Photo backpacks are low volume items and many are made of crappy materials and workmanship, so good ones probably are more expensive than you like. My choice would be based on the particular purpose, and cost is what it is. Mostly I am using bags from 5-15 years old no longer being made.
I'm not sure the relevance of ICU/CCU.
Get a trekking pack and then insert an icu. Much better made and usually have a great harness strap system. I’ve stopped using photo backpacks…last one was an f-stop.
Question - What do you think is fair price for camera Backpack
Because I think most camera bags are just massive Rip Off
I wish everything was cheaper, but unfortunately that won’t change things — though I understand your frustration when you look at how expensive high quality, specialized camera backpacks are.
To some extent, they are kind of iike tripods — you can buy a cheap one and make do for now, but in the long run you are better off just carefully analyzing your real-world needs, checking out the better options that meet them, and then spending money on quality that will last.
That said, you don’t necessarily have to buy the most expensive thing from the most expensive brand. (Just be very , very cautious about being tempted by the very cheapest thing by the cheapest brand!) Those two middle ranges, broadly understood, are probably where you want to be.
I think that many of them are really overpriced. That said, if you find one that really meets your needs and IS COMFORTABLE, it can be worth the hefty price to both have the gear situated in a way that works for you and to not be uncomfortable or in pain. The difficult thing is obviously knowing whether both will work for you ahead of time. That is really where the cost comes in as if you spend several hundred dollars on a pack, take it into the field or on a trip, and it does not work, then you are at a loss money-wise and need to look for something else. After trying several packs over the years, I have found that I have to live with some compromises, but the packs that I have now (Gura Gear and Shimoda) work well enough that I don't need to look further (unless there is some special criteria, such as very limited size/weight).
The part that really buggles the mind is that people are carrying $20K+ of gear in a backpack and complaining about the cost of the bag. As Dan mentioned, as with a tripod, buy a good one and the value is there for years.
The poll is kinda goofy in that the perceived value is hard coded into the options. In 2025 I don't see $450 as being ridiculously overpriced for a large, quality bag.
I wish everything was cheaper, but unfortunately that won’t change things — though I understand your frustration when you look at how expensive high quality, specialized camera backpacks are.
To some extent, they are kind of iike tripods — you can buy a cheap one and make do for now, but in the long run you are better off just carefully analyzing your real-world needs, checking out the better options that meet them, and then spending money on quality that will last.
That said, you don’t necessarily have to buy the most expensive thing from the most expensive brand. (Just be very , very cautious about being tempted by the very cheapest thing by the cheapest brand!) Those two middle ranges, broadly understood, are probably where you want to be.
What brands and models are you looking at?...Show more →
So I used to have bags from LowerPro, F-stop, Shimoda ( I still have one but I don't like for other things than take it to the event. I don't like as travel bag )
There are 2 Backpack which I would like to try... but very high prices push me away.
1- Alas Athlete - 500 with tax ( +16 % shipping for me) https://atlaspacks.com/products/atlas-athlete-camera-backpack?variant=43944736948477
EB-1 wrote:
The part that really buggles the mind is that people are carrying $20K+ of gear in a backpack and complaining about the cost of the bag. As Dan mentioned, as with a tripod, buy a good one and the value is there for years.
The poll is kinda goofy in that the perceived value is hard coded into the options. In 2025 I don't see $450 as being ridiculously overpriced for a large, quality bag.
EBH
I have at least 6 backpacks from Osprey and Mountain Hardwear between 18 to 65 liters which we use for travel and mountain treks. They are amazing quality and cost half the money. So why I should think that is ok to pay double price for similar quality camera pack to carry $10k equipment ?
Yes is frustrating, when you compare prices to Osprey, Mountain Hardware, Mammut - amazing brands which are considered as expensive packs in backpacking community. Not everyone buy $15000 lenses with monthly income ...
chez wrote:
Get a trekking pack and then insert an icu. Much better made and usually have a great harness strap system. I’ve stopped using photo backpacks…last one was an f-stop.
Same here. Currently using a mixture of Gregory, Mamut, and Mystery Ranch packs - depending on how much space I need.
One advantage of using standard panel loading backpacks is that there is a healthy used marketplace for them. It is often possible to find nearly new packs at half off retail.
