8 Best Hiking Camera Backpacks Buyer’s Guide

Dimensions: 11.8 x 8.7 x 20.5 inches | Weight: 3.2 pounds

Thule’s Aspect DSLR Camera Bag Backpack is an excellent bag that works great for DSLR users with multiple lenses. In addition to the body, lenses and accessories, it fits a laptop or tablet up to about 15.5-inches and there’s a mount for a tripod on the outside. That said, you’ll either love or hate the design of this bag; the back doesn’t unzipper, so there’s no top-down access to the entire bag. Instead, there’s a side access through which you need to insert everything, which can feel a little like you’re solving a jigsaw puzzle to make everything fit. 

The bag is made of nylon and weighs about 3 pounds empty, and comes with a generous amount of padding for the shoulder straps and hip belt.

Dimensions: 12.6 x 10.24 x 20.87 inches | Weight: 5.8 pounds

If you need a larger bag with plenty of storage, look at the Manfrotto Bumblebee-230 PL Camera Bag Backpack, which measures a generous 11.8 x 8.7 x 20.5 inches. The back unzips to reveal room for countless lenses and accessories — you can probably fit two telephotos, another eight or nine standard and wide-angle lenses, and still have room for accessories. In fact, there’s no better signal that this is a large bag than the fact that you can pack a 17-inch laptop in here. Despite the size, it should qualify for carry-on on most airplanes.

The bag’s many sections are highly customizable. It has a tripod mount, tons of padding, and a secret weapon: A small lens pouch in the waist belt, letting you swap lenses without dismounting and rooting through the bag.

Dimensions: 11.81 x 7.09 x 18.5 inches | Weight: 4.7 pounds

Lowepro is one of the most well-respected names in camera bags, and the Lowepro ProTactic Backpack is a good example of why. This modular bag is chock full of exterior attachment points to add quick attach, quick adjustable straps to hang anything you need on the bag. Inside, there’s a ton of room and reconfigurable partitions to store multiple lenses, bodies, and even a drone. It’ll hold a 13-inch laptop as well. And you can quickly pull out your camera thanks to the side access door.

The waist strap converts into a handy utility belt with water bottle holder, tripod cup, and quick straps for holding lenses and other accessories. And it includes a rain pouch to keep the water-resistant bag dry in the elements.

Dimensions: 9.8 x 18.5 x 8.3 inches | Weight: 3.5 pounds

The Think Tank Photo Streetwalker Pro V2.0 Backpack features a tall and narrow design that can handle almost anything you need to pack, including one or two bodies and as many as a half-dozen lenses. The slimmer profile means it can’t handle large laptops, though; this is really best suited for a 10-inch tablet. You can strap a tripod to the front of the bag, and padded shoulder straps hold it all comfortably on your back.

Photographers with two bodies will love the side-by-side layout here, but there are some compromises. One big zippered door opens up the whole inside to view;  there’s no smaller accessory or personal item compartment on top. And there’s no waist strap, either, which might bother hikers who prefer not to carry the whole load on their shoulders.

Dimensions: 9.1 x 22.4 x 13 inches | Weight: 5.8 pounds

You know Peter McKinnon, right? YouTuber, photographer, filmmaker. He collaborated with Nomatic to create the Nomatic McKinnon Camera Pack Travel Camera Bag, and the result is a formidably priced backpack that is definitely worth every penny. It’s not just a camera bag, it’s a complete travel “system” that can replace your ordinary luggage when you travel — it has dedicated clothing compartments, is endlessly configurable for camera gear or personal items, and even expands with a zip to add extra depth if needed.

On the trail, it has a slew of handy quick-access side pockets, including a side door to your camera without opening the whole bag. It fits a 16-inch laptop and comes with small cases to hold memory cards and batteries. There’s even a full internal suspension system to help make the admittedly heavy bad ride easier on your back.

Dimensions: 24.5 x 19.5 x 52 | Weight: 2.6 pounds

Lowepro is known for its attractive, versatile, and durable camera gear, and the Lowepro Photo Sport Backpack is among the most lightweight bags you can buy, clocking in at about 2.6 pounds. There are actually two variations of this bag; the 200 is a bit smaller and designed for mirrorless cameras, which tend to be more compact, and the 300, which is better suited to DSLRs. Regardless of which one you choose, this camera backpack is relatively inexpensive (just a few ticks over $100), light, easy to carry and highly configurable. 

The bag’s signature feature is a fully integrated suspension system that mounts padded should straps and waist belt to an integrated back structure with pads. The waist belt has quick-access pockets and there’s something you rarely see in camera backpacks — a dedicated water bladder pouch to help you stay hydrated. And this bag will surprise you with the sheer number of compartments and thoughtful design touches. The exterior is chock full of pockets and pouches, and there’s a side door access to your camera, along with top-mount access for personal items like a jacket. 

Dimensions: 12.2 x 7.48 x 18.9 inches | Weight: 4.2 pounds

Gitzo targets the Adventury 30L Camera Backpack directly at bird, wildlife, nature and landscape photographers. With a voluminous interior, it can accommodate multiple telephoto lenses and a camera body fitted with a 200mm lens. The inside is configurable with velcro dividers and can handle multiple bodies or a drone as well. The exterior shell is water repellant, and there are multiple straps to secure even very large tripods.

Dimensions: 16 x 11 x 6 inches | Weight: 1.8 pounds

Looking for a budget-priced bag that clocks in well under $100? The G-raphy Camera Hiking Backpack is an inexpensive, lightweight bag to carry around your gear. It boasts many internal dividers allowing for easy dividing of your stuff, and it’s built to accommodate small laptops (up to 13 inches) and tablets. Of course, priced under $50, it’s not going to compete with high-end bags that cost $200 or more — but if you don’t need a super-resilient and rugged bag for long treks into the wild, the G-raphy might be for you, perfectly adequate for light day hikes and shooting around town.

This bag isn’t especially large — it’s 16x11x6 inches overall — but it can accommodate a smaller DSLR and a couple of lenses, or mirrorless camera and accessories. You get the usual Velcro partitions you can use to rearrange the interior as needed, and you can fit laptops up to about 15 inches as well.