By DigitalOpiate from Denver, CO on 3/16/2008

Most photo backpacks have the same two problems. They scream- "photo backpack! camera inside! knock this guy down and steal it!" and they lack room for anything else. I bought this one because it doesn't have those problems.

It's pretty roomy for the size. I have my D1X body, a film body, and a few choice lenses inside without any issue. It'll be work to re-arrange the dividers the way the velcro is, but I'm sure I'll sew some in if it annoys me too much.

The top has enough room for my ten essentials when day hiking (food & water, clothes, map, compass, headlamp, first aid kit, firestarter, multitool, water purifier, and thermal blanket) on top of the above. If wandering around town to shoot UE or street, it's got more than enough room for lunch.

What's not perfect? The shoulder straps are rubberized, so they don't breathe well. The chest strap lasted a mile before it was snipped off with the trauma shears. It didn't do much so it's not missed. I hung my compass from the D rings on the left shoulder strap, which makes it pretty convenient. The three metal rings on the back are supposed to be tiedowns, but really, metal rings? Just a set of strap loops would be far better. It would also be nice to be able to strap my tripod to the side of the pack, not the bottom.

I have a Fujitsu sub-notebook sized laptop, so the laptop size issue was a non-issue for me.

Overall, I'm very happy with it.

This is a nice bag, but it's more stylish than rugged. Not that it's flimsy, but if you want a hard wearing backwoods photo pack, look somewhere else.
Here area couple things the description doesn't bother to tell you: First, the outer material of this backpack is canvas - whether it's cotton or, like the National Geographic backpack that it's modeled after, hemp.

Second, the interior isn't very customizeable - you can make some adjustments, but you're more or less stuck with what you see in the photos. The placement of the velcro strips on the inside limits what you can do.

Third, there are no quick release straps, and it can be difficult to get the backpack off after it has been adjusted to fit. The shoulder straps are connected to the bottom straps by "d-rings." I don't know how rugged that is... The chest strap - the that holds the two shoulder straps together for a more secure suspension - is cotton webbing and it secures with two large "d-rings." I will be cutting mine off - the d-rings clang, and, when not in use, the strap hangs weird.

Fourth, everyone else has mentioned it, but it bears some explanation - the laptop compartment may be able to hold a 15" laptop, but you can't get it in through the 13" zippered slot. So forget it, it won't work. If there was a zippered entry from the top, it might have been possible to get a 15" laptop in there.

Lastly, there are a few little things I would change if I could - for instance, the zippers on the two lower pockets hang outside the flap when closed and get in the way of when unzipping the main compartment.
The stylish giant metal washers hanging below the pockets don't do much of anything - why are they there?
The padding is adequate, but I still wouldn't want to drop this from too high - there are areas where the padding is thin.
Good room in the top for stuff - but not enough to pack for an overnighter.

This sounds like a long list of complaints, but overall, I'm quite happy with this bag. It's a nice backpack, very serviceable, and had the look I wanted. I had considered the National Geographic backpack, and I'm glad I got this much less expensive clone.

-VTphotohunter

It holds two dSLRs with lenses,my flash,some extra lenses,and my laptop-a 13" ThinkPad. I can fit everything into it, and hop on my Rebel. It seems water resistant. I'm pleased. I think Adorama is the replacement for Spiratone (that dates me.)

I was searching for a great bag with lots of storage and the ability to carry 2 DSLR as well as my 15" Powerbook. This almost foots the bill, coming in short on the laptop section.

The bag is really nice and the top section is great "catch-all" for those of us that always need an "other" pocket just to keep up with all the accessories we carry.

The biggest reason I got this bag was for the laptop compartment. I get tired of carrying two bags when I travel to a shoot where I will be uploading images in the field. I have a 15" Powerbook and it doesn't come close to fitting. I also tried a 15" Thinkpad (non-widescreen format) and it barely fit. I didn't even try to zip it because it was so snug. I suppose a smaller laptop would actually fit but buyers beware, the compartment size is definitely overstated.

I took a chance on this camera backpack after trying a few others from Wolf and other places. I absolutely love it. SO far have taken it on over a dozen shoots and trips, have traveled through airports with it. It has a TON of places to store everything. I carry my SLR with 2 lenses, 2 filter packs, flash, 15" tablet laptop, mouse, power cord, AA battery charger, camera battery charger, extra batteries, memory cards, expo cap, and a bunch of other little items in it. There is also an expandable catch-all space on top where when I travel my personal items have plenty of room so that this bag is my only carry-on. It also has straps on the bottom for a tripod.

Here are the negatives:
If you are not planning to use the chest strap it kind of just hangs there. The water bottle pocket is too small - wish it would hold a nalgene bottle. The laptop compartment is tight on my 15" laptop with a wireless card. Tried fitting in 17" and did not succeed. 15" wide screen barely fits.

One last thing, this is a wonderful knock off from the National Geographic backpack and at half the price.

I bought this primarily to take my new camera around, but also on longer trips to take a laptop as well. The description was changed from a 17" laptop to 15" but i found even the 15" was not accurate - The description mentioned the lapttop could be used via the zipper (which from reading reviews i knew was not accurate) but also mentioned "through a flap on the main compartment" - there was no flap ?? it is a shame as it looks like a nice bag, but it would be nice if the description was accurate (and then i would not have to return it).

While this bag is great for my needs, ie. Canon digital SLR, lenses, accessories. 13.5" Macbook Laptop. I'd want to warn those with a computer larger than my MacBook that it BARELY fits in the laptop compartment! Otherwise, it seems like a great bag. I'm breaking it in on a trip to VA this weekend.