...and have never used one in my 60 plus years, but an upcoming 11 day excursion to Utah for night sky photography has me needing one. I looked at all the articles, Best Backpack 2021 et al and read reviews here and this pack stood out. While I have only worn it around the house, I can state the following. It appears to be very well made, the zippers (I hate zippers) are large and do not snag or get hung up, the pack is very well designed with lots of pockets and adjustment straps that can be tucked out of the way. The roll top will provide for extra storage when needed without adding too much bulk when not. I got the medium core unit but quickly discovered that I needed more camera storage and have since received the larger DSLR core. I can always store things other than camera gear in the larger core when space in not needed for photo equipment. After wearing it around a bit I ordered the extra padded straps and am very glad I did. For me, the original straps did not offer enough padding, the extra padded ones feel and fit great. Last and surely not least, the adjustable attachment points of the main straps to the top of the pack makes this ideal for someone who is long waisted. As noted, I am not a backpacker so take this review in context with all others.

I recently picked up the action x50 as well as the large dslr v3 insert. I've used many bags in the past, f-stop, lowepro, click-elite, and while they have all been good bags, none of them have come close to the comfort I have experienced with this bag. Took it for its maiden voyage this past weekend and loaded it with all of my gear (r5 with 100-500, 5dmkIV with 24-105mm and my tamron 15-30mm) I still had some space in the insert for more lenses as well. We went on a hike up a mountain with several thousand feet of elevation and not once did I really feel the weight of the bag. It is so well balanced. Aside from the comfort, I like the placement of all the pockets. They all seem to be in ideal and easily reachable places. The roll top is a game changer and I can store even more gear when needed. It clips in quick and doesn't seem to knot up when rolling it back down (the bag tells you which direction to roll too so it doesn't stick up to snag on things). I haven't used the laptop sleeve yet, but there are two different spots to pack a small laptop in. I like pullout pockets to hold a tripod or water bottle (one on each side of the bag). The included rainfly is a nice feature as well, particularly for an outdoor adventure bag. The bag itself feels durable and well made. Good zippers. I do wish there were a few more color options, but I ended up getting the yellow and am very satisfied with that color choice. Should make it easier to keep an eye on my bag while traveling. It's also a pleasing shade of yellow that looks sharp in person. Definitely a great bag, but be sure to select the right insert for you as the bag itself does not come with one unless you get the starter pack.

After I tried the new Tilopa DuraDiamond that felt short by not having any proper side pouches for a water bottle / tripod, I went back to my #1 on the list :) the Action X 50 from Shimoda.

This is the perfect backpack for a day-hike with a bunch of gear + additional personal items (rain coat, shirts, sandwiches etc.).

One thing I didn't like:

When you use the large core unit, the top sack it's pretty useless and annoying (it's just a big pile of material gathered together).

When using the large core unit (or medium+small) I just unzip that sack and use the top part as a large bucket for storing stuff.

By doing that you gain a little bit of weight saving too.

The bag weighs about 1.7 kg, around 500 grams (1 lb) less than the Tilopa DuraDiamond when complete empty with no top sack and no core unit.

One thing that is frustrating: deciding on a color :) Both colors looks so good ! Other than that it's a super cool hiking camera bag with few minor minuses.

I am confident than in future iterations, this bag will become more awesome.

I finally gave in and purchased this bag and I’m glad I did. The bag is perfect for my needs and it’s ergonomic design is easy on my back.

I can finally fit everything I want to carry all at once. The extra perks are more options to carry water and well place storage for everthing. I haven't used it yet on a long hike (and probably won't skiing) but so far it feels very comfortable fully loaded up!

This completes my Shimoda color combo (a black Explore V2, a green Action X 2, a teal Action X 2 and this, my largest Shimoda bag, in yellow). I have a 25L Shimoda, two 40L bags, and this 50L bag. The ability to use the deeper DSLR ICU with this bag, and the larger size, means it's my take everything and the kitchen sink bag, while just fitting in as a carry-on bag. I don't use it as often as my green 40L Action X v2, but when I do, I'm glad I have it. I can easily carry my Nikon Z8, 6 lenses (14-24, 105MC, 24-120, 100-400, 19PCE and 45PCE, plus filters (including a full set for the 14-24), cleaning supplies, chargers, extra cards, a 15.4 inch Dell XPS, my iPad Pro, writing supplies, headlamp, some snacks, jacket, tripod, water, with room left over. It carries comfortably for what it holds, and I've hiked 8+ miles with it with no issues, and at 63 years old, that's pretty good.

This is my 4th photo pack in the last 12 years, and I think I've given every one 5 stars originally, so maybe take my review with a grain of salt! ;-). But this pack is full of smart design features and seems to be the perfect combination of storage/accessibility of both photo kit and hiking gear. A typically photo day for me includes 2-6 miles of hiking, often in damp conditions here in Oregon. I rarely stay out overnight, and I don't think this one provides quite enough room for a full backpacking kit + my photo gear. I'd look at the X70 for that.

Other reviews and YouTube provide plenty of detailed reviews of the pack's features, so I won't go into that. Once thing I wish I could have found more of in my research was sample loadings of various gear sets, so here's mine. I'm including a picture of my Medium core unit loaded with my specific gear, which includes: Nikon D810 with L-bracket, Nikkor 16-35 f/4 lens (attached), Nikkor 70-200 f/4 lens, Nikkor 24-70 f/2.8 lens, Nikon 1.7x teleconverter, 3 filters, lens hoods, remote (wired) trigger. You can't see it, but my pano rail and head are underneath the 70-200 lens. The orange bag is full of batteries, cleaning supplies, cards, headlamp, etc. As you can see, my kit is using pretty much every bit of space. They make larger inserts, but I'm happy with this one for now. I figure I'll be doing a mirrorless conversion one of these days, so that should ease the crowding a little.

I'm also really happy with the tripod system. See pic. I much prefer carrying it with the ballhead down to keep the weight low and to avoid clonking myself in the head with it. I also like the little strap that keeps the mesh bag from flopping around. My tripod is a Gitzo Mountaineer with a BH-55 ballhead. With the ballhead attached, it's 27 long.


I've only been out on a handful of trips with it so far. I'll update this review later this year after it's got some more miles on it. Hope that helps somebody.

What else can be said about this backpack that has not been already said?

Excellent bag, very comfortable, even when attaching a heavy tripod.

Just make sure to adjust the torso height of the backpack according to the season.

I found that in winter, with the cloth layers that I wear, I needed to change the torso height to L, while if wearing less cloth layers, I feel the backpack more comfortable, when adjusting the height to M.

I know there are more "newer" ones out there but this bag I'd superior to any other I have used. The additional space is especially useful on long treks-as long as I don't mind the additional weight that the gear may put on me. This bag will handle it all.

Fortunately I still use the packs that led up to this one. But what a journey; I thought I might never find the right balance. This fits more use cases than any other. Hoping that airlines will consider it carry-on.