wamason
TPF Noob!
- Joined
- Mar 3, 2016
- Messages
- 49
- Reaction score
- 21
- Location
- South MS
- Can others edit my Photos
- Photos OK to edit
My first review... be gentle... 
Roughly three months ago I purchased a Lowpro ProTactic 450AW from Amazon. I work in IT, and I'm always on the move so I wanted something that would hold my notebook and accessories, and most of my camera kit.
<<I'm not sure about posting images other than my own here, so here is the link to the stock photo from Lowpro's website: Lowpro ProTactic 450AW>>
My requirements were:
1. Hold my notebook
Lenovo T450S 14" notebook
AC and DC power adapters
Wireless mouse
Portable hard drives and flash drives
Various cables.
2. Hold my camera kit
Nikon D750 body and charger/extra battery
Nikon 24-120mm VR f/4 lens with hood
Nikon 50mm f/1.8 lens with hood
Tamron 70-200mm f/2.8 VC lens with hood
Yongnuo YN-568EX Flash and small diffuser
Pelican SD card case
Cleaning supplies
3. Compact enough to use as a carry on when flying (overhead or under seat)
What's in the box
The backpack
1x waist belt
2x tripod straps
1x tripod boot
1x water bottle holder
1x accessory pouch
Exterior
The ProTactic 450AW exterior seems to be well constructed, and easily holds its shape unloaded. It's not rigid like a hard case--I wouldn't try sitting on it--but it is stiff enough to support my gear inside without sagging or putting stress on my camera or lenses. The outside material is composed primarily of several different types of nylon. The shoulder straps are sufficiently padded. It's comfortable for me to carry around, although I haven't been on any wilderness excursions yet. The part of the backpack that rests against your back and shoulders has very thick, perforated padding. The waist belt has two small pockets on either side, but I removed it first thing as I don't use it.
The smooth "dome" on top of the bag is actually a hard shell-type cover, offering some addition protection for anything you put up top. The backpack has two small zippered pockets, one on each side near the top, that will hold small items like memory cards or flashlights. Travelling further down you'll find two zippered panels, one per side, near the bottom of the backpack.
As you can see from the pic, the exterior of the bag is covered with standard MOLLE webbing used by the US military. This allows any number of accessories to be attached, like those in the picture above. The top pouch came with the backpack, and the bottom two were manufactured by Condor. Adding the exterior accessories to the front does make the backpack to thick for a carry on when flying, but I can easily remove those when needed. You can find anything from hydro packs to handgun holsters that will attach to the MOLLE webbing.
Overall I like the style of the bag. It's not flashy, and very functional.
Interior
The ProTactic 450AW has a large main cavity divided by padded panels held in place by Velcro. The panels can be used to separate the top cover from the main cavity, creating a separate, smaller pocket. The interior of the backpack can be accessed four different ways:
Through the top cover
Through one of the two panels on either side near the bottom of the bag
Or by unzipping the entire back of the backpack.
As you can see, there are quite a few ways to customize the interior. I generally keep my 70-200 lens on my D750, which stays in the bottom of the bag. This allows me to drop the right shoulder strap and rotate the backpack under my left arm, then draw the camera from the side zippered panel. You can also set up the interior to draw your camera from the top cover.
The notebook compartment is designed for a 13" notebook, but my Lenovo T450S 14" will fit because it has dimensions similar to a 13" machine. You can remove the notebook without completely unzipping the back panel.
More thoughts
I'm still very much a beginner when it comes to photography. Everything I do is for personal enjoyment. I don't own anything you'd use in a studio (yet), and only have one flash. I don't feel comfortable at this point charging for services. At this time I can carry pretty much my entire kit in one pack with a little room to spare.
In the image above you can see my D750 with Tamron 70-200mm VC lens attached (with room to spare). Just to the right is a black rapid shoulder strap, laptop AD & DC chargers, and wireless mouse. Next, at the bottom of the pic, sits a Nikon 24-120mm lens. Sitting on top of the lens are the 24-120mm and 70-200mm lens hoods. Just to the right, under the white and red rolls of electrical tape sits a Nikon 50mm lens. Moving north I have a pair of 2.5" WD Passport hard drives in cases. Above that sits the Yongnuo flash, ND filter box with an iPhone tripod mount sitting on top, then a Pelican SD card case. Finally on the right (top of the backpack) I have a USB charging pack, flash drive holder, and CD case.
The two top pockets hold lens/camera covers, caps, and miscellaneous small parts. The larger, bottom pocket holds lens cleaning cloths mostly. Behind those pockets sits the notebook.
Conclusion
I give the Lowpro ProTactic 450AW 4.5 out of 5 stars. After lugging this backpack around for three months, the only shortcoming, for me, that keeps it from hitting 5 stars is the lack of integrated exterior pockets, and the small size of the two that are present. Although I didn't count off, the ProTactic 450AW can be on the pricey side, selling for $200-250 at most online shops. I don't consider it that expensive considering the equipment being protected.
