Manfrotto MB PL-3N1-25 Backpack (Black)

I REALLY wanted to like this bag. On paper it's the superior bag compared to the Manfrotto Advanced Tri Medium. It has ore places to stash small gear, better accessibility, a waist strap, and better looks. However it falls short in multiple areas:1) Zippers - They are low quality. As another reviewer mentioned they often jam and take two hands to operate. While I didn't experience a cross-thread or break, I can easily see this happening after a few months of use. Backpacks get used and abused, they have to be rugged. These zippers are just subpar and the top "hatch" are attached to pieces of string.2) Upper Row - It's hard to access. While not completely inaccessible, the "flap" doesn't fold all the way back. You're going to find yourself digging through a "crack" in the padding and flap trying to access your gear. POOR DESIGN.3) Shoulder Straps - Way too long. I can't tighten these down anywhere close enough to fit. At the tightest position, the backpack is still extremely loose. At this point this makes the bag completely unusable. For reference I'm 160 lb 5'7".4) Waist Strap - It's not removable. The shoulder straps "clip" apart when in sling mode. Why not offer the same thing for the waist strap? You have to tuck it back into a pocket5) Comfort - This bag is not very comfortable to wear.6) Laptop Pocket - Too Small. Yes, technically this bag is not designed for a 13" ultrabook, but neither is the Manfrotto Advanced Tri M. But while I have to force my UX303UB into this bag, the Advanced Tri M fits like a glove. I'm assuming a Mac Air would be in a similar situation. They could've made this .5" wider and solved the issue. If you want to fit a 13" ultrabook, get the Advanced Tri Medium.7) Rain Hood Pocket - Doesn't exist. Oops. Where do you put the rain hood when you're not using it? I guess there goes a pocket that could've been used for something else.But it's not all bad news:1) The upper compartment is very easy to access, and can hold a variety of gear completely separate from the photo area.2) You can set this bag up for left OR right side camera access, which is nice. The Vanguard Up-Rise II 45 doesn't offer this feature.3) Material quality is extremely good. The "ultra light" nylon feels like it will last quite a long time.4) Pockets, pockets, pockets. I like to have separate areas for different items over one gigantic pocket for everything.5) This bag is very attractive, it's a nice looking bag. I guess that could be a bad thing if you're looking for something understated to avoid theft, but I would mostly be using this on hikes and in parks.Verdict? Buy the much lower priced and vastly superior Manfrotto Advanced Tri Medium. Or the Lowepro ProTactic 350.

I bought this for my wife who is small in stature at 5'3" and 95 pounds. This is a nice looking backpack that missed the functionality mark, especially for smaller people. The material used to make the pack are all quality products, and the pack can be worn multiple different ways (backpack, sling, X pattern, etc.)That is about where the good ends and the bad comes up. First, it is nearly impossible to get this fit snug on my wife, with all the straps tightened up it is still somewhat loose and pulls down in the back. This might not be an issue for people larger than my wife, but even on me when I attempted to fit it up to myself it still felt rather loose. Second, there are things that are missing that you would expect in a pack at this price point... D-Rings on the shoulder straps, a sternum strap, and elastic keepers for excess strapping. While we knew going in that it didn't have the D-Rings and sternum strap, the lack of elastic keepers was somewhat shocking, as even the cheapest bags some with some kind of retention for excess strapping. Third, and this is the most crucial, accessing the main compartment where your camera gear is stored at can be a chore. Yes, there are quick access panels on the sides that allow you to get to your camera and on the opposite side you can get to three lenses (one easily, and two not quite as easily) depending on your set up. However, if you need access to anything else it is a chore in and unto itself just to open the flap and to access the upper most compartments.Bottom line, you can get a $50 pack with more features that is easier to use. It may not be as high quality in terms of material and construction. I really feel that this is over priced for what you get and recommend you look at other packs.

I like it. It's made in high quality. And it can be worn in several ways and is easy to carry or put on.I do however find it smaller that I really wanted. There are only 4 small outer pockets. The top inside compartment is fine. The real guts section is very tight for my gear though I did manage to place my Canon 70D, three lenses (70-300mm telephoto, 16-35 mm ultra wide angle, and 18-135mm) and one flash, plus a couple of lens hoods.Had I seen the bags in real life first, I might have ordered the larger size offering but I am quite pleased with this one. Not much room to grow though.

I own way too many camera bags, slings, backpacks, rollers, cases, man purses, etc. This one is great but the waist strap is a waste of time if you're taller that what I'd guess would be 5'3" or have a very short torso. It's just ergonomically impossible to fit correctly given the bag's small size.That's fine though if you don't plan to depend on the waist straps - where larger amounts of weight can be carried most efficiently - and just use the shoulder straps. Given this backpack's size, I think it'll be fine for most.

Great bag, took it on one trip so far:1 Nikon D55001 18-55 mm DX1 85 mm DX1 Gary Fong diffuser1 Lenovo (model 20266)1 S&W Shield1 BladeTech IWB1 small cleaning kit1 Galaxy Note 51 battery w/charger1 tripodvarious memory cards, pouches, pens, note pads, lens filters, tripod base, etc. Still had room for more stuff. Humped this around on my back one day from 10 a.m. to about 5 p.m. with no problem at all; did not cut or dig in anywhere, furthermore, access was always easy. My DX camera did not fill the space I used, you should have no problem at all with your FX.

Has almost everything I want. Quality is top notch.I would prefer to have more pockets behind zippered flap.Also would rather have detachable straps. When using as a sling the bag can become bulky when trying to conceal the strap that is not being used.Overall storage capacity is good. I can carry my camera, one telephoto lens, boot flash, wide angle lens and room for a fish eye lens.

The larger backpack in Pro Lite family and I am happy that I chose it for the room it provides. I can fit a 300mm f2 lens in it, although it is tight. Well built and finished. I would have like to see more possibilities for the Velcro dividers to grab each other, creating more packing arrangements within the backpack.The reasons for not giving more stars are that there is no chest strap (I made one myself) and no provisions for external attachments (straps or even loops for straps for a clothing, tripod H2O bottle).

great bag! the one I got came in as new but was a bit dirty. didn't look like it was used but I assume someone a batch got a bit of dirt on it and I was able to wipe it off mostly

Like this bag very much, Some nice added features that the previous version of the Kata bag didn't have like tripod carrier and additional outlside pockets.I just wish it had the yellow interior as the previous version. Much more difficult to lose small black items in a bright yellow interior.

Très très bien j'adore ce sac !!!

excellent product very well made