This covers the best backpacks for travel photography at Walt Disney World, Disneyland, and beyond. Over the years, I’ve tested dozens of different bags in a wide variety of circumstances–from long weekends to multi-month trips, triple-digit temperatures to snowy weather. This runs down my favorites.
In fact, you might call this classic “contractual obligation” content. Admittedly, camera bags are a bit of an obsession, as is my quest to find the perfect one. I keep buying camera bags, and Sarah keeps asking (sarcastically, I believe) whether I plan on opening a camera bag museum. I’ve told her it’s for research, and I need to do more testing. She doesn’t buy it. Long story short, this post is the end result of all that. I also promised you one in Walt Disney World Upgrades to the Pepsi of PhotoPass Cameras, so that’s two reasons to finally follow through on this.
One thing to note from the outset is that “best” is highly subjective. Some people want stylish bags that mix form and function, or that can hold camera gear and other supplies for a day in Walt Disney World or Disneyland. Others are purely utilitarian, and plan on packing as much gear as possible.
In fact, my own photography preferences & priorities have changed over time. As I’ve downsized my equipment over the years, here are my personal priorities for a camera bag:
- 50/50 gear split
- Dedicated area for camera and lenses
- Easy access to equipment
- External tripod attachment on side of bag
- 15″ laptop sleeve
- Storage for other small items
- Water bottle pouch
- Lightweight
- Breathable
- Comfortable
- Reasonable number of pockets
To the best of my knowledge, there isn’t a single camera bag in existence that checks all of these boxes. It’s all about compromises. But I’ve found a couple that come pretty close, and they’re my new go-to camera bags.
In determining what your personal “best” camera bag would offer, you have to ask yourself similar questions about price, size, style, layout, compartments, and more. Budget and size are probably the easiest questions to answer, whereas layout and style are not so easy, mostly because determining your ideal bag layout isn’t always possible until you’ve used a couple of bags.
Style can be the trickiest consideration. Utilitarian bags lack it completely, whereas some of the most popular stylish bags sacrifice utility to way too large of a degree. For a lot of people, the look of the bag is understandably important. Most camera bags I’ve encountered pretty much scream “dorky photographer,” which is fine for me because I am a dorky photographer, so the label fits.
All things to consider, especially if style matters. With all of this in mind, let’s have a rundown of bags that I’ve used in the last several years…
Peak Design Backpacks
Let’s just start with the brand that every stylish photographer, and many not-so-stylish ones and even non-photographers, seems to love: Peak Design. This is understand, as Peak Design products look great, and have exceptional attention to detail, fit and finishing.
It’s no surprise to me that everything Peak Design makes is beloved and sells incredibly well. The bags have a lot of thoughtful features, present well, and just look and feel like classy products. Peak Design is a brand that I really want to love. So much so, in fact, that I’ve now owned 4 different Peak Design bags:
Not to be a contrarian, but my big issue with Peak Design is that their bags are actually over-engineered. Honestly, I’d take that a step further and assert that the bags are over-engineered in ways that often do not matter, as to elicit a “wow, that’s clever!” reaction while in the store or when watching a video. But they’re actually under-engineered where it counts.
The straps are exhibit A in this regard. Peak Design backpacks are themselves fairly heavy, and also larger bags that have high capacity ratings, meaning the total weight once packed is going to be on the higher side.
And yet, Peak Design straps are the most uncomfortable on the market, which makes them ill-suited for extended use. I would also add that I find the organization of the smaller camera bags to be a bit nonsensical, and insufficiently insecure if you’re carrying multiple lenses.
With all of that said, I absolutely love the Peak Design Travel Backpack 45L. Not so much as a camera bag, but as a carry-on replacement.
It has the same pitfalls with weight and straps, but the aforementioned attention to detail plus the ability to expand and contract the bag, as well as its compatibility with camera and packing cubes (which I far prefer) makes it a standout.
It’s a truly excellent carry-on backpack, but not one I’d use for hikes or even days in theme parks. It’s just a great backpack for getting to and from a destination, and then leaving in the hotel room. I’ve also taken it out and about for days in various cities, and it’s worked really well in those settings. For example, this bag has accompanied us around Tokyo on several trips to Nakano Broadway (IYKYK), and served as my ‘shopping bag’ for the entire day.
