SANTA ROSA, Calif. -- Think Tank Photo announced today a revolutionary new concept in gear accessibility for photographers, the rotation360° backpack. This concept "breaks the barrier" about which photographers in the field constantly complain: that they have to remove their backpack in order to access the contents inside. With the rotation360°, in seconds a beltpack can be rotated from inside of the backpack to the front of the body, allowing photographers to access their gear stored inside without having to take off or swivel the entire backpack.

With a tug of the handy locking mechanism located on the padded belt, a beltpack -- comprising the lower half of the backpack -- rotates through a hole in the bottom of the backpack and around to the front. This exponentially increases photographers' ability to access their gear and to change lenses as quickly as possible and with the least amount of effort. The rotation360° gives them the comfort of a backpack with the convenience and accessibility of a beltpack. Then, without breaking stride, they can rotate the beltpack back into the backpack and out of the way, easily locking it in place.

Seeing Is Believing

To aid photographers in visualizing this new concept, Think Tank Photo has posted videos of the backpack in action and detailed product specifications at www.rotation360.com.

Among the features demonstrated there are the rotation360°'s breakthrough method for mounting one or two SLRs on the front of the shoulder straps, which takes all of the stress normally associated with cameras and camera straps and transfers the weight directly to the backpack's padded shoulder straps. A special camera strap is included with the bag which prevents stress to the neck or shoulders and prevents it from falling off.

With this revolutionary product photographers' hands are completely free to rotate the beltpack to the front of the body, change lenses and accessories at a moment's notice, and then rotate it back again into the backpack.

"I've been in the camera bag design business for 16 years and know its history well," said Doug Murdoch, Think Tank Photo's founder and lead designer. "Not since Lowepro released the Orion AW in 1992 has there been a significant new development in modular backpacks with an upper daypack and a lower beltpack. The problem with these previous products is that although the belt pack could be released from the daypack, it was impossible to reconnect them to the daypack.

"It is amazing how fast the beltpack of the rotation360° can be rotated to the front of the body to access gear and then back into the backpack. Being able to switch lenses and accessories on the fly is essential in capturing the moment. Our patent-pending innovation gives photographers the best of a backpack and the best of a beltpack, freeing them up to focus on getting the shot."