I got it in on Friday, ahead of schedule which was nice. It fits a gripped 600D just fine, it may protrude a 1/2 inch or so higher than the camera compartment, however, I couldn't tell - nor my girlfriend. Whether or not this is due to the padding of the compartment lid or it ending up sitting on an air space on our backs, I can't say for sure. But I (6'7") couldn't feel a hint if anything, she (5'5") had an equal result.
I like the pack quite a bit. Build quality seems excellent which I expected. The padding is sufficient in the camera area and shoulder straps. The rain cover is easily deployed and fitted and fits the bag perfectly, which isn't always the case, and finally, I thought the interior space and internal pockets worked well. I can confirm the side water bottle pockets fit a normal, wide mouth Nalgene, though its almost all the stretch the pockets can muster. They're plenty deep for such use but I would not use it for a small tripod pocket, lest its not more than 2x the depth of the pocket or if you attach a Velcro or other loop to the pack body to keep a longer tripod stable. Which would be easy to do if so inclined.
It's a pretty stylish backpack, also. Covered all my needs and wants, so far, and at $109 -/+ I think it's a good value for the size. The interior pocket is pretty small, so not for people who need more space than snacks and gloves or hat, light shirt, or a highly compressible jacket. But for me, looks to be the perfect space for a wind shirt, walk around snacks, phone, wallet, keys, and maybe something small from a shop or market, like a souvenir or fruit.
Ventilation, like you said, kinda sucks. The back panel looks reasonably promising, but on the maiden voyage it sweated out my lower back pretty good. Dried quickly enough, but it was also neatly 90F. A disappointment, for sure, but pretty much my only gripe so far. The trade off is worth it for me, anyway.
Anyway, I'm happy with it and glad I bought it.
Thanks guys.
