Name: Lowepro Primus AW Premium Backpack - Arctic Blue
Brand: Lowepro
SKU: LPBPPPABL
Price: 199.95 USD
Availability: Discontinued
Rating: 4 (24 reviews)

Lowepro Primus AW Premium Backpack - Arctic Blue

Lowepro

Adorama

Lowepro Primus AW Premium Backpack - Arc...

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Nice backpack from outside,  but useles. Equipment is hard accesssible. I purchase  2 backpack but seccond one newer opened. Based on first one experiance.

Not enough bang

This is a wonderful bag. It has lots of room for camera as well as other gear. This bag has plenty of areas for adjustments and fits my back well. It feels like its hugging my back. 
One problem I find is the side pocket where you can pull out my camera. The pocket is a little small and could pose some problems for a larger camera. I have the Nikon D7000 and it fits well however I have to sneak it out. This could be a problem with a bigger lens. When you take off the bag you can also open it from the back. The rear pocket opens big and lets you get to all your equipment.

Lowepro Primus AW

I used this product on an 18 day trip to Alaska and I found it large enough to hold my essential camera equipment, lens, flash, and tripod in the lower section. I also enjoyed the large upper section that gave you plenty of room for your daily gear. Such as: fleece coat, snacks, mittens,rain gear, etc...   The only problem is that at times it is hard to remove your camera through the side zipper access but it is still better than anything else I have seen.

Best Bang For The Buck!!

I wanted a bag that had an easy side access while wearing and that could carry all my main gear.
(D80, F2 17-50mm and f/2 70-200mm lenses, batteries, charger, filters etc.

Pros: 
The bag felt well padded and the harness was comfortable.

Cons:
I could not get my Nikon D80 in or out of the side access (D80 with Sigma f/2 17-50mm lens).  they should have had the zipper go back farther so you don't have to force/fight getting the camera in/out.  Would not even think of attempting to use my D80 with my Tameron f/2 70-200mm lens or use the D80 battery grip.

Other:
Never used or checked out any of the other features on this bag, since my D80 would not fit in the side access without forcing it.

Really wanted to like this bag but the side access was a deal breaker for me. and was not happy with the camera/lens storage area.

Could use side access with nikon D80.

This was a great bag, but just too big for my body.  I'm a 5'7 female and once I adjusted the straps the best I could, the bag sat too high and the straps rubbed against my neck.  I was disappointed not to keep it.

Great bag, but just too big for me

This is a backpack I purchase for weekend/short term outdoor photography. It is quite reliable in fabric quality and shape, I never concern about my cameras and lens in it. And the belts are pretty professional, like those hiking large volume backpack, distribute weight well. 

You have flexible choice to re-distribute the room of bottom, it is enough for one SRL and two lens, plus a compact DC and several other accessories. Not suitable for two big zoom lens, think of this if you have giant lens. 

Only one thing it need to improve is the limited upper room, no pocket to place my 13' Macbook, even one normal magazine without folding. 

In total, this is a perfect backpack for short term outdoor activities.

reliable photography backpack

Had it for about a month. I've got a canon 60d with a 50mm prime on it most of the time. I can fit this and my 70-200mm IS 2.8 L along with the charger and a few filters in the photo part of the pack. It's a tight fit. Would have to loose the charger and filters to fit in another small lens. I can get the camera out of the side flap without too much trouble but it could be easier.

The top compartment above has plently of room though, probably 20% more then the photo compartment. Enough for small jacket, food, phone, water bottle and extras for a day trip. Both these compartments are accessed from the part your back rests against, making quick acess hard. Theres a dividing unzipable flap between them which can open to make one giant compartment. Theres also tons of padding in the photo compartment, very safe. It's held down by velcro and can be taken out to make more room. The tripod strap on back is ok, but I put my tripod in the back sleeve because it sits closer to my back that way. It's a heavy tripod at about 5.5 lbs with head. This works surprisingly well for hiking and even though the pack is about 25 lbs full (tripod and day supplys included) it's still really comfortable. There's plenty of straps and padding for it to be comfortable. It really fits my long body well too. It's great for day hikes.

I love the pack. It's perfect for hiking and makes handling heavy loads easy. The bad part is the size of the photo compartment. For more then a couple of lens of any sizable dimensions it doesn't really work. Also there's no external small pockets for quick access to small photo accessories. Would have been easy to make them so why not? For a comfortable day hike pack for those outdoors landscape photographers I highly recommend it.

