Thinktank Rotation 180 34L Backpack vs Timbuk2 Division Laptop Pack Deluxe

Like most camera-specific hiking bags, there really is no way to organize your gear this way and maintain the easy access. So, there is a trade-off for the rotational quick access. There are a lot of ways to attach and configure gear to the outside of the bag, which does help to move some of the heavier bits to better locations.  You can break the bag down into three main sections: the ROTATION 180° 10L waist pack, the main 40L compartment, and the external pockets and attachment points

This is a waterproof, elegant looking, very spacious little backpack. We hiked through WA and OR in multiple conditions and there’s not one scratch on my (gray) backpack! It got a little tossed around in the car also and it looks brand new. I even went underneath some trees on our hikes and I could just wipe off the dirt, without any other scratches, etc.

For me, the 34L is plenty bag for my photo trips - and it fits in most overhead bins (check those regional flights ... smaller planes are always a challenge)

At the very top of the bag is a thick handle with lots of padding that’s comfortable to grab and convenient for picking up the pack when you need to move it or get something out. It also features that same seat belt-like material you’ll find on the shoulder straps that’s nice and smooth in hand.

You can also use the pouch on the left side of the bag. There is a strap on the side to secure the top of the tripod, lashing it to the side of the bag. Heavier tripods may skew weight distribution, though. Wide shoulder straps distribute the back weight and a padded, breathable back make the Rotation 34L Backpack comfortable

While this pack is a perfect size for minimalist carry on, at first I found it to be a bad fit. As a guy with a L or XL torso: the sternum strap was nearly at my neck at the lower of the two settings. I moved it to the very bottom of the padded strap, and it works much better but I had to let out all of the slack in the straps. As some has mentioned, access isn’t the best but it does have a good feature set

I may even cut the elastic pieces that prevent that, 2. The chest straps are far too high to be useful so I removed them.

The zippers on this pack have altogether been working smoothly during our testing. They have large, easy-to-grab pulls that help them zip and unzip with ease. This comes as no surprise, as they’re from YKK, which is a brand we have mostly positive experiences with (and a lot of them). We do have one small nitpick with the zippers around the main and laptop compartments that we’ll cover later in the review