I wrote the following in mid-2019 after a few weeks using a new Mindshift Backlight Elite 45L (which replaced a Backlight 26L). I use the 45L on long flights and and hiking/local outings. In many respects tThe 45L suffices in my continuing quest of seeking the optimum combination of Ergonomics with Haptics, plus Expanding Modular Space (giving Maximum storage with Flexibility in gear-loading) AND airline Carry-On (+ "smart" tactics), and Decent Protection (against precipitation and above all Pdding). This is for travelling in southern and central Africa. So the bag needs to work well when hiking in tropical conditions, plus regional flights reaching these destinations. Then quite often, the bag carries all the gear for wildlife photography from within a vehicle.
Updating this close to two years later, I still use the MS 45L Elite fairly often, but I have found I prefer the f-Stop Sukha, Tilopa or f Stop Lotus (smallest, so subject to load). These outperform the 45L in quite a few key features. However, the 45L Elite still has several unique features.
Reality - there is no perfect bag!
Introduction
My complete Nikon Photo System stands at a grand Total of 2 gripped DSLRs (D850), 1 MILC (Z7 now D780) plus 1 super telephoto (400 f2.8E), 5 medium telephotos (70-180 Micro, 70-200 f2.8E, 300 PF, 80-400 G, 500 PF), 2 Ultra-wides and 1 PC prime( 15 f2.8 and 21 f2.8 Zeiss, 85 PCE Micro) 3 zooms (equivalent of 18-35 G, 14-30 Z, 24-70 Z) and 5 smaller Primes. I’ve yet to try and get all this into a single bag! Not itemizing peripherals, monopod tripod etc , and most of this travels as main luggage. Eventually, windfall or lottery permitting, I plan to add either a 600 f4E or even better a 800 f5.6E. I list all these, optics et al, to emphasize the challenges to packing for intensive trips. I choose a subset for any trip, contingent on subjects and conditions; thus, I use a much lighter Peripatetic System for hiking vs fuller setup in a vehicle.
As per my summary review of initial impressions, I am impressed. There are a couple of key gaps that I'm working on fixing - as best as I can subject to a tailor/canvas repair shop that can modify and re-stitch etc.
Terms of Reference
Filling 3-dimensional space, any bag has its primary Y Axis extending from base to the lid as the longest dimension of a backpack. The width sets the X Axis. This is usually conserved at 25-30cm, but can be widened in the midriff by side storage pockets. The Z Axis is the proverbial elephant in the room. This is severely constrained, more by airline carryon restrictions (The maximum I know is 25cm: too often less). Even considering loading stress on the ergonomics of a backpack, the Z Axis can exceed 30cm depth. Any room remaining for imaginative advances in the design of optimal mobile storage of camera gear faces the challenges of maximizing this Z Axis. Here optimizing packing space "up the Z axis" is find important to maximum the total units that can be carried (within finite limits).
Lens Categories
Small Primes and Small Zooms. With deep bags often allow packing 2 lens stacked but ensure these are divided with padding.
Medium Primes and Larger Zooms.
Ultra-Wide Lenses. Often wider than long, so best packed sideways.
Medium Telephoto Primes and Zooms. Challenging as most are too long > 150mm to pack standing upright- see details below wrt Z axis designs.
Telephoto Zooms. These are slightly narrower in the muzzle being of slower speeds. Nevertheless, they set finite limits to storage space. Lengths vary from 2??cm to 3??m
Super Telephotos aka Exotics. Let’s start with the smallest: the fat man that is 200 f2, as in Nikon’s legendary prime, with greatest diameter of 160cm. The fast 300 primes have similar width, only longer. The bigger lenses increase not only in length but also add at least 2cm in greatest width at the muzzle (180cm) when shrouded with reversed hood. However the detaching hood can be stored sideways exploiting the optimal depth of the Z Axis.
SUMMARY OF ESSENTIAL FEATURES
Hi-Specification Harness for heavy loading designed to be “antisweat” – cf Mindshift and Vanguard; and some users might find articulating hinges on straps and belt (as in PeakDesign). Boomerang-shaped mainstraps that clip out to be held out to sides by a Teflon hook on each side of the expansion pockets (when one open the main rear compartment but don’t have to fight clear of the main straps).
