The reason that Shimoda still wins for me is the removable ICUs with their separate carry bags. We all tend to overload carry on bags. If you get called out for a gate check the ability to pull the ICU as a personal bag and carry on your most important equipment is invaluable. Additionally, I like to check my 40 liter Shimoda backpack. And carry on my heavy heavy roller bag with the backpack full of my clothes etc. Then when I get where I am going I switch my camera gear to the backpack from the roller bag. Removable ICUs allow for this to happen. It works in airports for real traveling in a way that the Athlete does not. I have a show on KZfaq where we cover the Shimoda and the roller from them. GearTime Live with Photog Adventures. Love your show Mark.

Excellent review. I like the comparison categories! Answered many of questions in mind. Will push the button on the Shimoda soon. Thanks man!

Great reviews and help differentiating these packs. I have no experience with any, but like the functionality presented. Outstanding!

Thanks for the review Mark.

Hi Mark .. I first watched this video probably about 6 months ago as I was looking at upgrading to a more suitable back pack. The bag that caught my interest was the Atlas. The one reason I didn't get one was the price of the bag being so expensive after all its just another camera bag (Or Is It ). So I finally decided to take the plunge and ordered one and wow what an amazingly awesome piece of equipment packed full of features and so well designed. The best thing about this bag for me is how well balanced it feels when your wearing it. I can walk for miles with this thing on my back loaded with camera equipment with no problem at all. if I had not looked at your review I probably would not have purchased this bag so thanks again for your brilliant videos they do make a difference to lots of people like me.

The Atlas Athlete is an excellent bag. It carries weight the way a bag should for ease of movement and long treks. I used an F-Stop Tilopa for 8.5 years. Great bag for ease of access to all gear but, it never was very comfortable. The tripod mounts on the front of the bag using the top carry handle and a tarp bungee to secure it in place. But, with the Atlas, my tripod can fit inside and this is great for avoiding issues with snagging on tree branches etc... when trekking through thick rain forests.

I really enjoyed this review especially since these are not the 3 typical bags you usally see on KZfaq. I have also heard good things about the Atlas Bag. I just wish the logo was not so prominent.

Thanks for doing this comparison Mark. These bags are so expensive for some of us. We have to get it right the first time

I really appreciate the detail you included on each of these bags. Thank you for a great video.

I just bought the Atlas Athlete in yellow for exactly the same reasons as you! Nice one, keep up the good work. Thanks.

I have been binge watching your channel; great content. I have been into photography for several years, but this channel has reinvigorated my passion. Thank you for everything you do!

Great video, very well done. I do believe that most photography pack makers forget about the extra stuff (rain jackets, food, two water bottles, gloves and rain pants and perhaps even a vest) that wildlife/landscape photographers take out with them. I think I may look at the Atlas pack. I use a Lowpro Whistler 450 which I really like but can't get the extra gear in when I am going out for a day or long morning/afternoon. plus it tends to let me carry more than I need in camera gear. :)

Great video. Just subscribed. I've had the Fstop Ajna for about 3 years and the shortcomings you mentioned were all pet peeves of mine. Been researching the Shimodo but never heard of the Atlas. As I hike quite a bit I will definitely put it into consideration.

Mark just wanted to let you know that I loved the B roll in the beginning of the video. You should do it more often and I appreciate you going the extra mile by doing that. It doesn’t go unnoticed keep up the amazing work buddy!! 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻

Thanks for another great video, Mark! Saw this after your Atlas Pack Review which I viewed yesterday. This one is also amazing, and helps "cinch" for me my choice to go "Atlas!" The non-camera carry, the flexibility of the camera dividers, and the portability of size for carry-on for airplanes (being able to tighten it down) is fantastic. I also love the color, which I know is purely a personal taste choice. Black is fine, too, but that jazzy yellow says "Here I am photographing the wilderness!" (OK, OK....settle down, Scott ;)!!) Truly great info, Mark! I appreciate your work on our behalf! Have a great day :)!! Scott/Minnesota

Huge help, thank you!

