The Montana Rockslide

As a photographic adventure guide, Ken Allaman is tough on his camera gear. But even he wasn't prepared for the wild deal he encountered on a recent trip in Montana. Two Texans wanted to photograph a waterfall from the base of a rugged, 70' slope. When Allaman was about 350' from the bottom of the slope, the shale under his feet slipped and he was caught in a rock slide, hurtling through a thousand years of dead trees and roots. His Lowepro Topload Zoom was torn from his shoulder and plunged down the shale. "The bag landed on the edge of a large rock 350' below," Allaman recalled. "As we watched, rocks tumbled onto the bag, one as large as a football. A log about 18" thick and 10' long ended up propped on the case."

Allaman cautiously worked his way to the bottom of the slope, convinced that his Nikon 8008S and 35 - 70 mm zoom lens were goners. To everyone's amazement, the gear was intact except for the UV filter and a crack in the replaceable eyepiece. "You can bet that the two Texans were convinced that Lowepro bags are top equipment for wilderness work."

And Ken Allaman? He recommends Lowepro to everyone. Although we don't guarantee Lowepro bags against rock slides, 350' drops and 10' logs, we're happy to know that they and Ken Allaman survived his crash and burn at the falls.