Adventure Backpack Opinions

gckless · Jun 14, 2017

Hi folks, I'm looking for a new photo backpack. I have two Lowepro bags now, a Fastpack 250 and a ProTrekker 450, and they're great in their own situations, but I'd like to get something a bit more suited to adventuring. I have begun hiking/mountain biking, and the two I have don't lend themselves so well to that. Right now, I'm looking at either a Lowepro Whistler or an F-stop Ajna (or Tilopa, still haven't really decided on size). I think I've narrowed it down to these two, but if you have other options in the 40-50L size then feel free to post up. I'm looking for opinions on them; how durable, waterproof, comfortable, etc they are, and why I should or should not go with one over the other. Does anyone have any experience with these?

Oh, I know F-stop has had inventory issues in the past, but everything I would want is in stock now.

table1349 · Jun 14, 2017

www.Cambags.com

Virtually every bag that is made. Plug and play. Tons of reviews.

astroNikon · Jun 14, 2017

All I can add is that I've done multiday adventure hiking. been MTB'ing since it was invented. When I'm on my MTB it is not the same camera that is on a short or long hike.
And my real MTB trips I used to take were in the mountains of Colorado for day long treks.

So .. all dependent upon your "definition" of your hikes / MTBing and what you have to pack with you .. just the camera? or other stuff. One camera / bag may work in one situation but not the other.

My main backpack is a military backpack and is waterproof (not just water resistant). And I simply put a camera bag(s) in it as I'm also carrying everything else with it (food, water, fire, tent, sleeping bag, medical, etc etc) and sometimes climbing/rappelling gear. So not much room for a large camera or multiple lenses.

but all your options look nice to carry a camera and lens and other stuff.
They all have a padded kidney/hip strap so that is a good thing.

You'll want to pay attention to how the fabric is against your back as it may help either absorb and dissipate heat or simply makes your back all sweaty.
And you'll definitely want to test them as they may sit awkwardly on your back and hip area, and may or may not distribute weight evenly.

Good luck.

gckless · Jun 16, 2017

astroNikon said:
All I can add is that I've done multiday adventure hiking. been MTB'ing since it was invented. When I'm on my MTB it is not the same camera that is on a short or long hike.
And my real MTB trips I used to take were in the mountains of Colorado for day long treks.

So .. all dependent upon your "definition" of your hikes / MTBing and what you have to pack with you .. just the camera? or other stuff. One camera / bag may work in one situation but not the other.

My main backpack is a military backpack and is waterproof (not just water resistant). And I simply put a camera bag(s) in it as I'm also carrying everything else with it (food, water, fire, tent, sleeping bag, medical, etc etc) and sometimes climbing/rappelling gear. So not much room for a large camera or multiple lenses.

but all your options look nice to carry a camera and lens and other stuff.
They all have a padded kidney/hip strap so that is a good thing.

You'll want to pay attention to how the fabric is against your back as it may help either absorb and dissipate heat or simply makes your back all sweaty.
And you'll definitely want to test them as they may sit awkwardly on your back and hip area, and may or may not distribute weight evenly.

Good luck.

I'm looking for space for an APS-C camera, 70-200, two other 82mm thread lenses, sometimes a flash or two, and I'd love extra space to be able to store the 70-200 in a pocket other than mounted on the camera. I need some way to carry water (hydration pack preferred), tripod, and a small space for say food and an ultralight rain jacket or whatever else I may need. A day pack basically. Big bonus points for anything that's weather-resistant without the rain cover. I unfortunately don't have a local spot to try on this name brand stuff, so I've got to shop based on features and looks of the pack and hope it fits, and if not then return.

I've discovered that the F-Stop stuff is all backordered, and based on the horror stories, I'm not playing that game, so those are out. Which is kind of a shame, they look really nice. Just gonna throw out some other packs I've looked at in case someone comes across this thread later.

The Evoc CP 26L looks really nice actually, checks off most boxes, but I'm just a little wary about the shoulder and waist straps being mounted onto the back piece that unzips. Seems like it would cause a lot of stress on the zipper with a heavy pack, and I'm too worried about longevity to spend the money on it.

The Lowepro Flipside 400 AW definitely has plenty of space for camera gear, but not much else. It's the cheap option, and the only thing it doesn't have is storage space for other-than-camera gear. It's got that front pocket but it's pretty small. I do like the front center tripod-carrying system it has.

The Lowepro Flipside Trek BP 450 AW looks great too, but I wouldn't be able to store the 70-200 anywhere other than mounted to the camera, which kinda bugs me for some reason. I don't like having to change lenses just to fit it back in the bag. I actually hate changing lenses in the field period lol, I think I have mild OCD about keeping gear clean.