Thanks for doing this! I was leaning towards the Shimoda or the Atlas Athlete. Guess Atlas it is! I like the non camera cary option.

I received my Atlas Athlete today and absolutely agree that it is an awesome hybrid backpack. My only wish would be that the pockets that connect to the waist belt extended out further away from the backpack or were part of the removable waist belt and were positioned closer to the pelvis area for greater accessibility. I packed it up today and was able to fit a ton of stuff in this backpack: I was able to pack: 2 cameras Fuji X-T3 and X- T2 1 battery grip 1 battery charger 1 small Godox flash 6 lenses 1 joby tripod 13 inch MacBook Air w/charger 9.7 inch iPad w/charger 1 over the ear headphones. ( Bowers and Wilkins P5s) 4 pants 6 shirts 6 underwear 6 pair socks 1 belt 1 gym shorts Running shoes 1 Peak design field pouch full of camera stuff 1 notebook 1 iPhone and charger I still had room for a few more small items. The bag weighed in at 35 pounds. I can’t wait to travel with it.

Thank you for this video! It really helped me narrow down what bag I want! I haven’t invested in a photography bag yet and now I know I will get the Atlas bag!! Thank you

Thanks! This was super helpful!

Yes the intro was 🔥🔥🔥🔥

This video was exactly what I needed to help me make a purchase decision. Great rating categories and the score totals screen was very helpful. Great job!

Amazing video. Intro was on point. I learned a lot about the bags and the atlas bag looks more and more promising for my future needs.

For times when not packing a bunch of non camera gear or a laptop. I've taken to placing the tripod in the main compartment of the Atlas Athlete. Slide the tripod down past the the camera compartment and cinch down the brain. Weight is nice and centered.

Great comparison man. I have an Athlete on the way and i’m super excited. Allan is such a nice dude, he took over an hour to chat with me about the pack over the phone. So happy to support a company like that and I just really hope it will work well for me!

Love it mate👍🏻 I brought a lowepro whistler 450 a while back. But love your review vids

