I pack my LowePro Orion AW waist belt with a Nikon D750 with 70-200 f2.8E FL attached; a Nikon D7000 with 17-55 f2.8G ED attached; and a little Nikon 35mm f1.8G ED DX, along with filters, batteries, cables, SD cards, and other small things, and it actually fits nicely. The D750 is packed horizontally, whilst the D7000 is vertical, again, both with their respective lenses mounted, and ready. The little 35 is in it's own small compartment inside the main bag, too. It all fits very well, and though the bag now weighs a bit over 14 lbs, it's fairly comfortable, as I use the waist belt, AND the shoulder strap (cross-body), at the same time, and it carries this weight gracefully. I don't use the little backpack that came with the set too often, but shen I do, I never attach it to the waist belt/camera bag. As the backpack is very small and lightweight, I load it with a light Gore-Tex jacket, maybe one more spare lens (Nikon 105 f2.8G ED VR), a small spiral notebook, pens, more spare batteries, some snacks, and a water bottle. Others may prefer to attach the backpack to the camera bag, as the design intends. But, I prefer separating the two, and thereby, can access the camera bag part without having to take off and disconnect the backpack. Works for me, other's mileage may vary. Sturdy, well designed, and super well made, the LowePro Orion AW is the best bag I've found, so far, and like all LowePro gear, it's backed up by excellent customer service (though I've never needed to take advantage of that). This is my most favorite bag for carrying heavy loads, and I have smaller L/P bags for small outfits. Excellent bags, excellent company, very satisfied!!

Truthfully, I can't think of anything that I would call a "weakness". If I had been asked about designing this bag, I would have made it a tad deeper, and a tad less wide (from front to back). That way, the cameras could both be carried vertically. But, for the load I carry, the Orion AW does the job better than anything else I've found. Too bad it's not made any longer, as far as I know.

Well made, versitle and adjustable. Half day pack, half camera bag is very handy on a lot of trips when you need to carry more than just photo equipment, like a jacket, etc.

The two halves don't work well together. The shoulder straps on the day pack attach through D-rings on the bottom section, so they're held together well only when carried on your back. LowePro recommends only carrying it with the waist belt, and it can't be carried by one strap (which would be useful for moving a short distance). Doesn't hold a large SLR camera body.

I'm giving this bag a "3" which I feel is pretty low just because I don't think it works well as designed. It is a pretty good and unique idea, but it's not my choice. The camera (lower) portion holds a good amount of gear, and the addition of the day pack on top is very handy. Problem is, the two pieces don't fit too well together and the bottom doesn't carry well as a waist pack because of the size. It's very well made like all LowePro bags I've used, and very versitle. I can carry an SLR with several lenses including an 80-200 f2.8. It also works well for a small medium format system. I usually use the bottom section only, as a shoulder bag. I'd like to see a bag like this with the two sections permanently joined. This design would work better for me than the other Orion, even though it would not have an AW cover unless the cover would fit over the whole pack, not just the bottom camera section where it would be needed.

Customer Service

Not needed, very well made.

Similar Products Used:

LowePro Photo Trekker II, several other LowePro, Domke, Tenba and Tamrac bags (member, camera bag of the month club).

Size, comfort, capabilities as a belt pack during the day and then combining with the backpack for carrying the other essential non-photographical equipment.

Can't be used as just a belt pack as it "hangs" too much.

This is a fantastic bag. I just came back from a one week cruise to Alaska. The AW feature was invaluable. It rains about 66% of the time in Alaska and our trip was no different. 2 of 3 ports were raining the entire day. I simply pulled out the built in rain coat and covered the bag. My equipment stayed nice and dry. The space in the bag was also generous. I was able to hold my F100, 20-35 F2.8, 80-200 2.8, SB-80, 50 F1.8 with room to spare for filters and film. I found you have to use the shoulder strap in conjunction with the waist belt. This combination is fantastic. Using just the waist belt by itself is not good enough as the whole thing drags and hangs off your butt. The backpack attachment when used with the belt pack is extremely comfortable. I never hauled this much stuff around with me before, but I couldn't believe how comfy it was after walking around the entire day. The backpack although small is still plenty good enough to keep my raincoat, film, first aid kit, sunglasses, maps, etc.

Customer Service

None

Similar Products Used:

Most lowe pro bags.

Quality construction. Carries a lot! Very versatile. Well padded. All weather protection.

Bulky. Somewhat expensive - so shop around.

This bag trys to be everything to everybody. Not that that is a bad thing, but it is virtually impossible to do. I find it to be very versatile and it holds a lot of stuff! The downside of course is that it is big and bulky. My solution to this is that I use this bag as a main storage bag and something to take on vacation but combine it with a Lowepro Top Load Zoom 2 which I use to take on day trips. When needed, the backpack portion of this bag can be opened up for storage of your non-photography essentials (lunch, water, light jacket, etc.). This top compartment is not padded, however (to save on bulk) so it's not suitable for fragile items. You can carry the bag around the waist, on your back, or over the shoulder using the padded shoulder strap. With a full load I can imagine that the waist belt - although it has padded "bat wings" - would get awkward or uncomfortable, so you probably need to lighten the load, convert it to a daypack so you can wear it on your back, or carry it over the shoulder. I also like the weather protection features to protect my equipment when needed. I did a lot of research before buying this bag and feel like it suits my needs very well. As one other reviewer noted, there are several "Orion" models - a belt pack, a permanent day pack, and this one (convertable belt/day pack). In addition, the old style Orion AW is different - it's smaller, which may be good for some.

