INTRODUCTION
Mindshift Gear is a company founded by the creators of Think Tank Photo and photographer Daniel Beltrà.
Thanks to them, in the last weeks, I had the pleasure to test their top of the line camera backpack for travel and landscape photographers like me:
BACKLIGHT ELITE 45L
Before talking about features, materials and other technical specifications, I would like to explain why I think this could the perfect backpack for outdoors photographers like me.
First of all I love the design, the light weight despite the size and the backrest shape. The backpack is very comfortable and allows to remove several parts including the top extension and the belt if you need less space.
When I go out for a daily outdoor shooting, I usually bring with me my full frame camera, two or three lenses (such as 16-35mm, 24-105mm and 70-200mm of my gear), a DJI Mavic Pro drone with the remote controller, a power bank for my devices, a tripod (GorillaPod or a standard tripod), other photography accessories (like ND filters, straps, cases, lens caps, etc), min 0,7 liters of water, some food, hat, gloves, additional clothing and more.
This is my typical outdoor shooting backpack. I have another camera backpack but 30L isn’t enough to bring with me everything I need.
Now, with my new Mindshift Backlight Elite 45L backpack, I am sure that I will no longer have any space problems.
The 45L space is enough for daily trips and also for a camp night. This because the backpack is equipped with different attachments that allow you to easily attach products outside of it such as sleeping bag, tent, mats, blankets and clothes.
The backpack is equipped with a large department with customizable compartments located on the wearer’s back. This means that all your gear is in a safe and hidden area of the backpack, away from potential shocks.
The coating materials and all zips are water resistant and make the backpack perfect for outdoor activities.
DIMENSIONS
Exterior Dimensions (waist belt and top pocket removed): 13” W x 23.5” H x 8” D (33 x 59.7 x 20.3 cm)
Camera Compartment: 11.4” W x 19.3” H x 6.8” D (29 x 49 x 17.3 cm)
Laptop Pocket: 11.2” W x 16.1” H x 1”D (28.5 x 41 x 2.5 cm)
Tablet: 10.6” W x 10.2” H x 0.6” D (27 x 26 x 1.5 cm)
Weight: 3.9–7.0 lbs. (1.8–3.2 kg)
Volume: 45 Liters
MATERIALS
Exterior:
Durable water-repellant (DWR) coating
Polyurethane coating
Weather-resistant YKK® AquaGuard® zippers
High-performance Sailcloth
420D rip-stop nylon
320G UltraStretch mesh
Ribbed and perforated dual-density foam
350G airmesh
Honeycomb airmesh
Perforated closed-cell foam
Heavy-duty nylon tarpaulin
Nylon webbing
3-ply bonded nylon thread
Interior:
200D polyester
Hexa-mesh pockets
PE board reinforcement
High-density closed cell foam
3-ply bonded nylon thread
