2011 © Brian Adams
Yes, I love bags. And not only good shoulder bags, but also backpacks. I have always laughed when talking about my Burton Zoom Bag because I think that it's funny that a snowboard company makes the best camera backpack there is. It's practically perfect in every way.
When I was in high school, my parents bought me my first Burton Zoom Bag as a gift for Christmas one year. I loved it so much that they bought me the one in the photograph above for Christmas the following year, which says something about the bag's durability (I still use it today). At the time, one bag was dedicated to video equipment (back in the days when I filmed skateboarding) and the other (above) was purposed for still equipment.
What makes this backpack surpass the rest is not just one but many things. For one, the Zoom Bag is physically longer than any other backpack I have used, so the weight of the camera gear is spread more evenly across my back, unlike other backpacks that I have used that were too short and put all of the weight on my lower back. At the end of a day of a long location shoot after wearing one of those shorter packs, my back would be killing me.
In addition to its size, the Zoom Bag is superior in design than other packs, especially for photographers like me that have no idea what conditions they'll find themselves in. The main compartment of the pack is accessed from the face of the bag that rests on your back, so when you have to lay it down in some dirt or snow, you're not laying it down where your back will be, which is an important aid in keeping your clothes dry and clean while shooting outdoors.
Although I typically like to keep things simple, sometimes there are just a lot of things I have to pack for a shoot, especially for those bigger assignments that take several days or weeks. The Zoom Bag was made for these assignments as well as for everyday use; it's the Mary Poppins bag for photographers. There are many pockets and straps, and I have often loaded it with camera gear, a laptop (sometimes two!), clothes (even Ash's shoes), and snacks with room to spare. And for how much this bag can carry, it is incredibly light. Other backpacks that I've picked up in camera stores are filled with so much unnecessary padding and even roll bars that they feel like they have a full camera setup already in them, almost like a suitcase instead of a pack.
And, for you outdoorsy photogs, the Burton Zoom Bag carries not only camera gear, but it is made to have a snowboard attached to it for backcountry skiing! If you don't ski or snowboard I am sure you will find some other use for this feature. The Burton Zoom bag is one bag I know I will always carry on and on--in fact I'm carrying it on a plane today!
To view the latest Zoom bag check it out on Burton's website here.
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