Alta Rise 48

My goal for this bag was to replace a camera backpack I've been using to carry around my (mirrorless) camera with a lens attached, plus 1 or 2 additional lens. The backpack worked fine for transporting in a car or on an airline, but it was a hassle when taking hikes. I don't find it comfortable to wear the camera on my neck, so I either carry it as I walk or put it in the backpack. When I need to use it, I need to take off the backpack, open it up, get the camera, close it, and wear the backpack again. And it's the same thing whenever I want to change lens. I used to use a messenger bag when I commuted to the office and I remember I could access it on the bus or while walking without ever taking it off. It seemed that would work as a camera bag, but I had already donated my messenger bags to goodwill. I have an additional challenge in that I want to store the camera vertically with the 600mm lens attached an that requires about 13 inches. That puts it right at the limit of most bags.So I really wanted 2 things from this bag:1. Ability to store 13 inches of camera + lens attached vertically2. Ability to access camera and change lens without taking off the bag3. Additional pockets on the outside of the bagThis bag accomplished all of this.It has a couple other useful things:1. Besides the normal messenger bag flap, it also has a zipper on top, so you can access the interior quickly (and without having to flip over the flap). I still use the normal flap more, but it's nice to have the option.2. It is expandable, like some suitcases. I don't expect to ever use that option, but is good to have just in case.3. It has a lot of divider options. I only use two of them. I made three tall, vertical slots. But with all the divider stuff they provide, there are many options.This bag isn't perfect though. Here are the things I don't like (along with my workarounds):1. Because the bag is expandable, it is lacking the outside pockets that are normally found on these types of bags. For me, I usually store a water bottle, tripod, dog poo bags, and/or hand sanitizer type stuff. Some people buy a third party add-on to hold a water bottle. I just store it inside (in one of my 3 vertical slots). This works well for me, because of that zipper access on top. Also, for me, water bottles often fall out of those outside pockets, so I actually like this better. I have a mini-tripod that can fit in one of the pockets. And poo bags and hand sanitizer can go in pockets as well.2. Flaps usually have a clasp or they have velcro. This one has both. And the velcro is really strong and loud. I use the clasp mostly but the velcro is nice to have. It's just too strong and loud. (need 2 hands) So I took spare pieces of velcro fabric and covered half the bag's vecro. Now it works but it's not nearly as strong or loud.Other than that, I think this is only available in black, so it looks like an electronics bag. I was hoping for brown and a different type of material in order to look more like a hiking or commuting bag. But it's ok. Also these come in various sizes. I'm not sure why this one is discounted in price. It's almost half the price of the manufacturer's website, while the rest of their bags match price pretty close. So that was good for me and also the reason I went ahead and bought it. This put the price point close to the lower end bags.

I bought this bag for $50 along with the Peak Design Messenger bag 13L for $219 to decide on a keeper for my shooting days where I don't need all my gear. I really love PD products but the low price of this bag with it's list of features peaked my interests so I thought I'd give it a shot.This bag is phenomenal! It checks all the boxes for me. It's got a nice feel to it. It has feet on the bottom for stability. The main flap has a zipper access on top so you can get in the bag quickly. The flap is designed to bend back out of the way for easy loading, a huge plus. It does use Velcro with a clip to secure it which can be noisy when opening but the zipper makes up for it. It has a built in total rain cover so your gear is completely safe in a downpour. My favorite feature of all is that it has a zipper around the whole bag that when opened gives you another 2-3" of space when needed. It's like having two different sized bags in one.Now for the Peak design bag. It has a premium look and the materials are top notch. However it has a rough, stiff feel to it for me. It does not come with a rain cover so I guess they had to make the bag more weather proof. However the bag has a small gap on the side when it's closed and that gap gets larger if you clamp the cover on the higher settings to fit more gear. That could potentially let water in if caught in a heavy storm. I want my gear completely protected if a storm pops up. The main flap has an awesome clip on it with no noisy Velcro but it does not have a top access zipper. The old design bag had a zipper on top so I don't know why the step backwards. What makes this even worse is the flap does not fold back out of the way. I had to fight with it when loading the bag like it's a snapping turtle. There are no feet on the bag so it's not as stable as the Vanguard bag and I found loading it to be a hassle. The PD bag does have a nice divider system inside and strap but honestly it doesn't make up for all the shortcomings of this bag. To top it off I can buy 4 Vanguard bags for the price of the Peak design bag and still have money for lunch. I actually bought a medium back pack as well as the Vanguard bag and still spent less than half of what the PD bag costs.The old version of the peak design bag is a little cheaper now but the Vanguard bag is so perfect for my needs that even if it where the same price I would probably still keep the Vanguard. This Messenger 33 is slightly larger than the PD 13L bag. The Alta Rise 28 is closer fit in size to the PD if you want a smaller bag.

I thought this bag had some excellent features and was really well laid out. It's an excellent value at the current price. it didn't work out for me, but I think a lot of people would be very happy with it.The goods:- The quick access compartment is excellently designed, one of the best I've seen- Thoughtful organization throughout the bag- Light colored insert, so it's easy to find things- Well constructed- Extremely well padded!- Thoughtfully designed lid with great shape and structure- Removable insert with flexible dividers to stack gearThe so-so:- The materials seem a touch on the cheap side. Not bad by any stretch, but certainly not top quality. I think that's to be expected at this price point. I have no major concerns about it though, just notable.- The strap is not the most comfortable. This bag can fit A LOT, and so it can get extremely heavy. I wouldn't want to carry this for a long time fully loaded. I think that's true of most shoulder bags though, so not necessarily a fault of this particular bag- Either you like the look or you don't. It's not very sleek or stylish.- The expanding feature seems not really all that useful, but that's just me.For me the deal breaker was not the bag itself, but just a size issue. I have a small Fujifilm X setup and so this was simply too large for my needs. For a bag this size I slightly prefer the Mindshift Exposure 13 (looks cooler, better built and more features), but that bag is also significantly more expensive. I personally settled on the Peak Design 6L for my small set up. If you need more space at a low cost, this Vanguard may work for you!