Capturing the beauty of the world is one of our favourite things to do while traveling. But traveling with camera equipment can be a bit of a pain in the butt.
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Given how much camera equipment we carry on our trips, we were on a hunt for a new urban camera bag that could fit all of our gear without looking too stuffed or bulky. Something that we could take out for a stroll in a city, but just as easily use on a day hike out in nature.
We happened to come across the Peak Design Everyday backpack and decided to give it a try.
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About Peak Design
Peak Design is the brainchild of Peter Dering, who, after a 4-month trip abroad with a cumbersome camera bag decided that he needed a better way to carry a camera. Unable to find what he wanted on the market, he quit his job and set about designing the first Peak Design bag.
At the core of Peak Design is the idea that products should be designed to solve problems, not create them. The company now has over 100 problem-solving products, focusing on camera gear, travel bags and everyday bags. They are also the most funded active company on Kickstarting, having raised well over $15million since 2011.
Sustainability at Peak Design
We were happy to learn that Peak Design really cares about sustainability in all steps of its manufacturing process.
Many Peak Design bags are made with 100% recycled nylon shell, some use recycled interior materials and even recycled aluminum. The company also offsets its carbon footprint and strives to be fully carbon neutral.
We feel good knowing that Peak Design cares about the environment as much as we do! Plus they donate 1% of our annual revenue to grassroots environmental nonprofits.
Peak Design Everyday Backpack
One of the most popular items in the Peak Design catalogue is the Everyday Backpack, which also happens to be their most funded backpack on Kickstarter!
The Peak Design Everyday Backpack is specifically designed to adapt to multiple needs, environments and lifestyles. It’s an everyday backpack for every kind of situation, from your everyday commute to extended travel. It comes in 4 colours, charcoal, ash, black, and tan, and in 2 sizes, the 20L and the 30L.
We opted for the larger 30L Everyday Backpack, in a charcoal colour and put it to the test on the road!
Peak Design Everyday Backpack: The Pros
The Peak Design Everyday Backpack has been a great addition to our gear list and a perfect everyday camera backpack to accompany us on our travels! There is lots we love about the bag, but some elements are worth mentioning in particular.
Compartments
One of the things we like most about the Everyday Backpack is the compartmental design of the interior. The FlexFold dividers are fully-flexible for whatever you need to carry, be it camera gear, a drone or just everyday items.
You can keep everything secured in place and not bunched at the bottom of your bag.
The dividers can be removed completely to make more room in the bag, or can be used to separate gear and provide additional padding for fragile items inside the bag.
Pockets galore
The Everyday Backpack’s design features a number of pockets of varying sizes. You have a water bottle pocket, a tech pocket on the back panel, great for storing a tablet or small laptop, and plenty of smaller pockets on the side panels.
There are even smaller pockets perfect for keeping those items that usually disappear in the bottom of a bag, like USBs, memory cards or your hotel keys!
Inside the bag, at the very top, there is also handy hidden pocket that we use to store our passports while in transit.
Comfort
The wide shoulder straps make the Everyday Backpack super comfortable to carry. It fits well across our backs, and thanks to the organized interior, the weight is evenly distributed.
This is pretty important, as the Everyday Backpack can get pretty heavy when full. The added hip strap also helps to take the weight from our shoulders, which makes it suitable for hiking.
All the Extras
The Everyday backpack comes with a number of modular straps, that can be used to attach a tripod, hiking poles, extra accessories and more. It may seem like a small detail but the swivel button straps mean they don’t get tangled.
Also, the zippers tabs are a great addition to protect your valuable when on public transport. Just the finish of the bag itself is an advantage, the other shell is waterproof nylon canvas with strong reinforced stitching. This is a bag built to last.
Expandability
The top pocket of the Everyday Backpack can be expanded to fit a little or a lot, giving us lots of flexibility and extra space on long travel days or hikes.
Peak Design Everyday Backpack: The Cons:
While we do really enjoy the bag and most of its functionality, there are a few small cons that we have come across over the last few months of using the bag.
- We aren’t big fans of the open side pockets, as they make it possible for some items to fall out if the zippers aren’t fully done up.
- The water bottle side pocket isn’t big enough for our big HydroFlask water bottles. So if the bag is full, we often have to carry the bottles in our hands or stuff them into the top pocket of the bag.
- It’s not the most comfortable bag for long hikes. The waist straps lack some padding and do not offer that additional comfort needed to transfer the weight from your shoulders to the waist on long hikes. We found that the backpack gets a bit too heavy and is probably more suitable more for shorter hikes and urban adventures.
The Bottom Line
The Peak Design Everyday Backpack is one of the best-designed camera backpacks we’ve had the pleasure of testing on our travels. There are a few minor details that we would change, but nothing that could be considered a deal breaker. It really is a great bag for urban environments, short day trips, or transport days.
It’s a flexible, easy to adjust, all-purpose backpack that combines functionality and style. It looks good in the great outdoors or in the urban jungle and the durable design means it’s a great buy and well worth the price tag!
Like the look of the Peak Design Everyday Backpack?
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Disclaimer: The Everyday Backpack was provided to us courtesy of Peak Design, but all opinions expressed in this article are our own.
