Lowepro Rover Plus AW, Dual Compartment All Weather Photo Backpack with Technical Harness System, Black.

Rating:
Summary: The Rower AW's BIGGER brother
Review: The Lowepro Rover Plus AW is a dual compartment, all weather photo backpack with Technical Harness System. Let's take a look at what that means. The Rover series of bags have always been two compartment bags, with an upper "daypack" compartment for your lunch, light jacket and miscellaneous items. The lower compartment is for your camera gear. The two are separated by a removeable padded insert secured in place by hook and loop fasteners (velcro). Access is gained via unzipping YKK zippers and unsnapping a clip. There are two square sized mesh pockets at the side. There are two smaller triagular accessory pockets that flank the keenly located hideaway tripod harness and bungee cord straps - more on this later.

The interior of daypack has a mesh pocket that runs down the center of the front flap (directly behind the tripod harness). The rear has a zippered laminated accessory pocket Behind that is a thin folder like pocket that will accomodate a thin 8.5x11 pad but not much else.

Your camera gear is safely stowed below in a gray cloth reconfigureable padded insert. Deep enough to support a 70/80-200 f/2.8 lens attached to pro body. I don't have this lens, so I can't tell you for sure how accessible it is. I can tell you that I do carry the following, with room to spare: N70, SB-28, 24mm, 50mm, 28-105 (attached to body), 70-300 and 20-35 f/2.8, plus hoods.

The camera insert can be removed and the padded separating insert that serves as the floor of the daypack can be removed or folded out to make for a large day pack or make room for a larger lens (is you retain the camera insert below for padding).

The tripod harness tucks away underneath the bungee webbing and in held in place with more hook and loop fasteners. Behind this is another pocket! The tripod strap can accomodate a Bogen/Manfrotto 3021/455 sized tripod. The Rover AW is sized to carry a smaller Bogen 3001 (sorry, forgot the Manfrotto designation) tripod. There are bungee straps top and bottom to help secure the tripod.

The Technical Harness System is inherited from Lowepro's larger Photo, Nature and Super Trekker bags. The back of pack will well padded for comfort for the long haul. The shoulder straps feature an ergonomic S-curve and small chest strap to help balance the load. Also attached are Slip Lock loops for accessories. The shoulder strap can be adjusted to fit just about any person, and are held in place with A LOT of hook and loop behind the back padding; there is a neat tool (a thin white piece of plastic) included that allows for quick adjustment by inserting it inbetween the pad and harness and adjusting it to the appropriate height and sliding the tool out). There are two height ajusting clips so that you can fit it comfortably to your body. Did I mention that the harness was OH SO COMFORTABLE?

The waist strap is also thickly padded and has Slip Lock loops for more accessories (water bottle, lens cases, film case...whatever). Due to the size of the pack (and the amount of weight it can carry), this harness makes sense. It is comfortable after a long day of trekking and photographing.

The only negative comment I have about the waist strap is that it is so darn bulky when you don't have the pack on! It DOES NOT fold away conveniently. I think this could be made thinner while still being able to support the bag.

Other miscellantous stuff: Neat carry rubber carry handle on top. It also has Lowepro's patented AW cover but it does not work in you have a tripod attached.

Like the Ford Model T's you can have it in any color you want as long as its black.

Besides the thick waist strap, the only other negative that I found with this bag is that accessing the gear can be difficult with the daypack filled with items - and the fact that the pack padding does not bend readily (it seems to need a seam sewed into it to allow it fold easier). Or it could be that this bag needs to be "broken in" more.

If you don't need a larger bag, you will probably be happier with the (current) Rover AW II. Most of the limited reviews I read for that model wanted a few inches here and there. This bag provides it at a cost: size and weight - it's bigger, bulkier and holds more and we all know that camera gear ain't light.

Hope you found this helpful and informative.

Rating:
Summary: The Rower AW's BIGGER brother
Review: The Lowepro Rover Plus AW is a dual compartment, all weather photo backpack with Technical Harness System. Let's take a look at what that means. The Rover series of bags have always been two compartment bags, with an upper "daypack" compartment for your lunch, light jacket and miscellaneous items. The lower compartment is for your camera gear. The two are separated by a removeable padded insert secured in place by hook and loop fasteners (velcro). Access is gained via unzipping YKK zippers and unsnapping a clip. There are two square sized mesh pockets at the side. There are two smaller triagular accessory pockets that flank the keenly located hideaway tripod harness and bungee cord straps - more on this later.

The interior of daypack has a mesh pocket that runs down the center of the front flap (directly behind the tripod harness). The rear has a zippered laminated accessory pocket Behind that is a thin folder like pocket that will accomodate a thin 8.5x11 pad but not much else.

Your camera gear is safely stowed below in a gray cloth reconfigureable padded insert. Deep enough to support a 70/80-200 f/2.8 lens attached to pro body. I don't have this lens, so I can't tell you for sure how accessible it is. I can tell you that I do carry the following, with room to spare: N70, SB-28, 24mm, 50mm, 28-105 (attached to body), 70-300 and 20-35 f/2.8, plus hoods.

The camera insert can be removed and the padded separating insert that serves as the floor of the daypack can be removed or folded out to make for a large day pack or make room for a larger lens (is you retain the camera insert below for padding).

The tripod harness tucks away underneath the bungee webbing and in held in place with more hook and loop fasteners. Behind this is another pocket! The tripod strap can accomodate a Bogen/Manfrotto 3021/455 sized tripod. The Rover AW is sized to carry a smaller Bogen 3001 (sorry, forgot the Manfrotto designation) tripod. There are bungee straps top and bottom to help secure the tripod.

The Technical Harness System is inherited from Lowepro's larger Photo, Nature and Super Trekker bags. The back of pack will well padded for comfort for the long haul. The shoulder straps feature an ergonomic S-curve and small chest strap to help balance the load. Also attached are Slip Lock loops for accessories. The shoulder strap can be adjusted to fit just about any person, and are held in place with A LOT of hook and loop behind the back padding; there is a neat tool (a thin white piece of plastic) included that allows for quick adjustment by inserting it inbetween the pad and harness and adjusting it to the appropriate height and sliding the tool out). There are two height ajusting clips so that you can fit it comfortably to your body. Did I mention that the harness was OH SO COMFORTABLE?

The waist strap is also thickly padded and has Slip Lock loops for more accessories (water bottle, lens cases, film case...whatever). Due to the size of the pack (and the amount of weight it can carry), this harness makes sense. It is comfortable after a long day of trekking and photographing.

The only negative comment I have about the waist strap is that it is so darn bulky when you don't have the pack on! It DOES NOT fold away conveniently. I think this could be made thinner while still being able to support the bag.

Other miscellantous stuff: Neat carry rubber carry handle on top. It also has Lowepro's patented AW cover but it does not work in you have a tripod attached.

Like the Ford Model T's you can have it in any color you want as long as its black.

Besides the thick waist strap, the only other negative that I found with this bag is that accessing the gear can be difficult with the daypack filled with items - and the fact that the pack padding does not bend readily (it seems to need a seam sewed into it to allow it fold easier). Or it could be that this bag needs to be "broken in" more.

If you don't need a larger bag, you will probably be happier with the (current) Rover AW II. Most of the limited reviews I read for that model wanted a few inches here and there. This bag provides it at a cost: size and weight - it's bigger, bulkier and holds more and we all know that camera gear ain't light.

Hope you found this helpful and informative.