The Lowepro Versapack 200 AW may be the most versatile combination yet of backpack and camera bag for photo enthusiasts who do other things with their lives. The removable divider flap between the bottom photo compartment and the open upper compartment comes out to allow this $100 (street) bag to be a full-depth backpack. Think of it like the folding rear seats on some sedans that merge the trunk and back seat into a single bigger storage area. Same idea here, but only two color choices: black or teal.

The bag measures 19x12x8 inches (HWD) but seems smaller. (There's no exact science to measuring the sizes of fabric bags.) The bottom compartment has space for a digital camera, a video camera, and a bunch of small lenses loaded upright (upright as in when the bag is flat on a table) or a couple less medium or big lenses with the dividers rearranged so the lenses lie sideways. As with many other bags now, the camera compartment zipper extends down the side so you can access some (not all) of your stuff with the bag slung on one shoulder.

On vacation, you might use the Versapack 200 AW as your carry-on bag with all your electronics snugly packed for the plane on the bottom, your windbreaker, book, and MP3 player on top. Or compress it tightly and fit the empty bag in your checked luggage. At your destination with the middle divider plus the photo compartment dividers ripped out, you've got a great bag for day trips or the pool. Just shake out the sand when you get back from the beach.

Backpacks this size sell for half or a quarter or half the $100 the Versapack 200 AW costs. That's because bags from a Lowepro, Tamrac, Kata and other major players may well outlast you. It has a rain and dust cover that pops out from a bottom slit (AW stands for all weather) and there's even a tripod holder, plus all that internal padding. Especially in the teal blue version, it looks like just one more backpack, not a camera bag, if security is an issue.