This question has been killing me lately as well. For daily use, I'm wearing a Newswear.com chestvest, mostly in "shoulder bag" mode - it has 4 slots so I can carry the camera + 3 lenses or the camera + 2 lenses + a pocketful of miscellanious stuff (voice recorder / notepad / pens / extra batteries...) For the last 10 years I've been using, on and off, a Lowepro Orion Trekker 2 backpack - and it's in a pretty bad shape by now, all tattered and torn. I swore off using backpacks for field use - after a few cases of dropped lenses and one case of camera + lens being stolen in the crowd - but it's invaluable for travelling where I mostly use it to carry stuff (like clothes and first aid kit), at least since I got the chestvest. It has been with me on every voyage since 2006. Why use a photo backpack for this you ask? Because of these convenient compartments - their limiters can be shifted around on velcro patches so it's very comfortable. If only the Orion Trekker 2 could've stored a laptop, I would've just used it indefinitely but alas, it can't.
Now, I've tried a bunch of backpacks and nothing really looked right to me. Besides, I'm on the fence regarding my operational habits that may need to be changed. If I'm ever out in the field where I would need the laptop with me (it's not a particularly big variety - just 14 inch, so many backpacks provide storage for that), would I need to stop using the chestvest or just use them together? And if I'm travelling by air with a laptop, would I need to transfer all my gear into the backpack and carry it into the cabin (duh... the laptops are not allowed in checked in luggage - because of the battery - anyway, even if I had wanted to do a stupid thing like this).
I'm inclined to find a good tourist backpack instead - maybe one of these has a laptop compartment - but then I'd end up having problems whenever I'm flying (mind you, I'm not taking the laptop with me very often - the cellphone is enough for casual stuff like navigation and downloading photos from the camera). I wonder what advice you people would have in this case?
P.S. If I ever get down to buying a photo backpack, it has to store: a 14 inch laptop, a Canon 1D series body (preferably two as sometimes I loan a second camera for important trips), a 70-200/2.8 IS lens and two (preferably three) other lenses. Oh, and all the misc stuff as well like the laptop power adapted, camera charger, first aid kit...
Now, I've tried a bunch of backpacks and nothing really looked right to me. Besides, I'm on the fence regarding my operational habits that may need to be changed. If I'm ever out in the field where I would need the laptop with me (it's not a particularly big variety - just 14 inch, so many backpacks provide storage for that), would I need to stop using the chestvest or just use them together? And if I'm travelling by air with a laptop, would I need to transfer all my gear into the backpack and carry it into the cabin (duh... the laptops are not allowed in checked in luggage - because of the battery - anyway, even if I had wanted to do a stupid thing like this).
I'm inclined to find a good tourist backpack instead - maybe one of these has a laptop compartment - but then I'd end up having problems whenever I'm flying (mind you, I'm not taking the laptop with me very often - the cellphone is enough for casual stuff like navigation and downloading photos from the camera). I wonder what advice you people would have in this case?
P.S. If I ever get down to buying a photo backpack, it has to store: a 14 inch laptop, a Canon 1D series body (preferably two as sometimes I loan a second camera for important trips), a 70-200/2.8 IS lens and two (preferably three) other lenses. Oh, and all the misc stuff as well like the laptop power adapted, camera charger, first aid kit...