As I spend considerable time, up to 10 hours in a day, hiking around the rain forests of British Columbia as well as the streets and parks of Vancouver I use a backpack and definitely would not be without it. I find it very comfortable to wear and holds my D300 with 7 lenses, 2 flashes and a few ancillary pieces. The comfort of having a well made backpack with comfortable straps more than makes up for the slight inconvenience of removing it to change lens or access equipment.

When I chose my backpack I looked for the following items ...

• Padded compartment for DSLR with lens attached & at least 2 additional lenses.

• Separate compartment for personal items, which I sometimes use to hold additional lenses beyond the 2 or 3 in the main camera compartment.

• Ability to strap on a tripod, and this MUST be centrally mounted otherwise the pack weight is shifted off center and becomes uncomfortable.

• Side entry to extract DSLR meaning I can swing the bag round on one shoulder strap instead of taking it totally off.

• Built in rain cover - obviously to keep stuff dry in the 3+ meters of rain we get annually around the rain forests here, but also keeps stuff secure when hiking round town and protects the pack from wet ground when laying it down.

• Internal pockets for memory cards, documents, cloths, etc.

• Additional external pockets and straps for attaching additional items like water bottles and rain jackets.

• Proper adjustable and padded waist belt and shoulder straps with chest strap across the shoulder straps, critical to comfort when hiking a full day.

ALL of these items were met with the Lowepro Primus AW and as a bonus it is made from recycled material :)

Last points to make are to spend considerable time trying packs on, take your gear and see how it fits, and don't settle for the first one you find ... this one was my third pack before I got the right one for me.

Good hunting!