Product Description

The Primus AW is a perfect combination of fast access and all weather protection, it was built for the backcountry. Rugged construction with a recycled, water resistant outer fabric and a seam-sealed AW cover protects gear.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #19087 in Consumer Electronics
• Brand: Lowepro
• Model: Primus AW (Black)
• Released on: 2007-08-05
• Dimensions: 20.10" h x 9.30" w x 13.20" l, 5.07 pounds

Features

• Lumbar and side access provide fast equipment retrieval
• 8-point adjustable harness and padded waist belt comfortably distributes weight for long hiking trips
• Upper compartment provides organization and storage for personal accessories
• Glide-Lock system and hideaway accessory holder easily fits a tripod or other backcountry equipment
• "Seam-sealed All Weather Cover protects equipment from weather, sand and dust"

Customer Reviews

A brilliant photo backpack for walkers and trekkers
I've been looking for a good photo backpack for ages. The problem has been that the ones which are designed to hold lots of camera gear aren't ideal for travelling/bad weather trekking. Conventional backpacks are great for trekking, but poor for carrying, protecting and accessing camera gear. I looked at the LowePro Vertex range (too heavy - many internal airlines have a 5kg total weight limit for hand baggage) and the Kata range (not comfortable enough) before coming across the Primus. It looked like what I needed. and as many shops sell this at £160+, the Amazon price of £58 seemed a bargain. But how did it meet my needs?

Well, I've just got back from three weeks trekking in Southern Patagonia, and it was brilliant. The Primus doesn't hold a lot of photo gear in the main camera compartment, but can easily accomodate a large digital SLR and at least three lenses. I took a Nikon D200 + 18-70 and 12-24 lenses. Decided to leave the telephoto to cut down on weight (no regrets - wide angle more useful). I was carrying the above, plus two spare batteries, two lens hoods, three CF cards, blower brush and filters. In addition I carried a largish MP3 player, headphones, PDA/phone, sunglasses, toiletries, medical kit and lunch in the upper compartment. I stowed a waterproof shell jacket, waterproof over trousers, gaiters, Goretex socks and gloves and a hat in the outer pocket. One litre Sigg water bottle easily fitted in the side bottle carrier. On some days we were wild camping, so in addition to the above, I had a change of clothing, wash kit, and thermal base layer in the upper compartment, with a Thermarest mattress strapped to the top of the pack. The Primus has a brilliant adjustable strap system and a really comfortable waistbelt, so even when climbing 800m during an 11-hour trekking day, it all felt fine.

With the amount of gear listed above, access to the photo gear would be difficult using a normal pack. The side entry access of the Primus made life much easier (but not perfect). I could just reach round, open the side zip and pull out the camera, without taking off the pack. The AW cover proved invaluable in the Patagonian rain and wind, and I could still access the camera with the cover on. Also, having an external expandable storage pocket for wet gear is brilliant - no chance of leakage onto your photo stuff.

So is it perfect? Not quite. I wish that LowePro had made the side access flap just a little larger - I doubt it would take a D200 or 300 with motor drive. Also, the internal dividers are a strange shape - I replaced them with some old dividers from another bag.

However, I wouldn't hesitate to buy it again. None of the straps or zips failed despite being sorely mistreated. Final comment: a thief tried to get into the pack while I was walking through Buenos Aires. Even though they managed get the side access zip open, they quickly realised that they couldn't get the camera out without seriously alerting me. Good anti-theft design or serendipity: you can decide.

back paks for cameras
it took me a long time to find the combination of Backpack and camera holder with easy access and this bag met that criteria, although there is space for your usaul items in the top half there is only limited space, around 12 litres of storage.
the camera compartment is well padded and compartmentalized with velcro so you can shape what is stored, i found the bag very useful and would recommend it.
this is a recycled product so friendly to the environment and was a dream on a long trek on Dartmoor

Fantastic Bag
What can I say, Lowepro have in the Primus AW an absolutely fantastic camera rucksack.
Although slightly on the heavy side, the adjustable strap system (there are so many points for adjustments, it's difficult to know which ones to adjust) makes it extremely comfortable to carry.
The padding in the camera compartment is great, with the added bonus that it all comes out so the two compartments could be combined into one if you wanted to carry something really big. The only problem I could see is that the man central divider doesn't have any velcro points on one side, where the lens attached to the camera goes, leaving a large amount of empty space beyond the front of the lens if you're using smaller lenses, although i guess you could fit another lens here if you weren't fussed about the padding being fixed.
The side access is fantastic - really easy to get a smaller DSLR with medium zoom out quickly without even adjusting the bag, putting it back isn't quite so easy, but isn't so important.
To top it all off, it uses recycled materials - and has a whistle on the chest harness, who could ask for more! :)
Just be aware that as the bag is fairly rigid, it doesn't pack down well.