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Bags of Fun!

by Mike McNamee

Recovering bagaholic, Mike McNamee falls of the wagon again.

I fear that I am morphing into a camera bag equivalent of Imelda Marcos. She couldn't keep her hands away from collecting shoes, with me it's camera bags and rucksacks!

Now I know that I am not alone in this vice - almost all photographers have more than one camera bag and live in a permanent quest for a 'more perfect' match. This, of course, is impossible - like a lady's handbag there is no such thing as a perfect one and the only way to address the dilemma is the purchase of a bag menagerie!

My previous pack was the f-stop Tilopa and when this was nicked, a replacement was sought. This was a legitimate enterprise, a chap has to have a bag after all. The Tilopa's predecessor was (and still is) a 35-litre climbing rucksack into which lenses were chucked with no more than spare socks for comfort. This is hardly convenient and when bad weather was expected each lens was often packed into its own padded bag. At 48 litreS, the Tilopa lives at the higher end of the day-sack range and could be pushed into overnight service providing the weather was warm. However, the length bordered on the long side for your tiny editor, a problem that would also Affect many women. Fast forward to a couple of weeks ago and just as I was leaving Wilkinson Cameras, the manager, Sara Penwarden, dangled the new Mindshift Backlight in front of me. This is not something that should be done to a recovering bagaholic. The upshot is the subject of this review is an owned, not borrowed, copy of the bag!

The Mindshift Backlight is a 26-litre day pack, back-opening with facilities and attachments for walking poles, crampons, ice axe(s) and a modest space for waterproofs, etc. The back opening may be accessed by swivelling the bag round to your front (with the waist belt still closed). Then there is a handy lanyard to keep the back flap out of the way while the bag acts as something of a bench. Not having to put your bag down on the ground is a bonus for several reasons:
1. It keeps sheep shit off your shoulder straps. 2. The bag cannot roll down a riverbank into a stream (or for that matter down a slope and over a cliff ).
3. On the beach, the gear is kept further from blowing sand.
4. The dog cannot get to your sandwiches.
5. The gear is more secure when directly in front of you all the time.

The bag is equipped with dedicated tripod straps on the back but if that places it too far from your spine then you have the option to place the legs in the side, bottle pocket and secure the top with the strap near the top of the bag. Having the tripod tight to your side is preferable in confined spaces; with the tripod on the back there is a tendency to turn and bash into fellow travellers (although some might consider this a bonus!). The water bottle pockets themselves are a decent size and will hold a onelitre Sigg bottle comfortably, but could also take over trousers or even a lens. There is a separate rain cover which opens flat to act as a kneeler or ground sheet but can cover the whole bag and tripod in rough weather.

In terms of capacity, the 26 litres divides into the main compartment which can hold, for example, a Nikon D810 with 24-70mm f/2.8, 70-200mm f/2.8, 105mm f/2.8 macro and 14-24mm f/2.8 plus SB900 flash as well as accessories such as filters, cable release and spare cards. The remaining nine-litre divided space will hold a lap top or general stuff such as maps, food, warm-weather gear, etc. The exterior of the pack is abundantly provided with accessory loops and daisy-chain webbing.

The shoulder straps are heavily contoured for greater comfort and also have daisy chain loops and a sternum strap. The bag carries well especially because of its slightly smaller height, one of the issues I found with the Tilopa was that the overall length forced the bag down over the hips.

Overall the Backlight is an out and out day sack but a very accomplished one, stylish, well designed, comfortable and practical - very much worth the asking price. As with the f-stop range, the bags bear the hallmark of being designed by outdoor types and are equipped for utility rather than skimping on material and strapping here and there to save a few cents.

The Backlight is available in green or a very dark grey. The Mindshift range itself is worthy of looking over as the designers have come up with some ideas that are unusual, possibly unique. Foremost amongst these are the Panorama Rotation range, so called because the whole lower portion of the bag rotates out of the containing sack round to the wearer's front (see www.mindshiftgear.com/).

Think Tank Photo launched MindShift Gear in February 2012. MindShift is a group of committed professional photographers and product designers who support conservation and protection of our natural resources and planet. They are dedicated to building carrying solutions for those who are passionate about experiencing the natural world. see www.mindshiftgear.com.

SPECIFICATIONS
Exterior Dimensions:
11.4" W x 20.3" H x 7.9" D (29 x 51.5 x 20 cm)
Interior Dimensions:
10.2" W x 19.3" H x 5.9" D (26 x 49 x 15 cm)
Laptop:
10" W x 15.3" H x 1"D (25.5 x 38.8 x 2.5 cm)
Tablet:
9.3" W x 10.2" H x 0.6" D (23.5 x 26 x 1.5 cm)
Weight: 3.9lb (1.8kg)
Volume: 26 litres
Materials:
Exterior: For superior water resistance, all exterior fabric has a durable water-repellant coating, plus the underside of the fabric has a polyurethane coating. It also has highest-quality abrasion-resistant YKK RC-Fuse zippers, 420D velocity nylon, 420D high-density nylon, 320G UltraStretch mesh, 350G airmesh, nylon webbing, 3-ply bonded nylon thread.

Interior: 210D silver-toned nylon lining, hexa-mesh pockets, high-density closed-cell foam, PE board reinforcement, 3-ply bonded nylon thread.

GEAR PROFILE

  • Holds 1 standard-size DSLR and 4-6 standard zoom lenses, plus a flash
  • Holds 2 large mirrorless cameras and 5-7 lenses, plus a flash
  • Fits personal gear in the 9l front compartments
  • Maximum lens size: 200-400 f/4 detached from body



Updated 27/04/2026 16:44:22 Last Modified: Monday, 27 April 2026