I prefer the Shimoda ICUs which sometime cost almost as much as the backpack itself. It is good to see pack vendors get into the ICU business, which should lower the prices some.
EB-1 wrote:
The part that really buggles the mind is that people are carrying $20K+ of gear in a backpack and complaining about the cost of the bag. As Dan mentioned, as with a tripod, buy a good one and the value is there for years.
The poll is kinda goofy in that the perceived value is hard coded into the options. In 2025 I don't see $450 as being ridiculously overpriced for a large, quality bag.
EBH
There’s an odd thread among at least some photographers of spending tons of money on cameras and lenses (and sometimes repeating that process almost annually) while cheating out on things like tripods, packs, batteries, insurance, and other necessities.
This has long perplexed me.
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As to using non-photography packs and bags, that can work, but it isn’t always ideal either.
It can work quite well if your primary need is a pack to carry a load, since backpacking pack design is optimized for that. If you go on the trail with a fair amount of camera gear (maybe one body and a couple of lenses, and possibly a not-too-large tripod) plus a lot of non-photo gear this can be optimal. On the downside, you’ll have to deal with padded inserts and/or padded lens/camera bags inside the pack, more difficult access to the equipment, and some funky ways of dealing with tripods, especially large tripods.
On the other hand, camera-specific pack rarely compete with the backpacking packs for ease of carry and well designed harness and hip belt systems, and they are often not great for carrying that extra non-photography gear — food, clothes, etc.
It is a compromise, no matter how you look at it.
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That said, figuring out the ideal bag can be tricky. Over the decades I’ve gotten a few that I thought would be ideal only to see their shortcomings (more about my needs than design/construction issues) become clearer as I used them.
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PIOK wrote:
So I used to have bags from LowerPro, F-stop, Shimoda ( I still have one but I don't like for other things than take it to the event. I don't like as travel bag )
There are 2 Backpack which I would like to try... but very high prices push me away.
1- Alas Athlete - 500 with tax ( +16 % shipping for me) https://atlaspacks.com/products/atlas-athlete-camera-backpack?variant=43944736948477
I have some LowePro stuff, including an old backpack style bag with a padded lower compartment that holds enough stuff for trail photography and leaves the upper compartment for (mostly) things like food and extra clothing. It also has a serious tripod carrying setup, though it is a bit funky. Unfortunately, the pack ends up being quite heavy for the load capacity it provides.
I also have one of ThinkTank’s larger Mindshift packs — I’d have to go drag it to check, but I think it is the 34L version. This is a solid, well-made pack with a pretty good suspension system, and some extra room for the non-photo gear. This is a good brand, and the gear is well designed and well made. I think it costs something like around $330.
I have no experience with the other brands you mention.
PIOK wrote:
I have at least 6 backpacks from Osprey and Mountain Hardwear between 18 to 65 liters which we use for travel and mountain treks. They are amazing quality and cost half the money. So why I should think that is ok to pay double price for similar quality camera pack to carry $10k equipment ?
Yes is frustrating, when you compare prices to Osprey, Mountain Hardware, Mammut - amazing brands which are considered as expensive packs in backpacking community. Not everyone buy $15000 lenses with monthly income ...
Why not use one of your trekking packs and just insert and icu into it? You don’t need a “photographic” backpack.
PIOK wrote:
I have at least 6 backpacks from Osprey and Mountain Hardwear between 18 to 65 liters which we use for travel and mountain treks. They are amazing quality and cost half the money. So why I should think that is ok to pay double price for similar quality camera pack to carry $10k equipment ?
Yes is frustrating, when you compare prices to Osprey, Mountain Hardware, Mammut - amazing brands which are considered as expensive packs in backpacking community. Not everyone buy $15000 lenses with monthly income ...
I don't know what you photograph and what gear is used. I usually travel with a 500/4 or 600/4 as standard long lenses. A lighter setup would be a 100-400/5.6 and 200-600/6.3, so that doesn't need as large and solid of a pack. If I'm only on landscapes then a 100-400 or 100-500 would be longest lens; that can go in a smaller bag but there would be several shorter lenses. Sometimes I bring a large bag for the air travel and depending on the day, use smaller bags in the field. There are just so many options.
