Sunday, January 8, 2012

Clik Elite Compact Backpack Review

I reviewed the Clik Elite CE706GR Compact Backpack on Amazon.ca. Here's the review, edited slightly.

I desperately needed a daypack that could hold a hydration pack and yet would leave my camera with lenses readily accessible. The Click Elite Backpacks seemed to fit the bill: rugged camera backpacks with a sleeve sized to fit a 3L hydration bladder. I have a smaller camera system (Panasonic G1, lenses: 14-45mm, 45-200mm, 45mm prime) and prefer to travel light so I thought that the smaller backpack would work well

Pros:
- comfortable, carries the weight of a camera, 2L of water, snacks, and a small tripod well
- seems bombproof, except for the pulls and toggles for the elastic straps
- appears to have space for a camera body with lens and two spare lenses

Cons:
- it's possible to fit a 3L Camelbak bladder with up to 2L of water, but when it's full with 3L of water it's a pain to get it into the sleeve
- it's not *practically* possible to fit my camera with a lens mounted, plus my two extra lenses in the camera compartment. With two lenses in the lens holders, there's no room for the mounted lens when I insert my camera body. I now have to choose which glass to bring with me on my hikes, and I've cursed a couple of times when I had a perfect shot for the lens that I didn't have with me.
- the camera compartment zippers get stuck when opening and closing the compartment. It seems like the turn radius at the corners of the compartment is too tight for this size of zipper
- external pocket & elastic strap not practical - would've been more useful with a larger-volume pouch. The pull for the elastic strap came off when I tried to "encourage" it to hold a light jacket in place.

Field notes:
I went hiking near Port Hardy, BC, on a very rainy day. Found out to my dismay that the rain cover couldn't accommodate my tripod, which was in the tripod holder. I also found out that the cover wouldn't stay put - it would become dislodged at the slightest provocation. I really wanted to like this pack since it got rave reviews in other places, but it's barely functional for me. I'll keep it until I can find a suitable replacement but there doesn't seem to be much else out there...

2/5 stars.