Peak Design Everyday Backpack 20L | Gear Review

Peak Design, known for their functional, well-thought-out gear for photographers, videographers, and the like has been pushing their product range to appeal to a broader customer range. The Everyday Backpack is one of several recent product revisions, or launches, that aims to accomplish that goal. 

The Everyday Backpack has adjustable and removable dividers that allow it to shift from camera bag, to gym back, to travel backpack, to a city bag with limited effort. With its collection of carefully placed and magnetically closed pockets throughout, the Everyday Backpack has become my new go-to for any adventure. 

Let’s dive into the Peak Design Everyday Backpack’s pros, cons, and core benefits. 

• 20L Capacity
• ~3lbs empty
• Comfortably fits 13” and 14” laptops, but will squeeze up to 16” 
• Separate tablet sleeve
• Dual side zippers for customized, on-the-go access
• MagLatch lid closure
• Flex Fold dividers for camera equipment, tech, and more
• Peak Design exclusive Coyote X-Pac™ Ocean Edition fabric, made in the USA from 100% recycled fishing nets

Design

Minimal meets modern with the Peak Design Everyday Backpack. The symmetrical, aesthetic exterior cleverly hides a multitude of organizational options to keep valuables protected and in place. The bag is unmistakably premium with high quality, easy-to-use trims from the zipper pulls to the magnetic closures throughout the bag. 

I opted for the Coyote X-Pac™ color, which is even better in person. It is somewhere between caramel and dark tan depending on the light, and it really stands out in the homogenous world of black and navy. It is striking, yet still professional enough to take on a client shoot or important sales meeting. The fabric choice was excellent, not only for abrasion resistance, but for sustainability reasons as well. The Peak Design exclusive color and fabric is made from 100% recycled fishing nets.

The three-sided entry is one of the reasons this bag offers excellent versatility from photography to everyday carry. It quickly has become second nature and really elevates the utility.

Customizable Utility

In both the intro and the design section, I alluded to this bag’s ability to do it all, and that ultimately comes to two features: 1) three entry points into the main compartment and 2) the removable and configurable flex fold dividers. I have configured this bag to carry a camera, foldable tripod, external drives, and clothing layers for a day of shooting thanks to the removable dividers. 

Speaking of removable, I have also completely removed the dividers to use the pack as a standard backpack for travel. In that configuration, I carried a 14in MacBook Pro in the laptop sleeve, a 15in Lenovo ThinkPad in the main compartment, plus a tech pouch, over the ear headphones, a charger, and a pile of snacks. In this configuration, it comfortably fit all my valuable essentials and slid right under a standard economy airline seat.

What I love about this bag is, no matter the configuration, the side access points are more valuable than you might think. When the bag was in travel mode, I used the passthrough roller bag sleeve to store the bag on my rolled luggage while waiting at the gate. I could use the side access to get to what I needed without having to lift the bag off the roller to avoid spilling all the main compartment’s contents. A seriously underrated feature, that can be used creatively, despite being mainly oriented toward quick camera and lens access for photographers and videographers.

Everyday Carry

If the previous section did not already allude to the fact that this bag is great at EDC, here’s your sign. Dividers in, or not, this bag has many built-in pockets that allow for great organization of all kinds of everyday tech like headphones or earpods, wallets, keys, external drives, mouse, cords… really you name it. The side pouches are great for a smaller water bottle and/or snacks. The optional external lashings work for looping on an oversized jacket or other bulky item. 

The best part is all of that can be done while still having an entirely empty main compartment for other items that can’t be neatly tucked away in a safe spot inside one of the many great pockets this bag offers. 

If I had to offer a complaint, it is that the bag’s rigidity does not allow the bag to compress down in depth if you’re not in need of all the space. However, the counterpoint is that this bag does not sag and look sad when not fully utilized like some competitor bags.

An additional quick nod I wanted to include here is the added water resistance of the X-Pac™ fabric… I got caught in a few sprinkles since using this bag, and I was not as worried about my laptop as I would normally be with other EDC-style bags.

The short of it is, this bag is competent. Great for photographers, great for travelers, great for commuters. 

Quality & Durability

Starting with quality, there is no doubt that Peak Design went out of their way to source premium materials for this bag. From the specialty fabric–Peak Design exclusive Coyote X-Pac™ Ocean Edition fabric, made in the USA from 100% recycled fishing nets–to the zippers, trims, and closures, each inch of this bag feels premium. Interacting with the bag also feels premium; zippers don’t snag, and the magnetic closure just works as it should. 

With all that in mind, I do expect this bag to last for years and look good doing it, with just one exception. The painted metal hardware appears to be the weakest link of this bag, with black paint scratching off within a matter of months of use. By no means is it fully scratched off, just showing signs of wear and tear. The fabric, however, looks great and shows little to no sign of wear.

Buy now for $279.95 at PeakDesign.com