Peak Design Everyday Backpack 20L Configuration

[o2mpx]

Curious what configurations are setup for optimal carry and shooting - camera loading from top? Side? Lens placement across pack left to right, or vertical?

[GregVDS]

I cannot speak from the perspective of an X1D or X2D owner (still saving for the X2D and 55) but from the one of someone having bought the everyday backpack recently, intending to use it during my holiday with a kit made of Sigma fp, three contemporary line primes (24, 45, 90) and the huge back screen box viewfinder thing...

Well, for the usual days in towns, streets and sites in South of France, I must say I went back to my trusty old Billingham Hadley original. The weather was too hot for the backpack (less sweaty to have the Billingham on one shoulder, then the other, on the waist), and a bit cumbersome to each time flip the backpack from one shoulder to the front, open it (hate zippers close to my gear), taking care not to drop a prime (these sigma contemporary primes are much smaller than the hasselblad lenses, and they wiggle around in the everyday backpack, and each time I have to think about the correct side to open in order to get to something). Maybe it's me, but between packing the gear in the backpack, and having it on the back, thinking which shoulder strap I have to keep in order to have the correct side in front of me is confusing me every time. Maybe with use, muscle memory can kick in and compensate for this...

For the day walks in the mountains, I found in the end myself packing two primes back cap to back cap (in the old days, Leica had a special grey dual M cap that held to lenses together, very useful) in a beanie in the top pocket of a usual mountain backpack, and have the Sigma fp and the third lens held with the Peakdesign Capture (This one stuff is a marvel, truly), attached to the left strap of the backpack. This because the everyday felt not that comfortable to my back to walk all day long with it, nor large enough for a jacket, water, lunch and the other bits and bobs one has to carry when walking in the mountains.

The top opening of the everyday backpack is not that large, and the origami dividers are a real constraint regarding the different configurations one can create. It's a very nice idea on the paper, but in real life, they are not that easy to work with; they for instance do not adjust easily to different size of gear because of their stiffness, so one has to choose to accomodate for the largest piece of gear, the rest has too much leeway and move around; maybe not in a damaging way, but it does not feel snug and safe on your back. Maybe it can be totally different for other gear than the one I currently own.

In the end, the everyday backpack seems to me a nice posh backpack, with very nice design, materials, colours and whatnot, but it didn't clicked with me. I'll keep it because I use it to carry my Macbook Pro 16" and the useful stuff while commuting, having a camera with me too, but that will certainly not be my camera bag.

If the X2D fits in the Billingham hadley (it should), that will be my solution for touristic and daily stuff. For trips and mountain walks, well, I'll maybe invest in a Shimoda X-30/40/50 backpack with a small/medium insert, and use the PeakDesign Capture on the shoulder strap again...

Now, for my stuff, I organised the everyday with a first origami close to the bottom, for filters below it, then a fully open side to side place for the sigma with one lens and the rear viewfinder attached, on top of this, a second origami divider with two wings lifted up forming three pockets, to hold the two other lenses (not great with my lenses, too narrow in one direction, too wide in the other, leading lenses to move around and the wings to sometimes flipping back flat), and the last origami divider on top, as a floor for the top part of the bag, containing a Peak Design Tech pouch (again, this and the Capture, wonderfully useful to my eyes).

With all this, I wouldn't recommend the everyday backpack because of the lack of adaptability to the gear, and in a paradoxical way, because of its awkward access to the gear (in comparison, flipping the lid of the hadley and digging for the camera/lens I want is instinctive), but the Capture and the Tech pouch are truely useful and very well thought out.

I hope this was of some help,

Greg

[Ikarus]

I have two of the backpacks, and I use them for travel - water bottle, book, iPad, MacBook, tripod, cameras, lenses and stuff.  Great for carry on, and easily accessed.  However, they're so good, I tend to overfill them (bad habit), so I don't use them every day (despite the name).

I try to carry one camera and one lens.

For Hasselblad lenses, they fit well across ways.  The camera and one lens (mounted) goes into the top space. Arca Swiss ball head then get arranged in whatever space fits best.  It's a bit of a fiddle getting the best arrangement.  When I had long lenses (Leica L mount 90-280, Elmarit-R 180/2.8 and XCD 135) I would put these inside the side zipper, mounted vertically, with shorter lenses horizontally.

For my trip to HK and Europe in October, I'll take the X2D (I'll pick up in HK) and the 38V, and I may take an M camera with 21, 35, & 50 lenses (each wrapped separately), if one of two the cameras currently holidaying in Wetzlar comes back in time.

[o2mpx]

GregVDS, your comments echoed much of my findings as well.

Frankly, the backpack is used for initial transport to destination, and I use a messenger during the day, precisely to avoid having to swing pack around each time needing a lens change.

OpTech makes the back to back lens cap to hold 2 M lenses you mentioned and it's very handy. The only issue I've tried one of the Harley's was not being a fan of the way how the front buckle hole and pin closure.

I would agree the Sigma fP likely too small for the Peak Design and agre with you that the accordion dividers and their stiffness really are not good in usability.

I've decided to return the Peak Design and continue with Thinktank Urban Access 13. It's unfortunately larger than the 20L Peak Design, it's swallowing the x2d plus 45p on camera, plus 120mm/21mm/35-75mm with some room to spare, so actually a bit too big; but next size down is a sling and not as good to carry as a backpack.