Manfrotto PRO Light Backloader Backpack Review
Why I Have the Manfrotto PRO Light Backloader Backpack
Like tripods, camera bags are probably the one item of photography equipment you replace the least. A good camera bag should last you a long time.
However, all bags will eventually need replacing. Nothing lasts forever and unfortunately my previous bag had a zip failure and was no longer fit for purpose. While it's not the main bag I use for my landscape photography adventures, it did get used a lot. And I mean a lot! It was multi-purpose, serving as a camera bag and a general backpack. It went everywhere from my local beaches daytrips to holidays in Iceland. It had a hard life and when it died, it owed me nothing.
Back in the day when I bought that bag, camera backpack choices were more limited than they are today. If you do a Google search now for "camera backpacks" you are presented with a dizzying array of choices. However, with a music festival in my photography schedule rapidly approaching, I needed a new bag to carry and protect my camera gear.
As if by divine intervention, Manfrotto got in contact and asked if there was anything in their product range that I would like to review. Well, funnily enough there was! The Manfrotto PRO Light Backloader Backpack S looked like a good fit for me and it was from a reputable brand. A few days later I had one in my hands.
So, in this blog post I'm going to tell you a little bit about this backpack, the features that are relevant to me, how I plan to use the bag, and I'll share my real world experience of using it.
Before I go any further though, I must say that Manfrotto sent me this bag free of charge in exchange for writing this review. However, they have not asked me to say anything and everything I write here are my own thoughts (good and bad). They will see this review for the first time when I publish it here.
Where To Buy the Manfrotto PRO Light Backloader Backpack
If you'd like to buy the Manfrotto PRO Light Backloader S, it's available just about anywhere, including:
Please note that the Amazon and WEX links are affiliate links. I may receive a small commission if you purchase through those links, but it does not impact the price that you pay.
Features of the Manfrotto PRO Light Backloader Backpack
I'm not going cover all the specifications and features of the Manfrotto PRO Light Backloader S, only those that are relevant to how I will use the bag. If you want a full list of all the features, you can see the bag on Manfrotto's website here. This bag is also part of the Manfrotto PRO Light collection, so many of the same features in this bag apply to the other bags in the range. If you like the look of the bag but it doesn't quite match your requirements, do check out the other bags in the collection.
Exterior Dimensions
Let's start with the outside of the bag first. It weighs approximately 1.6kg and it measures 26 x 14 x 38 cm. This should mean that it will fit within most airlines cabin baggage/carry on limits. However, these restrictions can vary so please do check with your airline of choice.
External Materials and Protection
The backpack is made of water-repellent RipStop nylon/polyester fabric with that is reinforced in key areas. The material is not only water repellent, but it also looks good. Given the conditions this backpack is likely to find itself in (e.g. a muddy festival field), I'm glad the bag is all black in colour. It also helps the bag be a little more inconspicuous when I’m in crowds.
I'm very pleased to see that Manfrotto has also included a raincover with the bag. Anyone who's been to a UK music festival will know that rain is an ever present threat, so it's good to know the raincover is there when you want more than protection from rain or mud. Cleverly though, if you turn the raincover inside out so the silver side is on the outside, the cover will deflect direct sunshine and prevent overheating of the contents.
The bag aslo features a SAS-TEC bottom that provides extra absorbance which is very reassuring.
Exterior Side Pockets
There are two side pockets with compression straps should you want to mount a tripod. It's not often I'll use a tripod with this bag so I will more likely use these pockets for storing drinks such as a water bottle. The pockets are of a generous size as well.
Bag Carrying and Shoulder Straps
There are two well padded shoulder straps. While the position of these straps can’t be adjusted the can be pulled tight. Both shoulder straps will also allow you to attach something like a Peakdesign Capture Clip should you need to keep you camera at hand. The bag also has a mesh ventilated area at the bag to prevent your back getting too sweaty (on those rare warm festival days!)
There are pickup handles on both the top of the bag and the side. The latter being useful should you want to place the bag over luggage handle.
Zips
The zips are high quality YKK zippers but the really interesting thing here is that the zippers for the main compartments have metal loops. Why? This is so you can loop them into the integrated TSA approved padlock. While it won't stop someone walking off with your backpack, it will prevent someone sneakily opening your bag and removing the contents.
Exterior Compartments
There is a large compartment at the front of the bag. It's deep compartment so ideal for stashing clothing items but you'll also find two mesh pockets which you can use for smaller items.
There is also a top opening to the bag where you can directly access some of your camera gear, but if you change the interior layout of the main camera compartment, you can make this top opening a separate compartment from your camera gear. This makes it very handy for storing items that you want quick access to such as snacks or a rain jacket.
