Equipment & Techniques > Cameras, Lenses and Shooting gear
Towards a better travel camera backpack
shadowblade:
Had plenty of time to think on the long flight home from Buenos Aires after being stabbed and robbed of all my camera gear, and one of the things that stands out is the lack of variety in current camera backpack offerings, and their utter unsuitability for travel photography (with equal emphasis on the 'travel' and 'photography' parts). Sure, there are lots of models available, but they are all basically the same - big hold-everything packs which work like camera packs and look unmistakably like camera packs full of valuables, or travel packs which are fine for a casual tourist who wants to bring a small SLR and kit lens, but cannot hold all the gear you'd want for a dedicated photography trip. Then there are the worst of the lot - high-tech bags which look like they're full of valuables, but do not, in fact, function well as camera backpacks at all.
What we really need is a pack that doesn't look like a camera pack at all, while able to hold all the camera gear you'd want on a shooting trip.
So I started putting together a document outlining the deficiencies in current offerings, and how to build a better one.
(Apologies for the formatting - I'm still in transit in Auckland, so this was typed on Microsoft Word on a phone and cut-and-pasted, so some of the bullet points didn't come out right)
***
Current types of packs
• Dedicated camera pack. Boxy pack with large internal capacity, external tripod straps, e.g. Thinktank Airport Accelerator, Lowepro Pro Trekker. Often has a laptop sleeve. Looks like a camera pack – a target for thieves.
• Non-camera pack. Basically a normal daypack with a padded camera sleeve thrown in, capable of holding a small SLR with attached kit lens. Usually does not look like a camera pack.
• ‘Hybrid' pack. Two-compartment pack, with one compartment dedicated to camera equipment and the other for general storage. May or may not have external tripod storage. Appearance varies.
The problem
Dedicated camera backpacks have a giveaway appearance which marks them for theft or robbery. Non-dedicated camera packs lack the equipment or load-bearing capacity for many dedicated travel photography uses, including the ability to carry a tripod. External tripod carriage instantly marks any backpack as containing camera gear.
The requirements
A pack with the following features:
• Can carry a basic, but comprehensive kit that includes:
o Large SLR body
o 11-24mm f/4, 14-24mm f/2.8 or 16-35mm f/2.8 UWA zoom
o 24-70mm f/2.8 normal zoom
o 70-200mm f/2.8 or 100-400mm telephoto zoom
o 1.4x and 2x teleconverters
o Room for 1 or 2 other special-purpose lenses, e.g. macro and tilt-shift, or another 70-200mm or 100-400mm-sized lens, or a flash.
o Alternately can be configured to carry a long telephoto lens (e.g. 200-400mm f/4 zoom or 500mm f/4 prime)
o Internal stowage of tripod and tripod head
o Filters, filter holders, batteries, memory cards and other accessories
o Multiple versions can be produced with or without laptop storage
• Fits in airline carry-on luggage
• Must look like a regular daypack or hiking pack rather than a camera backpack, or a pack containing other valuables.
• Must have the load-bearing support structures needed to comfortably carry all the contained gear.
Current issues
• Appearance
o Boxy or bulky, padded shape (for maximal capacity) marks it as a camera pack, or a pack for other electronic valuables.
o Presence of logos, tripod mounts, etc. gives it away as a camera pack.
• Function
o Many dedicated camera packs have a capacity far in excess of that typically carried for travel or landscape photography. This capacity can be reduced to eliminate the boxy appearance, while still allowing sufficient space for gear.
o Harness and support system. A camera pack will typically hold a lot more weight than a non-camera pack of the same size - 10kg or more. Most packs have poor harness systems not suited to such weights.
Design elements
As per the requirements, any alternative pack design will need to contain the following design elements:
• Stowage - elements allowing the internal storage of all required equipment, without exceeding airline carry-on dimensions or giving the pack a boxy, camera-bag appearance. This may require collapsible compartments to meet dimensional requirements in flight while having the length to internally stow a tripod at the destination.
• Support - elements allowing the comfortable carriage of heavy equipment, while keeping weight down. This will likely include a lightweight frame, 10-point adjustable harness and removable waist belt.
