Firstly let me start by explaining the reasons to buy this bag. I was looking for a small and compact day pack primarily for street photography. To give you the background, i have been a Lowepro user since the very beginning of my photography, and i completely trust the brand in every aspect that a consumer might think of. I started with a Lowepro Pro-runner 300 AW, then i bought the bigger brother, Lowepro Pro-runner 450 AW. Whilst i retained the latter of the two, i sold the 300 and went for a Pro-messenger - 180AW. The Pro-runner 450 AW is primarily for wildlife, to house the big telephoto lenses, while the PM180 was for my travel and portraiture work.
Recently, i have been travelling a lot, hence the Pro-messenger had been put to a lot of use. The bag is robust, rugged and built like a tank. However, it is a sling bag and had to be carried on one of the shoulders. It is ideal for street and photo-journalistic work, where you need to change lenses on the go. I would never have sold the bag, but for one reason. I had developed a bit of back pain lately and needed something ergonomically a bit better suited for me.
In today's world, we have a plethora of choices for everything. While, some might say, we are advancing, some agree to the fact that it leads to a lot of ambiguity. I do embrace the advancement, however, it does sometimes get overwhelming to make an informed decision. Now, choosing another bag was no exception. Although, i would say, i saved myself a lot of pain, since, i already knew my brand. I had finally selected three bags to choose from, Lowepro Fastpack - 250 BP AW V2, Lowepro - Protactic BP350 AW V2 and last but not the least, the Tahoe BP 150. I had further narrowed down my choices based on three parameters:
Ergonomics - I needed a bag that felt really comfortable on my back. The weight distribution should be equal across the back (the shoulders and the pelvis) when the bag was filled to maximum capacity.
Capacity - I needed a day-pack, a bag exactly to my need, nothing less or more. The bag should occupy my gear comfortably - 2 Nikon D750's, a Tamron 15-30 2.8 g2( a beast of a lens), a Nikkor 85 1.8 g, 50mm 1.8 g, and a Nikkor 24-120 F4 g. a battery charger, an extra battery, memory cards, an ipad 9.7 inch, wallet, ear- phones etc. I wanted the bag to fit the above perfectly with no extra room (that would make the bag unnecessarily bigger).
Pricing - I had limited my budget to 10000 INR. Although all the above came in the same price bracket, it was an obvious reason to choose the Tahoe, since it is the best value. Please note, this was my last parameter to consider in terms of the priority.
Now lets get to the real things. The bag, is perfect for the above mentioned parameters. The back straps are well cushioned and sit exactly where they are supposed to be. I have worn this for 12 hours at a stretch, and trust me, it is one of the most comfortable bags i have experienced. With all the above mentioned gear, but with one camera body, doesn't make it feel heavy at all. The ergonomics are just brilliant.
The bag is filled with: Nikon D750 with a Tamron 15-30 2.8 G2 attached. The other lenses are 85 1.8, 50 1.8, 24-120 f4 VR. The bag comes with a pouch on the top part as shown on the picture. The same can be extended or squeezed as per the required space. The bag retains the shape, although it may seem like a slight bulge at one of the sides, but that's not as obtrusive to worry about. The front of the bag has a sleeve for an ipad. Mine is a 6th gen 9.8 inch ipad which slides is smoothly. The sleeves are built in a way such that, it doesn't let the ipad touch the surface, while the bag is put on the ground.
Summary:
Pros:
Compact, well built.
Ergonomically the best bag for the above mentioned gear.
Value for money - at 3200 INR this is best value.
Good looking, deceptive bag (doesn't say out loud, that it is carrying lakhs of rupees of gear).
Cons:
Doesn't have an all weather cover built-in. But that's not a big deal, there are after market rain covers available which can do the job equally good.
Hope you find this information useful!