Peak Design 45L Travel Backpack (Sage)

A very hard wearing backpack with plenty of space for all my single carry travel needs. I will always be using a pouch or two in order to keep track of tech stuff and small gadgets, and fancied that a few internal side pockets might have helped in this regard. However a seperate pouch is more practical overall. So the bag as it stands works superbly and will withstand all the rough and tumble I can put it through. I bought this alongside the Evergoods 40L. This is softer material but still hard wearing. I found the shoulder straps to be very comfortable unless you fully load the bag to capacity.

Another quality Peak Design product!

I was first introduced to Peak Design's luggage lineup by their monster-sized 65L Duffelpack. Its innovative features and cargo capacity have made it useful for long and short work trips alike. When I needed a new dedicated carry-on backpack, I chose to buy this pack because of my satisfaction with its massive sibling, and it doesn't disappoint.At its smallest setup, it holds 35L and is compact enough for daily use. When fully expanded, it holds 45L while still remaining easy to transport. In its standard configuration, it holds 40L. Personally, I've found the standard configuration to be the most convenient. In this mode, the bag will hold three units of Peak Design packing accessories and meet most airlines' carry-on restrictions.As far as build quality, it's ... MoreI was first introduced to Peak Design's luggage lineup by their monster-sized 65L Duffelpack. Its innovative features and cargo capacity have made it useful for long and short work trips alike. When I needed a new dedicated carry-on backpack, I chose to buy this pack because of my satisfaction with its massive sibling, and it doesn't disappoint.At its smallest setup, it holds 35L and is compact enough for daily use. When fully expanded, it holds 45L while still remaining easy to transport. In its standard configuration, it holds 40L. Personally, I've found the standard configuration to be the most convenient. In this mode, the bag will hold three units of Peak Design packing accessories and meet most airlines' carry-on restrictions.As far as build quality, it's up to Peak Design standards. The material is a thick and water-resistant nylon canvas. The stitching is sturdy, and the handles feel rock solid. If I had one complaint, it would be that the shoulder straps aren't foam-padded, but this is a small trade-off for their ability to fold into the bag and reduce its footprint.On a recent trip, I loaded this bag with a camera cube and a packing cube, then used the free space at the top for bulkier items. I had room for four days' worth of work and evening clothes, plus my SLR and lenses. Traveling with this bag was a joy; the side zippers made it easy to access my gear quickly, and the fold-in straps made overhead bin stowage a breeze. I'm happy to say that this bag effortlessly matches the quality of its bigger brother.

Awesome backpack if you are ok with a few things

I did a lot of research and settled on the Peak Design. It hits every box I had for international travel. I wanted something flexible, expandable, lots of features, large main compartment, storable straps. The straps are the first thing to be aware of: they are comfortable to a point. I like that they stow away and they were comfortable during my 45 mins of standing around at the airport. If you needed to wear the bag all day for whatever reason or had a really heavy load, they would be uncomfortable imo. Second, this bag is very design/feature heavy. Lots of zippers to access, lots of pockets and magnets, lots of options. I like this, some do not. It is over engineered in a way that works for me but might not be for everyone. I used the bag on a trip to Austin and ... MoreI did a lot of research and settled on the Peak Design. It hits every box I had for international travel. I wanted something flexible, expandable, lots of features, large main compartment, storable straps. The straps are the first thing to be aware of: they are comfortable to a point. I like that they stow away and they were comfortable during my 45 mins of standing around at the airport. If you needed to wear the bag all day for whatever reason or had a really heavy load, they would be uncomfortable imo. Second, this bag is very design/feature heavy. Lots of zippers to access, lots of pockets and magnets, lots of options. I like this, some do not. It is over engineered in a way that works for me but might not be for everyone. I used the bag on a trip to Austin and it performed amazing. Easily slides into the overhead, carried everything I need with room to spare, and was really nice to use. The water bottle pockets are amazing. The build quality and materials are all top notch. It is backed by a lifetime warranty from a company who cares. I think this is the best travel pack available on the market.

