MindShift BackLight Elite 45L
Do you need big space? Comfortable shoulder pads on hiking? Probably this is the backpack for you.
This is the kind of backpack you need if you’re looking for a backpack that can carry a couple of camera bodies (maybe with lens attached), plus four or five lenses, (and/or a giant "big gun" telephoto lens) plus a drone, a ton of batteries, a set of filters, ... and a whole lot of other accessories including a tripod (a huge Gitzo Systematic would easly fit).
This is the kind of backpack you need if you’re looking for a backpack that can carry a couple of camera bodies (maybe with lens attached), plus four or five lenses, (and/or a giant "big gun" telephoto lens) plus a drone, a ton of batteries, a set of filters, ... and a whole lot of other accessories including a tripod (a huge Gitzo Systematic would easly fit).
TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS
Exterior Dimensions: 33 x 59.7 x 20.3 cm
Camera Compartment: 29 x 49 x 17.3 cm
Weight: 1.8–3.2 kg
Volume: 45L
Why did I choose this model?
I spent a lot of time finding the best backpack and I made a lot of tries with other brands pack or mountaineering backpacks but none of them had the caracteristics I was looking for:
1. Big enough for telephoto lenses
2. Lightweight
3. Have some extra space for non photographic equipment
4. Airplane carry-on size
5. Easy & quick access to photo gears
6. Rear access
And I have to say that finally I found all these requirements into a one single backback: the BackLight Elite 45L!
1. Telephoto: the producer claims it could fit a 600 f4, I didn't personally tested, but I assure you can easly fit a Nikon 200-400 f4 with camera body attached or a 500 f4 with camera attached. I did some test also with lenses from friends' of mine. About the 500 f4 it really depends on how big the lens hood is. With some brands you can't fit well and you have to put the camera/lens reversed up-down otherwise, you can't close the zip and the lens hood will hurt on your back and you can't walk comfort in that position.
2. Weight: as stated in the previous section, the backpack size is about 3kg. It's not light but it's not heavy. The camera bag is very well padded and ensure to your gears the required protection. Professional backpacks from other brands (see Lowepro for instance) are heavier than this one. Don't forget that light means that less material are used so you backback is less scratch resistant or not waterproof (this one is waterproof and has plastic )
3. Extra space: you have plenty of space for extra stuff! In addition to the main photographic compartment, you have a huge front pocket totaling 17L carry personal gear for a day’s outing: extra layers, a jacket, food, etc. You can also fit a 17" laptop and/or a 10" tablet. A roomy quick-access top pocket, where I usually store all that stuff I need to grab quickly like: hat, gloves, headlamp, snack, ... 2 large water bottle pockets with cinch cord fit 1L water bottles (maybe also 1.5L, I didn't test).
4. Carry-on size: to be honest, you can encounter some issue traveling with backpack as a carry-on luggage, sizes vary from an airline company to another. Last year in Finland I had some issue with Lufthansa, honestly not for size but for weight of the luggage that exceeded the 8kg (remeber that 3kg it's the backpack only, it's very easy to reach 5kg with some lens, camera body, spare batteries, etc...). But in that occasion I could remove the upper pocket and the waist belt transforming that in a pouch and use it as the second carry-on luggage allowed for free from the airline. Oh, luck!
5. Easy access: as a wildlife photographer I need to quickly extract the lens with the camera ready to capture an instant of life of a wild animal. For such reason a mountaineering backpacks it's not suitable since the photo gears are messed up with clothes, food, etc. And if you need more than one lens at time, the risk of damage them due to collision it's too high.
6. Rear access: last but not least, the main camera compartment is primarily accessible from the back panel of the bag which is my preferred method of backpack access. I usually put the bag down in the dirt, mud or wet snow at some point, the harness and back panel are protected, and your jacket keeps clean.
What I like most
Comfort
The thing I like most is the confort that this pack gives me during the trekking. Even if it is full and heavy, I don't feel pain on the shoulders. The huge hip belt and shoulder straps are made of a thick honeycomb foam that breathes well, and also delivers comfort.