Interesting camera bag review Mark - these are certainly the premium brands to choose from. I use an F-Stop Loka 35Ltr backpack which I'm quite happy with, but am looking into a larger camera bag for longer hikes & overseas travel (needs to be carry-on friendly). Some observations about the 3 packs you reviewed from a guy who worked for over 15yrs in the outdoor retail industry as a buyer for a major Aussie company: Shimoda 40L Explorer - I've been hearing some positive things about this brand, especially regarding the comfort of the harness system. The F-Stop bags have a decent harness system but one that is inferior to top pack companies like Osprey, Gregory or Deuter. Shimoda seems to have nailed the harness system, though I'd stress that comfort is very personal and everybody's torso is unique, so you have to try before you buy. You can adjust the length of the harness to suit various torso lengths and this I see as an advantage. Personally, I find the Shimoda pack designs somewhat agricultural-looking - I'd probably score them about 3/5 for looks. Would prefer some more organisation pockets for smaller items. The Shimoda is the worst out the 3 in this department by some margin. I also prefer water bottles even though using a hydration bladder is a much more efficient way of keeping the fluids up. Disappointed that the Shimoda doesn't have water bottle side pockets. Not a big fan of how the back panel opens sideways - seems less secure potentially for your camera gear. I also prefer carrying the tripod in the middle of the pack for balance - especially when scrambling on rough terrain. Shimoda doesn't seem to provide for this option - though their tripod carrying solution seems a well thought out implementation. Though the disadvantage of my way of carrying the tripod in the middle of the pack is the tripod is slightly further away from your back which equates to a heavier effective carrying weight. It's generally preferable to keep heavy items closer to your back. Atlas Athlete Pack - looks like there's a new kid in town & better for all the gear heads as more competition will push designs & quality. This pack definitely is the most versatile out of the trio and by far the best option if you wanna go backcountry on overnight trips with it's expanding lid design. But having said that 40Ltr backpacks filled with camera gear are not usually an option for overnight use - need 60-70ltrs I reckon. The ability of the Atlas packs to customise the pack by choosing various sizes hipbelts and harness lengths leave the other two behind in their wake. Removable internal frames and hipbelt are clever design features. I like the way the rear pack opening works - similar to the F-Stop bags. Though beware of the Atlas Adventure Pack's (The Athlete's bigger brother) design where the whole back including the harness flips out to the side! Talk about a major brain explosion! Every time you sit the pack down & open it you potentially will get dirt, mud, or snow on the harness. Mark, I'm still trying to work out why you find a fixed ICU system beneficial!? For my money the ability to swap ICU units depending on the trip & how much gear you want to take is a major bonus. Appears to me that the Atlas doesn't have a lot of room in the ICU for camera gear without performing some origami tricks and even then it still looks more suited to smaller mirrorless gear. Certainly unimpressed with the large 'Atlas' logo screaming out as a walking advertisement. Ugh! F-Stop Ajna (Red Bull edition) - firstly I'd say that this pack was probably the wrong choice for you. You would've been much better off with the 50Ltr Tilopa. I know you're comparing 40Ltr packs but the Ajna has a shorter back length that would be more suitable for shorter guys or perhaps our lady shooters. The Tilopa's harness is approx 3" (7.5cms) longer and would probably carry more comfortably. The fact that information isn't common knowledge is F-Stop's fault for burying the information on their website. The Tilopa would have given you some more storage for non-camera gear too with the extra 10Ltrs of capacity. The F-Stop harness system needs a bit of a revamp methinks. Maybe 5yrs ago they were ahead of the pack, but the pack has waved to them as they went past. That situation may have happened due to the guy who was running the business almost running F-Stop into the ground financially. Sadly, customer service, the supply of the packs, and perhaps potential new designs suffered due to this. Hopefully they'll pick up their game in the future. Final Thoughts: So none of the packs are perfect - the Holy Grail is still out there somewhere, but boy has camera bag design improved in recent years. We're spoilt for choice with camera bags for landscape photography. 25-30yrs ago when I was shooting film (Fuji Velvia) the only game in town was Lowe-Pro & there were very few bags that catered to photographers who wanted to head out from suburbia. Providing for non-camera gear was virtually an afterthought. It's a great time to be an outdoor or travel photographer! As for myself & my search for a larger camera bag, I'll be considering the Shimoda 60Ltr Explorer or the (defunct) F-Stop Satori or Sukha. Who knows somethin' new & exciting may arrive on the market!

Seriously loved this! I am getting ready to buy an RV and travel the US backpacking long distances so this review was super important because my relatively cheaper lowpro bags just dont do enough. Thank you! #liked and #subbed lol

Finally. Thanks Mark

Excellent video! Thank you!

Happy you did this one Mark!

The removable camera unit is actually really useful if you want to transition between a pelican air or mec scully dry bag, find yourself shooting from the car and want quicker access, or if you simply get into a battle with an airline and need to appease them by gate checking the outer bag. My Loka UL has mesh water bottle side pockets. I actually found my daily commuter, a wandered provoke 21, surprisingly competent for light hiking, even loaded up with snowshoes, when I needed an extra bag for a friend. The shimoda style looks more “luggage” than “adventure” to my eye.

Hey Mark! Great video, and super review! I currently sport the LowePro ProTactic 450 and have been searching for a bag with more carry options. Atlas looks like a winner. Glad to support your channel👍🏻 Merry Christmas🎄

Great review of the bags, own the Anja, those cinch straps on my tripod come loose frequently, end up having to put a knot to secure. One other advantage about the removable ICUs, Airports and small planes where they require you to check the bag because it won't fit, you can pop out that ICU every time and carry all your valuable gear on to the plane.

Thanks for the great review! These high-end camera backpacks sure look very attractive! Shimoda is having a Kickstarter campaign for their new Action X backpacks which also has removable waist belt. They look nice, but I still like Atlas Athlete's drawstring opening and expandability/compactability... My ideal camera backpack would be Atlas Athlete pack (without the big logo) + Shimoda shoulder straps + Lowepro Flipside Trek's ability to open the camera compartment fully/half-way without taking the bag off (some sort of modification to the lumbar support/waist belt base).