Lowpro ProTactic 450AW Manufacturer's link
Roughly three months ago I purchased a Lowpro ProTactic 450AW from Amazon. I work in IT, and I'm always on the move so I wanted something that would hold my notebook and accessories, and most of my camera kit.
<<I'm not sure about posting images other than my own here, so here is the link to the stock photo from Lowpro's website: Lowpro ProTactic 450AW>>
My requirements were:
1. Hold my notebook
Lenovo T450S 14" notebook
AC and DC power adapters
Wireless mouse
Portable hard drives and flash drives
Various cables.
2. Hold my camera kit
Nikon D750 body and charger/extra battery
Nikon 24-120mm VR f/4 lens with hood
Nikon 50mm f/1.8 lens with hood
Tamron 70-200mm f/2.8 VC lens with hood
Yongnuo YN-568EX Flash and small diffuser
Pelican SD card case
Cleaning supplies
3. Compact enough to use as a carry on when flying (overhead or under seat)
What's in the box
The backpack
1x waist belt
2x tripod straps
1x tripod boot
1x water bottle holder
1x accessory pouch
Exterior
The ProTactic 450AW exterior seems to be well constructed, and easily holds its shape unloaded. It's not rigid like a hard case--I wouldn't try sitting on it--but it is stiff enough to support my gear inside without sagging or putting stress on my camera or lenses. The outside material is composed primarily of several different types of nylon. The shoulder straps are sufficiently padded. It's comfortable for me to carry around, although I haven't been on any wilderness excursions yet. The part of the backpack that rests against your back and shoulders has very thick, perforated padding. The waist belt has two small pockets on either side, but I removed it first thing as I don't use it.
The smooth "dome" on top of the bag is actually a hard shell-type cover, offering some addition protection for anything you put up top. The backpack has two small zippered pockets, one on each side near the top, that will hold small items like memory cards or flashlights. Travelling further down you'll find two zippered panels, one per side, near the bottom of the backpack.
As you can see from the pic, the exterior of the bag is covered with standard MOLLE webbing used by the US military. This allows any number of accessories to be attached, like those in the picture above. The top pouch came with the backpack, and the bottom two were manufactured by Condor. Adding the exterior accessories to the front does make the backpack to thick for a carry on when flying, but I can easily remove those when needed. You can find anything from hydro packs to handgun holsters that will attach to the MOLLE webbing.
Overall I like the style of the bag. It's not flashy, and very functional.
Interior
The ProTactic 450AW has a large main cavity divided by padded panels held in place by Velcro. The panels can be used to separate the top cover from the main cavity, creating a separate, smaller pocket. The interior of the backpack can be accessed four different ways:
Through the top cover
Through one of the two panels on either side near the bottom of the bag
Or by unzipping the entire back of the backpack.
As you can see, there are quite a few ways to customize the interior. I generally keep my 70-200 lens on my D750, which stays in the bottom of the bag. This allows me to drop the right shoulder strap and rotate the backpack under my left arm, then draw the camera from the side zippered panel. You can also set up the interior to draw your camera from the top cover.
The notebook compartment is designed for a 13" notebook, but my Lenovo T450S 14" will fit because it has dimensions similar to a 13" machine. You can remove the notebook without completely unzipping the back panel.
More thoughts
I'm still very much a beginner when it comes to photography. Everything I do is for personal enjoyment. I don't own anything you'd use in a studio (yet), and only have one flash. I don't feel comfortable at this point charging for services. At this time I can carry pretty much my entire kit in one pack with a little room to spare.
In the image above you can see my D750 with Tamron 70-200mm VC lens attached (with room to spare). Just to the right is a black rapid shoulder strap, laptop AD & DC chargers, and wireless mouse. Next, at the bottom of the pic, sits a Nikon 24-120mm lens. Sitting on top of the lens are the 24-120mm and 70-200mm lens hoods. Just to the right, under the white and red rolls of electrical tape sits a Nikon 50mm lens. Moving north I have a pair of 2.5" WD Passport hard drives in cases. Above that sits the Yongnuo flash, ND filter box with an iPhone tripod mount sitting on top, then a Pelican SD card case. Finally on the right (top of the backpack) I have a USB charging pack, flash drive holder, and CD case.
The two top pockets hold lens/camera covers, caps, and miscellaneous small parts. The larger, bottom pocket holds lens cleaning cloths mostly. Behind those pockets sits the notebook.
Conclusion
I give the Lowpro ProTactic 450AW 4.5 out of 5 stars. After lugging this backpack around for three months, the only shortcoming, for me, that keeps it from hitting 5 stars is the lack of integrated exterior pockets, and the small size of the two that are present. Although I didn't count off, the ProTactic 450AW can be on the pricey side, selling for $200-250 at most online shops. I don't consider it that expensive considering the equipment being protected.
Lowpro ProTactic 450AW Manufacturer's link
![[No title]](/data/xfmg/thumbnail/31/31707-a2840f3af9af3a4fa6f6dfbd4028eae5.jpg?1619734964)
