Unlock the Ultimate Versatility: Peak Design’s Everyday Outdoor Backpack
The Peak Design 25L Outdoor Backpack: A Perfect Blend of Form and Function?
I’m a self-admitted perfectionist, and the term "perfect" is often used to describe my experience with Peak Design’s first backpack, the Everyday Backpack. That 20-liter pack was so popular among techies and camera enthusiasts that we’d often get our bags mixed up at industry events.
Fast forward to 2016, and I was hauling around a laptop, a DSLR with external flash and at least one long lens, a tripod, and a portable battery or two to keep everything charged. Today, I need a bag that can also carry gear like a drone and controller, an action camera with a wireless mic and selfie stick, and maybe even a Starlink Mini dish with a portable solar panel to keep everything connected and charged.
As someone who likes to work as remotely as possible, often from the limited confines of an adventure van, I’m also looking for a singular bag that can quickly adapt for a hike or bike ride, a trip to the gym or office, or a weekend getaway via train or airplane. And, of course, it needs to stow quickly and compactly until its next use.
In my two months testing Peak Design’s new, lighter-weight, and more versatile 25L Outdoor Backpack, I can say that it’s not perfect, but it’s better, assuming you’re willing to spend more on accessories.
Pros:
- Adapts quickly to many types of loads
- Looks great outdoors, at the gym, or in a casual office
- Weather- and abrasion-resistant
- Benefits from the Peak Design ecosystem of add-ons
Cons:
- The rainfly accessory is required for water resistance in harsh weather
- The Ultra Cinch cord can be bulky and cumbersome
The Verdict:
When perfection is the benchmark, there are always going to be quibbles. I like the lightweight, unstructured design of the 25L Outdoor Backpack, which lets you layer on protection (and weight) as needed. Once I added the Camera Cubes, it kept my expensive gear protected and organized while looking and functioning better than Peak Design’s original Everyday Backpack.
At $249.95 / €279.99, this is the most versatile backpack Peak Design has ever made. But it only reaches its true potential for gadget and photography enthusiasts after you buy a Camera Cube or two. At that point, you’re looking at a pack that costs at least $320 and could easily exceed $400.
That’s not too outrageous for a full-featured camera bag. You can pay around $215 for the smaller but heavier Manfrotto 22.5L PRO Light Backloader, $324 for the larger Wandrd 31L Prvke top-loader with camera cubes, or almost $400 for the Nomatic 25L McKinnon Camera Pack and cubes.
I do love Peak Design’s 25L Outdoor Backpack and will likely ask Santa for it to avoid betraying my own Everyday Backpack, which has served me well for many years. However, my colleague Vjeran Pavic from our video team, who regularly travels the world with a bag full of cameras and drones, has already switched out his Everyday bag for the white 25L Outdoor Backpack.
Photography by Thomas Ricker / The Verge
