Review on 🎒 Charcoal MindShift Gear Backlight Backpack: Optimize Your Search by Dana Jones

I've compared this backpack to the Lowepro Flipside 400 and 500 and the Vanguard Alta Sky 53 and found it to be the most comfortable backpack ever. It's noticeably lighter than the Vanguard bag, which felt very strong but extremely heavy. MindShift, unlike Lowepro bags, stands on its own. They also didn't have an adjustment on the waist belt that wasn't low enough, distributing the weight of the bag over my shoulders. The tripod straps are well thought out. Large side pockets securely hold large 24oz Nalgene water bottles or other items. The front zip pockets are deep and I store a few things in them including fleece etc, hat and gloves. The interior of the chamber is highly customizable and the Velcro dividers are plentiful and very secure. The only issue I had was attaching the 70-200 which is in the middle of the bag and after a lot of activity I found that it shifts the divider and sinks into the space below. This problem was solved by keeping the heavy lens vertical in the section that is essentially the bottom when the backpack is on your back. No problem unless you have serious requirements. Lots of space. I have a Sony A9 with grip and usually my 24-70, 70-200, 16-36 and about 6-8 filters, L-brackets, extra batteries, charger, wired and wireless shutter release, extra lens caps and so on room for many other articles. You can fit a few smaller Primes in there with fewer accessories, or just pack it tighter. They advertise this as accessibility by unfastening the chest strap and rotating it so the part of the pack that touches the back is facing up, then opening it to gain access without having to put it on the ground. This comes in handy when I'm shooting on the beach, because the sand is such a pain. Putting the bag on the sand is no problem, but once it's there you never know when a gust of wind will blow or a person or dog will walk by and you'll have sand in your bag. Of course, retaining a zipper helps, but as most know, it may not protect you from sand. The problem with accessing it while it's spinning around your waist is the weight of a packed bag. I think the bag can handle it, but can you come back? Most will find that removing for access is generally the path of least resistance. There are no sidebars for quick access, although I found them to be more of an interesting idea than a functional feature on the bags I've tried them on before. I should note that I prefer my grip camera and many of the zippered flaps are too narrow to accommodate this rig for easy bag loading/extraction. I also have a couple of shoulder injuries and a bit of tendonitis in my left wrist, so I twist and turn to get the camera out the side (unless the bag is slung over one shoulder where the zip flap is 'up' , and then in this removed case, removing it completely is not that difficult) it's just not possible for me. I could understand why this would be an important feature for others. But it's not a quick access bag. It's lightweight, easy to set up and adjust, with a roomy yet slim profile that can carry almost anything you need. A moisturizing case would be nice. The laptop compartment is sufficient. I took my bag as a holdall on a coast-to-coast flight and used the compartments for my snacks and clothes on the plane, as well as my laptop. Suitable for large overheads and does the job well. Good colors too. Highly recommended.