ACPRO1810W Ape Case vs lowepro flipside 400 aw iii

It's hiked boulder fields and volcanic gullies in PA. Yes, those exist in PA, check out ringing rocks. It's gone through Tom Moore's Jungle in Bermuda, all over Tortola, had some stops in Chincoteague and OBX during a brutal night on the beach doing astro work. It has yet to show any wear, it is LOADED to bear, and I'm really not kidding here

. rugged. I used it on a hike first time out, so it was nice having that extra protection for my stuff

Ok, This was my second choice for a pack, and it has worked great for me. The 4 star rating is for the fact it WILL NOT properly hold a 13" notebook. my macbook, does slide in the computer compartment, but the top corners stick out 3 inches on either side so that area will not zip up, the outer flap will cover the exposed corners but provided little protection. Originally I went with the ape case one size bigger than this, it was HUGE! weighed too much, and looked ridiculous! So it was sent back and I got this one

The bag carries a lot but still feels compact on your back and is not bulky like the AW Rover that bangs every seat down an airplane aisle even when you've cinched up the waist belt and maneuver around to avoid banging into seats. This one is compact enough that it stays in the aisle even when wearing it on one shoulder. The waist belt and harness are very comfortable for not having cinch straps at the top and it pulls the bag to your back nice and tight when you have the chest strap on. Btw, they use a rail that the chest strap slides up and down for adjustment instead of gliding on the shoulder strap

However, here are my 2 complaints. This does not fit a 14 inch laptop, let alone a 13 inch laptop. If you try forcing it in, you will not be able to clamp the main enclosure. At the time that i purchased it in Jan 2013, product description did state that it fits 14 inch laptops

I think the measurement may not be as much to blame as is the rigidity of the material it is made compared to that of the Slingshot material. The material is very durable and high quality, but doesn't give much which leads me to believe that it may just need some time to break in. Lastly, my final concern is regarding the tripod holder. The tripod holder is too small to hold a professional tripod comfortably

Unfortunately this item arrived with already broken zippers on the rain bonnet pouch. While it is extremely irritating to pay this much money for a product to have it arrive with broken items due to time constraints & lack of stock we will have to make due with it.

I think a pair of #10 YKKs are in order instead of wimpy small teeth zips with big pulls. My second gripe is with the reach of the zippers. I carry an 80-200 2.8 across the bottom of the pack (it allows me several lens/body choices so I can carry any lens on my D300 with MB-D10 grip (upsidedown from the usual pictures, by the way)

It is comfortable and the yellow interior makes things easy to spot. My iPad fits nicely in the computer pocket. I also like that it doesn't have a camera company name on it.

Bought theLowepro DMC-Z accessory wallet as it had the ability to readily attach to the backpack's shoulder straps via their SlipLock system, and it worked. There's a hand grab handle on the top, quite useful if one is unloading it from a car, or traveling by air or train. The waist belt is highly adjustable, and all of the nylon plastic fastening hardware is of reasonably good quality, and in use weight seems to be distributed quite well. It's a comfortable and stable pack while in use