Photography Backpack dilemma solved!
Deuter Freerider Pro 28 SL
I don’t make that claim lightly. I have tried countless camera bags, camera coats, backpacks, and systems. I am a travel and landscape photographer - all of my photos are taken on the go. I have tried them all - Epiphanie, Kelley Moore, f-stop, lowepro. They all had great selling points (that Kelley Moore is just SO pretty!!), but as an avid hiker, I wasn’t willing to make many concessions. So I forced my gear junkie hubby to accompany me to the photography store to put his expertise to use. And man, he came through! The perfect system. Drumroll, pleasel…
It’s not even a camera bag! He kept looking at these bags, and they were too tall for my 5’1'“ frame, or too bulky (he believed I might fall off a cliff wearing the thing), or just so expensive for how uncomfortable they were. We were leaning toward the Atlas, when we were informed that it can’t accommodate my Canon EOS Mark IV. I was trying to figure out how to wrestle an f-stop or Shimoda insert into my normal backpacking bag (which is almost acrobatic). And he had a stroke of inspiration.
Backcountry ski bags! These are made by backpacking companies, so they are actually comfortable. They have lots of spaces for gadgets and stashing your batteries and gear. They make them in women’s or men’s sizes, and they are constructed to be able to alter to fit you. They are padded, they have hip straps, they come in multiple sizes. They are all of the wonderful things about a backpacking bag, with two very important differences:
Backcountry ski bags have lots of straps for attaching skis and snowboards to the bag. Which are perfect for a tripod! Check!
The panel closest to your back zips out to get a helmet into the bag. Just like a camera backpack. Your insert will LIE DOWN in there just like an f-stop bag. Check!
It is a win-win! Especially in a backcountry ski family where we happened to have five of them laying around. Is it my final end-all photography backpack? I don’t know. I’m cautiously optimistic. Right now, I LOVE it. And, because the end of ski season is upon us, it is probably on sale if you want to try it. Depending on what size bag you are looking at, you probably want to measure your insert to make sure they are compatible. But otherwise, you can pick the backpack company you already love, and grab the backcountry ski bag that is closest to the backpack you already use. If you use the Deuter, like me, it even comes with a cute flower!
My Deuter Freerider Pro 28 SL with Shimoda insert
