YETI PANGA DRY BACKPACK

In my nearly two decades as a working photographer, I’ve been through my fair share of bags and cases, but I’ve never found a comfortable, capable backpack that is completely waterproof. So, for an adventure through the Bahamas on board the Roswell Marine Invincible 37 Cat last summer, I decided to combine one of the best dry-bag backpacks—the Yeti Panga—with a camera insert from an acclaimed camera-bag-maker called F-Stop Gear.

To my surprise, it worked even better than

I’d originally thought. The size-large internal camera unit (ICU) insert fit side to side perfectly, and left some room at the top of the bag to store extra items, like a jacket or miscellaneous gear. The semirigid structure of the Panga and the padding on the back made it more comfortable to carry than I anticipated.

Combined with the rigidity and materials of the sturdy Panga, the F-Stop ICU added enough protection that I wasn’t worried about gear getting damaged in transit. As advertised, the Panga can take a beating and is no worse for the wear, with all contents inside staying dry.

If you take camera equipment out on your boat regularly, and like to easily take it from the boat to the beach, marina or anywhere else, the Panga, when combined with a camera insert, is a great solution. Plus, when you don’t need to worry about your camera gear, you can take out the insert and have the versatility of one of the best dry backpacks on the market, which is what it was ultimately designed for in the first place. Yeti Panga Backpack $299.99, yeti.com; F-Stop Gear Pro ICU $99 (large), fstopgear .com