Overview : Rotation backpacks provide the fastest access to your gear. Now MindShift introduces this patented, award-winning technology to travelers and outdoor explorers with the rotation180° Travel Away backpack. When traveling in unfamiliar places, knowing where your critical items are is very important. Having one place to access all of these necessities puts your mind at ease.
In one swift motion, only the wearer can rotate the concealed beltpack to the front for instantaneous and secure access to their camera, passport, guidebook, tablet, or other travel essentials. No more stopping to remove a backpack to gain access. Travelers will enjoy peace of mind, knowing that their critical and most valuable items are stowed away securely and are inaccessible to others due to the rotation180° Travel Away’s innovative design. The backpack also has dedicated pockets to conceal a 15” laptop and 10” tablet, while the beltpack can fit an 8” tablet.
Features :
- Holds a 15" Laptop and 8 & 10" Tablets
- Rotating Beltpack for Travel Essentials
- Beltpack Can be Worn Separately
- Top Compartment for Personal Items
- Breathable Padded Airflow Harness
- Curved Back Panel for Comfort
- Aluminum Back Stay for Stability
- Stretchable Side Pocket for Water Bottle
- Made of Lightweight Nylon Materials
Quality/Usability : If you're hiking or doing things outdoor, you don't want to be weighed down with large cameras or weight of carrying a lot of stuff. The MindShift Gear rotation180 Travel Away 22L is geared towards outdoor adventures but keeping things minimal and light.
If you're looking to carry your large DSLR camera, this is not for you. You can carry a camera but it will have to be point-and-shoot or a mirrorless camera with the lens detached.
The Travel Away is minimal on the outside. There's a large zippered pocket in the front and a bigger one in the back. There's also two external pouches on each side to items such as water bottles.
rotation180 product line is what MindShift Gear is known for. rotation180 is exactly what it means. This allows you to rotate the beltpack that is within the backpack from your back to the front without having to take off the backpack.
The shoulder straps has a slight curve to it and its not your standard straight strap. The straps are also slightly padded and features a sternum strap that can slide up and down according to your preference.
The first zippered pocket on the front allows you to store your 15" laptop as well as a 10" tablet in the smaller pocket. You can also put your gloves, jacket, hat, food and other bigger items in this pocket.
There is also a mesh pocket to hold your batteries, memory cards, wallet, keys, money, etc.
The back zippered pocket has one large compartment to store additional items such as magazines, food, snacks, etc. There is also two elastic pockets which you can use to store slightly bulkier items such as chargers, even a point-and-shoot or mirrorless camera and lens separately.
The back padding on the Travel Away is padded and has two "channels" that allows your back to breathe.
One of the great features of the rotation180 is that unlatching the magnetic latch can be done with one hand. The magnetic latch system prevents the beltpack from coming out. To slide the beltpack to the front, you simply slide the latch system to disengage. Once its disengaged, you can rotate the beltpack to the front.
If you need to tuck the beltpack back into the backpack, rotate it back in and the magnetic latch will automatically connect itself when it gets close enough. No need to slide it back together.
The images above show you the front and back of both the backpack and the beltpack. The beltpack is tethered to the backpack but if you don't need the backpack, you can untether the waist beltpack and wear it on its own if you want to travel light.
On the beltpack, there are pockets on each waist belt. This gives you quick access to batteries, memory cards, smartphone, keys and other items. It can also hold your compact point-and-shoot camera, mirrorless camera or even a small DSLR prime lens.
The waist beltpack isn't meant to hold large cameras such as a DSLR. It's meant to hold a 8" tablet (iPad Mini), maps, passport, currency, documents, pens, etc.
The above animation shows you how the rotation180 Travel Away is deployed to the front.
Conclusion : Overall, the MindShift Gear rotation180° Travel Away 22L Backpack is a very lightweight backpack that keeps essentials close to you and easily accessible. The Travel Away isn't meant for overnight use and more for light traveling mainly holding your laptop, tablet and smaller cameras such as point-and-shoot or mirrorless close to you.
You won't be able to put a DSLR into the backpack but you can however use a Peak Design Capture Clip and mount it to your backpack strap.