Space
Did I mention the huge amount of space you have for extra stuff? Yes, I did. But I want to talk a bit more about this. Usually I need to trasport some extra stuff like camouflage net, ghillie suite, a jacket in case of rain or a down jacket to keep me warm durig the waiting. On my previous backpack I need to attach all this stuff outside the bag with some straps or carabiners and it was very annoying! Here I can use the front pocket to put my down/rain jacket and it remains a lot of space for an extra sweater, in the tablet housing I usually put a map (where it can remain dry and flat). The upper top pocket it's the place where I put the had and gloves for a quick access or some snaks (usually the fruit: apples, banana that is more delicate and fragile). Into the inner pocket with the zip I store the most valuable objects that are easy to lost, like: car keys, documents, money. Also here there are so many straps where you can fasten a whole of things: snowshoes on the sides it's the must for the winter when the snow comes here in the Alps. Under the top lid is a strap to secure a climbing rope, or perhaps some camping equipment or bulky clothing.
Side pockets
On the sides you can store two water bottles (at least 1L each) or maybe a tripod. If you’re already using the side storage for another purpose, there’s also a fold-away tripod cup on the front of the pack that gives you that rear central tripod carrying ability. As you can see also a huge tripod like the Gitzo Systematic series 3 easly fit and remains stable.
Inner customization
Do you want to know how many gears and what kind of stuff you can put inside this bag?
Have a look at this list taken from ThinkTank:
Have a look at this list taken from ThinkTank:
Nikon D3S attached to 70–200mm f/2.8, SB-910 Speedlight, 105mm f/2.8 Macro, Sigma 35mm f/1.4 ART, 50 f/1.4, Filter Nest Mini, 24–70mm f/2.8, 14–24mm f/2.8
Canon 1DX attached to 70–200mm f/2.8, GoPro Hero 5, DJI Mavic Pro, Mavic Controller, 24–70mm f/2.8, 16–35mm f/2.8, 90mm f/2.8 TS-E
Sony A7R II attached to 24–70mm f/2.8 GM, GoPro Hero 5, DJI Mavic Pro, Mavic Controller, Filter Nest Mini, A7R II attached to 16–35mm f/4, 70–200mm f/2.8 GM, 90mm f/2.8 Macro
Holds a gripped Nikon DSLR and a 600mm f/4 FL ED VR
Canon 1DX attached to 24–70mm f/2.8, GoPro Hero 5, 85mm f/1.8, 90mm f/2.8 TS-E, 1DX attached to 16–35mm f/2.8, 70–200mm f/2.8, 2x Teleconverter
Nikon D3S attached to Sigma 150–600mm f/5-6.3 Sport, SB-910 Speedlight, Filter Nest Mini, GoPro Hero 5, 24–70mm f/2.8, 14–24mm f/2.8
Maximum lens size: 600mm unattached
There are huge quantity of dividers provided with the bag that allows you to customize the inner as you prefer to accomodate various kind of gears.
Bonus: the rain cover
Usually the mountaneering backpacks comes with a bright flashes of color can be a good thing for people traveling in the mountains, when you might want to be seen from a distance, expecially in case of rescue. But for those wanting to blend into their surroundings while waiting for wildlife, it might cause a problem. Hence MindShift chose a wonderfull soft brown color for this rain cover.
Well done, guys!
Well done, guys!
What I dislike
It's about 10 months that I use this backback estensively and there are only two things that I don't like in this backback:
1. The photo compartment is a bit tight for a 500 f4 with camera attached, one possible solution it's to remove the upper rigid protection but in that way the upper pocket is too flabby. And also I have to put lens+camera upside down, because the front part of the lens (with hood) is higher that the depth of the camera unit, so I have to put the camera in the bottom part (the one in contact with the terrain) with a risk of damage if I put down the backpack without too much attention.
2. When I remove the top pocket, to become airplane carry-on compatible, I cannot close the straps with the clips because both ones (the rear and the front) cannot be closed together, they are both male. So the straps fall down and I have to fix them with some wire. It would be nice if the front ones would be male and the rear, female clips.
Conclusion
In a few words, if you ask me "Do you recommend this backpack?" I would absolutely say: YES!
I don't think that, at the moment, on the market there are any other products that have all these features into one single product.
I don't think that, at the moment, on the market there are any other products that have all these features into one single product.
What's next?
I'm curious to test an accessory of this backpack that allows me to store more stuff when I'm doing camping and bushcrafting and I take with me only few gears for landscape photography.
Stay tuned.