Camera gear is heavy. Even a sparing system consisting of a camera body and two lenses can approach ten pounds. Add in more lenses, batteries, a flash, external hard drive, filters and other accessories, or perhaps even a second camera body, and the heft factor multiplies fast. If you're toting around this much photography gear, a dedicated camera backpack can be indispensable.
For a long time, though, camera backpacks have been a bit, for lack of a better word, dorky. They've been bulky and conspicuous, neither of which are great traits for a bag meant to carry thousands of dollars worth of heavy equipment.
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Thankfully, product designers have caught on. They've taken advantage of the same materials and features that make bags capable of withstanding harsh weather and hundred-mile backpacking trips. The result is that today's camera backpacks are more protective, more organized and more comfortable than ever before.
What to look for in a camera backpack
Size and Capacity
When it comes to capacity, most camera backpacks (and hiking and outdoor packs in general) are measured by liters. The larger the capacity of your chosen pack, the larger — and traditionally, heavier — it's going to be. An average camera backpack falls in the range of a 20–45 liter capacity, and will weigh around 3–5 pounds. A typical 30-liter backpack can fit a camera body like an Sony A7RII, four prime lenses, accessories like a flash and a laptop — with ease.
Materials
As with their traditional hiking counterparts, camera backpacks have benefitted from the myriad material innovations of the last couple decades. These packs certainly aren't your grandfather's camera bag: they're lightweight, durable and water-resistant or fully waterproof. Common materials used in camera backpacks include ripstop nylon, polyester, canvas and TPU laminate, among others. Keep an eye out for a water-resistant or waterproof coating; high-quality packs will also have tougher, waterproof zippers like YKK to further protect your gear.
Design
Design matters in all things, but when you're shooting on the trail and all moments are fleeing, it pays dividends to haul along a camera backpack with a thoughtful and useful design. Invest in a camera backpack that has both side and rear loading, so you can easily access your equipment at a moment's notice from the side or remove the pack and zip off the back panel entirely, revealing everything you've packed.
Many camera backpacks will come with integrated or included camera cubes for organizing lenses and other loose items, but do your research here; if it's an integrated design system, make sure it works for you before pulling the trigger on your purchase. Your money may be better spent on a more custom set-up, picking your own pack and camera cube, to ensure the design flows with your process.
The Best Camera Backpacks You Can Buy
Wandrd Prvke
- Materials: Waterproof tarpaulin and robic 1680D ballistic nylon; weather-resistant zippers
- Weight: 2.8 pounds
- Capacity: 21 liters
Simply put, Wandrd gave the Prvke everything you want in a camera backpack: convenient access equipment via back and side panels, organizing pockets for cables and other accessories, a padded laptop sleeve and space for extra layers, snacks or any other gear you might need to bring on a shoot (just how much depends on which size bag you opt for).
These are prerequisites, though; the Prvke stands out because it's made of a rugged, weatherproof material that makes it functional for various scenarios, because its roll-top design gives it packing flexibility and because it's discreet and doesn't necessarily look like it's full of expensive camera gear. One downside is that you have to purchase Wandrd's padded camera insert separately (the 41-liter Prvke comes with one), but we do like that these are removable, which means you can use it with other bags too.
The Wandrd Prvke is also available in 31-liter and 41-liter sizes.
Peak Design Everyday Backpack
- Materials: Weatherproof, 100% recycled 400D nylon canvas shell is DWR impregnated, double PU-coated
- Weight: 3.63 pounds
- Capacity: 20 liters
Peak Design's Everyday Backpack is unique among camera bags. Instead of using a removable insert for equipment organization as most do, the bag has three of Peak Design's FlexFold dividers, which act like shelves and have folding ends for a remarkably customizable storage system. You can take them out if you don't need them, and you can access them from zippered panels on both sides of the bag.