Very nice comparison and incredibly helpful. Thanks for pulling it together. I just ordered the Atlas. Wish I'd had it for my recent trip to Iceland. Looks perfect for my needs. I was very frustrated with the LowePro packs; they don't seem to get it.

Great review! Thank you very much! I wonder if you have ever tried or considered Lowepro Whistler 450 AW version one and what are your thoughts on it. I have been using it for two years now. I did choose it because of the possibility to carry also other things, not only a camera. When buying it I was struggling a lot to find anything which works both for hiking and camera gear. It seems that the situation is has improved a lot since then. About the removable insert, I find it very convenient that I can remove it with all my camera gear still inside of it and put it into a roller when needed. This makes travelling with camera gear on the plane a lot easier. My solution is working for me now, but I do constantly look if there is anything better on the market. Newest version of the Whistler doesn't have this removable insert so I am a bit disappointed with it. Once again thank you for the video! I just wanted to add my thoughts.

Great video mark. I spent many an hour looking at bags. ended up with the shimoda 60. Almost went for the atlas, but felt the icu was to narrow and import to uk was a hassle. Maybe one day i can have all three 👍👍😊😊

Very nice tnx; I've been eyeballing these 3 bags for a long time (my favourite being the Atlas Athlete) and I was looking for a side-by-side comparison and I think your videos hits all the right points ; so a big thank you. I have been debating though if I should go for the Adventure; Athlete's big brother because I only occasionally need more space. More space is necessary when doing international travel so you want to max on the gear you carry in the cabin and then when you reach your destination leave any unnecessary staff (e.g. battery chargers, back up drives, flash, laptop) at your hotel and only carry the staff necessary for each outing. So if you have the bigger brother or can get it in for a review I would love a comparison between the two Atlas packs. I suppose if you have a 400 f/2.8 upwards then it has to be the Adventure. But when you do not carry long glass in it how small can you get the Adventure to be? Plus it is three kilos so even if you are able to hinge the Adventure down to the size of the Athlete you'll be carrying an extra kilo around for no reason (which is roughly the equivalent of carrying an extra body, a spare cammera battery and a few filters). I would buy both but then I already have 2 other backpacks and several other camera bags so I've been sitting on the fence (to avoid the Mrs sending me to the doghouse:-))

That intro🔥 SO SO GOOD!!

that intro has got you 1 more sub, epic! :) great video!

Dope intro of the backpacks.

Looks like it’s time to purchase a black atlas from amazon. Thanks for the great review!!!!

Any thoughts on the Gitzo Adventury 30L? I'm looking for a similar bag to the ones you have, but slightly smaller. I really like the Atlas bag you showed, but it's above my budget.

Enjoying your videos. How do you carry camera gear for multiple day backpacking trips - with tent, sleeping bag, etc?

Just found your channel and subscribed. I've been an avid Fstop bag owner for years (currently have 4 packs), but am open to better options. I'm not sure if you have mentioned it or tried it, but hands down my favorite way to carry a tripod is with the Fstop tripod bag. It straps on, conceals and protects the tripod, weights very little, and quick & easy to slip the tripod in or out. I hate strapping tripod naked to the pack. I almost always have a tripod bag on each side. The 2nd one is either empty, or a great place to stow extra jacket, macro paraphernalia, or other extra gear. Would carry a sleeping bag or other light bulky stuff very well, too. To each his own, but Mark, I would never carry a laptop in that back panel of the Shimoda or any other pack. Way too much pressure and twisting potential to stress out a laptop not designed for that kind of stress.

There it is! Really great video. I think for me personally the perfect bag would be a mix from the atlas and shimoda. From a design and colour style I personally like the shimoda a little bit better. What I really like (only can speak from the videos as I cannot get my hands on so easily here in Germany) is the built in ICU with the origami style.That you can fit A TON of non camera gear in it (in a different video I've seen that the material is super stretchy). I also think the laptop sleeve is really great compared to the shimoda (Imagine you're out in shitty weather and you open the bag and your laptop gets flooded?!). Functionality of the atlas with the design of the shimoda would be MY bag I'd say :)

Thank you very much for your content man! You have a new sub! :) Btw, since the Atlas stuff isn't available easily (yet) in Europe, I saw that LowePro just released the Powder BP 500 AW. It seems a pretty good competitor. Do you have any plans to try it out?