Rear Access (Camera) Compartment
The Manfrotto PRO Light Backloader Backpack S has plenty of room to store gear. I have changed to layout of the interior to give me space at the top of the bag for personal items.
The main compartment is accessed at the back of bag, has two zips, and is full of storage goodies. There's a laptop sleeve (up to 15" and well padded), and three mesh compartments (one of which is large and zipped).
But the main function of this area is for storing your camera gear. Manfrotto say it will hold 2 to 3 mirrorless bodies (without battery grips) plus multiple lenses. This far exceeds any of my requirements for cameras and lenses so it still leaves lots of room for camera accessories such as batteries and lens cloths. As I mentioned earlier, you can change the size of this compartment to make a separate compartment at the top of the bag.
Finally, the camera compartment can be adjusted to suit your combination of camera equipment thanks to the M-Guard dividers. The provide a lot of flexibility on how you use the available space and because they are made of high-density EVA foam the provide very high levels of shock absorption but yet they are slim enough not to consume valuable space.
Using the Manfrotto PRO Light Backloader Backpack in the Real World
What Is the Real World?
The Manfrotto PRO Light Backloader Backpack S also stood up well to the harsh environment of a wet Scottish island walk.
No, I’m not going to ask you to take the red pill or green pill, but I thought I’d let you know how I’ve been using this bag in the real world. Most of my real world experience with this bag has been at a multi-day music festival in the UK. Generally speaking, these aren’t the friendliest environments for camera gear. Even though I was there as Press and I had a pit pass, I still have to deal with bad weather, bringing my own supplies (food & drink), and accept that my bag will be subject to the odd knock!
While most of my experience with this bag has been in a festival environment, I have also been using it as a day bag for family adventures, and when I needed a more lightweight landscape gear setup. Needless to say, the bag has proved to be very capable and versatile.
What I Packed in the Bag
One of the key reasons I decided on the Manfrotto PRO Light Backloader Backpack S is that it allows you to change the amount of space you dedicate to camera gear and personal items. This is important to me as the amount of camera gear that I take with me is relatively small. Most of what I need for a festival is food, drink and protection from the elements! Here's what I take:
Camera Gear
Nikon Z8 - check out all my Z8 videos (including my review) here
Tamron 35-150mm F2-2.8 Di III VXD - this is a recent addition to my kit bag. With a fast aperture and good zoom range, it's ideal for festivals. If you want to see a review, let me know in the comments. (You purchase this lens from Amazon or Wex.
Nikon Z 14-30mm f/4 S - handy in case I need a super wide shot!
2 x Spare EN-EL15 batteries
Spare memory cards - 1 x CF Express Type B, 1 x xQD, 1 x SD
BLACKRAPID Camera Strap
Peakdesign Capture Clip
Lens clothes - you can never take too many of these!
Other Essentials
USB Battery bank - just in case!
Sunblock
Business/contact cards
Ear Plugs
Hiplok Z LOK Armoured Security Tie - useful for securing the bag to a solid object
Water Bottle (750ml)
Snacks!
Waterproof Trousers
Waterproof Jacket
You'll notice that I don't take a laptop. For this particular festival I was able to return home each night and upload my photos to my computer. Any photos that I needed to publish immediately I would do on my phone using a combination of Nikon SnapBridge and Lightroom Mobile. However, the bag does have a laptop sleave so if I do need to take my laptop in future, there is still plenty of room.
With or without a laptop, the Manfrotto PRO Light Backloader Backpack S offers lots of space to carry everything I need. Plus the M-Guard dividers offer plenty of flexibility on how that space is used. I have no complaints around the capacity of the bag, and I particularly like the flexibility in how I size and format the main compartment.
Accessing and Securing Your Gear
There's no point in having a spacious bag that protects all your gear if you can't access it easily. As the name suggests, the Manfrotto PRO Light Backloader is a rear access style bag, so to get to the bulk of your camera gear, you need to take the bag off your shoulders. Depending on how you are using your camera bag you will see this is as a good thing or a bad thing. Fortunately, Manfrotto offer a range of bags so if you prefer a different style of gear access, there's likely to be a bag for you in the range.
For me though, the rear access is just what I want. When the camera is in the bag and I have the bag over both shoulders, no one can access the main compartment as it is against my back. As well as shooting from the pit, I will also be walking between stages and performances through busy crowds. It's good to know that anyone following me can't sneakily open the bag.
Securing the Manfrotto PRO Light Backloader Backpack S bag to the stage with the integrated TSA lock and a Hiplock Security Tie.
