ThinkTank Rotation 360 Backpack

DaveK

Trying to hear from anyone that has purchased the ThinkTank Rotation 360 Backpack. http://www.rotation360.com/

Tries to address the same principle as the Lowepro SlingShot but without the one concern I have that if you forget to zip up the SlingShot before returning it to your back, you could dump your gear.

The Rotation360 looks bit over engineered and that concerns me. Is it practial in daily applicaiton? I am also wondering about how comfortable it really is after a day of carrying it around. Still some pretty interesting ideas if it works in the real world.

Any other suggestions for similar function if not the Rotation 360?

Thanks for some first-hand experience and feedback on this one.

J Kacey

I've got the slingshot 300 and love it. I dont forget to zip it up.

BeachBill

The Thinktank was recently reviewed at Digital ImageMaker.

With that said, I really love and recommend my Slingshot 200. No problems with forgetting to zip it up.

DaveK

Thanks Jerry and Bill for the positives on the Slingshot. I have picked up through the threads others like these and your votes confirm my need to look seriously at the Slingshot with the 360. I guess beyond the potential zipper mishap, I am a bit of traditionalist as well and like the two full shoulder straps concept of the 360, especially if loading up the pack with lots of gear and misc. It appears the 360, beyond being flexible to go light (bum bag only), also looks like it could carry quite a bit of gear if need be via the belt attachments for lens bags, etc. Not that I need all that much gear at this date but it does look like a system you can not only grow into but adapt per the particulars of your shooting needs. The review link you provided Bill, seems to confirm this.


I would still like to hear from others that own the 360 Rotation to give some comparison to the number of favorable comments I have found on the Slingshot. What about comfort of the 360? Does the bum bag really pull out as easily as they imply.

Thank you.

jwear

anything that thinktank makes is great and so are they -great folks with even better products I have the speed racer and would not trade that for anything -- in a hurry I have spun it around swapped cameras and pushed it back with out zipping and kept going --not something you want to do more that once but did not miss a shot or gear

J Kacey

What is the longest lens that can be on the camera while in the fanny pack swing around thing? My Slingshot 300 I can have my 30D with 70-200 2.8 IS and grip attached. The ThinkTank site was not clear as far as I could find what size of lens it would take......

One more thing I like about the Slingshot is I can were it around town, the mall, were ever and it looks kinda casual. The ThinkTank looks pretty cool
but also looks like your geared up to climb a mountain or something. It's starting to look like nobody on DG owns the ThinkTank........ Reviews I read all look good. I see there is a huge difference in price between the two.

DaveK

Jeff thanks for posting. Sounds like you are satisfied customer, appreciate the feedback. However as Jerry has noted the percent of Dgrinners with first hand experience does give me pause. Doesn't mean their product is not worth looking at, just means I am not going to get much third party confirmation on the product. I have been doing some online searching outside of dgrin and have found a similar shortage. Price of the product may be a factor as well.

Good point Jerry on what size of lens/body the bum pack can carry. From what I can tell it looks like a 70-200 may need to be carried on the belt in a lens bag but it does not appear the bum pack will accomdate this.

If I were to throw out the idea of getting a bag that easily swings around like the Sling Shot or the 360 and go to a traditional backpack, The Naneu Pro U60, U120 or U220 seem to be solid options. http://www.naneupro.com/products

Thanks again for you time to comment.

DaveK

Just an update here for those in the same boat. I did quite a bit of searching through this forum, photo.net and others. I think the reality is that you will never find one bag to satisfy all your needs. For my current plans of travel and some trail hikes (short 1-3 miles) I decided a backpack was the best option. The 360 looks interesting but I just felt the belt slide system and limited lens/body combo in the bum pack portion were too risky to invest in something so untraditional.

I looked at various sling bags but was not comfortable with the single shoulder harness plus my shooting is more methodical than urgent so the quick access idea seems to have limited value. I may still do one of these or just a bum pack for day excursions where limited gear is needed.

I ended up going with the Tenba Shootout Medium. I cannot tell you how pleased I am with the quality of this backpack and the sensible balance of features. I have complete confidence in my gear being protected. If there is one shortcoming it could be in there needing a few more small pockets for smaller items but this is very minor to the overall quality and thought put into this backpack. You can see more at http://www.tenba.com/ps-875-8-shooutout-medium-backpack.aspx

Also I have more photos they sent me showing the tripod arrangements if anyone is interested I will dig them out and post them here.

3n-out

I paid $93.00 for my Lowepro 300 sling shipped to my house from Canada. Bought it on ebay. For that price it don't think there is a bag on the market that can beat it. The 300 Sling is awesome and I like the sling method and it works perfect.

And it fits my 30D, Battery Grip, 1.4X and 70-200 2.8L with not problem. And can still hold mucho more gear along with that. It's a great bag.

DaveK

Back from a week of shooting out west and wanted to update on the bag after a week of use. As I shared already the bag is very solid and I always felt comfortable with my gear being protected. It was the ideal combination for air travel and on location shooting. I was on both business and pleasure for the trip so the added feature of the laptop slot was a real plus.