B-roll is outstanding - your best to date. Thanks for the shout out at 0:40 along with other commenters who have requested you do a compare of these three bags. I have a number of thoughts about your review and your rating system. Rating system was first rate. You are the only KZfaq creator focusing on both tools and techniques for photography that gave some thought to how best to compare what are 3 amongst the top 5 (in my opinion only) photography backpack manufacturers that cater to an outdoorsy user. I would add ThinkTank/Mindship and LowePro to any list where someone is considering this piece of kit. Both Shimoda's (40 and 60 liter) when empty compress quite a lot if the ICUs are removed. Having the ability to remove the ICU and place it in its Shimoda supplied zipper cover case with handle makes the bag more convenient to pack and carry on your body, lenses and other breakables - especially when confronted by an ornery gate agent that doles out grief the bag loaded exceeds carry-on limits, or the bins are already full and you have no choice but to gate check, or taking on board a small plane when flying to out of the way places like islands in the SW Pacific and virtually anywhere in Africa to name two. It is this characteristic that sold me on Shimoda, and that your rating system did not account for. It is what I would term "convenience factor". Also for those who might be wondering, the 40 liter Shimoda (w/o ICUs) will fit in any soft 60 liter duffel bag with just minimal impact, leaving plenty of space to pack what normally goes in a duffel. 60 liter is the max allowed when going to Africa and flying on small planes to lodges and villages. Thank you for doing this, I got a lot of good information from it and your review convinced me I made the right choice with Shimoda.

Hey Mark... After a couple of years now, how do you feel the Atlas bag stands up to the field? I've been eye-balling it for a couple of months. Thanks! Great comparison video.

Great video and editing that intro Mark. I'm in the process of deciding I think on the Atlas Adventure but your reviews and my chats with Allan at Atlas both been very helpful. Also this is a nice distraction from the crazy politics currently here in England !! (Hey but you're used to that over there !! )

I also own an Ajna. The zipppers have began to rust. Sigh Thanks for making this video! It is very informative.

Hi Mark!! First, want to say that the video is top job....a very comprehensive and detailed video about all three bags, very well done!. I just need to say somenthing...the score for the Ajna on water carry was 3,5 even having two pockets (zipped, I know...would be awesome if they were mesh ones...but you can fit 2L bottles in there) and "water bladder" inside....and the score for the Shimoda is 4,5 NOT having side pockets and just the water bladder...I simply don't understand :-) I have the Ajna since March and have to say, it's a good bag. I agree with you, the tripod carry options are almost non-existent (or complicated / not very good ones), and also it's not 100% confortable over long periods of time. Overall, I think it should get at least 24points...

Interesting. I'd not heard of the Atlas bags before, but they're on my radar now. I initially didn't think the F-Stop bag you used for comparison was fair. But, after looking at the Ajna, I have to admit that I didn't realize how big the difference was in the straps and hip belt is between that bag and the Tilopa which I have. I love my F-stop Tilopa, but had been looking for a bit of a smaller bag for some occasions. I'll probably take the Tilopa off that list and add the Atlas bag to think about.

I love that the Shimoda has side access but I wish it was a door rather than just a zipper. I don't think I'd use it as is. A side door would work really well with the integrated compartment in the Atlas. Maybe Allan will include it in the Athlete v2. :-)

Would love to have seen the Mindshift Rotation 180 in here as well!

I saw the complete video on KZfaq on my TV. Excellent video. I would definitely like to go for Atlas, but the bag is pretty expensive. Perhaps it is worth an investment though.

