020 - Choosing the Right Photography Daypack

Today, we are going to talk about something very dear to me. That’s picking the right Photography Daypack. I’ve got some wicked back and shoulder problems that can flare up pretty easily by carrying weight the wrong way or for too long. It’s caused quite a few problems for a long time for me. That’s why backpacks matter so much to me. They are the best way to carry lots of gear over long distances, but too often I see people using backpacks that simply aren’t right for what they are doing or carrying.

You’ve likely seen them too. The flimsy backpacks with drawstrings and no real structure. Or the backpacks loaded down so heavy they are dragging towards the knees. People being pulled backwards by the bag they are carrying. Or needing to stoop forwards just to walk. All of that is a huge problem for carrying anything, let alone heavy camera gear. So today, I’m going to give you my top advice for what to look for in a photography daypack. 

For clarification, a daypack is something that you expect to just carry for the day. It should be just big enough for you to get in your gear, layers, water, food, and safety supplies that you need for an afternoon or day of explorations. We aren’t talking about bags for multi-day or even overnight treks. These tips are good for day hikes or spending time on the streets of a city. Typically, this will mean bags that are 35 litres and under (although, I have used a 50 litre to get in the gear I needed.)

With that being said, let’s head on into tip #1.

Tip #1 - Structure

I’ve seen way too many ‘travel’ photography bags that have no support or structure in them. They’re essentially an empty hole with a couple of straps coming off of them; with no real consideration for how the bag will carry once it is on a person’s back. Or once it is laden down with gear. These kinds of bags will drag on your shoulders and neck, causing tightness and raising your risk of injury. 

You want a bag with some structure to it and ideally an internal frame to help distribute the weight of the gear off your shoulders and neck and down into your hips and legs. This kind of weight distribution is what makes it possible to carry lots of weight for long periods of time. Most proper daypacks made for hiking will have some sort of internal structure to them. So it’s worth going beyond your typical school backpack or urban carry bags that lots of camera bag manufacturers make and getting one specifically built for exploration.

Tip #2 - Straps

This goes right along with tip #1, but get something with proper straps on it.

Too often I see people carrying around backpacks with thin, unpadded straps that look more like a seatbelt than something you want distributing weight across your shoulder, chest and upper back area. You need to remember, you may be carrying this backpack for a few hours at a time with heavy loads, you want it to be as comfortable as possible. Little straps and straps with little padding will dig into your shoulders, quickly causing pain in the short term and possibly long term damage as they can easily cause back or shoulder pain that could wreck the rest of your trip. You want straps that have proper padding, are wide enough to evenly distribute weight, are easily adjustable and have load adjusters on them (if possible). Load adjusters allow you to somewhat redistribute the weight of a bag and how it is pulling on your shoulders. Adjustable straps are a must for any bag you plan on wearing as they can change how the whole configuration sits on your shoulders.

Also, ensure the bag has a good waist belt. A good waist belt will help transfer some of the weight off your shoulders and down onto your hips. I’m sure some of you have gone a day carrying gear with a bag that didn’t have a waist belt (or at least not a proper one) and regretted it at the time and for days afterwards. So what is a proper waist belt? It has some minimal padding where the belt will meet your hips, it is substantial (about the width of a seatbelt) and it actually sits on your hips. A hip belt wrapped around your midsection or down around your bottom isn’t going to do you any good in helping to transfer the weight.

This last strap is a personal choice, but I love chest straps. I know many people hate them and won’t ever use them, especially a lot of women. But I find they help to move even more of the weight onto my entire frame and redistributes where I am being pulled on, which is helpful when wearing a bag for extended periods of time.

Tip #3 - Fit Matters

Backpacks are highly subjective and truly can fit person-to-person. The way they feel against your back, the length of the bag on the torso, where adjustment points are, everything can change how a backpack feels. Bags that fit my 6’2 frame don’t really fit my partner's 5’6 frame, and vice-versa. You are looking for a bag that feels comfortable when you put it on and doesn’t get uncomfortable the longer you wear it. You also want to know how that bag feels with weight in it, so try to weigh down the backpack as you walk around in it. This is subjective, just like shoes. So try to put on a variety of brands to see what suits your back.

If you can, going into a local outdoor store where they have a variety of bags to try on will really help in your decision-making process. Most of these stores will happily help you try on bags, get them sized properly for you and let you walk around the store for a while seeing how they feel after a few minutes with them on. 