Only negative and as anticipated was the lack of smaller storage areas to help divide up more items. A few more small pockets on the exterior so you don't fill up the lower pockets where you should have quick access to the interior lens compartments would be nice. But this is minor in light of the rest of the packs quality and features.

Vizhon

DaveK wrote:

Trying to hear from anyone that has purchased the ThinkTank Rotation 360 Backpack. http://www.rotation360.com/

Tries to address the same principle as the Lowepro SlingShot but without the one concern I have that if you forget to zip up the SlingShot before returning it to your back, you could dump your gear.

The Rotation360 looks bit over engineered and that concerns me. Is it practial in daily applicaiton? I am also wondering about how comfortable it really is after a day of carrying it around. Still some pretty interesting ideas if it works in the real world.

Any other suggestions for similar function if not the Rotation 360?

Thanks for some first-hand experience and feedback on this one.

I own one an I would recommend it to anyone with shoulder or back problems (of which I have both). I'd recommend almost anything from Thinktank, because their advertising claims that they approach design from the photographer's perspective is pretty accurate. It is a little difficult to just outright describe the 360 and it's strengths, because of just how versital it can be.

First, the concern about leaving the pack open and accidently dropping things out - Never had it happen, and I've walked around with the back half open while packing several lenses in it. If you left the zipper completely open, it would likely dump, but if you have it zipped up at all, it is rigid enough to pretty much hold it's shape and keep anything that isn't heavy and packed high from falling out.

Now concerning the system in general. First to explain how mine is set up and to flesh out a few details that aren't completely clear in their own info about it. I got mine with a Modulus pack (which has no set position I keep it in), an R U Thirsty which I keep on the front belting and a Speed Changer I keep on the belt accessory strip.


The pack itself is not that large, has a couple small outside net pockets and the main pocket, plus straps and a hide-away pocket designed for tripods. The pack is completey assembled around it's frame with velcro, so the frame can be removed (but is not advised). On either side of the pack at the top are the two accessory attachement strips. They are small and can't fit anything larger than a single lens bag or a couple modulus packs on one side.

The belt and main camera bag assembly has it's main bag, 1 web pocket on either end, and a smaller zip up pocket on the left side behind the lock. Yes, the lock that holds the bag in the bottom of the pack - Interesting little velcro setup that works great. On the right side of the bag is a longer accessory strip than the ones on the backpack portion - It fits a speed changer with just a little room to spare, or can fit a speed changer and a modulus pack tightly.

The assembly can be worn as the whole pack, in which case the straps make a great support for a camera, given the right camera straps, or the backpack portion can be tossed, a shoulderstrap can be attached and the belt can be worn without the pack.

As just a belt, it is not the best camera bag I have ever seen, but then it is far from the worst. It hangs heavy on the shoulder you put the strap over and the belt itself if adjusted properly hangs on the hips, spreading the weight out better than most packs, but it's not the most confortable set-up.

As the full pack assembly, I can't say I've ever tried on a rig that was as comfortable. The rigidness of the pack and the positions of it's pads keep a lot of the weight of the pack off the shoulders and puts it on the hips and lower back. Also, with a little practice, and as long as you don't over-stuff the camera bag, getting the belt to swing around in the pack and then reparking it is easy... and contrary to their literature on it, if you get accessory packs for it that are small enough (like modulus packs, speed changers, etc.), the belt will still spin in both directions and isn't limited to only coming out to the right - Comes down to how easily your accessories fit through the openning in the pack.

It's wordy, I tried to address the exact questions and flesh out the rest. If you have anymore questions, feel free to throw them out, but in summary, I'd recommend the Rotation 360 to anyone that can afford it. On a sidenote - It is not the only bags I use, but is the only bags I will use when I am fully loaded with gear.

DaveK

Vizhon wrote:

I own one an I would recommend it to anyone with shoulder or back problems (of which I have both). I'd recommend almost anything from Thinktank...

Thanks Vizhon, wish you had been able to post earlier before my purchase but good info in any event and something to consider should I ever want to swap out. Also, helpful for others reading this post and looking. Thanks!!

Lex

I carried a Slingshot 200 loaded down to tha max once, I swore never again on 1 shoulder. I know 1 person that had a 360, said it didnt' hold enugh gear for him, he was selling it. But he's a dedicated think tanker.

Personally I have the speedbelt and racing harness with all the bags. (Modulus), nice setup, even if you look like Canteen man. lol.

DaveK wrote:

Back from a week of shooting out west and wanted to update on the bag after a week of use. As I shared already the bag is very solid and I always felt comfortable with my gear being protected. It was the ideal combination for air travel and on location shooting. I was on both business and pleasure for the trip so the added feature of the laptop slot was a real plus.

Only negative and as anticipated was the lack of smaller storage areas to help divide up more items. A few more small pockets on the exterior so you don't fill up the lower pockets where you should have quick access to the interior lens compartments would be nice. But this is minor in light of the rest of the packs quality and features.

DaveK

Lex wrote:

...even if you look like Canteen man. lol.

Good one Lex. Saves stopping for lunch when you add on the canteens and coolers to the belt as well! :eat