45L Elite is 'okay', f-Stop Sukha is significantly better, Vanguard 51D is good
Modules – attach to all MOLLE compatible systems. Interiors, Bright Orange (cf Vanguard) or Light Gray (cf Mindshift) to help find items in poor light. The means to remove and repack Modules of different volumes in different configurations is fundamental to the Modularity of a Backpack (see Section below). A removable module might save your invaluable gear if the big pack is refused as cabin luggage.
45L CPU works in many aspects - its Shoulder carry straps especially. f-Stop Range is versatile, but most ICUs don't have top access. PeakDesign CPUs are quite good, including slimmer oregami dividers that work well for smaller optics etc (see details Below)
Ergonomics with Haptics: Any decent pack has to be kind to the health of its carrier. So it is worth paying for the ergonomics to minimize fatigue and worse back injury. Haptics are set by aids to accessibility. Positive features of a bag in use to score a high Haptic-Rating include colour-coding on zips and anchor tabs, and colour-friendly padding, zips that open easily with thoughtful tabs for use by gloved hands, multiple ports of entry, and solutions for partitioning and usage of additional space, which are not only intelligent but down right cunning in the ingenuity of the designers.
45L Elite scores Well. f-Stop Sukha and new Tilopa are significantly better
Rear-Panel. Any bag worth the price for serious outdoor usage must be accessible through its Rear-Panel (cf fStop, Mindshift and Vanguard). Anything less will fail the outdoor photographer sooner than later. How? Either missed opportunities, damaged gear and\or frustration in finding a key item at a critical moment. The otherwise excellent Gura Gear Kiboko bags fail on this feature.
Why Not be able to open the Rear-Panel as 1 or both Dual Flaps? The big challenge for a designer is to enable us to open the RearPanel of a larger Mindshift Backlight as “either of two halves” by a pair of Dual Flaps (hinging on Y axis), but we still want to be able to open out the entire panel to open downwards hinging on the X axis. Dual Flaps will allow packing 2 camera systems side by side, and segregate large from small items etc. This Dual-Flap design of the Gura Gear Kiboko and MS MP-1 exemplify this design, but they open are on the wrong (front) side of the bag.
Only the now discontinued Moose Peterson pack has split Access Flaps and Kiboko BUT only accessible from Upper bag
Rigidity and Stability: Anyone Thought of an Unyielding Frame? Swing a loaded Backpack around your torso on the fulcrum of the hip-belt, and then try and unzip the rear-panel to change lenses. Typically the entire bag sags open to dispense its precious contents into dirt or water.
The Main Y and Z axes must be rigid – this would work with a light but unyielding frame. The MindShift Backlight Elite 45 has not managed to correct this, although it’s much better than other designs (the Peak Design’s is the worst I've yet to experience - pathetic). The big challenge with any variation of an opening (unzipping) Rear-Panel is not to compromise the rigidity and stability of the main storage when fully opened hanging off the belt.
Bottom Seat – Abrasion and Waterproof, with raised margins as a 5cm - 2” - skirt. Kudo to 45L Elite.
45L Elite scores Well so does f-Stop Sukha and Tilopa, also Vanguard
Outer and Top Layers are Fully Waterproof. Rain cloak folds out from tuck-away with fixed attachment-point.
45L Elite scores Well, so does f-Stop Sukha - with Raincoat for heavy rain. Same for Vanguard
Accessories must be Accessible: Small tools such as that that vital allen-key, Leatherman, or Swiss-army knife, and even a compact cleaning kit tend to become buried into deep recesses: usually by gravitating into the depths of a pocket. Sometimes these escapees can lead to delays and lost kit – thus frustrations let alone expense. Buried items such as small penknives have a tendency to only turn up in a X-ray security scanner! So it is not only the outdoor backpacks that are in dire need of a removable foldup tool-roll. This can be stowed into hold luggage for a flight, and also positioned (with Velcro clamps) at the accessible point – either inside or on the outside of a bag.
