How did I choose a camera backpack for myself?
I’ve been thinking about camera backpack for a ling time. Not once I moved around the city or in terrain with a borrowed backpack, so I knew what I definitely did not want and what I needed. Why not a bag? Smaller, does not stick to your back on hot days, but it weighs. Even with a mirrorless camera it’s hard to walk with a heavy load on arm for several hours. And, securing the equipment seemed to me always a bit weaker – which in buses, planes or trains is important to me. It’s easy to accidentally drop your hand baggage orto be hit by fellow passenger who accidentally bumps into our things.
What did I expect from a camera backpack?
To have an adjustable septum for the equipment, so that I could adapt the elements to the things that I want to pack this time. I take other lenses with me to the mountains and others to the concert. Sometimes I pack a lamp, sometimes not. And I needed a separate space for other things, so as to be able to fit in the backpack also a blouse, spare batteries, charger, cables, powerbank and such basic things as wallet, tissues or keys.
It was important for me to have a side zipper, not a detachable back, because it is much easier for me to turn the backpack gently and reach out to the side, than open all the back with a backpack on my stomach or pulling it all off my back. It is true that it eliminated a second outer pocket, lateral, but it is much more convenient for me with such a solution.
Necessarily a separate niche for a laptop, I have a small, neat computer, which is easy to damage, so I need a separate place and very safe, because laptop very often accompany my travels, but also events, like multi-day festivals, where I edit photos on the spot.
I wanted the material to be resistant to dirt, dark. To make the back well stiffened, but also comfortable, some air to reach between the back and the backpack. Necessarily adjustable length of braces and the possibility of attaching a tripod.

fot. Daniel Grodziński
Why Thule?
A long time ago, I was charmed by my friend’s backpack, from Thule. I have been following this brand for a while, and I heard the good opinions about their backpacks. So I looked at them more carefully when I grew up thinking about getting a camera backpack. Though this dream backpack Thule called Covert DSLR Rolltop I liked the most and it would be great to have it to use in the city, I had to say honestly that it would be better for me to get other, a little bit smaller and with the hip belt, because I visit mountains quite often.
For a long time I wondered which backpack to choose and eventually I picked Thule Aspect DSLR, which turned out to be nicer than on the pictures and more capacious than I assumed. In addition, the waist belt can be removed, so I remove it for festival or concert, I detach it by unhinging the big and strong straps. In the mountainsit belt is very useful, and even helps sometimes with turning the backpack. It has a pocket in front, which – to my surprise – fit my big phone, and despite bending it never fell out of, although I pulled it iside pocket without a problem.
This model also has many compartments and zipped pockets. One also on the detachable access to the camera, where I can safely hide the batteries, SD card, or a cloth to wipe the lens, I can always grab ot easily. At the top of the backack is a suspiciously capacious niche, and in it also spaces locked securely with a zipper and two roomy pockets, in which I usually place disks, chargers, powerbanks and cables. When I pack more careful I will fit there stuff like blouse or down jacket.
At the front of the backpack there is a very deep pocket in which I am able to fit a lot of objects, from blende to rain cover and head flash light, scarf, gloves, hat etc. All zippers work very smoothly and are finished with comfortable handles that are easy to catch with finger, even without looking on them. The backpack has a hard life with me, but I have not noticed any damage, I do not even got dirty – we have been working together for over half a year.
Inside the camera pocket is stored a soft blue material and two elements with velcro straps that can be freely adapted to current needs. They are structured so that they can also be a compartment with a closure for the lens or other, more delicate or smaller object. When I borrowed 300 mm lens, I also managed to put it in my backpack. No problem finding a place for my camera with a large 16-55 mm lens, the second – a bit smaller lens, a lamp. And when I try to pack in a different way, I have space for a powerbank or gimbal or a phone tripod even.
Minuses? There are. One of them is the size of the hip belt, for a smaller person like me it is a bit too big, even if I reduce it to a minimum. With ajacket is quite OK, without it I have too much space around the waist. And the second is the lack of a rain cover. Like nothing, but built elegantly at the bottom of the backpack would be perfect. I had to stock myself separately in rain cover and hide it on the bottom of my deep pocket. I admit that I am slowly thinking about a city backpack and an ordinary tourists backpack, because I am very happy about it.

fot. Jeremiasz Gądek

fot. Jeremisz Gądek