I think I'm down to either the Mindshift Gear Backlight 26L or the Lowepro Whistler BP 450 AW. They both pretty much have two rows in the camera area, since the Whistler is too narrow to have three lenses wide with lens hoods on, design failure on Lowepro's end there. The Backlight has more space for camera gear overall, except for a little less depth, but it seems like the Whistler has more space for other stuff. The Backlight has probably the best tripod-carrying system (IMO, I prefer the tripod centered), but then doesn't have the same amount of straps the Whistler does to attach other stuff. The Whistler pack looks more weather-resistant, though I'm not out in the rain a ton, and they both have rain covers. Just have to sit down and decide here I guess.

JoeW · Jun 16, 2017

I'm a big believer in a day pack that is the size and functions (enough pockets, etc.) for your purpose with a camera insert. It will be cheaper than a dedicated camera ruck. It will be easier to try it on. And it will probably be better for your purposes.

gckless · Jun 16, 2017

Thanks folks, I ended up going with the Whistler pack. Decided that the extra storage space, spot for a hydration pack, more protective ICU and better weather-resistance was worth it to me.

JoeW said:
I'm a big believer in a day pack that is the size and functions (enough pockets, etc.) for your purpose with a camera insert. It will be cheaper than a dedicated camera ruck. It will be easier to try it on. And it will probably be better for your purposes.

Ya know, I'm not against this at all, and this was on my mind. It would probably be more comfortable, have more functionality, and be lighter. But it wouldn't have the quick access that a dedicated camera bag does, so that's why I ultimately went with that. Good thing is that the Whistler does have a removable ICU, so I have that option to just buy the bag now if I want to try it out.

jsecordphoto · Jun 17, 2017

Hope you don't need a lot of extra room for non-camera gear. I have the whistler 450 and I don't find it has enough room. Plenty of room for camera gear, not much else. I now use a dedicated Osprey hiking pack with the lowepro ICU for my camera gear

gckless · Jun 19, 2017

jsecordphoto said:
Hope you don't need a lot of extra room for non-camera gear. I have the whistler 450 and I don't find it has enough room. Plenty of room for camera gear, not much else. I now use a dedicated Osprey hiking pack with the lowepro ICU for my camera gear

Bummer to hear. Though, I really don't need a ton of space for other stuff. From the many video reviews I watched, it looked like it would have enough room. I guess I'll find out, it should be here by the end of the week. If it's not enough, then it's going back for sure.

JohnS. · Jun 19, 2017

Copy and pasted from my thread:

I pulled the trigger on an Osprey Nebula Daypack. After spending a week Googling reviews, threads, and watching YouTube videos of different bags, I decided to give the Nebula a shot. It definitely has plenty of room for a days worth of hiking and more. I also got this insert: Amazon.com : Camaroo DSLR Camera Insert - Compact : Camera Cases : Camera & Photo that will allow me to bring my 70-300 and 11-16 while I have my 18-105 attached and resting on top. I'll have a change of clothes with me in the bag anyways, so the camera can easily nest in the main compartment above the insert. After watching a video on that bag, it's got some serious room.

gckless · Jun 26, 2017

So I did buy the Lowepro Whistler BP 450 AW, and updating this thread since I don't think this post warrants a whole new thread, but also for anyone searching in the future. It's a nice pack that's made out of really great material, really water resistant and it met my expectations of not having to worry about being caught out in the rain. The pack is a good size, would easily fit a pro body with battery grip, and a decent amount of space. One thing that isn't so great is that this pack isn't wide enough to have 3 mid-size lenses side-by-side with lens hoods attached. Lowepro advertises it as having space for 3-wide in all their photos, and it may work without all lens hoods, but it would still be fairly tight. So here is how I set mine up, all photos are a Nikon 18-140mm, Nikon 70-200mm f/2.8 VRII, and a Sigma 17-50mm:

As you can see, more than enough space for these three lenses. I could probably fit one more small one in the pocket on the other side too. However, I set it up like this so that I can switch lenses and still be able to store the camera without putting the 70-200 back on. Like this:

They include a ton of the dividers, here I'm using one to hold the 70-200 down so it doesn't bounce around while I'm riding my mountain bike.

On top there's a decent storage space, camera in there for reference. The front doesn't have a whole lot of space, depending on what you're trying to take. If it's soft things like clothes, then you can pack a decent amount in the front area. Plenty of space as a daypack, for me anyway. The nicest thing is that the black material separating the front and back camera compartment is water and tear resistant, so you can pack anything wet in there, and it also has a loop to hang a hydration bladder. Here are those two:

All in all, great pack. I haven't worn it out yet, so I can't comment on how comfy it is, I may update later, but probably just assume that if I don't say anything about it then it feels good on my back.