The Lowepro Photo Trekker AW is my bag of choice for “serious” nature photography, when I want to be ready for anything with a lot of gear.
I also have Lowepro’s largest back pack camera bag, the Super Trekker AW, but that bag is actually larger than I really need.
The Photo Trekker AW is a backpack-style bag that can carry a lot of weight with good comfort. It also includes a built-in rain cover, which is handy here in rainy western Washington State.
Here is what I usually carry inside:
In the main compartment:
- Canon 5D Mark II
- Canon EF 24-105mm f/4L IS, usually mounted on camera and usually with the hood reversed on the lens
- Canon EF 16-35mm f/2.8L, with the hood
- Canon EF 70-200 f/4L IS, with tripod mount and with the hood reversed on the lens
- Canon 300mm f4 L IS with a Canon 1.4X tele-extender mounted on it
- Canon Speedlight 550EX
- Canon 15mm f2.8 fisheye
- Canon 100mm f2.8 Macro
- Canon TS-E 17mm f4 L
- Canon TS-E 24mm f3.5 L
- Canon TC-80N3 programmable shutter release
- Lens pen
- (2) Singh-Ray ND Graduated filters
- Cokin P filter holder with 72mm and 77mm adapter rings
In the lid:
- 3 spare batteries
- a shoe-mount bubble level
- (4) additional compact flash cards
- Business cards
- Pen and Sharpie
In the lid pocket:
- Photoflex 32-inch diffusion disk
- Flashpoint 20-inch silver/soft gold reflector disk
And if I want to, I can actually attached my tripod, a Manfrotto 3021BPRO and Manfrotto 322RC2 grip ball head, to the back of the bag when carrying for longer distances.
This kit weighs 28 lbs, plus another 7.5 lbs for the tripod.
Camera Bags Part 1: The Addiction
Camera Bags Part 2: Think Tank Speed Racer for Travel and Everyday Shooting
Camera Bags Part 4: Lowepro TLZ1 Toploader for Long Backcountry Shooting