Customer Service

Not needed.

Similar Products Used:

No-name gadget bags (over shoulder types). Lowepro Nova 4.

Well made. Good strap and padding options included.

It's hard to get best use out of a kidney shaped bag. You must experiment. Stowing camera with attached lens is not practical. No option to purchase without the goofy backpack attachment. Lost a rating star for that.

The Orion AW is a waist bag. I do not recommend wearing it fully loaded and/or on a routine basis. When loaded, it's not very comfortable on the waist. But, I can't tolerate that much weight on a shoulder for long periods of time, either. I wear it on my waist when the body and a lens are out, in use, to keep my other gear safe and handy during a shooting event. The bag can be used with the included shoulder strap (the waist strap can be concealed), or toted by the handle strap. The construction is sturdy. I configured the bag for EOS gear. It holds a 35-350L and 70-200/4L with hoods reversed, 24-85 USM with hood in working position (and below that, the 1.4x, beneath a padded flap), a HUGE D2000 body, 420EX, and spare camera battery. There are 4 pockets for other junk. I did not use 2 included dividers with bendover flaps (for putting body/lens combo lens down; not space efficient), or 2 smaller dividers. The 2 L lens slots also hold 135L and 28-70L (hoods in working position), and others, I'm sure. Lowepro's AW bags contain hidden rain covers. This one's at the bottom of the center/logo pocket. There are tripod straps at the bottom, which also tuck away. Here's what I don't like: The bag also includes an upper backpack attachment, which I don't find very practical, and which I would rather not have paid for. Be careful when shopping. Lowepro's bag line and names are confusing. Their Orion waist bag (no backpack option) is NOT the same, and is not deep enough. Their Orion Trekker backpack is NOT the same. And, there was an older Orion AW (with backpack option) that was not deep enough for the L lenses.

Customer Service

Had a Lowepro bag worked on years ago, via lifetime warranty. Good service.

Similar Products Used:

Original, waist bag, predecessor to the Orion I... back when it was "Lowe-Pro," rather than Lowepro.

Fits a decent amount of gear.
Sturdy construction.
Innovative design with day pack & shoulder strap.

Not inexpensive.

Used the bag day hiking in Arizona, with some rock scrambling. Held more gear than I thought it would. Comfortable for a waist pack. I like the shoulder strap attached to the waist bag; it feels very secure.

Customer Service

Not needed

Similar Products Used:

Domke Bags

well cushioned and interesting idea but doesn't work so well

the bounce factor of the waist bag is awful because of the depth of the bag -always drags.

perhaps ok for hiking but only with backpart attached to minimize drag/bounce. NOT useful for travel in asia/africa etc.

Similar Products Used:

domke F2 but not other backpack types

Makes a great mid-size bag for longer, more technical day-trips. I like the integrated "shower-cap" (rain cover), and the backpack attachment for storage of things like lunch, water, jacket, etc.

When fully loaded and used as a belt pack, it gets pretty awkward to wear. This is solved by using the backpack attachment to hold the pack more upright.

A great bag to use when you want to carry more than just your camera body and a lens. No need to worry about rain, the AW rain cover should keep your gear dry.

Similar Products Used:

none

Flexibility and convertiblity. Well thought-out design.

Obviously a little clumsy as a waist bag. But what do you expect from such a big waist bag?

I have spent a great deal of time considering other choices before picking this bag, which is expensive comparing with other waist type bags. But it offers the flexiblity that I want: waist bag, shoulder bag, and backpack, depending on the situation. And it is deep enough for a 70-200L Canon. Besides that lens I was also able to pack 3 wide angles, 2 bodies, and a flash. You can also use the top to store another body if necessary. Must attach the top and wear as backpack when hiking to better distribute weight. Wearing the big waist pack alone, as big as it is, is quite uncomfortable and awkward for long walks. I've just taken it on hiking trip at Yosimite and really liked it. The pull out rain cover is a great feature. The only complaint I have is that there is no compartment for the top when it needs to be put away.

So bottom line is it offers the good weight distribution of backpack, while retains convenient equipment access of a waist bag.

Customer Service

Not needed yet.

Similar Products Used:

Shoulder type bags in combo with small waist bag.

Lotta room- though not as much could fit as they claim in the advertisement.

Difficult to manage as a belt pack. A little easier as a backpack.

Next time I will go for a straight back pack type bag. I find I rarely shoot still wearing the pack and when I zip it open I sometimes have to rummage to find what I need.

Customer Service

Not needed.

Similar Products Used:

No-name top loader