MINDSHIFT ROTATION 180 PANORAMA BACKPACK, £161.25

REVIEWED BY DAVID CHANDLER Most people would acknowledge that a backpack is the most comfortable way of carrying your gear. The problem is getting at that gear. The Rotation 180 series is “backpack access reinvented”… where you can get at some of your stuff without taking the bag off your back… The Panorama is a beltpack that sits in a backpack, and can be pulled round to the front to access its contents - to take a picture, check the field guide, eat some food, or whatever. It works, and I liked it. You just push the magnetic ‘Fidlock’ down, which releases a covering flap, grab a handle and pull it round. It doesn’t take long to get the hang of the Fidlock, even by feel. The beltpack lid opens away from you and the inner has a space for a small tablet, and two moveable padded inserts. Sometimes the flap got in the way when I was trying to return the beltpack, but it’s not a major issue. The Panorama is well made and comfortable to carry, with well-padded straps, belt and back. The upper part takes more gear, and there’s a decent-sized lid pocket, a pocket for a two-litre hydration pack, another that’s good for a water bottle, and a strap and ‘foot pocket’ for lashing a tripod on. Accessories include a tripod suspension kit (£38.50) – which gives you access to your tripod without taking the pack off (see photo), and, to carry more camera gear, a custom-made padded photo insert (£36.50) for the upper compartment. There’s also a lens switch case (£34.25) which attaches to the belt (the rotation still works), an SD card wallet (‘SD Card-again - £13.25) and a ‘contact sheet’ (£32.26) to keep you dry and clean if you sit or lie on the ground. At 1.3kg the Panorama is not heavy. The rotation feature means it isn’t as capacious as it looks but it swallows 22 litres of gear (5.4 in the beltpack). If you need more space, check out the other bags in the range. The Panorama is not cheap, but the beltpack can be used separately so you get two bags for the price of one. If this bag ticks your boxes, you won’t regret your purchase.

For this and other backpacking products, visit: snapperstuff.com/products/r180backpacks/name/asc