Tamrac EXPEDITION 8

• COMFORT * * * * *
• CAPACITY * * * * *
• FEATURES * * * * *
• BUILD QUALITY * * * * *
• VERDICT: This bag really stood out in terms of capacity and its surprising comfort. The design is really useful too, but it doesn't hold a laptop computer.
• OVERALL * * * * *

Digital SLR Photography - April 2008
BEST BUY AWARD

Tamrac EXPEDITION 5
A very traditional photo backpack design with modern innovations, such as the front accessory pockets and rain flap for the zipper. Open up this well-padded bag and you've space for a large SLR outfit - you can fit two bodies and several lenses with ease. You can use the straps and main pocket on the front to hold a tripod. It's very well made and the shoulder straps are wide and thick. It's ideal if you have a large outfit and a relatively small budget.

• STORAGE * * * * *
• FEATURES * * * *
• COMFORT * * * * *
• VALUE * * * * *
• VERDICT * * * * *
• Holds loads of gear and is comfortable in use.
• Excellent! BEST BUY!

Digital SLR Photography - April 2007
BEST BUY AWARD

Tamrac Expedition 5 & Expedition 8
I was extremely impressed by these bags.
They are beautifully made, very well padded internally
and externally with well-designed, comfortable shoulder
and waist carrying straps, and are a pleasure to use.

August 2006

Tamrac Expedition 5
If you've a good-sized SLR outfit, comprising a couple of bodies, several lenses and a load of accessories, and enjoy romping around the landscape looking for pictures, this backpack is ideal.
Protection and accessibility to the contents rate highly and the zipped main compartment is given extra protection by a LockDown Rain Flap. I found that the Expedition has plenty of pockets to stash away spare cards, batteries and accessories like filters or portable storage units. Fully laden, the bag is obviously quite heavy but toting it around is not an uncomfortable experience thanks to airflow channels, which help keep you dry, and well-padded shoulder straps.

Verdict: An excellent backpack for a decent-sized SLR outfit.
Pros: Spacious, comfortable to carry
Performance: * * * * *
Value for money: * * * *
May 2006

EXPEDITION 4

Sling your pack! Tamrac’s
Expedition 4 and Velocity 9

Velocity 9 Pro Sling Pack
The Tamrac Velocity 9 Pro Sling Pack is part of a series of packs that sits midway between the shoulder bag and the backpack. It can be swung round for front access and worn that way for security. The Velocity 9 is the largest bag in the current range and seems to be designed with the pro/serious amateur in mind.

The basic interior of the bag has been split into three basic compartments. The adjustable dividers allow the bag to be configured to personal taste or function. Internally, the bag is well padded to expected standards. The external front pocket is relatively large and spacious to hold all manner of accessories
Because of the size of the Velocity 9 I packed it with one DSLR camera body attached to a 70-200mm ƒ2.8 lens, a second smaller DSLR camera body, its 18-70mm APS-C lens, 28-75mm ƒ2.8 and a 17-35mm ƒ2.8-4. For good measure I packed some spare batteries, PDA, pocket camera, lens cloth and a number of memory cards. This all fitted nicely into the pack with little difficulty.
Wearing the pack I could certainly feel the weight of the kit. The waist strap helped to take some of the weight off and introduce some comfort. With the heavy 70-200mm lens replaced by a 100-300mm ƒ4.5-5.6 the pack was more comfortable to wear.
By bringing the pack to the front of the body I could quickly remove the camera, take photos and place the camera back in the pack with relative ease.

Expedition 4 backpack
The Expedition 4 (model 5574) backpack is the smallest in the current range of Expedition backpacks by Tamrac. It has been designed to take the rigours of trekking and keep your camera equipment well protected. The Expedition 4 although small in size has enough room to accommodate one moderately sized DSLR body with a 70-200 ƒ2.8 lens attached, with additional room for two other lenses plus a flashgun (or another two lenses – flashguns take a surprising amoutn of room).
Internally, it offers as standard several adjustable padded compartments and plenty of room for various accessories such as filters, lens tissues and batteries. The middle chamber together with the three outer pockets ensure there is plenty of space available.
I kitted the pack with a Dynax 7D and vertical grip with 17-35mm ƒ2.8-4, 28-75mm, 100-300mm D lens, 100mm Macro D lens and 5600HS D flashgun. I filled the outer pockets with a number of memory cards and spare batteries. I kept my PDA stored in the front pocket together with some maps. The bag had a fair weight but the nicely padded hand grip made hand carrying comfortable.
More importantly the backpack felt comfortable and secure when placed on my back. The padded back designed to allow an airflow is something that should be standard on all bags of this type. The packs design ensured that it was a straightforward matter for me to get at my equipment though it did mean the pack had to be removed (unlike the Velocity). With rain resistant zippers and LockDown rain flap I felt my kit should be well protected against any sudden showers. The winged accessory pockets on the front of the pack allowed for quick access to my memory cards. There are straps provided to allow securing of a small to medium sized tripod. The lower front pocket on the pack acts as a tripod foot pocket.

Conclusion
Of the two bags, I preferred the Expedition backpack. Initially I thought the sling pack would be my preferred bag as equipment could be accessed while the pack was still being worn. The packs are clearly aimed at different markets. For short term use I found the Sling Pack 9 acceptable but if I was to do a lot of walking then the Expedition 4 was the clear winner.
Although the Sling Pack allowed my camera to be removed easily when the pack was moved to the front, on several occasions I had to remove the pack in order to access my lenses. Lenses at the bottom of the pack are not so readily reached.

Both packs are compatible with the Tamrac Modular Accessory System (MAS) to add additional pockets or cases. The Expedition 4 also accepts the Strap Accessory System (SAS).
Both packs have their advantages so the only true way to decide between them is to go to your local photographic store and give them a try.
f2 / September 2006