I really like bags. I used to swear by messenger bags, and have a couple Timbuk2’s and a Chrome, but my back stopped loving asymmetric loading some years back. So I switched to backpacks – and ever since that switch I’ve been looking for “the right one.”
And it turns out that “the right one” really means “the right ones.” Much of the time I just need a bag to carry my computer and other “bits and bobs” – what the kids these days call an “everyday carry” bag. Sometimes I want to bring my camera along with a computer and those “bits and bobs.” For a while, when I was flying between Seattle and Palo Alto regularly, I wanted a bag to carry my computer and pack for a couple days. And occasionally I don’t want to carry any of that, and just need a bag to carry “stuff.”
So I’ve ended up with a collection of bags. I have a Tortuga that was great for for those short work SEA-SJC work trips, and a Timbuk2 that I really like, but the bag I grab the most these days is one I Kickstart’ed from a local design firm here in London called Wingback. When I don’t need to carry a computer, like when I’m running out to restock on coffee beans (from Monmouth) or bagels (from B Bagel), I grab a basic backpack I bought from Stubble & Co. (I had hoped that bag would be my “daily carry,” but it turned out not to be great for that.)
The most problematic is when I want to bring work stuff and my camera. Years ago, basically by dumb luck, I found a bag from a now-defunct company called Kata. It was on sale at a camera store in a mall, and seemed better than the Case Logic bag I had, mostly by virtue of having room for both camera gear and “other stuff” and a dedicated laptop slot. I used it for years, and it’s actually still in pretty good shape.
The thing I didn’t like about it was the need to take the bag off to get the camera out safely. I knew a bunch of bags had started adding side access, so I looked around. After reading a bunch of reviews I decided to buy the bag that everyone seemed to rate at the top. The Peak Design Everyday Backpack (v2). I got the 20L version, ’cause bigger would just mean I’d pack more stuff, and more stuff means my back gets grumpy faster.
Sadly, after a few trips to our Vietnam office – where I needed work stuff and camera – and a couple trips other places, I realized the bag just isn’t as good as I want it to be.
It’s both too big – camera gear rattles around in it because of the specifics of their divider system – and too small – fitting my work computer, personal ipad, e-ink tablet and Kindle is hard. The accesses are awkward and stiff, making it hard to get things in an out. And it’s got pockets that “share” space with other pockets, so you can’t really use all the organization it offers.
So I started looking for something better.
After asking friends and my brother for suggestions, reading a ton of reviews, looking at a bunch of bags on-line, and auditioning a half-dozen in person [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7] (mostly from Amazon – let’s hear it for free returns), I’ve come to the conclusion that the Peak Design sorta sucks, but it seems to suck less than everything else I’ve tried.
Turns out, I’m picky (I know, you’re shocked). I wanted something around 20-25L, with roughly a 50/50 split between camera and other stuff, and that rules out a bunch of camera bags right there, which are often bigger and lean 80/20 or more into the “camera” part. Side access was the reason I was on this quest, so it was clearly a must. And I’m right handed, but I want the side access hatch be on my right side, which ended up ruling out a bunch of otherwise promising bags, too. (I tried a couple with the hatch on my left, and it fights my muscle memory. Worse, it’s opposite to my everyday bag, so I’d never “learn to switch,” it’d be frustrating every time.)
I also don’t like roll-top bags, which are all the rage right now (in particular a really well regarded one from a bag company that can’t spell) – I find them a hassle to get in and out of. I also don’t love “tactical” looking bags – I’m more “city professional,” than “special forces.” If Barbour made a camera bag, I’d probably try it. And my work computer is a 16″ MacBook Pro, which rules out a bunch of bags that only go up to a 14″ machine. Finally, when I travel for work I have a couple other electronic gadgets that need to fit so a “just big enough” laptop compartment probably isn’t just big enough.
After all that, the nearest miss was the Nomatic (Gomatic in Europe) Luma 18L. It was so close, but at 18L it was just a little too small. Another inch or two in each dimension and it’d have been a winner. Design was great, materials felt high spec, and based on our experiences with the Kickstart’ed Nomatic travel bags we have, I’d have given them the benefit of the doubt.
The Gomatic Peter McKinnon 25L was pretty close too, despite the high price tag. I’m willing to spend money on a good bag, but as the price goes up, my expectations go up to match. When I discovered that, for some reason, they didn’t put side access on the 25L version, adding it back on the larger 35L, that one went back too.
So after all that I made one more attempt at organizing the Peak Design, and I came up with something that seems better than my last few attempts. We’ll see how it does on the next trip.
Until then, if you’ve got suggestions for a bag I haven’t tried but should, drop me a line.