Camera bags hold your gear, sure, but at their best, they help photographers work seamlessly and retain more energy for creating great content. Brevite’s new backpack, The Roamer, aims to do just that, helping photographers with active lifestyles go from everyday errands to shooting on a dime, with one lightweight, weather-sealed bag. We recruited three 500px photographers to put The Roamer through its paces in different scenarios and weigh in on how it performed: here’s what Felix Russell-Saw, Anthony J. Rayburn, and Jelle Canipel had to say about Brevite’s new backpack.
Q: Where did you take the bag to test it out?
Felix Russell-Saw: I took the bag around with me to a handful of shoots, ranging from studio sessions, hikes / dog walks, and a wedding. These are my standard day-to-day jobs that I usually take my bag to, and definitely gave The Roamer a range of typical scenarios I’d expect to be bringing my gear along to.
Anthony J. Rayburn: To test out the bag, I took it to South Florida’s levee system. This area is pretty unique; it’s like the edge of civilization down here. This place divides our developed community as we know it and hundreds of miles of remote Everglades. The area is a perfect mix between outdoor environments and man-made structures.
Jelle Canipel: I took the bag with me on a hike for a few hours, through a small forest with pines close to my hometown in Beringen, Belgium.
Q: What kind of pain points or challenges do you typically encounter with camera bags?
FR: The problem I’m always coming back to with my camera bags is the size, or more importantly, choosing the right gear for the shoot I’m on. The Roamer isn’t a bag to carry everything in: it feels more like a day-to-day camera bag suitable for packing light and small trips. Packing the bag with my laptop and medium-format film equipment felt nice and secure, however, my 15” laptop would only fit in the laptop sleeve without a case. I imagine this wouldn’t be a problem with a 13” laptop.
AR: I have two camera bags, an outdoor one and an urban one, and I’m always struggling to choose between them. I like my urban bag because it is small and discreet, but it lacks the storage space to bring my camera, a few lenses, and all my drone equipment. My outdoor bag is big and bulky, and you never know what scenarios you’ll find yourself in. Florida weather is also extremely irregular; we have micro-climates where it can be pouring rain in the Everglades but beautiful over developed land. You have to be prepared for anything. The Roamer was the perfect combination.
JC: Size, weight and space are the most important things for my camera bag. Especially when you go on a longer hike or trip, and you need the option to carry multiple lenses and maybe a drone, but also some food and water. The magnet lock was good, but the small bag was little complicated to easily take out the camera. It’d also be great to have a little more space for SLR cameras.
Q: What came in handy for your specific scenario?
FR: I absolutely love the crossbody insert being removable and clipping in, this made it really easy to switch between using it as a regular everyday backpack and popping the insert in with all my gear ready to go in a second. Being able to remove this and chuck over my shoulder while shooting a wedding was great when I needed lens changes on my main body.
My only issue with this was that after a handful of uses, the plastic clips that keep it in place popped off. They were easily popped back on, but I could see this being lost down the line. Perhaps replacing this with a different system in the future could be helpful.
AR: This bag is small, discreet, and extremely well-designed for organizing gear. To top it off, it is weather-resistant. I find it difficult to find bags that are both weather-resistant and designed to organize all your gear. The back is also padded and allows your back to breathe. Florida can be extremely hot and volatile, so with this bag, I never have to worry about a sweaty back.
JC: I liked the size of the bag and the comfort of wearing the bag, especially for a small walk. The fabric was strong, and the bag was easy to store snacks and a rain jacket in, as well as gear.
Q: What did you think of the additions, like the crossbody insert, laptop sleeve, tripod holder, or hidden valuables pocket?
FR: I made sure to try to use all the features of the bag as much as possible. The laptop sleeve is great for laptops up to 15”, the water-sealed zips were great while out on dog walks for my valuables, and I can see these being an absolute lifesaver when doing a lot of travel and lifestyle photography out in the field, especially with British weather. The tripod holder is the only thing I didn’t really make use of, but not because it’s not useful or badly designed—my shooting style doesn’t really ever include a tripod.
AR: I loved the tripod holder, especially on the bottom of the bag. My outdoor bag, like most, has a tripod holder built on the side. This makes your bag unevenly balanced and uncomfortable for long hikes. By placing it along the bottom, the whole bag is symmetrical and more comfortable for hiking longer distances. Being able to also safely pack my laptop in a weather-sealed bag completed the whole package.
JC: I always take a little tripod with me. It was easy to attach my GorillaPod to the bag.
Q: Was there anything about the bag that exceeded your expectations?
