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)
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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.
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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.