The Best Camera Bags and Backpacks in 2022
A photographer’s camera bag is the unsung hero of the working professional. Without it, photographers simply could not do their jobs. But for as many good bags out there, there are hundreds of bad ones. Let’s sift through that noise.
Backpacks are and will always be a highly contentious and subjective debate. Everyone has their favorite and because there are so many different expectations for what a bag should do, few can agree on the best backpack for every photographer.
What We’re Looking For
Backpacks need to perform a few tasks well, and that list of requirements changes depending on the envisioned use case. For example, while a day-use bag needs to be light and mobile, a travel bag needs to be comfortable to wear for long periods of time and able to hold more than just camera equipment. Adventure backpacks have a whole different set of requirements like the ability to support extremely precise adjustments and must have an internal rigid support system. In all cases, photographers expect their bags to be durable and long-lasting as well as secure.
I have actually argued in the past that it is impossible to make a single backpack that works for everyone, and I stand by that. It’s why in this article, we won’t be naming a best backpack for every photographer. Instead, we’ve broken down our ratings into seven categories that we think cover the most use cases that photographers can expect to run into.
We’ll update this story as needed, but for now, these are our recommendations for the best backpacks and bags photographers can buy. As a note, all bags below have been tested by PetaPixel staff to verify recommendations. Read More...