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Summit Creative Camera Backpack Review

Camera bags are an essential element of any photography setup, allowing you to transport your gear safely, securely, and comfortably. As is often the case, photographers may require more than one solution for this seemingly simple task, as there’s no ‘one bag fits all’ option.

Camera backpacks have become the go-to choice for outdoor enthusiasts, whether in the city, nature, or on travel, as they allow you to carry large amounts of equipment more easily. With this in mind, I was thrilled to have the opportunity to test out a Summit Creative backpack for a hands-on Summit Creative Camera Backpack Review during a 10-day landscape photography trip, which ended in Exmoor National Park during autumn 2024.

Discover how the Summit Creative Tenzing performed during an intensive trip involving landscapes, astrophotography, and travel around this beautiful location, and see whether it might become your new go-to adventure bag.

What is the Summit Creative Tenzing?

Tenzing series backpacks from Summit Creative are professional-level adventure camera backpacks, designed for photographers and creators who travel and hike to destinations for wildlife, landscape, astrophotography, and sports or action photography.

Norgay Tenzing was a Nepalese-Indian Sherpa mountaineer who, alongside New Zealander Sir Edmund Hillary, became one of the first people to reach the summit of Mount Everest, making an apt inspiration for the name of this series of adventure bags.

The range is available in three sizes and three colours, and I reviewed the Summit Creative Large Rolltop Camera Backpack Tenzing 40L Green during this trip. It faced a typical English autumn mix of dry, wet, foggy, and muddy conditions, as I tested the hiking and camera backpack across 40 miles through various terrain in the beautiful Exmoor landscape.

Next we touch on the rolltop feature of this large camera backpack and how it affects everyday use.

What’s the idea behind the rolltop bag?

It was a minor revelation to realise just how convenient a rolltop is when added to a regular rear-opening backpack. I’ve favoured rear-opening bags for years, as they allow you to quickly lay the bag on the ground and access all your gear without getting mud on the part that goes on your back.

The addition of the rolltop (which even has two ways of opening – via a zip or the rolltop) offers a quick way to sling a jacket, extra layers, raincoat, or lunch into the top section of the backpack. Summit Creative went a step further by allowing the internal main gear compartment to fold down, expanding the top rolltop area, making it larger or smaller depending on how much equipment you need for a specific trip.

The rolltop section adds 5 litres of storage to each of the 30L, 40L, and 50L packs, significantly expanding available space and offering added flexibility when packing for each day or section of a trip. This is complemented by numerous other well-thought-out features, which we explore next.

Summit Creative Tenzing Backpack key features

Aside from the rolltop, this camera backpack series offers a range of versatile features for creators, found in all sizes and colours, including:

• Dedicated compartment for a 14-inch or 16-inch laptop (14-inch fits in the 30L packs, and 16-inch in the 40L and 50L models)
• An expandable front pocket, which adds space alongside the expandable rolltop
• Rugged build quality with thick 420D water-repellent and wear-resistant fabric, plus an even thicker base material
• The backpack stands on its own (essential for camera backpacks in particular)
• Uses high-quality components, including YKK zippers and Duraflex buckles
• Customisable fit with adjustable chest, waist, and shoulder straps
• Configurable (and removable) HSP-EVA Core Divider Protection system
• Grab handles for easy lifting
• Rear luggage passthrough strap for travel
• Hydration bladder compatible, plus a pocket for a water bottle
• Tripod compatible
• Ability to add other equipment, such as skis, walking poles, helmet, tent, sleeping bag, etc.

The list of features is extensive, but they truly come into their own during real-world use. Let’s find out more about what the 40 litre camera bag holds next.

What fits in a 40L camera backpack?

Before diving into performance, here’s a list of everything I needed for this specific trip, all of which fit into the bag, although not on a daily basis. The 40L bag struck the perfect balance between the amount of equipment it holds and how much I like to carry, though this is where the "one bag fits all" concept doesn’t quite apply.

Camera gear

• Sony A7R V camera body with a 3 Legged Thing L-bracket permanently attached
• Three Sony E lenses (16-35mm, 24-70mm, and 70-200mm) – the holy trinity, ideal for the majority of outdoor subjects I tend to capture (aside from wildlife, which wasn’t a priority on this trip)

Accessories

1. Photo tripod – I brought the ultra lightweight Manfrotto Befree Advanced AS Twist Carbon Tripod, which I was testing for a Manfrotto Befree travel tripod review.
2. Outdoor lens filters kit – Certain filters are essential for outdoor photography and once again I brought some gear to review, which in this case was for an Urth Magnetic Filters Kit review
3. Step-up ring (77-82mm) for filters
4. Additional 82mm CPL filter
5. Cleaning kit – Outdoor photography is nearly impossible without a dust blower and lens cloth!
6. Spare batteries – Two spare FZ100 batteries
7. Spare memory cards – Three
8. SSD drive for image backup
9. Peak Design wrist strap
10. Small LED light

Everyday items

On a daily basis I had outdoor gear and sundries packed in the bag, such as:

• Water bottle
• Raincoat
• Jumper/jacket
• Snacks and lunch
• Mobile phone
• Torch
• 16” MacBook Pro (not daily, but it came on the trip)

The older I get, the more streamlined I tend to be with packing gear, and this amount was ideal for an outdoor photography trip where you need all of the essentials. If I were bringing much more equipment, say for a snowy location, I might opt for the larger 50L backpack, which would provide more room to expand.