I just stumbled across your space. And all I can say is I am glad I did. I have been looking for a bag like that atlas for months. And I thought all that was available was stuff like lowepro. I must not have been asking or searching correct criteria. I am an avid backpacker/day hiker and my daughters are getting into photography and video and they can also use the bag. Now to see if I can carry a bivy and some other items to make it an overnight or weekend pack. Thanks for the reviews

Hi mark!! Awesome review and comparision with this bag. I was rooting for the atlas. However I already ordered the Lowepro Powder BP500 55L Hiking bag. It has 50 percent for camera gear and 50 percent for storage. They came up with this bag around October of 2018 but there are only very few videos of this bag so far. Mine will arrive on the 28th of May 2020. It was on sale here in the UAE for 50 percent so I had to grab it before the sale is over. Is there any chance you would review this bag?

I was literally looking for this kind of info 2 weeks ago. Atlas looks like my perfect solution. Thank you.

Another great video and just love the intro/B-roll that you have up front! Your presentations are thoughtful and clear, a pleasure to listen to you. I tried the Atlas Athlete, which has all the features I'm looking for (water bottle holder, room for non-camera gear, and comfort). Alas, it won't fit a full DSLR and the Adventure is too large and too heavy, if only the Athlete were a teeny tad deeper. BTW, I thought you were an extra 0.5 points lenient on the Shimoda for water carry.

Love your videos, Mark! There's a new kid on the block. The WANDRD PRVKE. I'm hearing good things. Hope to see you review it.

Great video Mark. One thing I think you didn't touch on in the video, that is very important to me as a ski photographer who spends most of his time shooting on snow. Is the ability for a camera bag to carry all the gear that I need in a mountain environment, particularly skis. Being able to A-Frame my skis on a bag is crucial for me and the best bag in my opinion for that is the F-Stop Tilopa. When shooting in the backcountry, I need to carry my avalanche gear, shovel and probe mainly (I wear my transceiver obviously) and this bag has so much space for those as well as skins etc. It's a 50L bag and it has a dedicated laptop sleeve. I have never had issue carrying a tripod on it despite not having the ability to put the feet into a pocket, when carrying skis, I strap the tripod to the front. In terms of compressibility, if you don't have any camera gear, you can remove the ICU, as with the Ajna and then you can synch it down really small. Also because F-Stop sell multiple different size ICU's you can use a smaller one when you have less gear and create more space for other gear or just lighten your load. For water, it has a dedicated bladder pocket with a hole for your tube and a strap on the shoulder strap to hold you mouthpiece in place. Both these other bags look great but for adventure photography, the F-Stop has to take the win in my opinion.

Mark, the new Shimoda 30 is now shipping, would love to see a review on the new but smaller pack compares. Major difference : Removable waist belt on the new 30. However I am interested seeing a comparison in comfort and capacity vs.the 40L.

Thank you for the Review. About the Atlas Athlete Pack. Why did you get the Large version apposed to the Medium version? Does the Frame size make that much of a Difference? Thank you.

Hi Mark, Thanks for posting this video. I had been looking forward to seeing this kind of comparison. I am thinking of ordering the Atlas athlete pack but there a few things on which I would like to hear your thoughts. Thanks 1 - ICU dividers: The dividers are chunky and seem to protect the gear very well but they take a lot of space and do not have 90 degree angles. This is fine if you store lenses and camera body separately but not if you want to store the camera with lens attached. All setups I’ve seen online do look pretty messy and not very efficient in terms of space usage. 2 - Thin profile: I love the fact that it can compress and have a really thin profile when the pack isn’t full. This is mostly due to the shallow ICU but at 5.25” of depth, it doesn’t leave much room to store gear vertically. Can it store a DJI remote vertically or do you need to lay it flat? 3 - Side pockets: I am a water bottle guy and I often carry a water bottle on one side and a tripod on the other side of my backpacks. The side pockets are stretchy and huge which is great for water bottles of all sizes. The material looks a bit loose so does it really hold water bottles firmly? Do the side pockets have some sort of lining on the inside or are they made of simple stretchy material? If the latter, the side pockets will most likely stretch and rip over time. By the way, there’s another very important criteria... weight! The Atlas athlete seems to be one of the lightest.

