Placing the Peak Design Travel Backpack Via Its Paces: Making the Grade

I’ve been searching for a bag that meets my wants for a very long time. I’ve at all times been a touring photographer, taking my gear to a few of the hottest, coldest, wettest, and driest locations on the planet. A bag has to do so much to make the grade. Escalating my wants, over the previous few years I’ve additionally been working as a pictures information in Canada’s sub-Arctic, the excessive Arctic, and Antarctica. These areas do not accept on a regular basis high quality. In these excessive environments, the baggage both work or your gear will get ruined. I’ve taken 5 totally different baggage to activity and solely two have protected my gear successfully from the weather. The Peak Design Travel Backpack is one. 

What do I want from a backpack? Obviously, there may be give and take with every of the next standards, as I’m touring lengthy distances, generally on small planes. I’d love one of the best harness system and virtually invulnerable supplies, however I cannot haul all that. 

So far, the Peak Design Travel Backpack has confidently met every want. 

Weatherproofing

My most essential demand for a bag is its weatherproofing. I want a robust water resistant bag that edges towards dry-bag qualities. If I might, I’d like to depend on a dry bag. However, I’ve discovered that dry baggage aren’t usually hardened sufficient for the bumps and scrapes my baggage take. I work in circumstances with 70-knot winds, seeing rain, sand, and snow are available in onerous and are available in sideways. I cannot simply throw a rain cowl over my bag, as I want fixed entry to my gear. A rain cowl is only one extra step to attending to my gear, which I’ll must entry quick if the bears begin to spar or the whales begin to breach. Moreover, a rain cowl is potential litter. In the windy circumstances I see, I cannot have something on me that may blow away. Everything is both heavy or hooked up to me. 

The Peak Design Travel Backpack is not waterproof, however its exterior shell has been DWR-impregnated and double poly-coated for water resistance. This remedy has offered sufficient safety in a few of the worst climate that I’ve been out in. Don’t overlook, it is finest to check the power of your waterproof coating every year to make sure that the bag remains to be offering the safety you anticipate it to. Ensure you clear your bag of salt or different contaminants and dry your bag after use, as contaminants and standing water can scale back the lifespan of the coatings. 

I discover that the frequent weak level for many baggage is the zippers. Blowing sand, snow, and rain are actually good at squeezing via the smallest of openings. The Peak Design bag makes use of weatherproof #10 UltraZips, which maintain out rain and snow and also can stand up to prolonged use because of their proprietary abrasion-resistant thread. True waterproof zippers are simply too heavy for a bag that doubles as a carry-on or climbing bag. 

Organization

I’m touring lengthy distances, usually on small planes. Most lately I’ve been flying on ATR turboprops and 52-year-old 737s. These planes do not have wherever close to the overhead room that trendy wide-body jets do. The Peak Design Travel Backpack is so effectively organized that I’m becoming: 

My bag can match below the seat in entrance of me, even with the decreased seat depths on the ATRs. By tucking away the shoulder straps, I can truly get the bag, absolutely packed, into the overhead. No different bag I’ve had has been sufficiently small to pack and stow that means. 

As an added bonus, there’s a zippered part that may maintain my passport and different journey paperwork in order that I do not must root round within the physique of the bag. 

Points of Entry

I’ve talked about this earlier than, however new guidelines in Antarctica imply that you simply cannot put your bag on the bottom, even when it is only for a fast lens change. The solely strategy to juggle a possible lens change is to steadiness and sling my bag whereas utilizing one of many smaller entry hatches as an alternative of opening the bag up absolutely. The Peak Design bag makes this a lot much less awkward than it sounds. 

The giant zip compartment is on the strap facet of the bag, so the zippers are additional protected by being in opposition to my again. This building helps with climate as effectively as with safety. 

Rugged

I’m not casting aspersions, however there are those that child their gear. I am decidedly not in that group. For me, my gear is a device, a way to an finish. I work in soiled, moist, harsh environments. My gear will get dinged, scratched, and scuffed. The solely factor I child is the entrance aspect of my lenses. Even then, I’ll clear off penguin guano with the again of my glove if there may be nothing else accessible. My bag will get tossed on and off zodiacs in 10-foot swells and bounced round a Tundra Buggy crossing moon-like landscapes. My bag wants to have the ability to take the pounding. The Peak Design Travel Backpack’s outer shell is 400-denier nylon canvas, with a 900-denier backside liner. From my perspective, that is an virtually excellent weight-to-robustness steadiness. I’m certain the bag will get scuffed, and ultimately it’ll rip, however the supplies imply that my bag will final a number of seasons. 

The clean and easy exterior additionally implies that I can hose the saltwater off my bag when the surf was a bit too tough and water came to visit the bow. 

Harness System

I may be out within the area or on shore for hours at a time, usually with out someplace to place my bag. Even if I’m working from the Tundra Buggy Lodge or the massive ship, I usually carry my bag from room to room or deck to deck simply in case one thing pops up. The Peak Design Travel Backpack has a strong harness system that enables me to hold the bag for a couple of hours earlier than feeling the stress on my shoulders. I also can connect an optionally available waist belt to alleviate the burden if I’m going to be ashore and strolling for prolonged hikes. 

The bag was additionally constructed with a number of carrying handles as a way to decide the bag up from virtually any route. Peak Design calls these 360-degree seize handles, and I recognize the redundancy—this bag is simple to seize and go from any facet. Oddly, there’s a seize deal with on the backside of the bag. This deal with was one of many greatest surprises: it really works nice to get my bag out from below a aircraft seat or to drag my bag out of an overhead bin with ease. These grab-and-go handles sit comparatively flush with the bag and do not pose a tripping or entanglement threat. 

The grab-and-go deal with on the strap facet of the bag also can double to safe my backpack to a curler bag if I’ve one with me, once more relieving the stress of carrying a bag round an airport on lengthy layovers. 

Parting Thoughts

The Peak Design Travel Backpack is a rugged, accessible, ergonomic, well-priced bag that appears to supply the climate resistance I want when I’m out working within the parts.

If pressed, I’d counsel that Peak Design change the orientation of the curler bag slip deal with in order that the bag sits upright as an alternative of on its facet. 

As at all times, I would not thoughts extra sturdy zippers which might be just a bit extra climate resistant. I’m somewhat involved that blowing sand would possibly discover its means into the bag. That being mentioned, I perceive that this request would add weight and certain improve the worth level for the bag exterior of the goal demographic. Similarly, I’d like to see the entire bag manufactured from 900-denier material, however once more, this may change the burden and worth level of the bag, possible shifting the steadiness between weight and safety to someplace exterior my consolation zone. 

It’s essential to notice that, for these of you that care, Peak Design is a Certified B Corp and the Peak Design Travel Backpack is Fair Trade Certified and 100% carbon impartial.

All photos offered by Peak Design or Alex Cupeiro, together with lead picture.