The list of the Everyday Backpack's other features is long and impressive — it includes a size-adjustable laptop sleeve that's separate from the main compartment, tons of stretchy, sleeve-style pockets for small items (we count 12), exterior sleeve pockets for a water bottle or tripod and an expandable lid with a fast-opening magnetic latch. Speaking of magnets, there are a bunch in the bag — they keep some zipperless pockets closed, and a set also secures the shoulder straps to the pack's back panel when not in use. It's a small detail but keeps everything nice and compact.
We could go on because Peak Design left no detail untouched (okay, here's one more: you can attach the zipper pulls to loops for a bit of light theft prevention). The pack is pretty structured, which is good for protection but means it's not as sleek as others, especially in the larger 30-liter size. For a similar set of features in a slimmer package, check out Peak Design's smaller Everyday Backpack Zip.
F-Stop Dalston 21L Roll Top
- Materials: DWR 420D ripstop nylon with TPU laminate
- Weight: 1.8 pounds
- Capacity: 21 liters
If you don't have a ton of camera gear (or simply don't want to lug it around on your back) and aren't looking for as many special features, you can save some cash by opting for a more straightforward pack like F-Stop's Dalston. The bag is set up for side access to your camera via a removable padded insert — it's not as versatile as others we tested but does the job here — and its roll-top design offers expandable storage for other items on top of that. There's also a separate laptop/tablet sleeve. There's one more small exterior pocket on the backpack's face, but not much else in terms of organization. For photographers with less gear, the design is still ideal.
Shimoda Explore V2 25
- Materials: Water-resistant ripstop nylon
- Weight: 4.5 pounds
- Capacity: 25 liters
Every so often, a product in a given category will achieve a cult following. The Yeti Tumbler. The Solo Stove Fire Pit. The Helinox Chair One. In the world of camera backpacks, the Shimoda would be a strong contender for possessing that quality. It's smartly-designed, and is rugged enough for outdoor adventures while being sleek enough to travel in the city.
There are plenty of customization thanks to its Camera Core Units: they come in different sizes and shapes, allowing you to pick and choose what you'll need for a specific outing. Lockable zippers, a hidden passport pocket and water-resistant fabric enhance the Explore V2's usefulness in a variety of environments. The adjustable torso height allows for a wide variety of body types to wear the pack comfortably, and there are a ton of pockets, including a padded laptop sleeve, hydration bladder pocket and an expandable water bottle pocket.
Atlas Athlete
- Materials: Weatherproof 240 double ripstop shell
- Weight: 4.6 pounds
- Capacity: 20-40 liters
While many of the backpacks here use some version of a removable camera insert for organization and protection. Atlas's Athlete has one built-in. The brand calls it the Origami Camera Core, and the compartment is separate from the rest of the bag, where there's room for gear for camping, skiing, climbing and so on. There is an element of customization, though — you can adjust a semi-rigid panel so that there's either more room in the photo section of the pack or more in the gear section, depending on what you need. Without inserts, you also save on weight and can better manage how the load sits inside the bag.
Atlas also packed the Atlas with features for adventuring. We've tested the bag on hiking trips and ski trips and have appreciated how efficiently the Origami Camera Core system divides up the pack's space and how similarly it functions like a bag not oriented toward photography.
Wandrd Fernweh
- Materials: N420D HD Ripstop with 5PM Coating and N630D. YKK Weather Resistant Zippers
- Weight: 5 pounds
- Capacity: 50
All of the backpacks on this list can accompany you on short trips down a trail, but for full-day or multi-day adventures, you might want to consider something more substantial. Wandrd's Fernweh takes many features from hiking backpacks — a supportive hipbelt and shoulder harness, breathable back panel, load adjustment straps — and adds camera accessibility. The Fernweh has the same side panel access as the Prvke, and its back panel zips open for a total view of the bag's contents (this is nice for unpacking when you get to camp, too). The front panel also opens for a total of four entrances to the bag's insides.
Wandrd's camera protection and organization system relies on its removable cubes. It's a bummer that the Fernweh doesn't come with one, but it's nice that you can always remove that element and use it just as a hiking pack if you aren't taking photos.