Sometimes the walk between stages leaves me tight for time so being able to access my gear efficiently is important. Getting the bag of my shoulders and onto the ground is a simple process. I also had no concerns putting the bag on the ground, even when the ground was wet and muddy. Thanks to the large metal loops on the rear compartments zips, finding them easy allowing me open the bag quickly. I could then quickly get at my camera and start taking photos.
In a busy pit area, it's either prohibited or at least bad etiquette to take your bag into the pit. This normally means leaving it at the side near the entrance of the pit. If I arrive with time to spare I will stow my bag under the stage. I will use one of my Hiplock Security Ties to attach the bag to something immovable like a bit of stage scaffolding. This combined with the integrated TSA lock on the bag gave me the reassurance that people can't access the critical areas of my bag, nor simply just walk off with it.
Overall, I found I had no issues accessing my camera quickly and easily, and with the backloading system and the integrated TSA lock my gear also felt secure.
Comfort
If you talk to anyone who has photographed a festival, they will tell you that it involves a lot of walking and waiting about. During that time you will inevitably have your backpack on. Even when you are carrying a modest amount of equipment, you’ll want that experience to be as comfortable as possible.
My initial concern with the Manfrotto PRO Light Backloader was that it didn't have a hip belt. A hip belt takes some of the load from your shoulders and distributes it to your hips. However, I'm carrying less gear and lighter gear these days so my worry about the lack of a hip belt in the end wasn't justified.
The shoulder straps are well padded and even after a full day of the bag being on my shoulders I wasn’t in any discomfort. The area of the bag that sits against your back is also well padded and ventilated. While it won't stop your back sweating in the heat, it is comfortable, and it does allow some air to flow.
The shoulder straps don't have a huge amount of adjustability. They can be adjusted so they are pulled tight, and with the sternum strap I was able to achieve a snug but comfortable fit. There's no way to adjust the position of the shoulder straps but that's not entirely unexpected with a bag this size.
he Manfrotto PRO Light Backloader Backpack S was comfortable enough to wear all day and into the night.
I would have preferred to see slightly wider shoulder straps with some storage pockets though. Being able to store items such as mobile phones, access/press passes, emergency snacks and festival maps would have been very useful.
That aside, I did find the bag comfortable to wear. There's no escaping the fact that carrying a bag full of equipment all day is a tiring experience, but at least with this bag it doesn't have be an uncomfortable one.
Durability and Protection
Music festivals are harsh environments even when they are rain and mud free. Any bag will get knocked as you walk through crowds, drinks get spilt as you walk by, and despite your best intentions, sometimes you won't always put your bag down as gently as you should. Some of these things are within your control and others you just can't help. It's the nature of carrying a bag at a festival.
You therefore want a bag that can protect all your precious gear against those bumps, spills and weather. I'm pleased to say that the Manfrotto PRO Light Backloader is a backpack that I can confidently say handles the harshness of a British music festival. My camera gear was well protected inside thanks to protection of the M-Guard dividers. The bag is also well padded on the outside, but the addition of high impact strips on the front and base of the bag meant I was a little less worried when I "dumped" my bag on the ground.
The Manfrotto PRO Light Backloader Backpack S material is water repellant.
The outer material is also well suited to outdoor environments. The RipStop fabric meant that I was less concerned on where I put my bag or it catching it on some fencing or in a narrow space (which I did a couple of times). While the material isn't waterproof (you need the included raincover for that), it is water repellent meaning I was comfortable enough getting it wet during most rain showers.
Even in the driest of music festivals, you can almost guarantee there will be mud somewhere, and normally where you put your bag! While keep the bag looking new isn't a top priority, it looks like keeping this bag looking smart is an easy enough job. Using a damp cloth I was able to wipe any mud off at the end of the day.
The Manfrotto PRO Light Backloader certainly gives me the confidence that my gear will be well protected but what about the durability of the bag. I've only had the bag for a few weeks so at the moment I can't comment on the long term durability of the bag. But from what I have experienced, the quality of materials, and that it is a Manfrotto bag, I have little concern that long-term this will last every bit as long as my last one.
In Summary
I'm very happy with how the Manfrotto PRO Light Backloader has performed over the time I have been using it. There are lots of things I like about it. The materials are excellent, it offers lots of flexible storage space, it protects my gear, it has some nifty security features, and it's comfortable to wear.
My only slight criticism is that I would have liked a hip belt and slightly wider shoulder straps with pockets but given the size of this bag it's not a total surprise these things aren't there. I would have also liked to have seen a mechanism to securely attach keys inside the bag.
But overall, I love this bag, and it will continue to get heavily used. It will be my go to bag for gigs and festivals, a bag for those lighter weight landscape photography adventures and it will also serve as a general use day pack.
I hoped you enjoyed this review of the Manfrotto PRO Light Backloader backpack and if you have any questions, please leave me a comment below.