“That’s a NICE backpack” she said as I swung out a concealed belt-pack to reach for my camera.
“I want one. Where did you get it?”
If you haven’t yet heard of the Rotation180º Travel Away Backpack your mind is about to be blown. An innovative new rotation backpack from MindShift Gear, this is a brilliant new day pack which travelers and outdoor explorers are going to love.
It’s a regular day pack with one small twist – a concealed beltpack which can be rotated to the front in one swift motion without the need to remove the whole pack from your back; a brilliant design which is great for instantaneous and secure access to your camera, passport, guidebook, tablet, or other travel essentials.
When traveling in unfamiliar places, knowing where critical items are and protecting them from prying eyes is incredibly important; stopping in front of strangers in highly populated tourist areas to remove and sift through a backpack has made more than one of us a target for theft in the past,
Though with this fabulous new technology, only the wearer can rotate the concealed beltpack to the front for instantaneous and secure access to your things. It’s peace of mind knowing that your most valuable items are stowed away securely and are inaccessible to others.
With that same thought in mind, the backpack also has dedicated pockets throughout with room to conceal a 15” laptop and 10” tablet, and the beltpack itself can fit an 8” tablet.
And it’s a nice size overall – large enough to fit your main essentials for a day trip, though small enough to qualify as a personal carry-on item for a flight.
What we love about this pack is that it’s just incredibly practical and multi-purpose for a range of different activities. The rotating beltpack is removable and can be worn on it’s own for traveling light – essentially two bags in one.
The side compression straps make it easy to carry trekking poles, a small tripod, or a jacket, and there are additional pockets on either side of the beltpack for quick access to extra gear – they really go all out on their pockets! There’s even an ultra-stretch pocket in the side for a water bottle.
I’ve truly never seen so many options for pockets in one backpack, though I shouldn’t be surprised – designed by professional photographers who are constantly carrying equipment out in the field, the bag was bound to be practical.
Never seen so many pockets in one pack!
A high quality backpack which comes in at $199.99, what you’re paying for besides the unique and practical design is guaranteed durability and high quality materials.
After having put the pack to use through a variety of different environments, its durable materials hold up in harsh conditions, and the breathable padded airflow harness with adjustable sternum strap and attachment points provides fantastic support for your back.
There is a curved back panel with single aluminum stay for pack stability, and all exterior fabric has a durable water-repellent coating which means your stuff doesn’t damage in the rain, though there is also a rain cover sold separately.
Though my advice is to never leave your bag unattended or else you may lose possession of it. I put it down once and it’s been on Mike’s back ever since!
Never leave your bag unattended or you may lose possession!
About Mindshift Gear
Mindshift Gear is a group of committed professional photographers and product designers who support conservation and protection of our natural resources and planet.
Founded by the creators of Think Tank Photo and conservation photographer Daniel Beltrá, MindShift is dedicated to building carrying solutions for those who are passionate about experiencing the natural world. Their slogan, “Engage with nature,” challenges people to not only become involved in outdoor activities, but to create a conversation about nature and our relationship to the environment.
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MindShift Gear provided the Rotation180º Travel Away backpack for review – we have been using the pack constantly ever since, and the opinion that it blows similar packs out of the water is our own. Actually, scrap the word “similar” – there’s nothing else like it.
24 Comments
That’s such a great idea for a backpack! No need to rummage through the entire bag , which slows you down as well. And it also looks sturdy and durable – perfect for gadgets :)
It really is! We love it because stopping to take off your pack and rummage around really does slow you down so this is just super convenient!
Sounds (and looks) good. I’ll definitely consider it when it’s time to buy my first backpack.
It’s definitely a great pack, and if you’re going to be doing a lot with it then it’s a great investment :) Let us know if you have any other Q’s!
Looks like a great day bag! It looks like the belt bag holds a DSLR? On the website they showed it with two short lenses. Could it hold a 70-200 mm?
The main comportment of the beltpack itself which swivels around isn’t big enough for a DSLR because it’s fairly thin, it’s more for your spare batteries, SD cards, wallet, keys, phone, passport etc – those small essentials and thin electronics which you’re constantly needing to pull out.
Other pockets on the beltpack could easily fit a large point and shoot, though I’m going to say you would need to store your large lenses in the actual backpack itself. You’d be able to fit slim, compact lenses in the beltpack, though the width of a 70-200 mm would be too large and have to go in the main bag.
Hope that helps – let me know if you have any other Q’s :)
it really looks like a good backpack! I’m looking for a new one as mine is in pieces now so this could be a good option! Thanks!
It really is a great day pack – we truly love ours. I was buying cheap packs for the longest time but they were never lasting and the small amounts started adding up, so have now started investing in really good quality products :)
Seems like a good bag– I like the design. It’s a bit big for an everyday bag I think, as it looks a bit heavy. Does it feel heavy carrying it all day?
I don’t find it heavy at all – for us it’s the perfect size because it’s big enough to fit everything we need but it’s a normal size bakpack – we usually remove the beltpack when we don’t need it and just use the backpack which reduces the weight of it. But in general it’s fairly light. It’s long, but it’s light :)
Seems like an awesome back and so useful too. I’m always picky when it comes to bags but this one would be my perfect match for sure. Let me know if you are ever going to do a give away ;-)
Will do!
One of my biggest pet peeves is digging through a bag forever without being able to find something two inches away from my face the whole time. Sounds like an amazing asset to have on the road!
Amen to that! This is definitely an amazing asset from that respect – everything is within convenient reach at all times :)
Wow! I really want one,
alas I am poor :(
I should start doing more giveaways!
Great feature! I love the idea of keeping essential items easily accessible. Also, a great safety feature. I dislike how on-guard we have to be with our belongings when we travel, but it’s nice that companies like MindShift Gear think of innovative ways to ease some of that anxiety!
Thanks Toccara! The safety feature is the best part, especially if you’re not a hiker necessarily, it’s great for general use in cities and airports too :)
What a neat pack! Such a smart idea to create the rotational beltpack. Certainly solves the problem of quick and discreet access to important items like your wallet and camera.
Definitely does! Glad you’re loving the design!
Thanks for this info. I’m currently on a quest for a better camera bag solution as I acquire more stuff and I keep getting older. I want to plan a trip to South Africa and will need to pack some substantial glass for wildlife. I’ll check out this product line.
Definitely check out the rotation 180 then – as I mentioned to Jodi in a comment above, the rotating beltpack itself wont be big enough to hold lenses if you’re going to be purchasing super large zoom lenses, but the bag itself will definitely take them. And the bag is really durable and has great protection from the elements so it’s definitely a great choice.
The biggest ease of the rotating beltpack for photography has been the ability to store memory cards and batteries because I’m ALWAYS running through mine!
Have a wonderful time in South Africa – hopefully we’ll follow in your footsteps soon!
Well, this indeed is a great backpack for sure. Thank you so much for posting this great review here. I was looking for a good backpack for sometime now
So glad that our review helped you Gary – this review was posted a couple of years ago now, but we still use the backpack to this day. It’s a great buy :)