Thank you for your review. I am particularly interested in the Atlas bag as it seems to have the most flexibility but I have owned the F-Stop Ajna and Lotus bags for a few years now. There are two points I don't completely agree with your review on the F-Stop bag. I noticed that the ICU you have in the Ajna is pretty big and is deep, when compared to the other two bags. If you swap this out for one of the shallow ICU's then the bag can carry much more non camera gear. . Second, I think you are judging the Ajna much more harshly for water carry then the Shimoda. It appears to me that they have the same options for water carry and therefore should have been scored more closely. Thank you for taking the time to compare the bags.

If you like touring skiing, and to take you camera with you the Atlas its perfect. I think you can care your skis on the side, and it will fit also survival equipment. For me the Atlas will be my next backpack.

Well done.

While you were going over the Atlas, i was drooling and trying to figure out how to get my wife to let me buy it. I Love it!

Even though you mentioned comfort in the straps on the SHIMODA it may prove to be a hindrance to we women with more to carry in front ...so to speak...would have to try one on to make a full assessment..thank you for posting this and the time taken...much appreciated.

Thank you for this review. It helped me a lot to make a decision after months of reviewing and testing bags. I decided to go with the Atlas Pack because it also completes my hiking necessities. Adam (the founder) helped me buying the right size for me.

Mark, this is a great review and most helpful. I have owned an Ajna (just sold it) but switched to the Shimoda 40L which I find far more comfortable. That said, I have the same thoughts on the Shimoda that you have. I wish there were pockets for water bottles - real water bottles. I which the waist belt were removable (though I believe they may now offer a removable waistbelt but I may be wrong on that - mine is not.) I wish the straps on the Shimoda were a bit less wide and cluttered so that I could more easily use my Peak Design Capture attachments. I wish they had not provided a side access zipper on one side as I find it not that functional and that side could have been used for something else (like utility pockets such as the Athlete has.) I wish I could get a shallower ICU as I moved to mirrorless and my Sony gear tends to knock around in the ICU. Though I don't and won't backpack with this bag or travel with it, I do appreciate having a bit more storage for non-camera gear. (I would be happier with 20L but I could deal with what the Athlete offers.) One thing that I prefer with the Shimoda and in fact the primary selling point for me is the adjustable attachment points for the harness. The Athlete comes in 2 sizes but the Shimoda has 4 different attachment points for the straps which allows you to dial in the fit which makes a big difference if you are, like me, relying on the waist belt for supporting as much weight as possible. Mark, since you have both do you have an idea how the torso measurements compare between the Athlete and the Shimoda? I have my Shimoda set to Medium (though could use Large). Which Athlete size would most closely match that. I also prefer the cleaner look of the Shimoda and they way you can conceal the excess strap material. But if I can be assured that the Athlete would fit (and that I won't regret buying it when they come out with an improved model a month later ;-) then I would get one.

Great video Mark. I’ve really loved your bag reviews, and I’ve been wanting to pick-up an Atlas Pack since you first reviewed it. However, I’m looking for an all-around solution for my travel needs. I need a solution that can carry all my gear when I travel AND be used when I get there, rather than using another bag. It doesn’t look like the Athlete Pack is the right size for me (usually bring a lot of lenses); although, it would be the perfect size once I do get to my destination. I’m looking at the Adventure bag, you first reviewed, to carry all my gear when I travel. Do you think the Adventure pack is too big to carry around at my destinations? I don’t want to look like a mountaineer walking around town or into a coffee shop. Thanks.

Hey, I'm struggling with the shimoda code - can't even find a discount code option at checkout. Any ideas?

Interesting Review on all bags, specially if You are on a tight budget and being able to buy only one... I think there is only one important point missing on the evaluation and that is ENVIRONMENT HOLDING capability, like heavy rain, water splashing, heavy wet fog etc... would have been great to see it as an important point to look in a camera bag. Anyway it´s been very well covered most of the important issues on a camera bag/backpack... Sincerely: Juan Molina

Fstop Ajna 40L Pack disagreements: 1. How much internal space for non-photo gear depends on which ICU you chose. I chose the medium and have plenty of spare space. 2. I carry my tripod on the back and it works perfectly for me with no flopping about and it's easily accessible. 3. There is provision for a water bladder but I carry a zig bottle in one of the side pockets, my preference. 4. Possibly the most comfortable backpack even on long walks.

