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- Verified Buyer
I was put off by the prominent negative reviews of this bag that Amazon displays first and was glad I watched and read reviews elsewhere before buying this Brevite backpack.Foremost, this is a small backpack for a small kit. You can put a full frame DSLR in it and carry a couple of lenses, but where this shines is for a smaller camera body. I have a couple of Canon 7D bodies and compliment of lenses and I have an appropriately sized large camera backpack for those. This bag works perfectly for my Canon M6 plus all five of the EF-M lenses that I own for it. The camera and lenses are light Velcro dividers hold them in place.Pros:- Love the minimalist design that looks like a regular backpack. I don't like bulky camera bags and backpacks that scream "there are thousands of dollars of gear inside." This bag is really understated and doesn't attract attention. It provides cushioning for your gear without appearing boxy at all.- I really like that there are two ways to carry a tripod: either in the side pocket or (my preferred way) strapped to the bottom of the bag.- The side flap for sling-style access to the camera compartment makes for quick stowing of the camera without having to take off the backpack.- The accessory pocket is well-thought-out, though would appreciate a couple of smaller compartments for memory cards and batteries.- The laptop compartment is great for not just a laptop but for full-sized folders, magazines, etc.- I really like the fabric. I have no idea how water resistant it is, but I wouldn't be toting around my gear in a backpack without a rain cover if there was the chance of rain anyway.Cons:- I really wish the camera compartment was primarily rear access for security. I understand it has to be like this to accommodate the laptop compartment. I'd get very nervous walking in a crowded place without securing all the zippers together with a lock. A cable-style luggage lock works best to loop all the zippers together.- On that subject, the zipper pulls really suck. They are nylon pulls on a small metal ring. I wish they were standard metal zipper pulls. Nylon extensions can easily be added to those if desired.- The straps themselves aren't well cushioned and a little on the narrow side. That's probably the biggest disappointment in a bag of this quality. At least pads can be easily added on.- The top compartment for all your extras is on the small size when the camera compartment shelf is Velcroed into the intended position.- The pocket for water bottle and tripod is a bit short I get that it's a little shorter to accommodate tripod legs better, but realistically a water bottle is probably going to go here more often than a tripod, especially when the bottom straps can be used to carry a tripod.In summary, this is a near perfect backpack for my mirrorless kit. With so many backpacks out there aimed primarily at larger camera bodies, I'm glad there is a high-quality, reasonably-sized backpack like this on the market.TL;DR Okay bag with flimsy dividers that had so much potential.I really did want to love this backpack more than anything. I'm giving it 4 stars because it still does an okay job of what it needs to, but I am not personally using it as my everyday go-to camera bag anymore. Instead, I've replaced it with the Shimoda explorer v2 which is significantly better (but also significantly more expensive). Pictures includedThis camera bag does what every other manufacturer on the market doesn’t do, well—it has an understated minimalistic design that doesn’t advertise that I have thousands of dollars in equipment in it. It’s got plenty of flexibility in terms of pockets for filters, accessories, etc. and extra spaces for something packable like a light jacket or a snack. The dividers in the camera compartment are flexible which allow for you to customize is to meet your gear needs—but that also comes at the cost of sturdiness in this bag. I’ve owned numerous bags from name brands like Sunpak, Peak design, and Shimoda and the dividers in the Brevite are the WORST dividers that I have ever used. They barely hold their own shape and attach using some very weak Velcro strips. As a result, they’re constantly deforming and detaching which is not only an annoyance but also a concern for how well it protects my gear. In the attached photos you can see that as I remove my camera from its slot it pulls away the Velcro dividers and deforms the center one. If you’ve ever used any other decent camera equipment, all of the dividers are difficult to remove and retain their shape very well. Not very confidence inspiring. I could certainly make the spaces bigger, but then my equipment isn’t snug and would just bounce around inside the bag which isn’t desired either. Additionally, the padding on the sides of the bag seems to be entirely non-existent which might lead to damage to my equipment if something were to hit the sides. It just feels like a half-assed attempt at making a camera bag. Brevite, if you’re reading this—stop spending so much on marketing and work on improving the camera compartment to meet the standards of a good camera bag.For reference, the equipment in the bags is a Sony A7iii as well as various prime lenses (no zooms)This can comfortably carry a pro camera body with 1-2 lenses, with ample room to spare for a filter pouch and small clamps/tripods. It's also super light compared to my Peak Design Zip 20L, which I immediately sold after receiving the Brevite.
