Vanguard Alta Sky 45D

£199 www.vanguardworld.co.uk PhoTo backpacks have been evolving in recent years as photographers carry an ever- expanding range of kit including drones, second cameras, gimbals and much more. To address this, Vanguard has come up with the Alta Sky 45D, and the larger 49, 66, 51D and 53 to cater for a wide range of photographers.

offering perhaps the most versatility in the test, the Alta Sky 45D provides access to gear from the top, back, side and bottom with the latter being a small quick-access compartment that can hold a small camera and some lenses. This leaves the remaining two-thirds of the bag for carrying personal items or even a drone.

The Alta Sky provides a highly secure tripod connection that can be configured according to the size of your tripod, and the main flap element of this can also be used to carry a DJI Phantom drone. of course, if this is the case you wouldn’t be able to use it for your tripod, but there is a second tripod connection on the side of the bag for this situation. In the event of rain, you would have to use the rain cover to protect the drone on the front.

This all provides the flexibility to carry up to a pro-spec DSLr with a 70-200mm lens in the main middle section with additional space at the top and in the bottom section. Alternatively the bag can be reconfigured so the camera is accessed from the top. on the exterior, there are four accessory pockets, as well as many internal pockets for memory cards and other items, including storage for a 13in laptop.

The bright yellow interior makes it easy to see smaller accessories in the bag, plus it’s comfortable to wear and offers excellent airflow on the back panel. While it’s not the lightest bag on test at 2.2kg, what it adds in weight is more than made up for in features.