Mission Workshop Integer
- Materials: 2-layer, waterproof fabrics and YKK construction
- Weight: 1.7 pounds (without camera insert)
- Capacity: 24 liters
Mission Workshop's Integer calls to mind a bike messenger bag, but it has a full set of features for hefting photography gear around urban environments (it works well for shorter outdoor adventures too). Beneath the oversized buckle on its face is a zippered access point to the main compartment. Inside, there's a removable padded camera insert for your photo gear. You can also reach this section from a side access point for on-the-go shooting and from the top, which helps for packing (we also like that you can zipper shut a separator to create two distinct compartments for photo and non-photo gear).
In addition to access, the Integer excels with lots of organization for smaller items, plus a nifty tripod sling on the side. But a major reason to love this backpack is its construction, which consists of weatherproof two-layer fabric that lends structural support as well as protection. A former Gear Patrol photographer praised its durability and its low-key looks. "I like the idea of people not knowing there's camera gear inside," he says.
Moment Rugged Camera Sling
- Materials: NorthPak 100% recycled polyester fiber and film
- Weight: 1 pound, 6 ounces
- Capacity: 6 liters (also comes in a 10 liter version)
There are often times when even a small backpack feels like overkill for a particular photo opp or outing. Maybe you don't need a second lens, or perhaps you're leaving the laptop and extra clothing layers at home. Suddenly, that backpack has a lot of unused space. Enter the sling bag. More specifically, Moment's Rugged Camera Sling, which has the best photo-focused features of the many slings we've tested, many of which are too small to accommodate anything larger than a point-and-shoot or so bulky you might as well wear a backpack instead.
Available in six- and 10-liter volumes, the Rugged Camera Sling has enough space for a camera and a few lenses plus all the other accessories (a charger, spare batteries, hard drive, etc.) you might need for a short trip or photoshoot. We fit all this plus a lightweight jacket into the 10-liter version and had plenty of space to cram in more — we didn't, for example, take advantage of the padded tablet pocket.
More importantly, the Rugged Camera Sling can carry all this stuff without becoming uncomfortable slung over your shoulder. The bag's strap attaches to little wings that help it hug the body without deforming its shape or squeezing contents against you, and an included stabilizing strap helps prevent it from swinging around while you're on the move. Moment wrapped it all up in a recycled sailcloth fabric that's durable, waterproof and pretty darn slick.
The Best Camera Inserts
In putting together this guide, we surveyed bag recommendations from Gear Patrol's former and current staff photographers and the freelance photographers we work with too. Many of them shared a similar insight: the perfect camera backpack doesn't exist. Many aren't suitable for specific activities — "I have yet to find anything close to sufficient for distance running," says Gear Patrol contributor Andy Cochrane — or are made for carrying more photo gear than you need.
The solution: camera inserts. Many of the brands that make our favorite camera backpacks also make stand-alone camera inserts, sometimes called camera cubes, that fit into any bag you already own. "They make anything usable," says former Gear Patrol staff photographer Chase Pellerin. "It's not as run-and-gun, but it allows you to turn any bag into a camera bag." Here are our three favorites.
Tenba BYOB Collection
Tenba's BYOB line of inserts comes in sizes ranging from single-camera carry up to a complete kit with multiple lenses. They have modular padding, and each one has additional exterior and interior pockets for things like cables, memory cards, etc.
Peak Design Camera Cube
Peak Design made its Camera Cube to fit seamlessly into its travel bags, but they function equally well in other bags and backpacks too. It comes in three sizes, and each one comes with full padding and flexible dividers you can move around to create your ideal configuration.
F-Stop Internal Camera Cube Insert - Pro Small
F-Stop also made its camera inserts with its backpacks in mind, but they can work well with others. They come in different sizes and depths, the biggest of which can support full movie-making kits. These, too, have customizable pad inserts that can adapt to any setup.