You could work backwards from you have to figure out what is missing. For example, I have a dozen bags but only used four of them in 2023/2024/2025 and probably don't need most of the others going forwward. It does suck that nowadays there are very few options to examine bags in physical stores.
chez wrote:
Why not use one of your trekking packs and just insert and icu into it? You don’t need a “photographic” backpack.
This is what I am doing now, but sometimes I miss to have back panel access. And my favoriet bag is 60 cm ( 24inches) long, not perfect for international travel.
PIOK wrote:
This is what I am doing now, but sometimes I miss to have back panel access. And my favoriet bag is 60 cm ( 24inches) long, not perfect for international travel.
chez wrote:
There are trekking packs with back panel access.
The only one I know of is the Osprey Kamber. It is a fine pack for Northern climates, but for me it has a fatal flaw - no side pockets for water bottles and no good way of adding them. Everything else I know of is front panel. Are there others?
There are mammut ones with backpanel access as well.
I went down this path and have a few trekking packs that I can put a ICU in. But in the end, I find myself using my Fjord 60-c a lot more. Its pretty comfortable.
GroovyGeek wrote:
The only one I know of is the Osprey Kamber. It is a fine pack for Northern climates, but for me it has a fatal flaw - no side pockets for water bottles and no good way of adding them. Everything else I know of is front panel. Are there others?
I’ve been a backpacker (in the days-to-weeks-on-the-trail-in-the-mountains form) for decades. I’ve tried just about everything, from adapting regular backpacks to specialized camera packs. There’s no one right answer.
In the end it comes down to which compromises best fit your specific use case. And figuring that out depends on:
1. How much and what gear do you want to carry.
2. Are you more concerned about pack comfort and load carrying ability. Or about protecting your gear and providing quick access to it.
3. How much stuff other than the photo gear will you carry in/on the pack?
4. Related to #2, to what extent do you think of the bag as a way to protect and store your gear (i.e. it must be organized and padded and conform to requirements for airline, etc. travel)?
To get back to your original question, if you do decide that your needs for protection and organization and size warrant a photography-specific bag, it is worth spending more than the minimum if you can — I’d say somewhere in the middle two ranges of the list in the survey.
For my part (and YMMV) when I’ve used my trail packs (from day packs to expedition-style) for photography gear, the experience hasn’t been that great, and I prefer to use photography packs when I’m going to fill them with camera gear and travel with the stuff in most cases. (One exception is for travel with my minimal street/travel photography kit…)
And, while I recognize that some will likely disagree with me, I don't think that any solution is perfect for all situations. I have a large Mindshift bag that I use when I carry all of my large gear. It is excellent for working out of a vehicle or for short (and/or leisurely) walking on decent terrain, but its shape and stiffness don’t make for the most comfortable carry. My older LowePro backpack style bag, with a traditional suspension system and a somewhat teardrop shape, is more comfortable tor trail carry, but its won’t handle as much gear and it is less convenient to access it. I have an old rectangular ThinkTank (Airporter?) bag that does a wonderful job of holding and protecting gear… but it is an abominable carry.
Here is some with Back Panel. Keep in mind that this packs should be check very well before order...
for ICU dimensions, overall fit, materials ( this pack are normally for winter so they may be less water-resistant )
I also prefer getting a non-photo gear back pack and use a padded liner or case inside. And just carry the camera sling style with quick detach. Otherwise, I'm a sling bag kinda guy for quick access.
As for price, get a backpack you will use for everyday stuff if you don't need to carry your camera every day. That way you spend just what you need for the backpack and then factor in the price of the padding/pod for the camera case you put inside the back pack.
We are looking for a new car. They are more expensive than they should be, in my opinion.
We went out to dinner last night, it was more expensive than I wish it was.
Our electric bill was more expensive than it should be.
The list goes on and on and on.
If a camera bag costs more than you think it should- do not buy it. Easy peasy.
If you think all camera bags are too expensive- you are certainly free to adapt a different type of pack.
Heck, start your own company. Make a great camera bag for a lot less and we would all buy one. You would be an instant success.
Comparing the prices of apples and toasters accomplishes nothing.
Buy quality, buy it once, move on.
gary
