Vanguard Up-Rise II 45 DSLR Camera Backpack - Waterproof Travel Bag for Photographers with Laptop Compartment (Black) - Perfect for Hiking, Travel & Professional Photography Gear Storage

I have several camera bags for different purposes. Mostly I carry a big-ass camera backpack with a laptop sleeve, but it's way too much bag for a quick day shoot, such as a powwow or historical reenactment. Here’s what I wanted, all of which the Vanguard Up-Rise II 28 (mostly) has:Camera protection: The Up-Rise’s removable camera compartment’s padding is substantial, more than adequate for normal use. It has the usual complement of adjustable Velcro pads. In fact, I think using the camera compartment is overkill. The bag itself is padded, adding the camera compartment actually steals some valuable space. I’m able to carry my Nikon D7000 with 18-200mm attached, plus a 70-300mm lens. That’s about it, although I could squeeze in a speedlight by laying it on top of the equipment. That’s fine for what I want it for.Removable strap. Most messenger bags have permanently attached shoulder straps. I prefer a removable strap so I can hand-carry it or replace the strap if I want to. The Vanguard’s shoulder strap is sturdy and well-padded.Usable pockets and storage space: I didn’t want to carry a laptop in this bag, but I did want a bag in which I could carry my iPad, small notebook, pens, cell phone, spare batteries, when shooting an event. This is an area in which the bag falls short. None of the external storage pockets are gusseted, meaning that you can’t slip anything much thicker that a cell phone into them. This is not to say that there isn’t a fair amount of storage, it’s just that it could be used more efficiently if the external pockets expanded a bit. There are also two pockets in the external flap and one in the back. Again, they don’t expand so you can’t put much in them. This is the trade-off between light weight and carrying capacity.Top opening zipper: Many messenger bags (including the Up-Rise) have a zipper in the top flap for access to the camera compartment. You can quickly retrieve and stow your gear without undoing the top flap.Expandable: The Up-Rise has a zipper around the sides and base that allows you to expand the bag a couple of inches, like many carry-on suitcases. It gives you a bit more storage when you need it. Relatively few bags offer this. This was a selling point for me.Trolley Sleeve: I travel a fair bit and it’s nice to be able to secure my bag on my rolling luggage. Some bags use top and bottom zippers that allow you to use the sleeve for more storage. (The Vanguard does not.)Slim profile: I prefer the sleeker profile of the Up-Rise to the boxier appearance of some bags. This is more a matter of preference than functionality. The Up-Rise also has four feet on the bottom that help keep it upright.Single-point fastener on the top flap: Most bags use two fasteners of some kind, such as Velcro, latches, snaps or a combination to close the flap. On a small bag like this one, the single fastener (plus Velcro) is sufficient.Interior color: The Up-Rise’s interior is bright orange. No trouble finding things inside.External Padding: The Up-Rise has good padding in the back, where it rests on your hip.There are also D-rings attached to the two rear, lower corners. Although there was nothing in the accompanying documentation, they could be used to attach a waist belt to stabilize the bag. (Lowepro has this feature on some of its messenger bags, and it looks like a good option.)Rain cover: I wouldn’t count on the Up-Rise’s (or anyone else’s) AW cover to protect my equipment in a monsoon, but it should last until I get to a drier place.Materials: The hardware on the Up-Rise 28 is top notch and seems more than adequate for the size of bag it is. The fabric is the standard issue ballistic nylon that should withstand wear and tear without difficulty. Zippers work smoothly and the clasp on the flap is pretty big for such a small bag.Bottom line: This bag serves me well when I’m shooting a powwow or similar event, when I need just one extra lens and maybe a flash. MFT/mirrorless users would find it even more useful. It’s probably too small for a full-frame shooter. It’s well-made and has a few shortcomings, but I expect to use it for a long time.I was a first-time purchaser of this type of bag. Having no experience with owning a messenger bag for my camera and other gear, I now realize quite a few things that I wish I had known before.This product was made for people who are asking A LOT out of their bags. Now that I own the bag and use it everyday, I don't happen to think that it's entirely reasonable what I was asking for. The main things I was looking for included: ability to carry a laptop, camera, a couple of lenses, some pockets for other stuff like filters. I also wanted easy accessibility with top access through a zipper (fairly uncommon feature), messenger/briefcase style, luggage pass-through, and for it to be overall well-built and sturdy.What I didn't really think about was that to actually physically carry all of these things requires a fairly large bag, and that's what this is. It's large and fairly heavy. Worn for over 30mins or so, it starts to hurt my shoulder (even if it as a messenger with the strap across my body).Just keep that in mind if you're seriously considering buying this bag. Do you really need to carry a laptop, your camera, and a couple of lenses? Even without the speedlite and the extra lens (say you just want to carry the laptop, the kit lens, and the camera itself), there's no way to physically carry these things without a large bag - so adding the speedlite and extra lens is rather negligible.Because of the thickness that is already taken by the laptop and camera body, all of the pockets towards the front flap of the bag are VERY slim and cramped. There's just no way around it. This bag can carry extra batteries, a cord, remotes, lens caps, filters, etc etc but just know that these pockets are pretty flat and not expandable. There's just no more room left unless you want to be carrying a cube-sized bag off of your shoulder, which is a fairly absurd form factor. As FYI, if you want to carry a laptop that's not a slim model (Macbook pro) unizpping the side zipper to make it expand in width is a must.That all being said, for the compromises that the bag must have to allow users to carry all this equipment, it is a well-designed bag. They did their best; it's