Lowepro Backpacks
I’ve gone through well over two-dozen Lowepro backpacks since getting started in photography back in 2007. And unlike Peak Design, it’s not because I’ve wanted to like Lowepro. I do love Lowepro bags–they are generally my favorite brand. I’ve just outgrown certain bags, and worn out countless others.
It also hasn’t helped that Lowepro has discontinued my favorite lineup, which was the Lowepro Sport Flipside series. This lineup checked so many of the above boxes, including being the rare bag that was lightweight, breathable, comfortable, and incredibly efficient. If anyone from Lowepro is reading this, I’d love to see a proper revival of this line, married with the current Fastpack lineup. Otherwise, your best bet for these bags is eBay, where you might find yourself bidding against me!
There’s really no sense in “recommending” camera bags that are out of production, so I’m going to run through a few of my favorite options in the current lineup:
Lowepro Flipside BP 300 AW III – This was my main camera backpack for the last 3 years, up until this summer. It is a great backpack with a ton of storage space for photography equipment. It’s been my personal item on countless flights, with this bag’s most notable trips being two different month-plus trips to Japan, as well as more Walt Disney World and Disneyland trips than I can remember.
This checks a lot of the above boxes, and has served me incredibly well. There’s still plenty of life left in it, but I’ve found it to be overkill 90% of the time now, especially as I carry less photography gear and more other stuff. It’s workable in those scenarios, but not ideal. Nevertheless, it’s a highly recommended backpack for Disney or travel photographers.
Lowepro ProTactic BP 450 AW III – Prior to that, my main camera bag for ~5 years was the ProTactic. I went through two of these puppies during that time. No wonder I have back pain now. This is probably the dorkiest camera bag imaginable, looking like what a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle might wear into combat. But it’s highly efficient and can hold a ridiculous amount of gear. If you carry multiple cameras and a half-dozen lenses, consider it. This is going to be overkill for 99% of you, so I’m not going to fixate on it.
Lowepro Truckee 250 LX – After searching high and low for a bag like this earlier this year, I compromised on the F-Stop Rju Air 18L. That’s a brand I loved back in my serious hiking days, but their more ‘urban’ backpack was not up to snuff. Then I just happened to stumble upon this Lowepro backpack by accident, which appears to be on the precipice of discontinuation.
I don’t know how I never found this before, but it’s almost perfect. It has a 50/50 gear split, enough room for a camera body and 2-3 additional lenses, two water bottle pouches (one of which will be used for a tripod), 15″ laptop sleeve, and checks the right boxes for comfort, weight, etc. I wish I would’ve been able to find the black version instead of light grey, but so far, I’m loving this bag. My one minor complaint is that it’s not quite bit or durable enough for longer trips.
Lowepro Fastpack BP250AW III Backpack – The final recommendation is the Lowepro Fastpack, which is very similar to the Truckee except slightly larger (it comes in two sizes) and with more professional grade durability and features, such as an AW rain cover.
Even though this is very similar to the Truckee, there are certain ways each is superior (that has 2 water bottle pouches, is lighter and more breathable; this has greater durability, features, structure and size). Consequently, I’ll use both in tandem as the circumstances dictate. Kind of like I used to do with the ProTactic and Flipside Sport.
Note: these are the two backpacks pictured side-by-side at the top of the post. The Truckee is the light grey colored bag on the right, and the Fastpack is on the left.
Ultimately, these are my new go-to backpacks for travel, even with the above-mentioned asterisks. No camera bag is perfect, but these Lowepro backpacks come pretty close for me, and offer a variety of layouts that suit my purposes really well.
Lowepro has a tendency of addressing common complaints with its bags and releasing updated models, and I’m really hoping that happens with updates to the Truckee and Fastpack, as both of these are near-perfect backpacks for the ‘downsizing’ travel photographer. Likewise, the Peak Design Travel Backpack 45L is incredible, but that’s more of a carry-on bag than it is a photography backpack.
Want to learn more about photography to take great photos in the Disney theme parks and beyond? The best place to start is Tom’s Ultimate Disney Parks Photography Guide, which covers a variety of topics from links to tutorials, tips, and tricks to recommendations for point & shoots, DSLRs, lenses, and more!
YOUR THOUGHTS
What’s your favorite camera bag or travel backpack, more generally? Do you like Peak Design, or think it’s overrated? What’s your idea of a “perfect” camera bag? Any other features you consider important? Agree or disagree with our assessments? Please ask any questions or share your thoughts below, and I’ll offer my feedback!
