[bdery]

Peak Design is becoming a well-known accessories maker for photography, with their lines of bags, straps, camera clip (popular enough that competitors not provide attachment points on their own bags!). they have recently launched a kickstarter campaign for a new type of product, a travel bag:

The Travel Line: Versatile Travel Backpack + Packing Tools by Peak Design ? Kickstarter

I'm not advertising the product by any mean, simply passing along information. I've had the chance to test a pre-production prototype for a while and will be writing a full review of it. It's a very interesting product, just as well made as you'd expect from Peak Design, and full of clever elements.

The campaign ends in a few days, on September 20th. It will of course be possible to order the bag afterwards, but there is a significant discount on kickstarter if anyone is interested.

The takeaway is :

-this is a bag built for travel, sized as a carry-on for flights, so not a "small" bag
-it's also a photographic bag because you can use it with any of three camera cubes (small, medium, large). The cubes integrate well, easy access is offered via openings to the sides. There are provisions to carry a tripod, etc. It's not meant ONLY as a camera bag, so if you want quick access it might not be the best choice (rather look at their Everyday Backpack, or another brand. I'm a fan of Mindshift Gear's rotation180 myself).
-The camera cubes can be used standalone with the company's strap to turn them into a basic sling bag
-This being Peak Design, they see the travel bag as a system, so they include accessories such as packing cubes fitted to the bag, a tech/gadgets pouch, etc.

I'll be happy to answer questions if people are interested and want to know more!

I've included a picture below

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Last edited by bdery; 09-12-2018 at 08:02 AM.

[steve_k]

$400 seems a bit pricey especially for a kickstarter.

[bdery]

$400 seems a bit pricey especially for a kickstarter.

I disagree on the "especially for kickstarter" comment. There are things of all prices on kickstarter.

Now, regarding the price in absolute terms, I am not equipped to discuss it, as I have no clue about the company's production costs, and probably more importantly their design costs. Each company is of course free to decide on their profit margin, and as a customer you're free to agree with the asked price or not. For the record, the bag itself is $235.

Just think about how much a basic, featureless hard-case can cost (I just bought a hard carry-on sized suitcase for my son and it cost over 100$ for an empty hard shell). I'm not surprised that a more complex product costs more.

Historically this company has been in the upper tier regarding pricing, but mostly on par with comparable products from competitors.

[UncleVanya]

The bag by itself without any packing gear or camera cube seen in line with some of the 45L bags I've seen at the to end for travel. The camera cubes and travel gear plus bag starts to get very expensive but the function may be worth it to frequent travelers.

[aikilink]

I've only used their Straps, and they are amazing. I did have a hand-grip, and while it was very well-made, but not for my very large hands on a gripped K-1. If I traveled more, this would get some serious consideration. Expensive, but the modularity would make it work great for anything from destination wedding shooting to hiking or trips with minimal photo gear. Thanks for the share!

[Ishpuini]

I love their stuff, but somehow I cannot warm to this new line. Probably because I don't like bags with inserts? Anyway, I'm going to Photokina and will certainly check out this new bag there. Perhaps I'll change my mind. I hope I will! :-D

Wim

[bdery]

I love their stuff, but somehow I cannot warm to this new line. Probably because I don't like bags with inserts?

You mean you prefer a bag with a fixed design, nothing removable?

I believe the company tried to make a bag which can be adapted to everyone's needs, hence the various possible configurations. For instance, I'm a fan of the idea of leaving the hotel room with just a camera cube and strap. However, you're free to configure the bag one single way and leave it there (in that case you might be better served with their Everyday Backpack, even though it's smaller, or another company's bag).

Many companies, like F-Stop, Shimoda, Naneu, etc, also build around modular systems (these companies are often more focused on hiking/adventure than travel, but the idea is the same). The idea of Peak Design's travel system is to offer a complete, and adaptable, solution. In all honesty it works pretty well.

[Ishpuini]

You mean you prefer a bag with a fixed design, nothing removable?

I believe the company tried to make a bag which can be adapted to everyone's needs, hence the various possible configurations. For instance, I'm a fan of the idea of leaving the hotel room with just a camera cube and strap. However, you're free to configure the bag one single way and leave it there (in that case you might be better served with their Everyday Backpack, even though it's smaller, or another company's bag).

Many companies, like F-Stop, Shimoda, Naneu, etc, also build around modular systems (these companies are often more focused on hiking/adventure than travel, but the idea is the same). The idea of Peak Design's travel system is to offer a complete, and adaptable, solution. In all honesty it works pretty well.

I cannot really say why I don't like bags with removable inserts (which doesn't include removable dividers!).

Part of it is bulk. I find most implementations add a lot of bulk to enable large enough inserts that can be used independently. For the purpose of a smaller bag for short outings, I generally put a second compact bag in my main luggage. That adds bulk too, but at least I'm not carrying it when walking with the backpack on longer outings. The small bag will contain all my non essential accessories (cables and so), that will alternate between bags depending on which I take out. Not exactly the same approach, nor the same use case, I know...


Another element is shape. The total shape needs to complement inserts that add up to the total internal volume without too much space wasted, i.e. very square and rectangular, which results in less elegant overall shape. I think that's even more important to me as I find most modular systems are not particularly good looking. I realize that many people wouldn't care about that one bit...


But it's more than that. But as I wrote, I'm ready to be surprised and I'm looking forward to getting my hands on one of these!


