A Headturner. Heavy (w/battery), but functional. If you want to vlog, use the right equipment.
I spent about 1.5 months with the backpack before I decided to write this review so that I could give my practical summary of my experience with it.
Quick points: I used the bag WITH the attached 300 watt battery. It is ultimately destined as my bug out bag (Important documentations, camping tools, emergency supplies, etc) in case of a natural disaster, but to get a proper feel for its function and ergonomics, I have used it for day trips (serving as a mule) and hikes (carrying a partial list of my bug out bag supplies).
Pros:
1) Despite being heavy to lift after filling it with items, it feel noticeably lighter once it is properly strapped on to my back. I believe this is due to the single-frame body keeping the weight as close to your back as possible so you don't have to lean forward to counter the weight of items closer to the zipper openings (farther from the center of body alignment). It is a pleasant surprise as to how much "lighter" it ends up feeling once its properly strapped on your back.
2) The build of the varying storage bags are solid and of good quality. The solid single-frame is great.
3) The 300 watt battery is a beast.
4) The straps are plush.
5) The bottle holder, holds standard 20 oz sized bottles, but can be pretty tight if they are of the fatter designs.
6) Several males have asked me where I bought the bag or to look at the bag.
7) The telescopic arms make recording hikes a breeze, AS LONG, as you have a way to remote control the camera. Used it with my Insta 360 Go 2, but the mounting mechanism IS the wireless controller for the GO 2 camera....so yea....that made it a lot more difficult to take footage.
8) With the dividers, organization is a breeze as long as you have a method worked out.
Cons:
1) Not their fault, but looking at the videos, I had thought that I would be able to hold more items in the spaces provided. The carrying space ends up about 25% smaller than what I had expected.
2) I don't know if it was from shipping or the way it was packaged, but the top compartment (usually marketed as the drone bag), seems to have been compressed in a manner that the top cover overlaps the bottom frame structure of the bottom zipper point. This makes zipping open/close difficult, especially at the corners, unless the compartment is filled up completely to keep the top lid from overlapping with the bottom part of the zipper. I also found the inside buckle strap for the same compartment getting in the way of zipping it closed, often getting caught on the zipper.
3) I have been pretty unsuccessful trying to recharge the battery using daylight on a cloudy day (it is winter....so take it with a grain of salt) via my balcony and with their provided solar panel. On most attempts I haven't seen the percentage increase. But on one particular cloudy-ish winter day, despite the solar panel showing an orange light (indicating it has a positive charging ability), I came back 5 hours later to unplug it since it was now nighttime. When I checked the charge, my battery capacity had decreased by 2% (started at 11%, and it was at 9% when I checked back on it). Maybe it was the LED indicator lights that ended up using the battery? I am not sure. But I look forward to when I can try charging it with a good sunlight (spring is coming in)
4) Regarding the solar charging, I am disappointed that I can't leave the battery plugged into the solar panel and then leave the solar panel at a balcony or window to automatically charge when there is enough sunlight. Maybe it is a safety feature, but after a certain point in time of inactivity, you have to unplug and re-plug the power plug into the battery to restart the solar recharging process. I had thought I could leave it plugged in to the panel and then come back a few days later and find the battery pack mostly charged.
5) Despite the plush straps, the right one keeps cutting into my right collarbone. I am unsure as to why that is.
6) I wish there was a better solution for the backpack, in particular the battery pack, if there is rain. At this time, they provide a rain pouch for the whole bag, but it requires taking off the bag to reach into a slit that holds the rain pouch inside the main compartment area. Even then, you lose easy access to all of the panels except the one covered by your back and the waist strap pockets
7) Despite the venting on the back, it can still get sweaty, even during 2 degrees Celsius hike. It was the oddest thing having my front be cold, but then my back beginning to sweat during a hike. I chalk that up to the weight I was carrying making the backpack pull flat against my back, preventing air circulation.
8) Unless your camera has a good stabilizer OR you record footage using the Magic Arm going straight up, then you will realize that there is a LOT of bounce when you extend the stick and walk. I can say that my Insta 360 Go 2 on a fully horizontally extended wand for a selfie video recording ended up with a lot of video jitters.
