TAMRAC Expedition 7 vs 8

[sadowsk2]

To all you folks who have owned, or presently do own either the Tamrac Expedition 7 or 8 backpacks, I was looking to get your thoughts... Especially if you considered the other one:

I'm wondering if the Exp 7 will be big enough to fit most of my gear, or would I be best served opting for the 8...

Also, I know they are both big, but does anyone know if the Exp 8 is THAT much bulkier relative to the 7?

I do 90% of all my flying within the USA, and Tamrac denotes both of them as carry-on capable (Europe and the UK I know have smaller restrictions)....

I'm looking to pull the trigger on one by the end of next week, and am leaning towards the Exp 8... Any feedback between now and then would be greatly appreciated... Any photos with your gear inside would help as well!

Thanks!

[sadowsk2]

Is there anyone out there who owns either of these bags??

[cowboylife]

I own the 7. I can't speak about the 8. You're not going to get all of your gear in your sig line in the 7. In my experience, You can get a body with grip/lens attached, plus 2-3 lenses and a flash. I chose not to put gear in the upper compartment because I use that for snacks/food/non-photo stuff since that's the whole reason I bought the bag.

Amazon has a great price on the 7 right now. I don't know how much bigger the 8 is, but if it's worth the price, for your amount of gear, get the 8.