I have been using Shimoda Explore for the past 3+ years extensively for traveling aroand shoot. Hands down the best bag out here. 🔥

Nothing like a little Kodo drumming to kick-start an excellent video!

Haaa made it into the Video 😂 super exciting for this !!!!!

Hi Mark, got 2 questions. How do you do at the airports when passing security? do you have to remove all your gear and refill it? Is it allowed as hand luggage? are these bags waterproof?

What bag do recommend to carry a 600 mm prime, two bodies and and few small lens?

FYI the Lowepro Protactic 450 AW II is another 40l bag with a removable waist strap. Looks great too

I’ll probably end up selling my Ajna bag and getting the Shimoda. I like the Atlas pack but I don’t like the color options and I personally don’t like how big Atlas put their name on the pack. You’re basically a walking billboard for them 😂😂

Great editing! Thanks for this video, helped me determine which new bag I should get....Shimoda won.

Mark, I know its not as big as you would like but did you every look at the 30L version? Can't really find to much info on it. I guess the water bottle holder is the biggest issue I am finding with more bags than I thought. I am wanting a smaller bag that only needs to hold 2-3 lenses only with a a7Riii. The 40L seem just a little too big but I like being able to select a smaller camera ICU than the Atlas comes with. Any recommendations?

I tend to like the larger branding on this bag. It gives the bag a sporty look.

Hey Mark, Great video as always... just one little bitty comment. This is actually about the f-stop bag and waterbottles... there are a lot of different style waterbottles available these days. I would encourage people to explore options beyond the nontraditional round shapes bottles. There are much more space efficient designs out there (IMO) that work with the ajna or similar shaped low profile pockets. - Regards Ian

Any chance of those scores written down? Also I see you have both atlas and Shimodo listed as your usual gear, which do you prefer as those are the 2 I'm trying to decide between :)

It seems that atlas fits me better(I have many none photography equipments too). But here in China atlas is much more expensive (140 us dollars or more) than the other two, so I think I would go for the Shimoda.

What about waterproof/resistance? I marvel that this is rarely considered an important feature of a bag designed for carying very expensive camera gear.

How can you get a 3.5/5 for water carry if there is no water bottle storage?

If Atlas allowed you to purchase two versions one with removable ICU and one with it in permanently, it would click a lot more folks boxes. Also the wider strap of the Shimoda is slick for the comfort factor .. I personally like the fact you can shrink the size of the Atlas when your not taking nothing more than your camera gear on a days outing rather than an overnight or longer. A little less branding on the Atlas would be helpful, but I understand the manufactures train of thought there.... Thanks for the comparison Mark.

Hi, is there any way that a Pro small or Slope medium ICU form Fstop to fit inside a Shimoda Action X30 v1? even squeezing them quite a bit....Thank you so much!

👍👍👍thanks

Mark, interesting video and I was curious why you didn’t include the bags from ThinkTank/Mindshift with similar sizing ?

Thanks, Mark! I was hoping one of these recommendations might work for me today, but naturally the links (and probably products) are out of date. Still looking for a 2021 adventure landscape backpack for Iceland!

Interesting. I wish you had reviewed/compared the Shimoda Action (top loader) instead. Also, why only 4.5 for the tripod carry on the Shimoda. Thanks for this review. Super helpful - even 4 years later.

Do you think the Shimoda 40 is too big as a day bag?

This Atlas bag seems awesome, but I would miss a bit the access on the side. The Shimodas X series has came out, in 3 sizes (30, 50 and 70 liters). I just wonder which would could compare to the Atlas Athlete to put non camera gears in? It seems the 40 you show has not alot of non camera space compared to the Atlas, is that true? So perhaps the Shimoda X50 would compare to the Athlete in terms of non camera space. Would you like to answer this one?