45L Elite fails very Badly. f-Stop Sukha is better but much to Fix. Vanguard Sky packs are useless. Peakdesign is good, and in fact the best I've tried
Collapsing Side Pockets that can be zipped into a compressed flat model on outside sides of the main storage, but when open have YMU sealing zips to stash small items and accessories you find on hikes
45L Elite fails very Badly. f-Stop Sukha is better BUT can be Improved
Batteries and Memory Cards: Too often one needs to swop out card of power-pack with dire urgency! A dedicated pouch(es) accessible on bag exterior can be most convenient. Too many designs fail utterly on this elementary function of mobile storage for digital photographers. Ideally provide options. Points of attachment should be stitched in for a detaching sleeve or pouch. Much better will be to complement these points with an outermost Battery Pouch at bag top, and Card Sleeves with clear windows also outmost on either the top of the bag or in the outer layer of a side pouch. This is one feature Vanguard got right in their Alta Sky Packs. It should be feasible to add Pouches for Large (eg Nikon ENEL18) and DSLR batteries on main strap arm. Thin zipped sleeve to hold Memory Cards (cf similar to Vanguard). And prioritize transparent front panel, as perfected in the dinky Thinktank Cable Management zipup bags.
Most Backpacks fail badly on such dedicated/coded slots, especially 45L Elite and f-Stop Sukha
Divider Sheet dividing Main from Outer storage can be unzipped and folded away (rolled) to open up Main and Outermost Compartments into full volume space (as in PeakDesign TravelLine – one feature they did get right).
Both 45L Elite and f-Stop Sukha fail Utterly
At least 1 Side panel in Top 1/3 of main bag needs a collapsing/expanding pouch to pack smaller items within easy reach. Yes, on the top-sides of the bag. Includes pouch in outer panel that is zip-accessible from both sides (cf Vanguard 45D)
Outer Top Main Unit unfolds upwards from being in a zipped fold-away (either into Z Axis from rear-top or inside-lid of Thin-Top. Expansion unit folds out as sleeve into extra space [20cm high x 36 x 30 =12L & fits Mini-Module]
Colour-Coded “Axelets” on main zips – work with thick gloves (cf Mindshift Backlight Elite 45L)
Tripod Sock – Strapping outermost. And extra straps, including 4 anchor points to attach assembled drone (as in Vanguard Alta Sky range)
45L Elite and f-Stop packs are not as well designed as some aspects of the Vanguard Sky packs but items can be strapped on and work quite well
Roller Module Attach Strap: A strap to allow the entire Pack to slide on to Main frame of a Roller Module, which make for easier carrying across an airport.
Poor
Expanding Modular Space
Whether termed an Internal Camera Unit (ICUs), Camera Cube or Travel Cube by respective brands, these removable inserts have also become trend setters in the camera bag industry. They are a minimum feature to be =demanded on any but the smaller backpacks. Avoid the company that has yet to develop such a unit, or rather a system of complimentary inserts. These inserts are interchangeable between brand-specific packs, or they should be to hold any hope of succeeding in the market. Here, we use the acronym ICU for convenient brevity.
The ideal will be a collapsible ICU, which can be stowed. Even better is a fold-out feature to extend the depth of a ICU. This is not just ideal but fundamental to protect an exotic telephoto, where diameters of the collapsed lens often exceed 18cm (hood reversed and shrouded). The folded/telescoping sides can open up space when packing conventional a camera setup only.
The additional – and critical – benefit of an ICU is to store medium telephotos along the Z Axis: ie standing upright in flat bag, perpendicular to the larger X and Y axes. Such an ICU of suitable dimensions must measure at least 25 x 30 x 25cm to store a maximum of 3 such telephotos (examples 70-200 f2.8, 80-400, 70-300). The maximum limit of this category of optic is the 500 f5.6E PF Nikkor. It follows that the main storage unit in the bag must be 26m deep at minimum, even if this space is collapsible (see next section).
Cunning usage of available space in a backpack can exploit multiple applications of a storage unit in different travel modes. The main lid of the MS Elite 45L exemplifies this advantage; the entire unit detaches to slide on to the hip belt, which can be worn reattached on a waist-belt. Thoughtful designs of Origami-type fold out pockets using zips are still the exception, even in expensive packs. Such a unit cannot be expensive to manufacturer, as all this requires one extra zip and tweaking seams. So again, the barrier to refinements seems to be a lack of imagination, and adopting these features as standards in more refined camera bags.
Maximum storage with Flexibility in Protective Gear-Loads
All the above features receive the acid test when the loaded bag passes through the nodes and strictures of Airline Carry-On. This arena gets more challenging. It is a subject in its right, with the tendency to resolve one's pet solution as to gear, carry on bag(s) (and above all tactics at the Boarding Gate!)
The 500F4 by itself just fits exactly in the compartment, and that's without the hood. I put an Optec hood hat on it for protection and carry the hood separately, either in my personal item, or pack it in checked luggage.
