As a photographer and videographer I’ve used a lot of camera bags and backpacks over the last ten years. I’m always on the lookout for that “perfect” camera backpack, and honestly I’ve spent way too much time and money searching for the perfect bag.
But now I think I’ve gotten close to finding the perfect one. Let me share some of the best options I’ve found, as well as the “perfect” bag for me right now.
I’ll start by saying that I’m looking for a backpack that best fits my needs, and my needs may not be exactly the same as yours. But for me, this is what I’m looking for: I need a good everyday photo backpack that can also function as a really good travel bag.
I need a backpack that I can use everyday, either going on a shoot or going to an office meeting. So it needs to be light enough for everyday use (not too big and bulky), good looking / stylish, and functional for carrying camera gear and a laptop. It also needs to work for going on travel shoots where I need to pack some additional travel gear (clothes, accessories, etc.) as well as hike into shoot locations.
If you’re just wanting my straight up recommendation and don’t want to read the rest of the article, here you go: my favorite bag for both everyday carry and light travel is the Wandrd Prvke 21L. For a longer trip or for a little bit more room the Wandrd Prvke 31L is just about perfect. Or if you don’t mind having multiple bags (and you have a bunch of extra money) I’d recommend the Wandrd Prvke 21 for everyday carry and local shoots, and then the Nomatic Peter McKinnon X Camera Pack for your longer trips and travel shoots (see below for more details).
1. Wandrd Prvke 21
Specs: 21-26L, 2.87lb, $264 (Photography Bundle)
Pros: Stylish, light, rolltop, waist and chest straps, side camera access, clam-shell opening, weatherproof
Cons: Expensive, some less-than-useful pockets, small camera cube
The Wandrd Prvke is the closest thing to my perfect camera bag right now. I’m specifically talking about the 21L photography bundle version for everyday carry and short trips, but I love the 31L version for extended trips or when you need just a bit more room for extra gear (yes, I bought both versions…did I mention that I’m a bag-aholic?).
I love the stylish look of the bag, and it doesn’t look too big and bulky when I wear it. I take it to the office and other places all the time, and because of it’s size and weight it’s a great everyday bag. The quality is excellent. I can put it down on the ground and it won’t get super dirty like my Lowepro Tactic bag used to do. And it’s very rain-resistant. I’ve been caught in heavy rainstorms in the Amazon jungle, and the bag did fine keeping the rain out…I didn’t even have to use the included rainfly.
The camera cube for the 21L is a little bit small for my taste, but I can still fit a camera body (like a Canon EOS R or 5D mk III) with 16-35 2.8 lens attached, an extra 24-70 2.8 or 35mm 1.4 lens, and a small accessory/cable bag inside it. It’s not perfect because I can’t fit a 70-200 lens in as my second lens (you can in the 31L version). But if I need to I can put my 70-200 inside a case in the top portion, or I can fit my Mavic Pro drone bag in the top by just unrolling the rolltop a little bit. And with the rolltop you can also cram in a rainjacket, headlamp, or any other small items you might need. It would be nice though if they had an optional insert for the top, kind of like the Boundary Supply Errant or the new Nomatic Peter McKinnon bag (see both bags down below). (*Update: they actually have top inserts now, yay!*)
And now a couple things I don’t like. The bag has some different pockets, but overall some of them are not as useful as I’d like. I almost never use the one on the outside back because when my bag is packed I can’t fit anything inside it except maybe a thin notebook or some papers. Even the water bottle pocket is a bit tight when you have your bag packed all the way (this seems less a problem with the 31L version). But the top lined pocket is super useful and accessible, and I also use the tablet compartment as another document/notebook holder when I don’t have my iPad in it.
The last nitpicky thing is the weak magnet for the top handle. The magnet is weak enough that the handle comes apart quite often…but for some reason it’s only on my 21L version, the 31L seems to have a much stronger magnet.
Honestly I love the Prvke. I use it every time I go into the office to pack my 15″ Macbook Pro along with my camera gear and documents/accessories. I use it for quick photoshoots downtown or when I go up the nearby canyons for a shoot or hike. And I’ve taken it on trips to New Zealand, Ecuador, and Hawaii this year (and it even fits under the seat on the airplane!). It’s my favorite bag by far, and even though normally I’m a very price-conscious buyer I think it’s definitely worth the money for the quality and style you’re getting…it just checks off the most boxes for me!
Now on to the other bags! I’ll keep the commentary short so you can just read what I did and didn’t like.
2. Nomatic Peter McKinnon X Camera Pack
Specs: 35-42L (expandable), 5.75lb – $399 (camera pack only, $675 for all add-ons)
Pros: Nice look, good size and quality, expandable clamshell, accessory and daypack add-on bags
Cons: Large and expensive
This new Peter McKinnon bag by Nomatic looks pretty awesome for carrying a lot of gear, especially if you’re traveling and need some extra room for clothes or other travel-related items. The quality looks amazing, and it’s surprisingly stylish. And even though it’s a big bag, it doesn’t look monstrous for all the things that you can actually fit inside. It also has a lot of really useful and thoughtful accessory bags that you can purchase for extra (the expandable day pack camera cube is pretty cool). But it’s really expensive and seems a bit too big for carrying around every day.
I’ve been waiting for the release of this bag ever since I talked to one of the guys at Nomatic last year, and it definitely does not disappoint. It’s very well thought out and checks just about every box you can think of if you’re traveling a lot for your shoots.
