jeffbartlettmedia.com

scottdavenportphoto.com

fstoppers.com

theoverratedphotographer.com

Scott Davenport

The Augusts

Shutter Muse

Think Tank Photo

 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

 You can also fit a 70-200mm or 100-400mm lens attached to a body the long way. So, there are a lot of options depending on your needs.  Overall improved design with traditional hiking features Plenty of straps, gear loops, and mounting points The floating pocket top Drawstring closure and expandable top section Magnetic waist pack lid Durable and weather-resistant materials Waistband pocket

 It’s clear that MindShift Gear looked at what features were desired in a traditional hiking pack when redesigning the 50L and also pulled several features from their Backlight series of packs. There are two standout features when first looking at the bag that are improvements over the previous version. One is a large stash pocket along the length of the front, perfect for storing rain gear or warmer layers. Lots of bags come with some sort of pocket on the front, but this is in addition to a weather-sealed laptop pocket underneath

 It is definitely a major improvement over the design of the previous bag; yet, in my experience, even the best-ventilated back panel is going to leave you sweaty in warm weather.  Once properly fit and adjusted, the weight distribution is pretty good. I could easily scramble up some rocky areas with the pack fully loaded without it feeling like it would sway side to side. When hiking, you typically want your heaviest gear towards the middle against your back and attached on the outside, with the medium weight at the top and lightest gear on the bottom

A Review of MindShift Gear's Newest Series of ROTATION 180° Adventure Backpacks

 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)

 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

 Scott ... didn’t you just say the great thing about the bag is not having to put it down? :) Yes, that’s 100% true

Review - ThinkTank Updates The MindShift Rotation Backpack 34L — Scott Davenport Photography

amazon.com

expert-review

Mindshift Gear rotation180° Horizon 34L Review - Jeff Bartlett Media

stamped

Rotation 180 backpacks: the new series is now available by Jose Antunes - ProVideo Coalition

Latest MindShift Rotation Backpacks Released by Think Tank Photo - Digital Imaging Reporter

Mindshift Rotation 180 34L v2

Rotation 34L Backpack - Think Thank Canada

 This mesh is over a squishy green foam material, so we get some better breathability on this back panel and it's just a little more comfortable on the shoulder blades. With these two panels. It'S a full 10 point adjustable harness system. So, let's flip that over we've got of course, a little whistle on the sternum strap

 You know when i'm traveling with it somewhere on a day-to-day basis when i'm just out walking with one of these rotation packs. I don't need to use that zipper, and that means when you do get it out, and you want to access your camera much faster. Actually, just one-handed with these little tabs to pull the magnets open. Okay, so that's cool! That'S a nice addition to all of the rotation bags in this update in the top section here, just a little pocket again for batteries

 That'S not available with the 22 liter. What you can store for your camera gear is is all in the bottom here, so this top section here is just going to be for all your other day, hiking stuff, your outdoor gear, okay. So let's zip that up! Let'S flip it over now on the back here we can see another big change between this version of the rotation packs and the previous versions. So basically, what we have here is an adjustable torso length

Small but Mighty - MindShift Rotation 22L Review

 It'S it's much more. You know just kind of uh fluid and squishy and the newer bag it's just firmer and has a better shape to it overall, so uh slightly slightly thicker, which means there's slightly more capacity in there all said and done. These are both 34 liter bags and i don't know why we measure bag capacity in liters - it's, i guess kind of, like we measure light and candle power, but anyway it's it's a good sized bag. This is the medium-sized bag of the rotation series

 They really are uh same height, really about the same width. The uh, you know the strapping is all good. The stitching is all good. All of those things are, the same

 You just want to get that gear quickly, take a couple of photos and continue with your hike. We'Ve talked about fit and finish and construction, a capacity of both the inner pouch, as well as the top part of the bag, the pouches and accesses on the side. Tripod mounts: what else can i tell you about this bag? There is, there is a custom rain cover and the custom part is important because that lets you have a rain cover that works with that rotation portion of the bag. So the cover will fit on there and still allow you to access that inner belt pack get to your most critical gear

 I just pulled the thing out: i'm leaving everything, as is i kind of leave the zippers open on the stashmaster when i have it in the bag. There is a safety strap here that connects across the top, so i wouldn't have this flap like open up. Surprisingly, on me and have any gear spill out, i can always zip it closed. If i want to another way, is to take out there's a foam insert inside the top part of this dash master

ThinkTank Rotation Backpack Review

 Of course, this is always the same. We'Ve got the sternum strap with the emergency whistle. We actually have some really nice thick shoulder padding here. Using the same material, that's been on, most of the recent mind shift bags all of the backlight bags if you're familiar with those big thick lumber, support, really nice and deep

