AtL Review – MindShift rotation 180° Horizon 34L

Introduction
I’ve owned many different types of camera bags in my time. From the camera backpack to the shoulder bag, from the sling bag to Think Tank’s own modular belt system, there are very few camera bag types I haven’t used or owned. So when I got the opportunity to try a completely new camera bag system, in the form of the rotation 180° Horizon 34L from MindShift, I jumped at it.

Design
The rotation 180° Horizon 34L is a very well designed backpack which looks sleek and unassuming. It mostly resembles the type of backpack you would use on a hiking trail with its tall design. The bag contains two major compartments along with a number of zippered pockets, a few velcored sections and mesh nets to carry various odds and ends.

The bottom section is the heart of the backpack and contains the fanny-packesque main camera compartment that can rotate around your body. This is the camera’s namesake and what makes it unique amongst other camera bags. To make this section work you clip the strap around your waist and when you are ready to change lenses, or camera bodies, or get a flash or whatever you need, you undo a simple clip and spin the bag around.

I found the system intuitive and convenient for getting camera gear on the go. The clip system did take a little practice to get used to, but was very easy to learn and quickly became second nature. The system moved easily to my front and the zippers and their pull tabs made opening the bag very easy. Closing the bag, though, usually required two hands, but the key is being able to open and quickly access the lens or accessory you need.

The top portion of the bag is multifaceted as it can either be kept empty and used to hold various odds and ends, or you can use the an additional sectioned insert section to pack additional camera accessories, lens, bodies, etc. I chose to put my recently purchased Mavic Pro and remote control, a GoPro, a 360 camera and some accessories. When I didn’t used the modular compartment I threw my Gorillapod, hat, sunglasses, jacket and other larger accessories in the bag.

The back of the bag contains a built in system for holding a tripod. What I like about this system is that all the components necessary to hold the tripod are easily tucked away and built into the camera bag. This is a big advantage over another bag I own that makes the tripod holding lower portion come off the system completely, making it prone to be lost or come off the bag. On the left side there is a zippered side pocket desinged for a waterpouch.

On the top on the bag is a small zippered pocket attached to the fold that opens up to reveal the top compartment. I used this for quick accessories such as batteries, memory cards or cleaning clothes. You cold also put these type of small loose objects in the mesh section of the main compartment, but not having to open the whole top compartment to access small items was nice. On the back of the bag is one more zippered compartment that is about two-thirds of the size of the whole bag. I just kept the rain cover in here, but this would be a great compartment for manuals, magazines, thin, small computers, or tablets.

Durability
I wore the bag with everything strapped on and the bag held on like a champ. Giving the straps a quick tighten was easy, as the ends are front facing and easily accessible, and the bag never gave way even while running or hanging from a tree. Even when I didn’t have the waist or chest straps on it was comfortable and held to my body well. The bag was adequately padded that I didn’t feel at all uncomfortable tossing it on the ground to get access to the top compartment. Additionally, all the straps, connectors and other component feel well made and ready to stand up to abuse and the test of time.

Versatility
Besides the standard camera backpack orientation of the system I also tried other way to use the bag. One way was to remove the lower section and wear it separately. It was a little wonky at first, but once I tightened the system around my waist it felt fine and hung on well. I used it just like the main system, turning around the component when I needed a lens and spinning it back when I was done with it. I did feel a little goofy with my oversized fanny pack when I wore it up front, but for convenience sake, it was a nice alternative to hauling the entire camera backpack. I also carried the separate top compartment when all I wanted was my drone. Having this versatility in how I uses the system was really convenient and something I would like to see on other camera bag systems.

Areas for Improvement
***Before you read these please keep in mind that many of the issues I bring up here are addressed by MindShift with their rotation 180° Professional 38L. So if any of these items seem like deal breakers to you know that MindShift has addressed them with their higher-level bag.***

While I like to overall design and felt it versatile enough for my needs, I feel like there are a few design choice omissions that could be looked at in future models. First off, there is no dedicated laptop compartment. In a few of my other bags there is a dedicated and cushioned laptop compartment. This bag looks designed best to carry tablet like an iPad, or perhaps a Surface Pro, in fact the website for the bag states as much saying that this bag is best suited for a 10″ tablet.

Another omission is a cup holder section of some sort. This bag is really designed for the hiker, nature photographer, and as such is really designed to be hauled long distances many hours. It would have been great to have a mesh section on the left hand side to hold a water bottle. As it is, you could use the lower compartment to carry a water bottle, but then your taking valuable real estate away from camera gear. While I realize the bag is designed to carry a hydration system in the side zippered compartment, having the side pocket would have been nice.

While the camera bag fit my micro 4/3rd system, which included a Panasonic GH4 and four lenses, perfectly, it struggled with my DSLR full frame set up, which included my Canon 5D Mark II and four lenses. In fact I couldn’t even fit my 70-200 standing up, and had to instead stow it up top, or remove all the padding to make it fit horizontally. This, of course, shouldn’t be a concern for you if your shooting a Mirrorless system, but something that should be considered if shooting anything full frame from Canon or Nikon. You can make it work, but the system isn’t ideal.

Additionally, if your unsure if this bag will fit your camera set up MindShift does a great job explaining which type of camera systems this fit best in this bag. In fact they clearly state on their website which camera systems and lenses fit best in the bag.

Nikon D810 with a 24-70mm attached horizontally
Canon 5D MIII with 16-35mm II f/2.8 L attached + 24-70mm II f/2.8 L
10″ tablet + Sony A7RII with 24-70 f/4.0 attached + 90mm Macro f/2.8 + HVL-F32m Flash
10″ tablet, binoculars, energy bars, maps, identification book, etc.

Conclusion
If you’re a photojournalist, or someone who covers events or weddings then I would shy away from this bag. While the rotation system in convenient, the split make up of the bag can make it difficult to quickly get access to additional accessories or lenses stored up top, as you have to undo the waist buckle and take the bag off to get to the top section. For these more run-and-gun, faster paced career fields I’d probably recommend one of Think Tank’s modular belt systems, a sling bag or shoulder bag. If you shoot primarily nature or landscape photography, or carry your bag for long distances or on activities such as biking or hiking, and want something that won’t strain your back and shoulders, and is also versatile and gives you easy access to a set of gear, binoculars or other accessories, then this, or one of it’s variants, it the bag for you. In the end the was a great bag to use and I highly recommend it. I will definitely keep it on hand for vacations and outdoorsy activities and with five different versions it will be easy to find one that suits your needs.