the cover is on. I’ve never had to use this feature however, so I can’t comment on it’s effectiveness, but considering it’s made out of waterproof nylon, I wouldn’t doubt it.
The AW has three compartments; a vertical padded sleeve at the back for a laptop computer, the main compartment for cameras and lenses, and a zippered compartment at the front for cables, chargers and other small items.
The laptop compartment will accept most computers with up to a 15.4” display. My Dell Inspiron 6400 (see review here) is a snug fit, and I’ve carried the IBM ThinkPad T43 (see review here) from work in there easily. Very large 15” laptops, such as the IBM R50p (see review here) will be a really tight fit and you may not be able to completely close the zipper for the laptop compartment. I’d suggest you try it out in a store if you own a large laptop. And forget about putting a 17” laptop in there, it’s just not going to happen. The padding is sufficient, and it’s kept my computer safe despite the backpack being handled roughly at times.
The main compartment is the heart of the AW, and like all Lowepro backpacks, it’s entirely modular and very well designed. The compartment is divided vertically in three sections, with the center one being flared at the top and bottom to accommodate two SLR bodies with lenses attached. Small Velcro-fastened dividers allow segmenting the side compartments in an infinite number of combinations to accommodate lenses and accessories. The main compartment can accommodate quite a bit of equipment. On my last trip to the Canadian Rockies, I had packed in my Olympus E-500 with 14-45 and 40-150 lenses (see review here), a Minlota Dimage 7i camera, an Olympus SP-310 compact camera (see review here), a Samsung SC-D67 camcorder, compact binoculars and accessories like lens hoods and mini-DV cassettes. That’s a lot of stuff for the size of that bag, but be warned that it can get heavy quickly, especially with a 6 or 7 pound laptop computer in there also. Be prepared to spend a few minutes at airport security going through all that camera gear too.
The front pocket is great for stuffing cables and battery chargers as well as memory card readers. I often end up storing my iPod in there too. I inevitably end up with a jumble of tangled wires at the end of the day, but that seemingly happens anytime you put multiple cables in proximity for any amount of time…
The backpack itself is comfortable to wear, has nice padded shoulder straps, a wide waist strap and a chest strap. I’ve had no problems taking it fully loaded for afternoon-long hikes, but then again, I’m of fairly large stature and I don’t mind carrying 15 to 20 pounds of gear on my back all day. When shooting in town, I tend to leave the AW in the car to keep things organized and just take a camera and a spare lens in my coat pocket depending on what I’m going to photograph. The AW is a bit too unwieldy to carry if I don’t need all my equipment with me at that particular time, and I typically don’t bring my laptop if I’m returning home at night. My girlfriend has a much smaller Roots camera backpack for her film SLR that is much better for day trips and may be worth looking into.
Outstanding features
-The Computrekker AW is one of the only backpacks that will hold all the necessary tools a traveling digital photographer needs: cameras, chargers, lenses and a laptop. Don’t leave home without it!
-Very sturdy construction; this backpack is top-notch, and will most likely outlive my camera, and will certainly outlive my laptop computer. They don’t make them much better than this.
Not-so-good points
-The AW will not accept the larger sized laptops. Most 15” laptops will fit, albeit snugly, but the largest 15” and 17” models will not fit in this bag. The alternative is to buy the AW , but that model might not be allowed as carry-on luggage on some flights.
Value
This backpack isn’t inexpensive by any means, but in this case, you get your money’s worth. For 135$CAD (115$US), you get a very well-built backpack that’s designed with serious digital photographers in mind. This backpack will last a long time, and the peace of mind of knowing your valuable photo equipment and laptop computer are well-protected is very much worth the price tag.
Who should get this
This backpack is perfect for photographers that travel by air or train with their photo equipment and want to ensure that it is protected during travel. If you’ve been carrying a laptop case and camera bag with you, this backpack is a perfect way of reducing the amount of baggage you need to carry along.
Nature photographers will also appreciate the weatherproof cover of the Computrekker AW.
Who should avoid this
If you’re just making small day trips in or around town, this backpack may be a bit of overkill for your needs. It is a rather large backpack, and chances are you won’t need to bring along the laptop and chargers and other accessories for one day, so a smaller bag might be more appropriate for your needs.
Conclusion
I absolutely love my Computrekker AW, and I can’t imagine traveling without it now. It’s a superb backpack that every serious digital photographer should have in my opinion.
Recommended:
Yes
|
|
|
|
Epinions.com ID:
rfman
|
 - Top 1000 |
|
Member: Luc Delorme
Location: Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Reviews written: 103
Trusted by: 15 members
About Me:
Electrical Engineer, amateur photographer, car buff, technophile, video game player and collector.
|
|
|
- Add to My Yahoo!: 
- Add to Google Homepage: 
© 1999-2009 Shopping.com, Inc.