FR: The magnetic clasp and lightweight materials definitely exceeded my expectations. Naturally I did some research of the bag before it arrived, and I was totally expecting the material to be different, kind of like a raincoat / polyester feel, but upon arrival, it was a lot heavier and felt really durable. The magnetic clasp is great, too.
It was a bit fiddly at first, working out which way it slides to unclip, but I saw this as a good thing. For example, traveling in the city, this would be a thief deterrent. Being able to just touch the pieces together to close it is great. It’s a definite improvement over a standard clasp.
AR: I was surprised, for a weather-resistant bag, at how light and well-designed the bag is. Most weather-resistant bags are big and bulky. Every space on this bag is meticulously thought out for a small and lightweight package.
JC: I liked the waterproof fabric, it is firm. It rained a little during the walk, but the bag kept everything dry. It’s also very soft at the back, making it comfortable to carry.
Q: What your favorite feature or thing about the bag?
FR: My favorite thing about the bag is definitely the crossbody insert. It’s one of those things you don’t think you need until you’ve used it. I found myself swapping this in and out when I wanted to go between using it as a regular backpack, then quickly grabbing the insert with the gear I need to dash off to the studio or on a walk. Being able to take this out mid-shoot to leave more space in the backpack was great, too. I’m sure I speak for the masses when I say we’ve all tried to cram sweaters into empty lens compartments at some point or another.
AR: I loved the removable case on the inside of the bag. I’m constantly running around town in my car. Sometimes I end up on longer hikes and need a whole bag, sometimes I end up shooting close to my car, so I can just grab the small case for a quick pit stop, or if I need to be more discreet. The removable case itself is also waterproof, so with this combo, I never need to worry about rain.
JC: I love that it has more space for extra food and gear, such as a rain jacket and snacks.
Q: How does it compare to your current camera bag, or others you’ve used?
FR: Comparing this to my current camera bag is tricky because they are both designed for different things. My current bag is designed to carry all your gear, whereas I feel The Roamer is more designed with everyday travel in mind. If you are looking for a daily backpack, suitable for a camera and a lens or two, this is ideal.
AR: That’s the thing, I don’t have a go-to camera bag, I have a few that I’ve acquired over the years. I’ve also tried camera cubes that I can throw into bags not made for cameras. None of it has really worked out. I always end up debating which bag to grab, but with this, it was a no-brainer. I can focus on the journey and the images rather than the gear.
JC: I liked the bag very much, but for me it was too small. I couldn’t take a lot of gear with me, such as my drone and two extra lenses, a wide angle and a zoom lens. So in comparing it with my other bag, it was just a bit too small for longer trips or hikes.
Q: Would you use it again?
FR: I will definitely be using this bag in the future, but more as an everyday travel bag when I don’t need to pack all my gear. It’s nice being able to just take the one body and lens from time-to-time. The crossbody insert was the perfect size for my medium-format equipment and a handful of film, so I can see myself using it a lot for that, knowing it’s all padded and waterproofed!
AR: Absolutely! My days are a mix of urban and outdoor shoots in a hot and unpredictable climate. The lightweight, breathable, and weather-resistant combo is perfect for all conditions. When I don’t need the whole bag, I can just grab the removable case and I have all my bases covered.
JC: I’ll definitely use it for a small trip or a day trip into the city, when I don’t need to bring all my gear (i.e. my drone) or multiple lenses.
Q: Is there anything you wish it had, or that you’d like to see in a future version?
FR: I feel like this bag is already a refinement of your typical camera bag, everything has been thoroughly thought out with light travel and easy gear access in mind. The only thing I’d like to see would be the fixings for the crossbody insert. After a few uses clipping this in and out, I found one of them would pop off, even though it was easily popped back on. Perhaps changing this to a metal fitting could be better.
AR: I shoot on a Canon 1DX and found that there wasn’t much space in the bag for my camera body. The build quality of some of the seams held up fine, but my bags end up getting thrown around on boats, trucks, and other vehicles, and they didn’t hold up as well rubbing up against metal and other objects.
The bag overall is a fantastic light-duty bag, however, the outside is prone to rubbing, ripping, and snagging during travel when not on my back. It would also be nice to choose between different colors. My equipment became very hot quickly in the black color.
JC: For me, it would be better if there were an option that was a little bigger, for larger lenses or my DJI Mavic Pro drone. I think the bag is better suited to mirrorless cameras with smaller lenses.
To learn more about Brevite and The Roamer, visit brevite.co.
Follow Anthony J. Rayburn
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Instagram: @anthonyjrayburn
Follow Felix Russell-Saw
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Instagram: @felixrussellsaw
Follow Jelle Canipel
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Instagram: @canipel
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