Peak Design  Travel Pack - 30 L

I bought the sage travel backpack in March at the Photography show. First, let's talk about the positives of the bag. The most noticeable thing about the bag is the look; it is easily one of the best bags I have seen, and the sage really suits the bag. The build quality is also very good; it feels expensive and built to last. Inside the bag, the space is impressive, and the fact that you can zip and expand the bag from 27 litres to 33 litres. I also like the laptop pocket, which is really practical. For all the positives, unfortunately, the backpack is let down for a couple of reasons. The first is the hooks for the carry straps. Generally, it is nice to have them, but the 2 hooks at the bottom of the bag rub against my lower back, which is annoying. Also, I find the sternum strap pretty useless; it doesn't store particularly well and is always dropping out of its stored position. The main issue, though, is the shoulder straps, which are absolutely awful. When I tried the bag out, it was empty, and the bag is OK, right up until you fill the bag up with equipment and books for university, the thin straps just put so much pressure on my shoulders that I have to take the bag off. So whilst the bag has good space, I have to be so wary of what I put in the bag, because I can't carry around anything really heavy, which is pretty useless for a lot of what I would want to use the bag for.

I took this bag on a 10-day trip to Italy, and it exceeded all my expectations. With an average of 25-30k steps each day, the bag remained incredibly comfortable throughout. One day, I carried two bottles of wine and a quilt around Capri with ease; on another, I transported five bottles of wine from Ischia to Sorrento without a hitch. The clam shell design was a game-changer—when I nearly got pickpocketed in Rome, the thief couldn’t get into the bag, thanks to how I secured the zippers. Initially, I was concerned the bag might be too big, but when it came time to pack souvenirs and wine, the extra space was a lifesaver. I even used it as my carry-on in the airport, and it held everything I needed with room to spare. This bag was, without a doubt, the best travel companion I could have asked for.

After 3 years of use in all conditions in the four corners of the world, I can say... this is a perfect bag. Tested by the Indonesian rain, covered by snow on the Swiss peaks, splashed in the middle of the Andaman Sea in Thailand, deposited in the burning sand of Egypt, whipped by the winds of Spain, exposed for hours to the sun of Tazmania. This bag is all-proof, it is the perfect travel companion for small and large journeys. With its adjustable size it allows you to go from one size to another in a fraction of a second. You can put all your equipement of photo for a perfect security. It is an integral part of each of my trips as much for its practicality as for its quality. Ingenious and really well thought out I recommend without hesitation to anyone who wants to invest in a quality bag for many year.

Purchased in 2022, used the bag approximately once or twice a year when I go on long trips. 1. One zip handle tore. 2. Silicon mesh pocket flaked very badly 3. Material covering/protecting the zip broke I do not handle my bag roughly and when I travel I use this bag to supplement my large full size luggages. Read raving reviews about the bag and how some used it for years before I purchased it. The breakdown of materials started occurring less than 2 years during my once or twice yearly long trips. Note: tried to attach photos to this review however unable to do so.

I bought this backpack mostly for traveling. However I have used it also for ski-touring and hiking as I haven't took any different backpack for vacation. After few hours I would say all features are useful. Great thing it that it keeps its shape and always looks good. Some reviews says it is heavy. It is, but it comes with all features and ways of opening it. I have used all four sides for access, what is perfect to find exactly what you need. Also it is really comfortable, even more than other outdoor backpacks I have. After 5 hours I haven't feel any discomfort.

I love this backpack built like a tank. My first major issue is the side water bottles pockets are too tight and small. I ended up dropping and loosing my 32oz nalgene water bottle. The water bottle pockets need to be larger and deeper. My second Issue is the bottom pouch that uses magnets, peak design needs to add a zipper instead. My third is just a more of a modification. That said, I would love for the small top pocket to be deeper. Over all I would recommend this to my friends and family. Peak design fix these issues and you will have a customer for life.

Using the 20lt for camera bag and personal carry on, leaving on trip today. It was a squeeze but fit everything in, maybe should have gone for 30lt but happy with choice. Did a tryout pack earlier and all went smooth. Looking forward to all the compartments and pocket, hope I remember where I put everything. Great quality and sturdy zippers along with lots of hidden feature. I highly recommend looking at the “pro tips” on Peak YouTube videos, these are very valuable for a first time pack to help put things in the best place.

I bought the 30L Travel Backpack a couple of years ago. As a frequent flyer who also likes to take along a camera from time to time, this pack has been a perfect companion over many flights around Europe, America, Asia, and Australia. When traveling for work, this is the only bag I pack for a week away. My work laptop and iPad are safe in the internal pocket, and I use a selection of packing cubes to make a secure and tidy load. I use a large packing cube for my shirts and work trousers, along with a couple of t-shirts for the evenings. A small packing cube contains all my electronics, charging cables, razor, power brick, etc. (you need to remove all electrical items for screening in India, so this makes it very easy). The back pocket of that cube holds my non-liquid bathroom items. Another small cube contains my underwear and pyjamas. This all fits nicely in the 30L without it being expanded. Using the cubes means nothing falls out if I have to open it at the airport. I have the tech pouch and the wash bag, but they are not so compatible in size and, while very nice, just don't fit with the system. When traveling in the cold, I wear a compressible down jacket and either stuff it under the magnetic flap of the bag for temporary stowage or undo the expansion zips and pop it inside the bag under the packing cubes. When I travel with my camera for a short hop, I substitute the large cube with a small camera cube that fits my Sony mirrorless and an extra lens nicely. I use a small packing cube for clothes in this setup. I’ve been working this way for a couple of years, and it has been great. I am off on a vacation that will involve a bit more photography, so I just purchased a smedium camera cube. The reason I bought this is because I am flying with EasyJet, who are pretty strict on their carry-on allowances. The 30L Travel pack is technically too big to qualify on EasyJet. Their limit is 30cm tall, and the 30L is 34cm tall. Now, I’ve taken the bag many times on EasyJet and not been called out, but I don’t want to risk having to check a bag full of expensive camera gear. For this trip, my 30L Travel backpack will hold a bunch of additional lenses in the smedium photo cube while my camera will live in a PD 6L Sling, which will be my personal item. If EasyJet does become unEasyJet and force me to check the 30L Travel pack, I can remove the camera cube and just bring that as my carry-on item. Oh, and another great finding with the 30L is that the smedium cube along with the 6L sling are a perfect fit. Now that is just genius design!

I bought this 45L backpack in September 2019 and took it with me to Kenya for a 5 day safari trip. It fit my 100-400mm Fuji lens plus my other camera gear and the rest of recommended safari trip packing list to Masai Mara. The recommended weight is 33 lbs and had to be soft-sided for a bush plane. This bag was everything I expected it to be. It's been my companion on my trips all over Europe and Asia. It's still holding up pretty well.

This is my third camera-style backpack and this one checks all the boxes. I just traveled with it for the first time, to shoot a wedding (both photo and video), and it was a dream to take on the plane. • I wanted something that could fit all my gear when I have fly dates ✅ • I wanted it to fit underneath the airplane seat ✅ • I wanted it to fit on my carry-on roller bag easily ✅ • I needed it to fit a 16" MacBook Pro ✅ Here is all the gear I fit in the 30L travel backpack: medium camera cube, small camera cube, Sony a7IV, Sony FX3 w/ top handle, Sony - 16-35, 50 1.2, 24-105, 70-200 GMII, filters, batteries, rode wireless + camera mic, lens caps, straps, 16" MacBook Pro + charger, and one bag on M&M's.