MindShift Rotation 180 Trail Backpack for Compact DSLR and Mirrorless Camera, Charcoal

Like many photographers, I'm always in the search for the perfect anything. The perfect camera, the perfect lens, the perfect tripod, and most recently, the perfect camera bag. The first decision that needs to be made is what type of bag are you looking for (messenger, backpack, sling, etc). Then you look at the manufacturers, then the price, then what extra features it has. Further complicating matters for me is that I've recently downsized cameras in the past few months, going from a full frame Nikon with large lenses to a smaller mirrorless camera, specifically the Olympus OM-D E-M1 and full range of Premium and Pro Zuiko glass. My biggest reason for downsizing is that I have a 2 yr old little girl to chase after and having a 4-5 lb camera with lenses swinging around felt heavy and dangerous at the same time. So I was looking for a pack that can fit both of my needs, carry a decent amount of camera equipment since we photographers like to overpack lenses and equipment, as well as have some space to play dad and carry around her essentials as well. My goal was to find a bag that I could carry comfortably for those trips to the children's museum or to the zoo, you know those 3-4 hour outings. I don't anticipate being able to trek in the woods like I used to be able to do BC (before child) for a number of years, so the 28-32L bags are a no go for me.I've always been a big fan of Think Tank Photo products and their innovative designs and their premium materials and when I heard that a few years ago a few of their members had created a sister company in MindShift Gear, I was very intrigued. I never ended up getting a bag but with their recent release of the smaller Trail and my smaller camera equipment, I figured now was as good a time as any to go ahead and give it a try.Pros- The bag is for the most part sized very well. I'm 5'7" and after adjusting the straps, it fits comfortably on the shoulders, isn't too long, and what I really love about it is that it maintains a slim profile. It's listed as a 16L bag, with 11.5L in the backpack section and 4.5L in the belt pack. I've used larger backpacks before from all of the well known outdoors camera bag companies, again with my full frame gear, and they're for the most part large and overkill for most day trips. They're great for overnight trips or if you want to pack other goodies besides your camera equipment, but for a museum visit with your toddler, they're too large. Depth wise the bag is listed at less than 6" and it feels that way, if anything it feels even thinner. Lots of bags are 8-10" in depth and look way too big. The Trail uses the innovative Rotation 180 system and allows you to keep your camera body and a lens in the belt pack and the rest of your gear in the backpack section. But the smaller size combined with the rotation does have it drawbacks which I'll explain a little later.- Straps are very comfortable, back padding is comfortable. Belt pack is very easy to rotate around and back in place. I really like the fact that I don't have to take the pack off all the time to access my camera, which the majority of backpacks force you to do. I'm able to keep my E-M1 in the belt pack with the 12-40 f/2.8 sideways by removing one of the dividers and keep another lens in the other divider.- Charcoal color is very pleasant to look at. I like to keep a low profile when it comes to camera bags, I shy away from the bright orange and sky blue bags, I tend to gravitate towards black or grey bags. Call me boring, but it's my preference. This charcoal color is a nice color that's not too boring.Cons- The zippered top section has too wide of a opening in my opinion. Having a wide opening is good because it allows you to access your gear very easily, but it's also a negative because it feels like my gear will fall out of the bag more easily. I think 1" shorter in zippered length would've made it much better. Again as a father of a toddler I intended to use this bag for different reasons, if I was just going out myself to shoot I was going to keep more lenses and camera gear in the top section. If I was going out with my daughter I would keep essential products for my child in there (diapers, snacks, water, etc). I keep all of my lenses in lens pouches and even then because of the large opening I didn't feel secure having my lenses in the top section because I was fearful that they would fall out. As for putting toddler supplies, I felt that her snack cup, her water bottle, etc would easily fall out as well. Also despite the fact that it's listed as being 11.5L in the backpack section, it felt a little smaller than that, some of which can probably be attributed to the rotation section, it takes up a considerable amount of space.- The belt pack feels a little too small to fit my equipment comfortably. The E-M1 is one of the larger mirrorless bodies and it's also one of the wider bodies as well. Placing the body vertically the 12-40 lens was too long to securely zipper. Placing the body sideways the body's width made stashing the strap inside the pack a job in it of itself. I'm not sure how one would be able to place a larger body instead the pack comfortably, I would forget about putting a DSLR in there. It would fit my E-P5 comfortably, but I could see an E-M1 or a GH4 too large to put in there. Also I would forget about putting a camera in there that's gripped.I might give the bag some more time to see if I can overcome some of the negatives but my excitement of the bag certainly has diminished some after trying it out. I know some of my issues with the size of the bag can be remedied by getting the larger Panorama but again my hope was to find a small bag that I could carry my camera equipment for those short trips to the children's museum or a day out at the zoo with the family. The Trail to overall is a good pack that just may be a little bit too small for these new larger mirrorless cameras, but would fit a smaller mirrorless camera (think E-P5 or smaller for Olympus or a GX7 or smaller for Panasonic, a a6000 for Sony, or a X-E2 for Fuji) much better. Also I would say that this is a great bag if you're carrying maybe 1 standard zoom and 1 prime and that's it. If you're thinking of carrying multiple lenses, I would look towards the Panorama or another bag, even tiny Micro 4/3rd's lenses aren't ideal again because of the larger zippered opening at the top.

