Like Jake, this Domke is not going to be my everyday bag. I got it for special trips. Its huge and I think it will be great for our once or twice a year family vacations and other special events that pop up. Very padded, very protective. Very heavy too. My bulky 17" laptop actually fits just in case I really want to break my back. I know it says up to 17" laptop, but I didn't really expect mine to fit. Weight is not a big deal, I won't be hiking around with it for long periods anyway. Its more for hands free carrying from the car to wherever we might be staying for the night. Or maybe just a short walk from the car to some vantage point. All in all, for the price, I'm glad I got it.
I thought maybe it would be my 'store almost everything bag' for around the house too, but I have to rethink that. For now, I am preferring to stay with my two bag system. I have two of these inexpensive packs: Amazon.com: AmazonBasics Backpack for SLR Cameras and Accessories-Black: Camera & Photo They raised the price a bit, mine were 20-something $ last year. They work out good around and near the house. The two bags together hold most of my frequently used gear. One of these bags is set up to quickly grab and go for a quick ride, walk, or a paddle around the lake with my zoom, wide angle, macro and the camera itself with 18-105. The other has my electronics and lesser used lenses. So even for some small trips, I'm ok with quickly grabbing both small backpacks and not repacking into the larger bag.
I thought maybe it would be my 'store almost everything bag' for around the house too, but I have to rethink that. For now, I am preferring to stay with my two bag system. I have two of these inexpensive packs: Amazon.com: AmazonBasics Backpack for SLR Cameras and Accessories-Black: Camera & Photo They raised the price a bit, mine were 20-something $ last year. They work out good around and near the house. The two bags together hold most of my frequently used gear. One of these bags is set up to quickly grab and go for a quick ride, walk, or a paddle around the lake with my zoom, wide angle, macro and the camera itself with 18-105. The other has my electronics and lesser used lenses. So even for some small trips, I'm ok with quickly grabbing both small backpacks and not repacking into the larger bag.