Mountainsmith Flightpath AT Notebook & Camera Bag Review

Dec 7 2007, 12:00am CST | by Shane McGlaun

Taking your expensive laptop and DSLR digital camera on a commercial airliner can be a nerve-racking experience. I’ve had cameras damaged in the past when the flight attendant decided to kick my bag under the seat in front of me. Today we are going to look at a notebook/camera bag from Mountainsmith that is well suited to the rigors of flight. The Mountainsmith Flightpath AT has many features to keep your gear safe. Read the full review for all the details.

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Features & Specifications
The Mountainsmith Flightpath AT is sized for FAA carryon regulations. Dimensions of the Mountainsmith Flightpath AT are 11” x 14” x 18.5” external with a volume of 1037 cu. in. and a weight of six pounds nine ounces. Internal dimensions for the bag are 7” x 11.5” x 17”. Construction of the Mountainsmith Flightpath AT is 420d Velocity nylon body fabric with 430d Ballistic nylon reinforcements. Other body reinforcements of the bag are Hypalon and the zippers are YKK.

The Mountainsmith Flightpath AT has inline skate wheels and a telescoping handle that hides away when using the bag as a backpack and is covered by a zippered flap. The shoulder straps are well padded and comfortable when in use and a sternum strap is attached as well. When you don’t want to use the bag as a backpack, the straps tuck away underneath the padded back of the bag. A well-padded waist strap is also included and it tucks away as well when not in use.

Outer storage features include two zippered pouches on the front, one of which is lined and would make a good place for storing small to moderate sized DSLR lenses or sunglasses. Hidden between those two pouches is a tripod holder that folds out to provide a great place to store your tripod when on the go. On the bottom of the bag, another small zippered pouch stores the storm cover that you can put over the bag if you are caught in the rain with your gear. The right side of the bag has a horizontal carry handle with a rubberized grip and another carry handle is on the top of the bag.

The front internal compartment is where your notebooks stows. The laptop compartment is padded on the front and back and uses a Velcro closure to keep the notebook in place. Unfortunately, the notebook area is not lined with fleece like the camera area of the bag. That means that your notebook will be subject to more scratches than it would in lined compartments, a big deal for glossy finished notebooks like the MacBook. Other than the lack of lining, the notebook area offers good protection for your notebook. In front of the notebook compartment is a deep pocket that you can use to store paperwork or notebook accessories. The zippers that close this area of the bag are a bit difficult to open due to the way the flap fits snugly around the zipper path.

The main storage compartment of the bag is intended for storage of your camera and other small electronics. The large compartment is lined all around with a soft fleece material that should do a good job keeping your gear from being scratched up. This sort of non-scratch lining is especially important for keeping LCD screens on digital cameras and other portable electronics scratch free. The camera compartment is divided with removable and adjustable Velcro dividers. Some of the dividers are covered in fleece, while others are covered in nylon. In the default configuration, the bag ships set up with there are 10 storage compartments.

In Use
The main DSLR camera compartment is plenty big for my largish Nikon D80 DSLR. There is also plenty of room for additional lenses, batteries, chargers and more stuff. You can work out of this bag without any problems. The main compartment opens fully with the top flap lying back flat against the ground when open. On the inside of the top flap are two laminated mesh pockets with zipper closures. The top pocket is divided into three areas, one of which is difficult to use because of the way the bag is sewn.

Overall build quality for the Mountainsmith Flightpath AT is top notch. I would have liked to see a few more of the pouches and compartments lined with fleece for the sake of scratch resistance from my electronics, but the lack of more lining won’t keep me from using this bag. It is sized very well with enough storage space for all the electronics I like to travel with, yet it is still small enough to fit easily under the seat in front of me as my second personal item on flights.

Verdict

Conclusion

Pros

Lots of space
Well built
Backpack or rolling design

Cons

Front compartment zippers are hard to open
Notebook area lacks fleece lining
One mesh internal pouch hard to use

Verdict
The Mountainsmith Flightpath AT is one of the very best notebook and camera bags that I have tested. The Flightpath AT rolls easily, is well built and offers tons of storage space without being so large it won’t fight under airliner seats. If you travel with a notebook, DSLR camera and lots of accessories the Mountainsmith Flightpath AT is a must have item.

8.5

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Shane McGlaun
Leading our review center, Shane knows technology inside out. His extensive experience in testing computer hardware and consumer electronics enable him to effectively qualify new products and trends. If you want us review your product, please contact Shane.
Shane can be contacted directly at shane@i4u.com.