Crumpler backpacks are not the only way to go, and I'm going to be the first to admit that.
Granted that you can carry your camera in a regular bag, but having a backpack specifically designed to carry your digital camera is definitely much better.
Usually what you look for in a camera backpack is to be able to carry your daily equipment and nowadays a laptop plus some fun/study/work related materials (i.
e.
notebooks, agenda, clothes).
Also you want the backpack to be waterproof, VERY comfortable and of course not too conspicuous about the valuable contents.
When all these are met you can be happy, and when a cool design gets thrown in the mix you can be quite thrilled.
Given these requests Crumpler camera backpacks manage to match up to them and they do it in style.
The exterior of the most popular models is made of resistant Nylon that is tear and puncture resistant.
And although not completely waterproof, the backpacks will save your equipment from most showers, but for prolonged rains you should use a water cover.
Comfort wise the shoulder straps are wide enough to do the job and are padded to go easy on your shoulders.
The back face has a vertical channel in the middle, where your spine would go, to the best of my knowledge it is to help vent your back and save you some perspiration, but for me that never worked.
In any case, I have very high expectations when it comes to comfort, and Crumpler backpacks deliver.
I like the design of the backpacks, but that's obviously subjective.
What isn't subjective is that Crumpler has some of the most innovative designs on the market.
For example the camera backpacks have no apparent zippers when mounted, that's because it only opens trough the back face.
So when mounted, no thief can access the interior, except if they cut through the materials, but remember that I said the exterior is tear and puncture resistant.
So you'll have to run into a very persistent thief before you have anything stolen this way.
Ok, so once you take the backpack off your back and put it face down on the table you can zip it down and flip it open and reveal the contents.
Now you have easy access to the laptop sleeve and all the camera equipment.
One more aspect that you should consider is the capacity and size.
Those are actually two things, I know, but they are so closely connected that I couldn't count them twice.
In the purely camera laptop backpack category, Crumpler has the Keystone, the Whickey and Cox, and the Karachi Outpost.
The Keystone is the smallest of the three brothers, capable of surrounding a 12" laptop and a camera body with a long lens (i.
e.
the 70-200 mm, not a 600mm obviously) and a few accessories.
So it's very compact and according to your needs you could go for this one or for its 'bigger' brothers.
The Whickey and Cox can hold a 15" laptop and enough camera equipment to exchange the backpack for a car, while the Karachi Outpost is the largest of them and when completely full (with the right cameras and lenses) can very well be exchanged for a luxury car.
In conclusion, finding the perfect camera backpack for every situation is like finding a song that could be your theme song every time you walk out of the house.
There's just no such thing.
But Crumpler's camera backpacks definitely are worth putting, at least, on your short list when looking to buy such a thing, as they are premium quality and thanks to the adjustable dividers pretty versatile.
Granted that you can carry your camera in a regular bag, but having a backpack specifically designed to carry your digital camera is definitely much better.
Usually what you look for in a camera backpack is to be able to carry your daily equipment and nowadays a laptop plus some fun/study/work related materials (i.
e.
notebooks, agenda, clothes).
Also you want the backpack to be waterproof, VERY comfortable and of course not too conspicuous about the valuable contents.
When all these are met you can be happy, and when a cool design gets thrown in the mix you can be quite thrilled.
Given these requests Crumpler camera backpacks manage to match up to them and they do it in style.
The exterior of the most popular models is made of resistant Nylon that is tear and puncture resistant.
And although not completely waterproof, the backpacks will save your equipment from most showers, but for prolonged rains you should use a water cover.
Comfort wise the shoulder straps are wide enough to do the job and are padded to go easy on your shoulders.
The back face has a vertical channel in the middle, where your spine would go, to the best of my knowledge it is to help vent your back and save you some perspiration, but for me that never worked.
In any case, I have very high expectations when it comes to comfort, and Crumpler backpacks deliver.
I like the design of the backpacks, but that's obviously subjective.
What isn't subjective is that Crumpler has some of the most innovative designs on the market.
For example the camera backpacks have no apparent zippers when mounted, that's because it only opens trough the back face.
So when mounted, no thief can access the interior, except if they cut through the materials, but remember that I said the exterior is tear and puncture resistant.
So you'll have to run into a very persistent thief before you have anything stolen this way.
Ok, so once you take the backpack off your back and put it face down on the table you can zip it down and flip it open and reveal the contents.
Now you have easy access to the laptop sleeve and all the camera equipment.
One more aspect that you should consider is the capacity and size.
Those are actually two things, I know, but they are so closely connected that I couldn't count them twice.
In the purely camera laptop backpack category, Crumpler has the Keystone, the Whickey and Cox, and the Karachi Outpost.
The Keystone is the smallest of the three brothers, capable of surrounding a 12" laptop and a camera body with a long lens (i.
e.
the 70-200 mm, not a 600mm obviously) and a few accessories.
So it's very compact and according to your needs you could go for this one or for its 'bigger' brothers.
The Whickey and Cox can hold a 15" laptop and enough camera equipment to exchange the backpack for a car, while the Karachi Outpost is the largest of them and when completely full (with the right cameras and lenses) can very well be exchanged for a luxury car.
In conclusion, finding the perfect camera backpack for every situation is like finding a song that could be your theme song every time you walk out of the house.
There's just no such thing.
But Crumpler's camera backpacks definitely are worth putting, at least, on your short list when looking to buy such a thing, as they are premium quality and thanks to the adjustable dividers pretty versatile.