The space you have is flexible, customisable, and versatile, accommodating a range of gear, whether it’s a camera, drone, or other equipment needed for content creation. Although I didn’t need the feature, I appreciated the ability to completely transform the bag from a camera backpack to an adventure backpack by removing all of the dividers. This approach bucks the trend of using a removable camera insert, instead opting to leave the padded insert in place for added protection of whatever is stored inside.

How the bag performed in the field

After years of photographing locations around the world, you tend to hone in on the best camera backpack for your needs, so I was a little hesitant about another option. That scepticism was unfounded, as this turned out to be practical, versatile, and, most importantly, extremely comfortable.

My top 10 likes include:

1. Very robust-feeling materials used throughout (which we explore further below)
2. The proportions are ideal for my equipment, with just the right amount of space to fit a 70-200mm lens attached, yet still be able to retrieve it from the side opening
3. The rolltop is a feature I’d like to see on all my packs!
4. Chunky zips that are easy to open quickly
5. The thick base and self-standing design are very practical
6. At 2.7kg, the bag isn’t too heavy when empty
7. Plenty of grab handles and durable straps make it easy to move around
8. Nice deep side pockets for securely fitting a water bottle and tripod
9. Great access to the main compartment as the flap opens wide
10. The translucent storage pockets in the main flap were very useful

I used these features virtually every time the bag was used, and they all combine to make a very practical solution for outdoor photography. It has plenty more to offer, such as shoulder clips for attaching a camera, a light blue interior to easily find accessories, straps galore to cinch everything down, and a customisable interior, all of which we cover in more detail throughout the next sections.

How comfortable is the Summit Creative backpack?

Comfort is a top priority for many users when lugging 10-15kg of gear around. A comfortable camera bag means you can cover more ground and stay fresh for your photography, which often requires early starts and late finishes to capture the golden hours.

I was really surprised by how comfortable the Summit Creative backpack was, which can be attributed to a handful of key features:

• All three shoulder, chest, and waist straps are adjustable for a personalised fit
• The padding on the S-shaped shoulder straps was just right, being supportive, but not too thick
• The padding on the integrated EVA back panel is deep and supportive
• An inverted U-shaped aluminium pipe helps achieve stability and back support

I would recommend trying a bag out in person before committing, but I can safely say this is one of the most comfortable camera backpacks I’ve ever tried, which fitted my build perfectly. Some backpacks offer the ability to change the torso length, which wasn’t obvious in the Tenzing and could be a consideration for very long or very short torsos.

Materials and durability

The materials used throughout this backpack feel very high quality, with good levels of closed-cell foam padding where needed. While I cannot comment on long-term durability, during 10 days of intensive use, there were zero issues, with no breakages, no unravelled stitching, and the materials chosen seem ideal for the job.

The backpack also includes some of the most popular and robust materials in the industry, including Japanese waterproof YKK zips and American Duraflex branded buckles. The exterior is made from a thick, water-repellent, and wear-resistant 420D fabric, and there’s also an additional rain cover included for extreme downpours.

Internal dividers are made from HSP-EVA, which is a scratch-resistant and shockproof padded material that is perfect for protecting equipment inside the main compartment. A five-year warranty is also included, which gives a good indication of the durability you can expect from a Tenzing backpack.

Customisable storage

One area where the Tenzing excelled was its ability to accommodate everything I needed in a flexible way. Stash pockets and buckles to secure items are found throughout, from the removable waist belt to the broad shoulder straps. Additional gear can be strapped to the exterior with optional straps, and the main and top compartments include a shared interchangeable space as required.

The main exterior pocket expands, the rolltop adds extra capacity, and you can configure the space freely, although the interior camera compartment cannot be completely removed.

I can thoroughly recommend the Tenzing backpack to anyone looking for a more cost-effective option than many prominent brands, without sacrificing features or quality.

It has all the key ingredients of other great camera backpacks, including rugged build quality, versatile storage, and, most importantly, it’s really comfortable to carry, even when heavily loaded.

While you can’t remove the main camera compartment entirely, you can reduce its size and remove all of the dividers when you want a pure adventure pack without your camera. The rolltop is also a great feature, which I’ll always consider when looking at outdoor bags in the future.

Discover more about the Summit Creative Large Rolltop Camera Backpack Tenzing 40L Green on our product page, and explore the entire lineup of camera backpacks in our range, which includes other colours and storage capacities to suit your personal requirements.

If you'd like to try this and other models in person, visit one of our camera stores in London or Sussex to get a feel for them firsthand.

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By Nick Dautlich on 18/11/2024