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Backpack with internal frame for technical or medium format gear

bab

Active member
I just received an Adventure backpack from Atlaspacks in Scottsdale, Az it meets my expectations for almost everything I ever wanted in a backpack.

You can see from the pictures I have crammed it full of stuff! Its the most comfortable pack on my body out of all the packs ive tried you cant feel the load.

I'm sure its overloaded but I can remove a lens or two and then go off on a walkabout without them or put a lens or two on the waist belt. This is one feature that really makes it for me is the waistbelt I have found while using a waist belt in the field with lens pouches you not only remove all the weight from the backpack to your waist allowing you to work 10 hours without being uncomfortable but you make changing lenses a breeze. You have two accessible zipper pouches with lens bags inside one on either side attached to the waistbelt. The waist belt is also removable from the pack and could be worn separately. The waist belt is so easy to cinch tight by pulling the straps and on either side and to loosen them by slightly pulling outwards on the cleats. the waist-belt also has the right kind of foam to hug your obliques and ride on the top of your hips. Allan sent me two packs to try with different size belts.

The pack has water tight pockets, a place for hydration bottle, tripod on either side, internal rain cover, top load pouch and zipper pouches for clothing/food. There are so many other pockets, straps and clever little holders that you will be albe to customize the pack to fit your needs.

The pack is longer than most which is important as you can see in the picture your able to fit a H6D with a 50mm lens in the bag East to West this allows me to grab the camera fully loaded and ready to shoot when moving from spot to spot. (look close and you will see the two brackets attached to the bottom of the H body)
I am using part of the top of the bag for my pano rails already set up.

The pack is really 90% perfect!!! right now but, if in the future Allan (the owner of Atlaspacks) would consider making a few dimension changes to the pack it could well be the most ideal backpack ever produced for anyone using larger gear.

Best of all he sent me out the packs in one day they are in stock! https://www.instagram.com/atlaspacks/

Regards

Barry

B6CE6836-3454-40AC-AA4A-E4D0485E915A.jpg9B470608-FC85-48DE-BC56-B51FD7E8714D.jpgB99E59EC-8081-4C4E-B31F-42A6C0DD73C1.jpg
 
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Jorgen Udvang

Subscriber Member
This bag looks very interesting, as does their smaller Athlete bag. I wonder if the Adventure would be large enough for my Fuji GX680. Do you have the internal measurements? Their website doesn't say anything about... anything.

http://www.atlaspacks.com/
 

bab

Active member
I can take a new picture of the new configuration we have come up with.
Your Fuji will definitely fit, not only will that fit but much more. My loaded bag places 85% of the weight above my hips feeling like some kind of gyro is balancing the weight.

I spent 1:20 on a FaceTime call with Allan in doing so the result was a much better understanding of how a backpack functions, fits and the reasoning for all of the placement of pockets, zippers and straps.

The bottom line is my camera w 50 mm lens, L bracket and tripod foot for HTS attached now is in the center of the bag. Start you trek like this once you remove it there is is a huge pouch/compartment on top to temporarily store camera and lens when moving from spot to spot until your ready to quit for the day and place it back into the inside of the bag.

In the pack now is
H6D
28,50,100 and 120mm lens all with hoods.
HTS 1.5
1.7x converter
25 mm extender
3 batteries
Large filter holder box with 6 NiSi 150x180 filters and the metal holder
RRS pano multi stitch rail system
Extra USB battery
Cable release
Two circular filters
Lots of other small stuff
I still have so much room there's a place for 15" laptop and iPod
Hydration pack
Large indoor tripod fits fine already tried it
Many other pockets I'm still not using

I will try to post Sunday

By the way the waist belt has two internal lens pouchs and there is an internal rain cover.

Allan is a sports photographer who just might have built the best backpack I've ever had!

Regards

Barry
 
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bab

Active member
Sorry for the delay in posting here is the final layout for the Hasselblad H camera with 50mm lens attached placed in the center of the bag where you want the heaviest amount of weight. Attached to the bottom of the camera body is the HTS extension, L bracket and the small Arca Swiss style adapter. I can now grab the camera and throw it on the tripod without having to attach anything.
Now the bag holds 4 Hasselblad lenses and the body with the HTS 1.5 and all my other gear, under the zippered compartment on top lies the pano bracket. There is still so much room around the bags other pockets and compartments for many other items.

IMG_0688.jpgIMG_0688.jpg
 

Frankly

New member
They are intriguing packs but nowhere on their website do they list the measurements of their packs.

(At least anywhere obvious.)

First impressions count... I just sent an email to them asking for the numbers and I get:

Your message wasn't delivered to [email protected] because the address couldn't be found, or is unable to receive mail.


 

Shashin

Well-known member
I find camera bags too inefficient for photography. The built in padding and dividers make the bag unnecessarily bulky and heavy. I prefer bags designed for hiking and climbing. I use an Osprey Farpoint 40.



I have a Pentax 645D with 55mm lens, 35mm, 120mm macro, 300mm, and teleconverter in the bag. The lenses are in Think Tank lens pouches on a thin Think Tank belt. When I am working, I can just put on the belt. In bad weather, it can be put in the bag. I can also fit a mirrorless in the bag.

The bag has an internal frame. The bag fits airline requirements for carry on and has a panel to hide the straps. A shoulder strap can also be used with the bag in a horizontal orientation. I have carried this bag all day in cities and over wild terrain. It also does not look like a camera bag, which can be good for security.
 

drunkenspyder

Well-known member
I am a confirmed F-stop fan [of the product, perhaps less so of the company]. I have several of the packs and ICUs, that I mix and match based on where and how I am traveling, and what I want to bring. While the company may have had more than its share of difficulties and self-inflicted wounds, they have fulfilled every order I placed within hours, and all the product have proved quite durable. I especially love the ICU concept; it took me a while to see the advantage, but once I realized I could pop the ICUs into Pelican cases for travel, and then onto my back for trekking & shooting, it all made sense. Yeah, I know—duh.

My backpack camping days are, unfortunately, now in the rear-view mirror. Wish it wasn't so, but it is what it is. So, I don't have to cram a tent, sleeping bag, eating, clothing, and other supplies into or onto my bag. It's a photo equipment backpack for me, maybe with room for a few protein bars and water.

I already find the F-stop Tilopa adequate to carry a reasonably complete P1 system, complete Cambo system, or some cross-system of both [wide angle on the Cambo, normal to short tele on the P1]. And if I need more, I put it on my back in the Tilopa. And of course, I don't buy an airline ticket that limits me strictly to one carry-on or excludes me from the overhead bin. So, I can roll aboard the Pelican 1535 Air containing the main ICUs, and keep the shell in my checked luggage, or if I need to carry an overflow ICU, I can put the shell one my back and lash it down to fit under the seat in front of me.

F-stop's lead designer Ian Millar is now the founder of Shimoda, having left F-stop as part of its talent drain. Millar seems to have found ways to improve on what was already a good concept. You may have read about him or Shimoda. I did not find out about them until today, when I read Imaging Resource's review. That prompted me to look for more reviews. All were more than enthusiastic, and some were sufficiently detailed so that I could see that what I liked about the F-stop system had either been maintained or improved. Enough so that I became a backer on Kickstarter. [Your confidence may vary; I have yet to be burned......fingers crossed.]
 
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