BTW, I'm a huge fan of Peak Design's Everyday Backpack!! I actually wrote an extensive review on the 20L version, that was published on this very site. More than one year down the road I still use the backpack on a daily basis, and I love it. It's still as good as new, despite my treatment of it. No other backpack ever looked like that after even a few months use in my hands...

Wim

[bdery]

Part of it is bulk.

It's true that modular designs add some bulk, especially if the bag itself is padded. With some systems, the bag is unpadded but the internal elements are, which is mostly similar to a non-modular system.

For the purpose of a smaller bag for short outings, I generally put a second compact bag in my main luggage. That adds bulk too, but at least I'm not carrying it when walking with the backpack on longer outings.

This is, mostly, the idea of having camera cubes which can serve as sling bags. PD also offers a 5L Sling which has roughly the same size and shape as their small camera cube, and can be used in its place.

The small bag will contain all my non essential accessories (cables and so)

Gadget pouches can do the same, mostly. I generally use a very minimalist gadget case from Think Tank and it works well. PD's gadget pouch is more complex, but a nice format if you bring a mouse, power brick for a laptop, etc.

Another element is shape. The total shape needs to complement inserts that add up to the total internal volume without too much space wasted, i.e. very square and rectangular, which results in less elegant overall shape.

I'm not a huge fan of packing cubes myself because they tend to bulge in the center and taper towards the edges, so you end up wasting space. Using that space to throw in gadget pouches is one solution, of course.

I think that's even more important to me as I find most modular systems are not particularly good looking. I realize that many people wouldn't care about that one bit...

I'd argue that the Travel bag is good-looking, but that's a very personal matter.

Different bags serve different purposes. That's probably why I use different 4-5 bags somewhat regularly. The Travel bag is not the best everyday bag, but it's not meant to be that way. It's a solid travel jack-of-all-trades.

I'd be very happy to try on the company's Everyday backpack, as it seems very interesting. Lowepro released a kind of clone recently, which looks interesting also. So far when using a backpack I've always used the Mindshift Gear Panorama rotation180, because when I wear a backpack I'm looking more for a hiking solution. In "everyday" situations, I use mostly the PD Sling and Messenger.

[Ishpuini]

On a side note: I am intrigued by the Tech Pouch that's part of the system... Might get that to insert in the top compartment of my current biggest bag (Manfrotto 3N1 35 PL) to deal with the clutter of cables and various accessories.

Wim

[bdery]

On a side note: I am intrigued by the Tech Pouch that's part of the system... Might get that to insert in the top compartment of my current biggest bag (Manfrotto 3N1 35 PL) to deal with the clutter of cables and various accessories.

The tech pouch is very cool. I like it a lot. It's meant to be crammed inside a filled Travel Bag, and that works surprisingly well.

Here's what I like about it: it's sturdy, rigid enough, lightly padded, stands upright (better when at least partially filled), has four handles and two anchor attachment points, has an external pocket for a cell phone with USB pass-through, a zillion internal compartments made of stretchy fabric, and it opens wide.

What I like less isn't much : it's bigger than some, and might be too big depending on the situation, and it's a bit heavy thanks to all those features. These are not flaws, but design choices that should be understood. When I leave the house with just the camera, I usually use a minimalist Think Tank gadget pouch, however if I traveled for a few days and needed to carry tablet/cell phone chargers, a lenspen, extra batteries, maybe a USB battery pack, etc, then the Tech Pouch makes a lot of sense.

[bdery]

On a side note: I am intrigued by the Tech Pouch that's part of the system... Might get that to insert in the top compartment of my current biggest bag (Manfrotto 3N1 35 PL) to deal with the clutter of cables and various accessories.

The tech pouch is very cool. I like it a lot. It's meant to be crammed inside a filled Travel Bag, and that works surprisingly well.

Here's what I like about it: it's sturdy, rigid enough, lightly padded, stands upright (better when at least partially filled), has four handles and two anchor attachment points, has an external pocket for a cell phone with USB pass-through, a zillion internal compartments made of stretchy fabric, and it opens wide.

What I like less isn't much : it's bigger than some, and might be too big depending on the situation, and it's a bit heavy thanks to all those features. These are not flaws, but design choices that should be understood. When I leave the house with just the camera, I usually use a minimalist Think Tank gadget pouch, however if I traveled for a few days and needed to carry tablet/cell phone chargers, a lenspen, extra batteries, maybe a USB battery pack, etc, then the Tech Pouch makes a lot of sense.

[Macario]

Peak design, The Apple of camera bags.

[Sandy Hancock]

For what its worth, I have signed up for the 45L Travel Backpack and the 35L Duffel.
They will combine well with my 20L Everyday Backpack (which currently houses all my 645 gear) and my Everyday Messenger 13"

All four together are much cheaper than my wife's Louis Vuitton

[bdery]

Peak design, The Apple of camera bags.

Is that a good or bad thing?

A few years ago when Apple was leading the pack in innovation, and charged you for it, I'd have agreed.

As stated earlier, I'm not interested nor able to discuss/justify the prices,

For what its worth, I have signed up for the 45L Travel Backpack and the 35L Duffel.
They will combine well with my 20L Everyday Backpack (which currently houses all my 645 gear) and my Everyday Messenger 13"

All four together are much cheaper than my wife's Louis Vuitton

Well played.