• Camouflage - elements to disguise the pack as a daypack or hiking pack rather than a camera pack. These may include elastic bungee-cord webbing to hold snowshoes or crampons, side pockets for drink bottles, loops for ice axes or stowage for hiking poles. These will also increase the pack's functionality as a technical hiking pack, rather than purely a camera pack. Alternate pack materials from the usual black technical nylon will also play a role.
• Security - elements to impede attempts at theft.
***
Any thoughts? What would you want in a travel photography backpack? A viable product, or too little demand?
Thinking of putting together a design and having an outdoor gear/gear repair company make a prototype.
nma:
Hide by blending in. It is relatively simple to modify a backpack made for hiking or trekking. For example, there are Dueter packs that have front and back openings, allowing you to access a customized camera/accessory module to hold your gear. The charm of this approach is that you can use a real hiking pack with a frame and proper suspension, instead of strapping a box to your back. Als, tend to be cheaper than photo packs.
E.J. Peiker:
The Mindshift Backlight 25L might fit your requirements....
NancyP:
You should look into inserts for hiking packs. I just can't carry a standard photo pack for very long - suspension and transfer of weight to hips is nil for me. Consider panel zip packs (as opposed to top-loading only). Plus, an inconspicuous way of carrying a tripod. Here's where you could 1. get more sections or shorter total height for your travel tripod, stow it inside pack 2. stick it into a roll-top generic long narrow bag for kit - I happen to use an f-stop tripod bag because of its great daisy chain selection - you can lash that thing to the outside of the pack any which way. I think that Outdoor Research may have a long thin dry bag. Tents come in long thin bags. I also researched "cantle bags" (soft tubular bags with a zipper, meant to be wrapped around a saddle). I didn't research possible fishing units that would hold rods/tripods, but I do use a reel case at home as a nice padded storage unit for lenses - Cabela's, 20 bucks. Or - DIY something out of PVC pipe. 3. I don't know what to do about airline requirements. What size do you need?
Research the types of packs available, and find out if there is a used gear swap near you - outdoor outfitters often have this service because it brings new customers to the store. Why buy used? If you dress like an ordinary tourist and carry your gear in a pack that looks like it is used for camping, you are of less interest than the next guy with a cleaner pack. FleaBay, if you know your pack sizing and models well.
I don't know how to appear professional AND like an econo-tourist at the same time.
Finally, if you have design chops and time, you could work out your own pack - there are a lot of cottage manufacturers out there who will do custom packs. Even the most expensive custom pack will cost less than one of your lenses. I know of a fellow who designed a large-format backpack using custom-made version of back-panel support as a place to attach lens holders or camera insert. He made a small business out of it (now defunct because he's fully retired).
Start studying up on backpacks. Internal vs external frame? How to fit harness?
Remember, the military uses backpacks too. They tend to have packs with standardized outside strips (Molle type) that you can use to attach stuff, first aid kit, tools, ammo cassettes. Hunters use packs, and those packs can take enormous amounts of weight because these are designed such that you can hike out with your deer/sheep/goat/moose meat. Most of the military / hunting packs are in drab, look rather military, danger there is that the ordinary thieves won't want to tangle, but you are more likely to get attention from police and from folks looking to steal guns.
Relatively Cheap - Boy Scout type external frame packs - there are adult versions - Kelty has always had an external frame option.
Me: off the rack women's proportioned harness pack: Osprey Ariel 55L for overnight, Gregory Jade 38L for day + f-stop padded insert + on the outside the f-stop tripod bag.
Logo issues - used-looking pack plus zipstop nylon repair material/tape over the logo.
https://www.rei.com/product/783045/gear-aid-tenacious-tape-repair-tape
hogloff:
My travel pack is an Osprey trekking pack into which I put my camera gear in camera and lens wraps. I also carry with me the necessities of travel in this same pack...it is beat up from all the travel I do...I dress down and look like a world trekker living from hostel to hostel.
I've tried all the different camera specific packs and they are all overly padded, too heavy and have a very lousy support system which makes my shoulders and back ache after just 1 day...forget about 3 weeks of travel.
My suggestion is to get a trekking pack that fits you comfortably and has a great support system for you, then make it into a pack that can carry your equipment. This will not only make you look like a broke world traveler carrying his unwashed clothes in your pack...but also it will allow you to carry your gear and other necessities on your back for extended time without getting pains in the shoulders, neck or back.
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