Hama Track Pack 190 Camera Backpack

The mixed reviews here made me delay purchasing this, but having read them carefully and weeded out the irrelevant (and also seeing it advertised at £50 on the brand site) I thought it was worth a try at £16.

Many will wonder about the inner section of the bag, since internal photos are lacking, but a previous reviewer has described it well and I'll provide my own experience too.

The large, main section zips completely from top to bottom, so when laid flat, you can flip the top over like a case to pack your gear. I see no problems with the quality of the zips.

That main area comes with configurable padded velcroed partitioning (and it comes already set up). My initial concern was that when my camera (and attached lens) was in the pre-configured section at the top of the bag and the bag was closed and vertical (on my back), the camera would slip over the partioning and stuff would get jumbled up in the bag. I thought the sheer weight of my DSLR and 18-55mm lens would be too much for it to handle but am pleased to say this fear was unfounded and everything stayed neatly in place.
And as others have stated, there is room for at least a DSLR and several lenses.

The middle pocket that you can see will comfortably house a book of approx A4 size and a couple of inches thick. If you know how to pack a rucksack, you will get a set of light waterproofs in there. It's true that, generally, unless you sacrifice something or have little equipment, you won't get picnics and flasks etc in there. But to be fair to the manufacturer, it's designed for camera equipment rather than picnics and personally, I'd keep food, clothing and my camera gear separate anyway.

The third and lowest pocket houses smaller section pockets for filters and cleaning equipment and things of that ilk.

There's a web pocket to the side of the bag as well and the strap and handle design means the attachment of tripod harnesses or extra bags is feasible (but I haven't tested that theory for weight yet).

With all my gear and a fairly weighty book in the bag, I was delighted by the attention paid to the shoulder straps. For a £50 (rrp) this is really a key area and it passes with flying colours. The design has kept the wearer in mind and it's fabulous if you're going to be out for some hours.

The padding throughout is light (weight wise) but absolutely substantial enough to protect your gear.

Things to consider:
1. There's no quick release for your camera. You really have to remove the pack completely to get at it. However, I found that I generally wore the camera around my neck (that's the idea after all) and for periods when I did not, removing the pack and retrieving the camera could be done in seconds. At full price, it may be a deciding factor for some people. At £15 (or nearer £19 as it is at time of review) it shouldn't even be considered.
2. I didn't expect any waterproof qualities (since none were declared) but on day 1 got caught in a light shower. The bag had no problem with that at all but bear in mind that if your bag isn't supposed to be waterproof, it's a good idea to slip a carrier bag or cover into one of the pockets just in case you need it.

I bought this because I only had a smaller shoulder bag. I've kept the shoulder bag for when I'm just popping out locally and I'm keeping the Hama for longer trips or when I need more gear. In the house, it's now where my gear "lives" and is worth the price even for that.

At £50 I'd have shopped around more, for something waterproof and maybe more individual zipped pockets for the bits and pieces. At £15 I feel this is among the best purchases I've made and would recommend it even up to £25.

Treat yourself :0)

this is a good small to medium size rucksack with good protection for my Nikon D200 2 standard zoom lenses and 0ne long zoom (70-300)f4.5 and the usual bits and pieces. it is light weight and well padded but has no room for other items such as waterproofs, a flask, or sandwiches so if it is just to carry your camera and kit its great but if you also want a day pack it's not so good. p.s. great 3 year warranty and it looks good without advertising its contents

This arrived very quickly well packed. I absolutley love it. Its sturdy and has taken all my camera equpment 4 lenses filters flash gun electrical leads etc. Its great to have everything altogether in one place an excellent purchase.