Peak Design Backpacks?

I bought little over a year ago Peak Design Everyday Backpack 20, since I was looking for a smaller backpack since my other backpacks Gura Gear Bataflae 32L and F-Stop Tilopa BC (with XL ICU) are pretty large and there are times when I would like to carry smaller camera kit and a backpack would be more confortable than a shoulder bag.

I haven't quite made my mind about the final verdict on this backpack, since on the pro side:
- access from the sides and the top
- fairly customizable inner layout
- organizing contents in inner side pockets is easy
- good side pockets which can be used to hold eg. a water bottle
- some external attachment points
- quick shoulder strap length adjustments
- good carrying handles on the sides and the top.
- cool design

On the other hand, there are some frustrating issues too:
- finding the optimal layout is a time consuming task
- and yet, it is nearly impossible to carry some longer lenses, especially if mounted on a camera (and in any case, the camera should be a fairly small model)
- or the divider setup may not work optimally for smaller objects (I assume this is even more evident on the larger Everyday Backpack 30, which has the same number of flexible dividers as this smaller version I own)
- dividers occasionally feel bit flimsy
- the waist belt is a pitiful narrow strap (and by default stoved away),
- the material is not totally waterproof, only water resistant.

butangmucat wrote: Compared to your other bags, do you think Peak Design in charging a large premium, or the price really justifies it?

My other bags are not exactly the cheapest either, so the price level for Peak Design bag was quite acceptable in my humble opinion - especially as I bought that backpack when one Nordic online shop offered Peak Design products with -30% discount...

I picked up the 20L last week, only because I got a 35% off through work, otherwise, I don't think I would ever spend that much on a bag...

At first, I was a little disappointed because it seemed like it would be super limited in capacity, but after playing around with the configurations of the dividers, I can fit the following:

*a9 with Samyang AF 35mm F2.8 mounted (will probably be my go-to setup for most of my photography needs in my upcoming trip to Taiwan and Hong Kong)

*a7RIII with Zeiss 55mm F1.8 mounted

(the rest unmounted)
*GM 24-70mm F2.8
*GM 100-400mm + 1.4x TC (still on the fence about taking this lens on my trip)
*Canon 17mm F4 L TS-E with adapter
*Surface Book laptop
*other accessories: extra batteries, charging cables, lens blower etc etc
*a light jacket rolled up

realistically, the laptop/chargers would be locked up at the hotel when I arrive

But I should note... my only gripe about this bag at the moment is the not-so-padded shoulder straps




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Edited by trainerKEN - 17 September 2018 at 20:45