Street backpacks
Bags with stealthy style, to keep you looking the part in the urban jungle without attracting unwelcome attention
Bagsmart Toronto Camera Backpack $104 www.bagsmart.com
The Toronto backpack may be the least expensive option here, but its 30cm internal width is nice and wide, making it ideal for transporting a decent selection of full-frame camera gear in a classic three-column arrangement. There’s also a sizable area at the top for storing daily essentials, with an expandable opening and adjustable top flap making it even larger if needed, though it’s not particularly well separated from the main camera compartment.
Slim accessories, including a tablet, can stow in the full-width front pocket, and there’s a laptop slot inside the main rear-panel access flap. You also get generous dump pockets on either side, one of which can carry a tripod.
The Toronto’s design is city-smart; but while the internal dividers are thick and there’s reasonable side and base padding, the general construction still manages to feel fairly insubstantial and floppy. At least the pack padding and shoulder straps are comfortable. PROS Versatile inside and out; thick interior padding; well-priced
CONS Could feel tougher; UK buyers may incur import charges ordering from Bagsmart’s US web shop Verdict
Gitzo Century Traveller Backpack £189/$250 www.manfrotto.co.uk
Sporting genuine Italian leather with faux carbon-fibre patterning, the Century backpack certainly isn’t short on style. Accents like gorgeous mirror-finished gunmetal zippers with locking tabs further enhance the quality feel, and the bag as a whole feels reassuringly substantial. You also get a separate rain cover, although the exterior already has a water-repellent coating.
The design is a split-level affair: the upper half is a large open area, while the lower portion is for your camera gear. This is accessed from either side, so your camera and main lens can slot in on one side, and a pair of extra lenses can go in the other. The central divider can be removed to enable longer lenses to pass all the way through, but really the bag is best-suited to carrying one APS-C body and a few small optics.
A large, suede-lined slot for a 15-inch laptop can be found directly behind the comfy shoulder straps, and a travel tripod can be carried neatly on the front panel. PROS Well-made; practical dual-purpose layout; slim, flight-friendly depth CONS Won’t transport an extensive array of camera kit; not ideal for larger full-frame gear Verdict
Lowepro FreeLine BP 350 AW £240/$260 www.lowepro.com
Lowepro’s new FreeLine design is strangely familiar: internally it bears more than a slight resemblance to Peak Design’s Everyday Backpack. The core concept is a semi-rigid removable interior shelving system with three adjustable platforms, accessed from either side of the bag via large openings. The top also opens, revealing a spacious general-purpose area. A 15-inch laptop can also slot in from above.
The sturdy camera divider gives the FreeLine excellent rigidity, even when empty, and provides a spacious-feeling interior. However the 12cm internal depth is a little awkward: it’s too small to fit two lenses side by side, yet too large for most lenses to pack snuggly. Some creative use of dividers and smaller filler items like flashguns is required for optimal gear storage.
There are nice touches, like a separate accessory pouch that stows at the bottom of the bag; abrasion-resistant outer materials that feel very tough; and wide, supple back straps that include an expandable pouch for your phone. PROS Tough and rigid, yet smartly styled; spacious, with good on-the-go access CONS The interior isn’t the easiest to pack neatly with typically sized kit Verdict
Manfrotto Manhattan Mover-30 £120/$140 www.manfrotto.co.uk
If you’d rather trade easy side access for enhanced security, the Mover-30’s rear-panel opening is just the ticket. It conceals a 25 x 25cm camera compartment occupying the lower two thirds of the bag. This is optimally sized to suit cropped-sensor cameras and optics arranged across three columns; or the whole compartment can be removed so that the bag can be used as a conventional backpack. Up top is the usual general-purpose space – but unlike with some bags, this is also padded and includes extra dividers so you can fill it with more camera gear should you wish.
The front panel conceals slots for a tablet and a 14-inch laptop, as well as a smaller pocket with straps that let you easily tie a travel tripod on the front. An expanding side pocket is meant for a water bottle, but it’s almost too small.
Weather protection comes in the form of treated nylon outer fabric and a separate included rain cover, and there’s a toughened waterproof base as a finishing touch. PROS Secure rear access; useful interior size for APS-C gear; attractive pricing CONS No on-the-go access, could be more rigid; slightly narrow shoulder straps Verdict
MindShift Gear BackLight 26L £229/$250 www.thinktankphoto.com
There’s no split-level interior in this bag, as its main compartment is laid out solely for camera gear. The 49cm interior height is tall enough for a full-frame body with a 24-70mm f/2.8 lens attached, to sit directly above a 70-200mm f/2.8 lens. A row of more full-frame lenses can slot down one side, with filters and flashguns on the other.
The main dividers are reasonably stiff: along with the stout back panel, they give this bag a solid feel. The only access is via the opening rear panel – great for security – but there’s clever on-the-go access, too. Take off the shoulder straps while the hip belt is still done up, rotate the bag round to face you, and the rear flap can be opened and kept out of the way, thanks to an elastic cord at the top that goes over your head.
A surprising amount of personal effects can be carried in a large, expandable full-height front pocket. This also contains a 15-inch laptop slot and a tablet compartment, while a tripod can be strapped to either side, or to the front panel. PROS Excellent interior layout for typical camera gear; good access and security CONS Not the sexiest exterior; it may be a little too utilitarian for some tastes Verdict
Think Tank StreetWalker Pro V2.0 £199/$200 www.thinktankphoto.com
The StreetWalker earns its name thanks to its narrow 25cm external width, which will keep you streamlined in crowded streets. Although this restricts the internal layout to two columns rather than three, they are wide and deep, and will neatly house a pair of full-frame cameras with large-diameter attached lenses: one facing down, the other up, in a ying-yang configuration. Depending on your lens choice, extra dividers can fit around additional optics. You can also strap a tripod to the front, and there’s room for a 10-inch tablet in a pouch at the rear, although laptop owners are out of luck.
The StreetWalker is accessed via a large front flap, which isn’t ideal for security, and there’s no side opening for off-the-shoulder mobile access. This isn’t surprising given the vertically optimised internal layout, but it’s still a pity if you need your camera for a fleeting shot.
You don’t get a waist belt, either, but the shoulder straps and back padding are excellent, and the bag is very comfortable. PROS Compact yet capacious full-frame-friendly design; comfortable; well-made CONS No mobile access or laptop storage; not best suited to APS-C kit Verdict