 Just kind of day-to-day accessories get a flashlight in there now there is also a little key clip doodad. Of course, i don't use these for keys, but i do put my memory card wallet on this thing every time now your memory card could have a thousand dollars worth of memory cards in it these days so important to secure that. So that's in the top there more of these little loops to attach things to this is the main zipper again, not an aqua guard zipper, but a big flap to prevent the rain running directly onto the zipper so unzip that top half of the bag, big elastic Pocket here put your binoculars in there put some more clothing. In there i mean there's a there's: a ton of space in the top of this 34 liter version for non-photography stuff, if you're just keeping your camera in the bottom of the bag, which we'll get to got this little strap here as well

 There'S a tripod cup and a strap in the bottom. So if you want to front carry your tripod put the feet in here, secure it with that strap and then behind this other green tab is a second strap, so you can front, carry the tripod! You know. I don't recommend doing that if you have a very big heavy tripod, because it puts the weight away from your center of gravity pulls you backwards, but if you've got a smaller tripod front, carrying is an option put this away now. Another option is on the side here, so a big stretchy

 I really like this color. Then we have another big feature for these new versions and that is adjustable torso straps. So if i was to pull this open, if i was to pull open a little further, you can then slide this whole thing up. You have about this much adjustment there about three or four inches to slide the whole

MindShift Rotation 34L Review - Is This System a Genius Idea??

packhacker.com

outdoorgearlab.com

Traveling Salseros

Rushfaster

Pack Hacker Reviews

r/onebag

r/ManyBaggers

We must note that the straps on the hip belt are longer than we would expect, so you’re left with a lot of leftover straps. We found that they could be tucked behind the pockets on the waist pack to keep them out of the way.

Now onto that organization! In the main compartment, there are two slim pockets down either side of the pack. These are handy for smaller items like sunglasses or even your socks and underwear. 

On the shoulder straps, there’s an adjustable (if only we had a dollar for every time we say adjustable in this review) sternum strap. This can be moved up and down to find a comfortable position across your chest. Part of the sternum strap is elasticated, which gives some wriggle room as it flexes when you walk and takes off some of the pressure. There’s also some strap management on this harness system, so you can wrangle any loose ends or hide away the sternum strap when not in use—#danglefreeexperience here we come! 

 In front of this is a smaller sized compartment for tablets up to 9.7”. Both of these compartments are padded and lined with a super soft fabric. While we found that these pockets are secure, there’s also a Velcro strap across the top for extra security

Tortuga Outbreaker Travel Backpack 35L Review | Pack Hacker

I love the bag, but it’s also normally over $200 (it’s $225) and I did get it when they were doing a sale for that reason too

My old (bought cheaply used) Osprey Elroy has started disintegration so I'm looking to replace it with something new that better fits my needs.

The Elroy was the bag I typically grabbed if I was going to do a little light shopping, bring my laptop somewhere (like work, alongside my lunch and a couple personal objects), or for use as my "personal object" on flights. On a few occasions when it was expanded I was able to use it as a bag for a long a weekend. It had a lot of useful features but I kinda hated digging around in it for things was it was full, and it tended to get uncomfortable when fully loaded and worn for a while. Fully expanded I think it was a 24L bag but I'm not at all sure what size it was in it's normal configuration.

My needs:

1. $200 or less. I'm in the US as far as availability goes.
2. The usual needs: Quality construction, weather resistance (IE: rain), not to heavy empty, comfortable to wear when walking a few miles in a city/running for a flight in the Minneapolis  Airport, etc.
3. Can safely hold a 15" laptop and allows access to that laptop even when the bag is full. Dedicated Laptop access or even a laptop only pocket would be nice. My current laptop is 14" but I will probably have the bag longer than the laptop and I may or may not get a 15" next time.
4. Can fit (read "be squished") under an airline seat as a "Personal item." Being able to expand beyond that is fine, for example the Elroy had a zipper that expanded the capacity but in it's smaller configuration it generally fit under airline chairs on Delta. I'm not a big fan of larger bags the shrink with compression straps compared to smaller bags that expand because packing and then compressing is harder to judge and not forgiving of being accessed mid flight.
5. External water bottle holder, preferably on the side where it's easy enough to grab. I can't believe I need to say this, but the bottle should be stored upright. (Looking at you Black Ember.)  A good spot to attach a MOLLE one is fine.
6. One large main interior pocket. Bonus points if it's easy to get all the contents when it's full. I don't want a punch of divided sections that make it hard to pack larger objects. Clam shells and 3-zips designs are potentially nice even for a bag this size, but it's not a priority.
7. Externally accessible small pocket able to hold a pocket contents when going through TSA or holding a few snacks midflight. I don't want to have to open the main pocket to pull out a snack mid flight.
8. I don't want to look like I'm pretending to be military veteran. I'm therefore not buying a bag that only comes in desert browns and camo options. I don't mean that as an insult, much the reverse for those of you that served, but I'm not comfortable taking on those veteran looking styling as a non-veteran. I'm willing to accept all black tacticool for the features, but something in more mountaineer colors or urban grey would be preferable. PALS by itself is not a problem, to be clear. I don't need this to be a suit-and-tie office friendly bag design.

