Clik Elite CE710GR Venture 35, Gray

To sum it up, this pack is excellent on your back, but only offers moderate protection for your gear. Don't get me wrong, it is padded and protected alright, just not anywhere near as well as the competition. But Clik-Elite is getting a little better in this regard.

I'm in the midst of an African trip where my luggage is getting a real workout. It carries all the gear I need (Canon 5DII w/grip, 100-400mm lens, 70-200, 16-35, 50mm, plus flash, tele-extender,and small tripod with head. Filters and accessories I've put in the extra top compartment, in their own padded organizer pouches, and there is still plenty of room for jacket, food, etc. in the large top compartment. The design is excellent for those who want to take some clothes, lunch, maybe a book, along with the camera gear. I also have taken it carry-on with no problems on a variety of aircraft.

My gear has remained in good shape, but I am careful how I set the pack down, and generally don't let anyone else handle it (tough in Africa where everyone wants to help with your luggage).

Tripod attaches on the side (if it's small), or when hiking and/or with a larger tripod (like my cxpro3), it's best to put it on the back of the pack, where it rides very nicely, no swinging.

So again, know what Clik-elite does well: make packs that one can wear all day on a hike or climb. Try that with the cubical packs made my the other big brands, and you're likely to be thrown off a ridge by the swinging weight, or give up and take it off with aching shoulders. If Clik-elite can get the protection thing down without compromising their excellent comfort, they will be all alone in the field of camera backpacks.

This is a great big, but it's very large. I liked it a lot, and got it on sale, but I ended up selling it on eBay and buying the Obscura, it's still a little larger that I'd prefer but fits the bill much better than the Venture 35 did. Never even removed the tags from the Venture.

Offers excellent protection for your gear and plenty of room. Would be great for a professional with a lot of equipment I'm sure, but I needed quicker access to my equipment and I had to completely remove the bag to get my camera out without fear of something else falling out despite several rearrangements of the internal compartments.

I gave this 4 stars because I know it would be excellent for someone with a full size camera and more professional than I. However, I'm only a novice with an APS-C camera (D5000), I needed a bag that was easier to travel, hike, and bike with and quicker to access on the go. For my uses I would probably have given this bag 2 stars, and only because it is of great build quality and very protective.

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