Disappointed especially for the price

Initial review: 11JUN21I was really excited for this bag. Did a lot of research, and this one seemed to be at the top. I also prioritized a bag that had large water bottle holders. I was hesitant that the bag didn’t have any load lifters but noticed many travel bags didn’t so didn’t think this would be a big deal.THIS BAG IS HEAVY and personally think load lifters would be a huge game changer. The bag is already 4.52ish lbs. Didn’t think this would be a huge deal and basically disregarded weight when researching, but I get it now. I’m trying the bag out for the first time for a flight back home. I packed about a few days to a week’s (depending on the person) worth of clothing in a Gonex packing cube (this didn’t include my undies/socks but did include my sports ... MoreInitial review: 11JUN21I was really excited for this bag. Did a lot of research, and this one seemed to be at the top. I also prioritized a bag that had large water bottle holders. I was hesitant that the bag didn’t have any load lifters but noticed many travel bags didn’t so didn’t think this would be a big deal.THIS BAG IS HEAVY and personally think load lifters would be a huge game changer. The bag is already 4.52ish lbs. Didn’t think this would be a huge deal and basically disregarded weight when researching, but I get it now. I’m trying the bag out for the first time for a flight back home. I packed about a few days to a week’s (depending on the person) worth of clothing in a Gonex packing cube (this didn’t include my undies/socks but did include my sports bras), my Surface Book 3, normal things I carry in my day bags (charger, tissues, bamboo utensils, hand towel, etc), shawl for the plane, plane pillow, journal, planner, pens/pencils, book, and IT WAS HEAVY! I’d estimate 20-25 lbs. Some bags don’t feel that bad on you with that weight, but you feel it with this bag. The hip belt and sternum strap help a bit, as well as tightening the straps, but load lifters would take some weight off the shoulders. Moreover, my bad still didn’t even include my iPad 11” 3rd gen which is fairly heavy due to the case, work computer (I don’t have at the time but know I’ll be traveling with a lot), or my last packing cube with my undies/socks. Granted, I’m reading A Dance for Dragon so my book is on the heavy side, and Idk if I’ll have to actually carry my personal and work laptop and iPad, but still. I don’t even have shoes in the bag. I’m in the military so if I have to travel with my uniform/boots, that’s going to be a lot of weight in the bag. If you have a lot of stuff to carry, I would not recommend carrying this bag throughout the day.Also not super impressed with the pockets. I feel they don’t offer a lot of organization and don’t have a lot of room to them especially compared to other bags I’ve seen. The front pocket could have definitely been bigger. The laptop pocket is also not that great and doesn’t feel very comfortable against my back, especially if your waist straps aren’t secured correctly. The tablet pocket is pretty flimsy and small and will probably work if you have a very streamlined case. The actual straps and back pad aren’t very comfortable. Maybe you have to break them in?I’m hoping I’ll warm up to the bag but so far pretty disappointed especially after several great reviews and the price of the bag even though I paid $215ish vs the normal $300. My mom got a High Sierra backpack from Costco for $50. Granted it’s not a travel bag that will fit clothes, but the organization and pockets of the bag seem superior to the PD bag.

Excellent travel bag for any gear head

This travel bag can accommodate a large amount of gear despite its carry on size and the organization and number of ways to carry things is very impressive. Hip belt (with awesome hip belt pocket) cleverly fold into bag with magnetic closure. I love the different size camera and packing cubes that accompany the large compartment of this bag, which allow the traveler to store a large variety of gear clothes in many different ways. Given how airlines are increasingly losing or damaging bags, this bag system will probably save you long term. Plus learning how to pack all you need in one 45L carry on bag will make your travel experience much simpler and more enjoyable.

Fantastic moddable backpack

I bought this bag and medium cube pack just before a recent vacation to Hawaii. In the cube kit, I was able to comfortably pack a Nikon D780 and 3 Nikkor lenses (70-200 mm f2.8e, 24-120mm, and 16-35mm). I was also able to easily store lens hoods, a set of filters, battery charger, and some lens and sensor cleaning tools in the cube. The cube has side access zippers which integrate quite well with the side access zippers on the exterior of the bag. It was incredibly simple to pop the bag onto one shoulder, unzip the bag and swap lenses as I was hiking. This is something that I have been looking for in a camera bag, as my old pack was incredibly cumbersome to access my lenses (I would have to actually take it off and put it on the ground to safely access my ... MoreI bought this bag and medium cube pack just before a recent vacation to Hawaii. In the cube kit, I was able to comfortably pack a Nikon D780 and 3 Nikkor lenses (70-200 mm f2.8e, 24-120mm, and 16-35mm). I was also able to easily store lens hoods, a set of filters, battery charger, and some lens and sensor cleaning tools in the cube. The cube has side access zippers which integrate quite well with the side access zippers on the exterior of the bag. It was incredibly simple to pop the bag onto one shoulder, unzip the bag and swap lenses as I was hiking. This is something that I have been looking for in a camera bag, as my old pack was incredibly cumbersome to access my lenses (I would have to actually take it off and put it on the ground to safely access my lenses).In terms of storage, with the medium cube kit, I was able to comfortably pack a rain coat or sweater and my noise canceling headphones in the main compartment, which was great for the flight. The laptop and tablet sleeve are fairy accessible as well. In the second compartment, there are 4 different zipper pockets, which was great for storing chargers for my other devices. The second pocket can also expand to store enough clothes for a day trip or long weekend which is nice. I was also able to comfortably pack a tripod and water bottle on the two side pockets, but my water bottle would sometimes hit the edge of the cube pack and take a little effort to fully insert. Not that big of a deal at the end of the day, since I knew it was snug in the pocket.The straps on the bag are alright. Since I primarily want to use the bag for landscape photography / hiking, I wish the shoulder straps and waist strap had a bit more padding. But it's comfortable enough. A nice thing about these straps is that the can be stowed away behind a magnetic flap on the back of the bag, which makes carrying the bag as a duffle or stowing on a roller carry on quite convenient / hassle free. Can't recommend this bag enough.