Nice to haves:

* A way to stuff large objects onto the outside occasionally. Coats, bike helmets, maybe a medium sized box, etc. The elastic cording of a mountaineer pack is ok, but some extra/well placed straps, or beaver-tail compatibility on the PALS or other attachment points would be better. The straps on the Elroy top flap were helpful for this sometimes, although it would have been nice if it had dedicate straps on the bottom so I could still get into the pack while it was holding a larger object.
* Able to easily / securely fit on handle of a rolling bag. I had a trick for doing this on the Elroy but it was neither easy nor all that secure.
* I welcome the option to customize the bag a bit by using add-ons or optional parts. As I look around at bag options I find myself preferring bags with a bit of PALS  and morale patch area, as long as it's not overboard.

What do people have or recommend? Am I asking for too much?

Looking for an everyday laptop bag that can fit under an airline seat: What do you recommend?

 I'm also quite short (5'3" - 1.63m) and the Osprey was easy enough to carry when it was either not full, or full. I want to make sure that the way that Tortuga stands and its weight are not going to make a huge difference.

 I want to make sure that the way that Tortuga stands and its weight are not going to make a huge difference.

Upgrade from Osprey Aphelia 26L to Tortuga Outbreaker Laptop Backpack - 27L - how different will it be?

Tortuga Setout Divide Backpack Review | Pack Hacker

 If you want to put something a little bit taller, like maybe a jacket or your toiletry bag, or something like that, and so lots of little pockets and areas to organize your stuff. The first thing that i currently have here is just my sunglasses with their case, which is just kind of rested here, because they don't really fit super well anywhere else and then going into the back. You have a small zippered pocket here. That'S going to be a great spot to hold some of the smaller items that you don't want kind of floating around

 That'S something that you normally like for a bag that starts to get a little bit heavier and then, as far as the back panel, this is also felt great. It really just checks all the boxes for what i would like to see on a back panel like this, so it has the same comfy padding that we saw on the straps that has the breathable material to help prevent moisture from building up, and then i also Love how much elevation is provided here to create these large air channels that are going to help with ventilation, while you're walking around throughout the day and then, while we're on the back pulling the last thing that i'll call out here is that you have a very Nice luggage pasture - that's going to allow you to rest this on your suitcase if you're traveling through the airport, and you want to save some weight on your back. One note about the luggage pass through here is that if you tuck away the straps, which you can actually do by releasing these clips, if you want to give the bag a cleaner look while you're carrying it like a briefcase, you can release them very easily and You tuck them in via this sleeve at the top, but when you do that, it may get a little bit difficult to place this over your luggage handle as they kind of share the same space and then jumping into the organizational options the bag has. Some really great pocketing all throughout so starting off on the front

 I really love the organizational layout that that has, it also has a clamshell style. Opening the pocketing layout is very effective and easy to use. It has a really low key style that feels it's gon na blend in well into the outdoors that one's also gon na be great for pairing with a water bladder so that you can take it on hikes. It has a comfortable harness system, not quite as comfortable as this one here, but again, just a really solidly built bag if you're looking for something that's going to be a little bit more minimal, and that is also offered in a smaller size

 It has a great build quality. Much like this, it's comfortable to wear. It has a lot of awesome organizational options and that one's going to be a little bit more sleek and modern. Looking in my opinion, it's just got more of a rounded shape, and it just feels like it's going to blend in better into a city, environment or with a nicer outfit

	Thinktank Rotation 180 34L Backpack	Tortuga Outbreaker Backpack
Image
Grade	C	C
Reviews	9	8
Summary
Price	CHECK ON AMAZON	CHECK ON AMAZON

Thinktank Rotation 180 34L Backpack vs Tortuga Outbreaker Backpack

Reviews by Topic

Hiking

Thinktank Rotation 180 34L Backpack

Carry-on

Thinktank Rotation 180 34L Backpack

Comfort

Thinktank Rotation 180 34L Backpack

Tortuga Outbreaker Backpack

Size

Strap

Tortuga Outbreaker Backpack

Compartment

Tortuga Outbreaker Backpack

You might also like