MindShift R180° Professional 38L Deluxe – Discovering nature with Craig Sinclair

Rotation 180° Professional 38L Deluxe – Discovering nature with Craig Sinclair

Craig Sinclair is a British photographer from the South West of the UK. Currently studying a degree in photography with the Open College of the Arts. He got his first Nikon DSLR in 2010 as a Christmas present and has always had an interest in photography.

“I am passionate about wildlife, nature and landscapes and our impact as human beings on the environment and the planet (Just like MindShift Gear’s philosophy). Photography is an adventure to me, I love learning about different cultures and I am seeking to develop a greater appreciation for the history of photography and contemporary art photography as well as building on my technical skills as a photographer. I am an avid believer in sharing knowledge and experience within the Photography community”

Craig is a customer of Snapperstuff and kindly allowed us to share his photography work and thoughts of his purchase. Before we get to his review check out the pics he sent us to share…

So first of all what does Craig fit into his

MindShift Gear 

R180º Professional Deluxe?

Just one of the many options for packing out the MindShift Gear Rotation180° Professional 38L Deluxe:

• Nikon D7200 DSLR x 2
• Nikon MB-D15
• Nikon 35mm
• Nikon 50mm
• Nikon 18-105mm
• Nikon 200-500mm with LensCoat Real tree
• Nikon Trigger release cable
• Op/tech USA camera strap
• Hoya Polariser filter
• Petzl Tikka head torch
• Multi tool pocket knife
• Apple
• There were also 2 cheese and pickle rolls but I ate them
• Nature Valley Bar
• Spare Batteries
• Embrava Water Bottle
• Maps
• Notebook and pen
• Think Tank SD Pixel Pocket Rocket
• Hand sanitizer
• Sun screen
• Buff multifunctional headwear
• Cleaning cloths and Dust Blower
• North Face Sun Hat
• Jack Wolfskin Waterproof Jacket
• MP3 Player
• i-Phone (used to take this photo!)
• A good study book – ‘Regarding the pain of others’ by Susan Sontag
• I also used a Manfrotto 190 tripod

 

 

Craig’s thoughts on the 

MindShift Gear R180

Professional Deluxe Backpack

 

The rucksack has a very solid, robust design. Compared to other rucksacks I own, this bag has phenomenal padding, using memory foam throughout the pack and on the arms of the bag. Why is this important to me? I injured my spine some years back, so comfort is essential for me and this bag delivers 120% in that field.  I am used to carrying fairly heavy camera gear on long treks and up mountains, you very quickly realise if a bag is suitable or not as it can get very uncomfortable and you will be miserable, unable to focus on taking great shots. This bag is designed to carry heavy loads for a sustained period of time in comfort.

“You could easily do a couple of days trek or longer with this setup”

One piece of advice I would give with any loading up for a trek, don’t be tempted to overload your rucksack simply because you have the capacity. Just because you can take everything doesn’t mean you need to. Try to think practically about your load up. This rucksack does deliver on capacity. I am able to go with a variety of different configurations depending on the shoot and how long I intend to be out for a trip or shoot. You could easily do a couple of days trek or longer with this setup, there is also the option for attaching some additional gear to the bag. There are ample pockets and compartments throughout the entire bag. The 3L capacity hydration compartment on the side is a great addition. I found the front pleated pocket, which runs the length of the bag from top to bottom, the best place to store my raincoat; easily accessible and keeps a wet coat separate from my camera gear.

The deluxe version of the bag which I have, comes with some great accessories, notably for me these were the photo insert and the top pocket. The photo insert enabled me to put my Nikon 200-500 lens securely in the main compartment of the bag along with a second Nikon D7200, there was also room for more gear if I needed it. The top pocket gives you that little bit of extra storage for things like your SD card holder, keys, snacks and i-Phone.

One of the little quirks I discovered was the way the arms of the rucksack move freely and independently with your walking movements as opposed to being really rigid like other rucksacks, this is a really key design feature. 

Observations and things to note:

Rotating belt pack

“always remember to clip the waist belt”

Whilst testing the bag out on a trip to a local nature reserve, I had mistakenly forgotten to clip the belt pack’s waist belt around my waist. Whilst walking through the woods listening to my friend talk about the array of wild orchids on show, I saw this fascinating little red cardinal beetle, I had to get a shot! I went to whip around the belt pack and nearly dropped the whole belt pack on the floor, much to my friend’s amusement. Thankfully no beetles were harmed in the making of this review! It’s just an observation but always remember to clip the waist belt. Thankfully MindShift Gear have thought of everything and the belt pack is actually attached to the bag using a small clip in latch clipped to the inside of the bag (which can be unclipped to use the pack independently), so the waist pack didn’t fall to the ground.

I found it takes some getting used to releasing the latch to pull the waist pack around to your front and I found sometimes I couldn’t get the latch to release so I left the side flap up. I think this was mainly down to me using the wrong motion to release the latch.

TIP: Here’s a an overview of the MindShift Gear r180 Professional Deluxe backpack, you’ll see a nice demo of releasing the magnetic clip within the first 30 seconds.

The rain cover

On another trip to a different nature reserve we were out in the middle of nowhere in the middle of a thunderstorm, a great chance to try out the rain cover! I found it was a little tricky initially to work out how to get the rain cover on, to be fair it was bucketing it down with rain with thunder and lightning overhead. So my advice is to try out the rain cover before you need to use it, so you know how to put it on properly. It’s a really good design now I have tested it out and keeps the bag dry, which is the point! The rain cover allows you access to continue using the waist pack. The waist pack also comes with its own independent rain cover.

“I absolutely love this rucksack, it’s extremely versatile. I can now focus on taking great shots and not worry about my gear”

TIP: Here’s a demonstration on how to attach your rain cover, it’s definitely worth testing before heading out!

Click here for more information on the MindShift Gear Rotation 180 Professional Deluxe 

You can follow Craig Sinclair on…

craigsinclairphoto          craigsinclair

---