Looks better than it is

This pack looks great and has nice touches, like metal clasps and stow-away straps. However, it has several shortcomings. The most significant is that it simply is not comfortable. The straps and fabric are stiff and the bag just hangs on my shoulders. For $300, I expect something more comfortable (a TMP pack is much more comfortable, which is what I'll get). Also, the rear entry seems like a good idea but just makes getting in the pack more of a hassle. Also, the fabric is very thick, which obviously increases durability, but also increases weight.Bottom line, if I'm carrying this pack for a few hours, comfort tops all. There are much more comfortable bags out there for a lot less money.

Shoulder Strap Broke

Two days of use and the shoulder strap broke and my gear went crashing with it. I was disappointed considering I purchased prior a PD bag to fit in this bag as designed. Loaded fully it was uncomfortable and put a lot of pressure on the pins that hold the should strap together. Gear didn't feel protected from pressure of pack. Grateful I wasn't anywhere remote when this happened. Prior to use it felt like a weak point. After about 10 days the bag company reached out and offered a discount on a new bag. B&H was fast in responding and returning. Ultimately, I went with an Atlas bag which is designed more like a traditional hiking bag.

The perfect bag for when combining gear with clothes

I actually have all three sizes of camera cubes to go with the Peak Design 45L Travel Backpack. The ability to swap cubes depending on the nature of the job -- or personal travel, is ideal. Throw in some packing cubes to compress a week's worth of clothes and a Tech Pouch to corral drives, cables and power supplies and I'm good to go. Little touches, like being able to stow away the shoulder straps in an instant, go a long way for making this a superb travel backpack. The 45 is so incredibly versatile, that it takes a little experimentation to configure it the way it can work best for you. Yes, it's a bit on the large size, but if you need the gear to get from A to B and clothes to boot, this is a carry-on solution like no other.

Way too uncomfortable and difficult to use

I am amazed by all the positive reviews for this product, because there is almost nothing that I like about it.There are FAR more pockets (and therefore zippers) than anyone will ever use, adding way too much extra bulk and weight. So, the *useful* storage volume is way lower than it could be at any of the three (30L, 35L, 45L) size configurations, and the pack is noticeably heavy even when empty.The snaps that reduce the volume from 35L to 30L are absurdly difficult to engage, so you may run into trouble when trying to use this as a carry-on bag.And yet, the waist and sternum straps are minimalist almost to the point of uselessness. The waist strap should have a standard snap clip instead of the slow-to-use, very insecure slide clip that PD has chosen. If I ... MoreI am amazed by all the positive reviews for this product, because there is almost nothing that I like about it.There are FAR more pockets (and therefore zippers) than anyone will ever use, adding way too much extra bulk and weight. So, the *useful* storage volume is way lower than it could be at any of the three (30L, 35L, 45L) size configurations, and the pack is noticeably heavy even when empty.The snaps that reduce the volume from 35L to 30L are absurdly difficult to engage, so you may run into trouble when trying to use this as a carry-on bag.And yet, the waist and sternum straps are minimalist almost to the point of uselessness. The waist strap should have a standard snap clip instead of the slow-to-use, very insecure slide clip that PD has chosen. If I were going to keep using htis bag (which I'm not), that would be the first thing that I would change. The sternum strap is uncomfortable (for me, anyway) at any of its several mounting locations, mostly because of the large, hard, metal clips used to attach it to the shoulder straps (this is perhaps the craziest design element of the entire pack, since there are obvious, much better alternatives).Almost all of the many, *many* straps on this bag are difficult to adjust. They also take a lot of practice to engage without looking in a mirror while you're doing it.The recycled plastic fabric used for the bag is very unpleasantly stiff. It feels like having a rigid box strapped to your back. This alone would be enough reason to avoid the product.The magnet closures for the pocket that can hide the shoulder & waist straps do not hold well, in part because that pocket is somewhat too small for all of the straps, no matter how carefully you arrange them.Without an awful lot of practice and training as a contortionist, you aren't going to be rotating this to the front of your body to get quick access to your gear as shown in the Peak Design videos.I said above that there's almost nothing that I like about this product. The one exception is the quite nice Sage color.Overall, this pack is very finicky and difficult to use, not a good thing when you're trying to get it together in a hurry or in bad weather conditions.This product is the epitome of style over substance, and has replaced the wretched Cotton Carrier CCS G3 as my most-regretted photo gear purchase of the past year--I'm going to be looking for a competitor to gift it to. If you look at PD's Facebook page, you will see that there are lots of people volunteering to give the company design advice. There's a reason for that. It's too bad, because some of the company's other products (particularly the Travel Tripod) are really great and I would highly recommend them.