Very Comfortable, Great day pack

access and area for the photo gear is good
The top compartment is a bit small

Nice bag

I used this pack on a 2 week vacation in British Columbia that included many long day hikes. I was hesitant to buy it due to the complaints about accessing the camera from the side pocket. It is  awkward but I don't see anything else that makes it much easier and combines this packs features. I was able to remove a 30d with a 300mm IS 4L lens from the side access for several wildlife shots that required quick action so I was very pleased with this. It even had the tripod ring attached which makes it much harder but still doable. Also carried a 10-22mm, 28-135mm, and a 1.4x converter with ease. Also lunch, point and shoot with slip link attachment, rain gear, water bladder, plus binoculars. Even some flyfishing gear and a rod one day (chest pack strapped to back of pack). This is exactly what I needed. The pack was good for a 15 mile + dayhike in very rugged territory so I think it's a winner. Very comfortable (although heavy) but if you want your gear protected it's a trade-off worth making. It's really perfect for my needs. I don't carry all my lens's on trips like this (don't think my back could take much more) so the storage is adequate. If you have tons of lens's that you need to carry then this may not be for you but it's the best of both worlds for a photography daypack and a steal at [$]. I have been backpacking for 30+ years and the construction is very good. I'll be keeping this one.

Great camera pack for day hikes

I use the pack because my 70-200 lens won't fit in my regular bag.  I like the high quality and thoughtfulness of the bag, however the velcro compartments seem limited.  I had to use the dividers in a non standard way as to restrict the lens (the second one that is not on the camera) to not almost fall out while getting my camera from the side access.  Aside from this missing one piece of fuzzy side velcro in the proper place, I like this comfortable back pack very much.

primus aw backpack review

Adventure trips required such robust protecting backpack. Well padded not heawy, equiped with lot of required pockets. The equipmen you must have. Size is compact for small or tall people, the backpack size is just about you need on daily basis.

Lowepro Primus AW Premum Backpack

This seems designed as a climber's backpack first, and a photo gear bag second.  If that is what you need then this bag is excellent, especially considering the price. 

___PROS___
- The external design (straps-a-plenty) is highly adjustable to balance and secure whatever load you can cram into it. Very strong construction.

- Holds enough photo gear for a day hike. The side access panel is a nice feature.

- Main access panels face your back, so contents are protected somewhat from weather (and thieves). Zippers are covered so they don't poke you. 

- Fits me well and the cushioned back panel is very comfortable.

___CONS___ 
- If you aren't used to backpacking then all those straps might be confusing or just plain useless.

- Awkward to pull the camera out the side panel.  I'm still getting used to it.  

- Main access panels face your back, so it effectively requires you to remove the pack to take anything out (a fellow hiker can't get it for you). Zippers are covered so they are harder to work (probably very hard with gloves on).

- It is a comfy for me (6' tall and 175 lb) but might be small for anyone larger.

___OTHER___
- Made from 50% recycled materials.
- Haven't yet found the all-weather cover?

A nice balance of features

This is meant for Day pack. So you can take your SLR + couple of lenses and Other stuffs (i,e water bottle, advil, a towel etc) in separate compartment. I use it for travel purpose.

Perfect DayPacker's Bag

Does everything and more. 
Not too sure about the compartments. However no worries at all rain, snow or sun. 
Highly recommend.

Great Product

I was looking for a bag that could haul a basic travel setup along with a jacket, a bottle of water, maps, and other things you may need while traveling. One other requirement was quick access to the camera. I'm not a fan of having my camera hanging from my neck all day while walking around a city; I'd rather just pull open a flap and grab my camera. This bag looked like it fit the bill so I picked one up at a GREAT price. As you can probably tell, I can get a bit wordy with my reviews so I'll just list the major pros and cons I found this this bag:

Pros
--> Storage - Once I got the dividers setup in a way that worked for me, I could get my 5D and the following glass in the bottom section of the bag (17-40L, 50 f/1.8, 70-200 f/4L IS). In the top section I could fit basically another day's worth of clothing and still have room for other goodies. There is also a LARGE external pocket for storage of things you may need to access quickly (e.g. jacket, hat & gloves. This pocket also has a sleeve for a camelback. You COULD fit a small laptop in there, but I wouldn't recommend it.

--> Construction - This bag is very well made. I've never had an issue with Lowepro quality/construction and this is no exception. 

--> Adjustability - This thing has all of the harnesses you could ever want and there are a bunch of compression straps to secure all parts of this bag. 

Cons
--> Weight - This bag is HEAVY. Even when empty it weighs over almost 7lbs. I really didn't think this was significant until I loaded up the bag. I guess this is what you have to expect from a big bag that has a huge waist belt, tons of padding and a million straps. 

