Sidepath Backpack from Mindshift Gear/Think Tank Photo
How many bags are too many bags? This girl says you cannot have enough bags! Confession time… I may have more than 10 camera bag/backpack/roller bags… How many do you have?
Photographers are continuously on the hunt for “The perfect bag”. Guess what?! There is no such thing.
There are lots of fantastic bags on the market, but no one bag can do the trick for most of us. And here’s why: Sometimes we need a small bag for a camera body and 1-2 lenses, sometimes we need a large roller bag for 2-3 cameras and 5+ lenses, accessories, cables, filters, tripod, lighting, etc…
Recently I did an extended road trip along the west coast, it included stops at multiple national parks, forests and the like. I knew I would do some hiking (i.e. walking hahaha), and I knew I wanted a backpack for carrying my gear for the trip.
Somehow in my massive bag collection, I only have one camera backpack! It’s a Think Tank Photo pack, I’ve had for more than four years. This bag still does the trick for most outings, however there were some additional features I was seeking for this trip, so the hunt began for a new backpack to add to the family.
Being a long time fan of bags from Think Tank, I knew I wanted to look at options from their Mindshift Gear line, and that’s where I found the Sidepath.
What I love:
- Lightweight
- Robust
- Holds Fujifilm X-T2, w/lens attached and 3-4 more lenses
- Exterior pockets for water bottles/umbrellas/tripods
- Interior pocket for tablet/water bottle (bladder)
- Interior zippered pocket for smaller accessories/wallet/cables
- Room to hold accessory bag/makeup bag
- Room to hold a lightweight jacket/sweater (squish it in!)
- Room to hold a small laptop, if I really need it to
- Adjustable straps/Stability straps
- Padded backing
- Doesn’t look like a camera bag! This bag looks like a regular pack that you might see a hiker carrying, this is definitely a benefit.
The only challenge… that I found: The compartment which holds the camera, is zippered, facing your back when you’re wearing the pack. This makes accessing the gear require that you take the pack off, unzip, get gear, re-zip and put the pack back on. Ultimately access like this is better, especially if you travel, because no one has access to your gear but you. So it’s really not a problem, just something you'd adjust to.
I was able to get a ton of use out of it during my road trip, as well another trip in December. I used it as one of my carry on bags for a flight to the southeast. This bag held everything I needed plus more I probably didn’t need!
If you’re an outdoor enthusiast, or just want to check out bags that have a different blend of options, take a peek at the Mindshift Gear line up from Think Tank Photo. The Sidepath is just one option in their line up, and it’s only about $100!
** Links to Think Tank Photo are affiliate links, this means you can get a free goodie if you purchase more than $50 through that link + Free Ground Shipping, and I may receive a gift from them too!