Tip #4 - Size

Most daypacks will come in under 35L and that should be plenty for most hikes and explorations. You will need a bag that fits your camera gear, accessories, water, food, and layers. So This will be dependent on the type of hike you are doing, where you are exploring and what you are shooting. So I can’t really recommend a size for you, as even I have a few different sizes that I change in and out depending on the situation. Try and get your main daypack to be small enough that it fits inside your normal travel bag. This ensures that you have your daypack with you while you are travelling anywhere. 

Tip #5 - Material

I want a backpack that can withstand the rough and tumble nature of travel. Something I can toss on the ground, throw in the back of a truck, strap to a horse, and drag on rocks. Thus, the material the bag is made from is critical in my decision on what bag to purchase. You want something made from a tough, durable, water-resistant material that has strong zippers and great stitching. Ripstop nylon and ballistic nylon are the most common materials in backpacks on the market. They are the standard in backpacking and hiking bags and in most outdoor adventure photography backpacks.

Check out the stitching on the bag to make sure it looks strong and, if possible, get a bag that has a rubber bottom on it. This offers a dual kind of protection. Firstly, any moisture on the ground won’t seep up through the rubber and secondly, it is much harder to cut through meaning you are less likely to be robbed that way or break the bottom of the bag putting it down on sharp edges.

Tip #6 - Gear Access

There are a lot of great daypacks on the market, but most of them aren’t built to make accessing camera gear easy. So you will need to think carefully if you purchase an Osprey, Gregory, or other outdoor company’s bag about how you will get gear in and out. Even if you are going with a camera company’s hiking bag you still want to think about how you like to access your gear. Personally, I find the suitcase-style opening bags that open fully are the best for getting gear in and out. I like the ones where you lay the backpack down on it’s front and you unzip the part that goes against your back. This makes sure the part of the bag that goes on your back is never being put down in mud or snow.

Tip #7 - Looks Matter

Trendy colours with big logos can lead people to think the bag is worth more and thus you may be a bigger target for theft, scams, or other issues. I love my Patagonia Black Hole duffel for lugging around lots of gear, but it screams ‘Patagonia’ across two sides of it and thus it’s not something I would carry with me in certain countries or certain areas as the brand and the way the bag looks have a status around them. In a lot of cases, looking like you don’t have money to throw around will make you less of a target so look for bags that come in muted colours with smaller logos when possible. This doesn’t mean you can’t get a stylish and beautiful bag, just take into consideration how much attention the bag may draw towards you while travelling. A bright orange Anja bag from F-Stop Gear works great in the mountains, but for being subtle on a city street getting something that blends in a bit more will make you less obvious and less likely to be targeted.

Tip #8 - Organization

This is a very personal one. Some people love the minimal aesthetic (and weight savings) with few pockets, others love having a ton of pockets to tuck stuff away in. Think about how you like to store things and if you need lots of pockets or not. There are a couple of storage options that I think are necessary no matter what. You need gear straps on the outside of the bag. This is somewhere you can hook up a tripod or monopod (or other outdoor gear). You should also have an outside pocket for a water bottle, I find I just don’t drink nearly enough water when it is tucked away inside the bag because of all the work I have to go through to get a drink. If it’s on the outside, I’m much more likely to just reach back and grab it. Finally a few small pockets on the hip belt for batteries, memory cards, snack bars, and garbage. These little hip pockets have become my go-to place to store things I need on hand quickly. 

Alright, that’s it for my tips about what to look for in a daypack. There’s a lot of info there for you. But really, there are a lot of camera bags on the market that aren’t suitable as a full-on daypack. They look great, but they don’t carry well enough for the types of explorations we like to do. There are also a lot of hiking bags that don’t really work well as bags for photographers. They carry great but they don’t necessarily offer the access to camera gear that we need.

There are a couple of companies I fully suggest you go and look at as you start investigating which daypack you would like to use with your camera bag.

Some Gear Suggestions

I’ve mentioned them before, but F-Stop Gear makes some amazing backpacks with all the features I have talked about on here. Check out their bags here.

Shimoda Designs is another camera backpack brand built for photographers. Their new Action X series is built for people on the move and has some very innovative small features (like specially built straps just for women.) Check out their bags here.

Finally, Lowe Pro actually makes a technical hiking bag that may suit some people. It comes in a variety of sizes and has some pretty good features to it. Not my favourite because it didn’t fit my back quite right but you may find it works for you. Check out their bags here.