the premise that's flawed. The build quality is excellent - from thick zippers to nylon material that doesn't show wear - and I absolutely cannot complain about that. The top handle is really nice and sturdy, and I use it often to hoist the bag from off the ground and onto my shoulder.I wish it had velcro silencers. I may have to find a way to sew those on myself. The velcro to open the top flap (if you need complete accessibility to the pockets or take the laptop out) is really loud. It's just too much velcro - I don't know why they felt that they need to use so much in surface area AND have a buckle. Doesn't make much sense to me.All in all, a well-built bag. Think about what you're asking of it, though. It may be better to decide to travel without a laptop, and if that's the case, then this bag isn't the best choice because it's too big. On the other hand, if you really need a laptop with you and your gear, think about a backpack type model - it would probably be way more comfortable. Fully loaded, a bag this size and weight is fairly impractical to carry on your shoulder, not to mention it looks kind of stupid. If you're dead-set on having a messenger bag that can carry those things, then I think this is nearly the best you're gonna get. TBH I nearly returned it, but I have since given up on carry my laptop around very often, so it makes this bag more practical. It is useful to have the option if you KNOW that once in a while you'll need to carry a laptop, but most of the time you want a messenger style bag.I spent quite a bit of time choosing a Rucksack for some fairly expensive camera equipment that I own, and having bought Vanguard items before decided that this was probably the backpack for me. It seems very well made, and all the materials used seem of good quality and should stand the test of time. all stitching seems to be solid, and the zips are all good quality and of a standard that I would expect from a backpack of this price.The bag is really well padded, and there are several safety devices to ensure that even if you forget to do up a zip there is usually a secondary mechanism (Velcro or strap) to stop your kit falling out and smashing. The bottom is waterproof, so you can sit it on the ground without fear of water ingress into the Camera compartment, and it sits upright without the need for any support, which is a great idea.The expanding front compartment will fit a set of waterproofs or a micro-fleece easily and the top compartment will be good for a packed lunch although I wouldn't put anything that could leak in it, as it isn't fully separate from the bottom (front is just a Velcro attachment). The equipment compartment is well thought out, and there is more than enough room for a DSLR with good size lens, a set of filters and a further 2/3 lenses, and the quick access zipper on the side is easily accessed by slipping the bag off one shoulder to get to your Camera quickly.The Tri-pod carrier is a great idea, but not perfect. I have a Vanguard tri-pod, but only one leg will fit in the carrier - if it was just a few centimetres wider it would have been perfect. I can still attach the tripod, but I would have been happier if all 3 legs could fit in the bottom pocket to ensure that they are not snagged when climbing e.t.c.The rain cover is a complete afterthought and is pretty much useless as it won't completely cover the bag if a tripod is attached, I also doubt that it will stop rain getting into the top where the shoulders attach as the shoulder straps attach to the very top of the bag, so there is no lip for the cover to slip over. I have another Vanguard messenger type bag, and this suffers from exactly the same problem - it is a real shame as a rain cover was a must have for me, and it looks as if I may have to purchase a 3rd party item to do the job (and I still doubt that it will stay completely dry).All in all, happy with the purchase, but would have liked a better tripod carrying system and a workable rain cover.I purchased this bag to fit all of my photography gear.The following equipment fits in this bag neatly with ease;DJI Phantom 2 + H3-3D Gimbal + GoPro Hero 3+ (Fits in with everything attached)Black Perl Diversity 7" Monitor attached to DJI Phantom ControllerCanon EOS 650DMacBook Pro Retina 15"Chargers / Portable Batteries etcThere is a separate section for your laptop (anything up to 15")There are harness straps for ease of carrying, the quality is very strong, waterproof and does not feel like something that will fall apart.I use this bag for not only Photography but travelling and general use.If you are looking for something cheaper than the DJI Official backpack, I highly recommend this backpack.Not as good as i expected, it just about fits my Sony A7rii with battery grip and 85 mm G master lens attached, as it is, it's very difficult to remove via the quick release panel. there is plenty of room for other lenses,but as i stated it's not deep enough for my camera and battery grip to fit comfortably bearing in mind that this is not a DSLR but a smaller mirrorless camera. also the quick release catch is anything other than quick release and is very difficult to do back up. Perhaps i will get used to it but so far very disappointed . I have had Vanguard bags before and have always been very impressed, however this is not one of their better products.I've had this bag for some two months so this is a first impression. I use it for my aps-c camera, with 18-105, 55-300 and 35mm prime lenses and a few filters. It is my first sling bag and it is very useful when out walking to access gear without having to place the bag on the ground. It is comfortable when walking as it is light and leaves both arms free.Good quality day bag for the £85 asking price. Few points stop it being 5 stars. Can't carry a drinks bottle in the external carrier if your carrying a tripod. The tripod mount does not seem strong / secure enough if your carrying a heavier tripod (bought some extra straps). The quick access panel has two small holes at the top of the zip that may let in water in a quick shower, although rain cover worked well in heavy rain. Does not cover tripod though (bought aftermarket dry bag for that.) These points may seem nit picking, but if they were addressed it would be an easy 5 stars. Overall don't regret buying the bag at all and would recommend to anyone starting out as I am and needs a good bag to protect their investment without breaking the bank.