If you shoot while doing an active sport and own a compact DSLR or mirrorless camera, this is your pack. Lots of products have some cool feature that sounds great in theory but just isn’t well executed. This is not one of those products. The 180 camera pouch is about as awesome in practice as it sounds. By the end of my first day using the pack, I was effortlessly whipping out my camera without looking or fumbling around. There’s a single magnetic clip that locks the camera pouch in place, and it’s clearly designed to be opened and closed with one hand. Everything about this pack is well though-out and we’ll made. The pack itself holds its own as a solid outdoor pack. The materials seem quality and are lightweight, but they don’t seem like they could take a huge beating (who throws around a pack with a camera inside).I use this pack primarily for Ski photography (in the resort, not the backcountry). The waist belt and straps are solid, no moving around even when hitting jumps. I love this pack because it dramatically reduces the time overhead of getting out the camera.As far as sizing, I have an OLYMPUS OM-D EM-1 Mark ii, and it fits perfectly with the standard 12-40 lens and lens cap (see photo). If you have big lenses or have a full size DSLR, this pack may be to small, although I could see a DSLR with smaller lenses squeezing in. You’re not gonna fit a ton of extra gear in the compartment above the camera. Lunch, water, and a compact jacket would max this thing out.Bottom line: highly recommended for anyone with a compact camera who values quick camera access and doesn’t need to haul a lot of gear.

Pretty nifty design! The belt rotates 180 degrees, bringing the camera bag from inside the bottom of the backpack to your front. The latch takes a little getting used to, hooking/unhooking, but seems to secure the camera bag securely in place. Its return from front to back is not totally smooth, takes a little jiggling, and rotating the belt in both directions requires loosening the belt a bit.The entire pack assembly sits comfortably, and the straps adjust to move weight from shoulder to hips, however you want to distribute it. The cargo compartment is not huge; while I haven't had it out on a serious hike, I suspect it will accomodate lunch, a jacket, binoculars, odds and ends, if carefully stowed--plus the pocket for your tablet, for those who cannot be without their tablets! The camera bag is also compact. I carry a Panasonic FZ 300, with lens hood attached; it fits just fine. It would fit a larger camera, but without the lens hood in place.I'll be taking this set-up to Central America next month. Will report on its functionality on day-hikes in the jungle.

Awesome bag!! Got for a trip to the Grand Canyon. Perfect for small day hikes to carry what I needed, including a designated pouch for a water bladder. Super functional, efficient and easy to simply rotate the waist strap for quick access to your items of choice. Could fit my Canon 40D but found my Fuji XT1 was optimal for me to leave room for other items.

The fanny pack rotation design is brilliant. Definitely stopping more to take pictures when I wear this pack.

Really cool

Easy way to carry and access camera whilst mountain biking