--> Straps - This one may sound kind of silly, but there are just too many straps on this bag. All of these straps get caught on everything which gets old fast. I understand each strap has a function but there has to be a better/cleaner way to secure you gear. 

--> Camera Compartment Design - I literally removed ALL of the padding and dividers from this bag and rigged up my own setup using extra pieces I had laying around from other bags. I feel like they spend tons of time designing this bag and 5 minutes thinking about the camera section. I had a hard time fitting 3 lenses comfortably in this bag with the stock dividers/padding. With my setup, I could comfortably fit my 5D, 50mm, 70-200, and my 17-40 with no problem.

Final Thoughts:
It was a very tough decision, but I ended up returning this bag. The bag just ended up being too big and heavy for what I needed. I just couldn't see myself lugging this thing around all day with my gear and extras.

I hope this review doesn't deter anyone from considering the bag, just keep in mind that this thing is big and heavy. With all of its straps and belts, you can basically think of this bag as a solid daypack with a camera compartment. If you're used to and like using hiking/camping backpacks, you'll LOVE this bag.

Mixed Feelings

Will barely hold Canon xti with battery pak and a 100-400 lens even when loaded from the back flap. Once inside the case, there is no room for other lenses.
If you use small lenses and a camera without battery pak this is a well padded camera case and well thought out back pack. If my equipment would fit, it would have been a great bag.

Great Product BUT not for Canon XTI

It's what exactly I need - well protect my gears & room for more stuff.
Just a bit heavy than expected, but reasonable

Very good

I use this bag every day to and from class.  I won't have to ever say again I wish I had my camera with me...

comfy! My everyday backpack...

it is a big backpack that holds a camara with a zoom and two more lenses. 
Very good for traveling. 
I used it in NY city and it was very comfortable and always easy to access my camera.

good backpack

Nicely built pack as you would expect from Lowepro. Lots of adjustment to make it fit your shape. Access can be a little awkward with a full sized DSLR (EOS 5d MkII) and there isn't a huge amount of room in the protected area for extra gear. Good for carryng gear and other hiking necessities but I'm using a hard case for general storage

Nice Backpack!

Nice pack overall.  The side access is a bit awkward and it can be a downright pain to access the gear through the back zippered panel.  The camera gear compartment is a bit small, on the other hand it makes one really think through which gear to take and thus lightens the load :-)  It is very durable and the harness is great!  I always want to take everything but the kitchen sink, but a few miles down the trail my back tells me I was a bonehead to bring everything.  This pack works great as long as you limit the gear you take with you to a reasonable amount.  But be warned, the large top compartment, while not padded for camera gear, does tempt one to load it up with extra lenses and flash equipment ;-)

Nice pack overall

A marvelous pack that I would recommend to anyone.  It's only flaw is the side "extraction" process.  It simply doesn't work with any larger digital SLRs.  Other than that, it's perfection.

Best Camera Pack I've Ever Owned

This is a great backpack. It served me very well during a recent 3-week trip. It provided plenty of room for additional stuff, which is something that my earlier bag (Lowepro Slingshot) did not. Beside my photo equipment I could also fit in it clothing, powerbars, a water bottle, and other items such as sunscreen and bugspray. This increased carrying capacity when compared to the Slingshot proved invaluable on a couple of occasions.
I took the backpack biking a few times as well, and it proved to be very comfortable. I also took it to the beach a few times, and it protected my valuable lenses from sand very nicely. The tripod carrier is a nice touch!
My only complaint with this bag is that there's not a lot of room for photo equipment in there, and the existing photo compartment is not very configurable. Basically, I could not fit more than 1 DSLR + 2 lenses in there when the shorter lens was attached to the body. The only way to fit 3 lenses was to attach the longer lens to the body and place it in the main section of the photo compartment (accessible from the outside), and place the remaining 2 shorter lenses in the rest of the space. In order to do that, I had to steal and use a spacer/separator from a different bag. Overall a great product. I am giving it 5 stars because it proved invaluable and very handy in spite of its little quirks.

Great backpack, rugged and durable

Unconvential photo backpack, Smallish lower section holds pro-dslr with 70-200 f2.8 lens along with flash and/or smaller lens.  Upper compartment is high and deep enough to hold my Mark III with 28-70 f2.8 with CB Jr.flash bracket or just clothes and accessories. Access is through back and side panels. Front pocket is large and flat and will hold a small laptop, note book, clothes, etc. Nice tripod holding system. Very comfortable.