Bottom Line: Awesome for traveling shooters. But a bit too large for everyday carry, and very expensive.
3. Boundary Supply Errant
Specs: 24L, ~3lb, $119.99 + 54.99 (+ 44.99 top insert) = $175
Pros: Good size, light, good look, modular, lots of pockets
Cons: Not as cheap as it seems (after inserts), no rolltop/expansion, no waist/chest straps
I was very close to pulling the trigger on the Boundary Supply Errant because it checked off almost all the boxes of what I was looking for. It’s a good everyday carry bag, it’s not too large (but still holds enough camera gear), and it’s good looking. I like that it has two camera cube insert options. For a quick shoot you can just leave the bottom camera insert in, but if you need more room for extra lenses or a drone you can use the top insert as well.
Bottom Line: An almost-perfect combination of everyday carry and photo travel. Wish it extended a bit with a rolltop and had optional waist/chest straps.
4. LowePro Tactic 450 AW II
Specs: 25L, 6 lbs, $269.95 ($175 old version)
I used the LowePro Tactic 450 AW for a couple years on a lot of different shoots, hikes, and travels. But I also have the new version, the LowePro Tactic 450 AW II in the office, so I’ll talk about them as the same since they’re pretty similar.
Pros: Fits a lot of gear, decent look, customizable, waist and chest straps, side+clamshell+top access
Cons: Large and heavy, not too stylish, bulky, expensive
I love how much gear this backpack can fit. But because it’s a large bag that can fit a lot of gear, it’s also heavy…and big. It looks really big when you have it on, which I don’t like (for context I’m 5’10 160 lbs). It also weighs 6 pounds by itself, which is a lot of weight to be lugging around.
You could get the smaller/lighter version of the bag, the LowePro Tactic 350 AW II, but it doesn’t fit a 15″ laptop. So that wasn’t an option for me.
Bottom Line: Great for traveling or hiking when you need to take a lot of gear. But too big and bulky for an everyday backpack in my opinion.
5. Brevite Rolltop
Specs: 25L, 3lb, $185
Pros: Fits a lot of gear, light, stylish, rolltop
Cons: Too big for my taste, Strange back pocket camera access
In researching the Brevite Rolltop online I found that it was a little too large for my taste. And the strangest thing to me though was how it opened to access the camera cube/insert from the back. Instead of a clamshell opening it has a back pocket zip. It also has a side zip that you can use instead, but just having a back zip seems less secure for when you’re traveling.
Bottom Line: Stylish and fits a lot of gear, but a little too big. Also feels less secure with the back zip access.
6. Thule Covert
Specs: 25-30L, 5lb, $185
Pros: Fits a lot of gear, nice look, rolltop
Cons: Big and heavy
The Thule Covert was a serious contender for me because it seemed like a mix between the LowePro Tactic and a rolltop. It looked a bit more stylish than the LowePro and not quite as bulky, but could still hold a lot of gear. After doing some research though people were complaining about how heavy and big it was.
Bottom Line: Too big and heavy for an everyday carry backpack.
7. Boundary Supply Prima
Specs: 25-30L, 4lb, $200
Pros: Lots of room and pockets, modular design, good look
Cons: Large
The Boundary Supply Prima is an awesome bag, and you can tell the Boundary people put a lot of thought and good design into it. But it was just a bit too large of a bag for my taste and what I was looking for.
Bottom Line: A little too big for everyday carry.
8. F-stop Dalston
Specs: 21L, 1.8lb – $149
Pros: Nice look, rolltop, good size, minimal, affordable
Cons: Limited color choices, strange side zips, not many pockets/compartments
The f-stop Dalston was a bag that I was really close to purchasing as well. It has a really good look and a nice roll top, but was a bit too minimal for holding camera gear in my opinion.
Bottom Line: A bit too minimalistic, and not enough color options.
9. Peak Design Everyday Backpack
Specs: 30L, 4.5lb – $289.95
Pros: Good quality, expansion top, dual side access
Cons: Heavy, very techy look, expensive
The Peak Design Everyday Backpack is a bag I’ve seen a lot of people using…and that’s because it’s a really good quality camera backpack. However, personally I just don’t love the look of it.
Bottom Line: Great bag if you like the look/style.
10. Besnfoto Rolltop Camera Bag
Specs: 4.25lb – $98.92
Pros: Affordable, rolltop, nice look
Cons: Not the best quality, only side and rolltop access (no clamshell)
I know some of the bags on this list are pretty expensive, so here’s one bag that comes in under $100. The Besnfoto Rolltop Backpack seems like a cheaper copy of the Wandrd Prvke, so if you’re tight on cash but want something similar it might be worth a look. One big difference from the Wandrd Prvke though is that it doesn’t have the clamshell access. The only easy access is on the side, which is a bit strange.
Bottom Line: Affordable backpack with nice look, but not easy to access everything.
Honorable Mentions
A few other camera backpacks that I wish I could cover, but the article is getting a bit long…so you can go check them out and see if they fit your needs if you want.
Think Tank Photo Urban Access Backpack
Conclusion
There are seriously so many good bags out there these days that I couldn’t realistically include all of the ones that I’ve looked at. But hopefully this gives you a bit more information on some of the better ones that I’ve found, or at least maybe it’s given you a few new options to look into. Let me know in the comments if you have any questions or if you have any other bags that you love!
