Tamrac's Aero 80 vs. Adventure 9

[invisible]

I'm thinking of buying a new backpack for my gear and have narrowed the search down to these two Tamracs:

Adventure 9

Aero 80

Problem is, neither of these is available locally, so I'll either have to special order or buy blind over the internet. Not to mention that I won't be able to compare them side by side.

Has anybody tried both? Either? I want to make sure that my Nikon D70s with 18-200 lens attached fits comfortably –not a tight fit that makes it difficult to pull the camera from the bag.

Can you let me know of pros and cons of these bags, especially if your camera/lens setup is similar to mine? Is the top compartment roomy and easily accessible?

By reading the specs, it seems that the Aero 80 is way lighter and has roomier compartments, but it's smaller overall. How can this even be possible? Is the Adventure 9 much better padded?

Thanks everybody for your help.

 

[Samriel]

I've been using the Aero 80 every day for a few months now, and I'm generally satisfied with it. I was looking for a bag that can fit my camera, along with some writing equipment and books and papers. The thing that I miss are side straps for a tripod and/or lightstand. Also, as the bag can get quite full with stuff, it can get quite heavy considering it has only shoulder straps - they could've put some of these horizontal straps to balance the weight better when you carry a heavy load. However, you can add these by yourself later, so it's not really a big problem.

My usual load:

Camera compartment

Nikon D80 with Tamron 17-50mm f2.8 attached, Nikkor 80-210mm f4-5.6, Tokina 100mm f2.8, Nikon SB-600 Speedlight and a Panasonic SDR-300 video camera. In the pocket of the camera compartment I carry an extra battery for both cameras, gels for the flash, two remote controls (wired and wireless) and a hot shoe leveler.

Top compartment

Filter case with several filters, Velbon ULTRA MAXi mini tripod, lens and sensor cleaning accessories, and a lot of different stuff for writing etc.

Back Compartment

A lot of papers (mostly A4 size) and books, sometimes a foldable umbrella and different snoots and gobos.

Everything said and done, I can really recommend the bag. If you are not planning to use it for hiking but rather for urban photography, I would also suggest you to look at the Tenba Messenger series. It's a bit more "fashionable", and fits about as much gear as the Aero 80.