I once went through a phase where I needed a wagon to drag my photography props along on a shoot – but once I’ve tasted the freedom of a minimalist gear kit, it’s hard to go back. Camera bags are beginning to jump on the minimalist trend too, skipping the plethora of pockets for a sleek and streamlined look. The Peak Design Travel Backpack 20L is one of those bags.
The exterior of the Peak Design Travel Backpack is all clean lines and simplicity – and the 20L is even more so than the earlier 30L and 45L options. Inside, the bag is minimalist as well, meant to carry a mirrorless and a few small lenses with a medium (or Smedium) camera cube.
The bag’s minimalist design isn’t just about looks – there’s little to get caught on tucking the bag under a seat, and the bag’s size was perfect for my more petite frame. But there were two features that were a bit too minimal for me to make it my go-to camera bag.
Peak Design Travel Backpack 20L: Specs
Capacity |
20L-23L |
Laptop |
Up to 16" MacBook Pro |
Tablet |
Up to 11" iPad |
Tripod |
External cord hook carry |
External Dimensions |
Standard: 18 x 7.8 x 5.7" (46 x 20 x 14.5cm) |
Internal Dimensions |
Standard: 17.7 x 7.8 x 5.5" (45.5 x 19.5 x 14cm) |
Weight |
2.5 lbs |
Materials |
Weatherproof solution-dyed 330D nylon Versa Shell external fabric |
Camera cube compatibility |
Fits up to a medium Camera Cube when expanded |
Peak Design Travel Backpack 20L: Price
I tested the 20L version of the Peak Design Travel Backpack, but the company also has 30L and 45L variants of the bag, which are not only larger but have slightly different pockets and features.
The 20L backpack sells for about $200 / £170 / AU$390 / CA$280 for the bag on its own.
But, like Peak Designs' other backpacks, the system needs a camera cube to carry photo and video gear. The Smedium camera cube sells for about $70 / £60 / AU$150 / CA$95, and the Medium for about $100 / £85 / AU$190 / CA$140, which adds to the cost of the bag.
That’s certainly not cheap, but it does make it one of Peak Design’s more affordable backpacks.
Peak Design Travel Backpack 20L: Design
My first impression of the Peak Design Travel Backpack 20L is just how sleek and minimalist the bag is. The backpack has very few protrusions on the outside, creating a slim and streamlined look.
Those clean lines aren’t just for looks. With fewer pockets and protrusions, there’s not much of the bag sticking out to get caught while trying to tuck it under an airplane seat or in another compact spot.
The bag’s main compartment unzips from the back panel in a clamshell style opening. This makes the main compartment easy to access. The bag will fit a Smedium or medium camera cube here and still have a bit of extra packing space at the top of the bag.
Those camera cubes have a divider system that’s both rigid and smart. Some of the divers have a built-in shelf – this is key for making sure that small pancake lenses don’t have too much space to bounce around. Using a “shelf” I could tuck a pancake and a GoPro in the same small lens slot.
There’s an exterior zipper that expands the bag’s main compartment a bit – which is required in order to fit a camera cube inside.
On the flip side of the back opening, there’s a laptop sleeve, and an extra small pocket, the right size for a handful of batteries and filters. The laptop sleeve is roomy for such a compact bag, fitting a 16-inch MacBook Pro, but this does make the back panel rigid, so it doesn’t mold as well to my back and isn’t quite as comfortable.
There’s a small secondary zipper at the top of the bag. This pocket extends down through maybe a third of the bag’s height and can fit smaller items like a wallet, sunglasses, and keys.
At first glance, there’s no obvious water bottle pocket on the bag. But that’s because the bag uses a hidden interior water bottle pocket that keeps the bottle upright on the inside of the bag.
On the one hand, this hidden water bottle pocket is great because the traditional mesh stretchy side pockets often catch on things, like when sliding the bag underneath a seat.
But I found the hidden water bottle pocket too minimalist for two key reasons. One, the pocket only fits smaller bottles and won’t fit, say, a travel coffee mug with a handle on it or a Stanley-style cup with a straw. I also had to turn the camera cube to get a water bottle to fit.
But the bigger problem is that while the exterior fabric is waterproof, the interior lining of the water bottle pocket is not. The thin fabric made me nervous while packing a bottle inside, so I decided to intentionally leave a water bottle cap a little too loose, and the water did, in fact, end up in the main compartment where camera gear is stashed. Peak Design’s camera cubes are water-resistant, but that would mean keeping the cube zipped rather than open for fast access.
The interior water bottle pocket won’t fit a full-height tripod, but Peak Design still included a tripod carry option on this bag. Included straps will attach a tripod to the bag. The straps are a bit fiddly to get on, but once gravity is helping keep the straps tight, my tripod didn’t budge.
The exterior fabric is, however, water-resistant, including weather-sealed zippers. The nylon shell feels very sturdy and gives the bag a classic look. But, the feel of the material is a little rougher than other Peak Design bags that I’ve tried – like the Travel 2-in-1 – and that texture tends to attract pet hair and dirt more than other nylon bags that I’ve tried.
The straps on the Travel 20L are a little narrower than Peak Design’s larger bags, but I have a more petite frame, and I thought this design fit quite well. The straps also have a good amount of padding and are well-shaped, with a removable chest strap to keep them in place.
The bag was very comfortable to wear for several hours with smaller items tucked inside. The bag is comfortable with a mirrorless camera, a few small lenses, and a flash tucked inside. Fully packing the bag out with a laptop and tripod latched on, the weight is a bit much – it’ll be fine for short periods, but I wouldn’t hike with it all day with that much gear inside – it’s best for minimal gear setups.
Along with the straps, there’s also a thick grab handle at the top and a luggage trolley pass-through at the back.
While the Peak Design Travel 20L carries the same name as the brand’s previously launched Travel Backpack 30L and 45L bags, the smaller bag takes an even more minimalist approach. There’s no secondary side access to the main compartment, the water bottle pocket has moved to the inside, and there’s no waist belt on the smaller bag.
Peak Design Travel Backpack: Verdict
The Peak Design Travel Backpack 20L is both wonderfully and frustratingly minimalist at the same time. I loved the sleek look of the bag, the streamlined pockets, and the fact that there’s nothing for the bag to really catch on.
The bag is also pretty comfortable to carry a mirrorless camera and a few smaller lenses with. As a petite person, I often feel a bit swallowed by larger camera packs, so the compact size of this bag was a good fit for me personally.
However, I think the internal water bottle pocket at least should have used a waterproof material to avoid disastrous leaks. I also didn’t like the fabric – it tended to attract pet hair and dirt more than other nylon bags.
Overall, that mix meant I liked the bag, but didn’t quite love it. It’s great for a minimalist bag and particularly well-suited for petite frames and short trips. But, I wouldn’t put a water bottle in it, nor overload it with both camera gear, a laptop, and a tripod.
Peak Design Travel Backpack: Alternatives
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