Customer reviews from Peak Design
Peak Design - Outdoor Backpack 45L - Cloud
Average customer rating
4.3
(272 Reviews)
Rating breakdown 272 reviews
5 Stars
169
4 Stars
57
3 Stars
25
2 Stars
11
1 Star
10
87%of customers recommend this product.
(
199 out of
229)
Customer Reviews for Peak Design - Outdoor Backpack 45L - Cloud
Customer Rating
3
Great features but not for hiking.
on May 4, 2026
Posted by: Kait
from Colorado Springs, CO
I bought this almost a year ago now. I do enjoy using this backpack however not for the intention on which I bought it for.
I purchased this to take on hiking adventures as advertised. Unfortunately this pack is not a good distance hiking pack as there is no actual strap to help spread the weight of the load taking some off the shoulders. For this reason, I do not hike more than two miles with this pack. And that depends even on the gear I’m bringing. I instead use a tradiditional pack to help distribute some of the weight off my hips and use a sled out camera cube.
The pack has very thoughtful elements so I do enjoy using it for road trips. But it’s unfortunate that I cannot use it for big hiking trips which is most of my photo excursions.
Written by a customer while visiting Peak Design
Customer Rating
4
Comfortable
on May 4, 2026
Posted by: Ashley
The backpack looks elegant despite its outdoorsy design. What I value the most is that all straps can be adjusted to my liking so that the backpack feels like its made for my body proportions.
However, it scratches very easily and honestly, I expected it to fit more stuff given that it is 45 liters.
However, it scratches very easily and honestly, I expected it to fit more stuff given that it is 45 liters.
Written by a customer while visiting Peak Design
Customer Rating
4
Good backpack
on May 4, 2026
Posted by: Ashley
The backpack is comfortable and good looking, you can barely feel its weight. However, one thing to note is that it is easily prone to scratches.
I would recommend this to a friend!
Written by a customer while visiting Peak Design
Customer Rating
5
Comfortable backpack
on April 30, 2026
Posted by: Lccc
from HK
Great outdoor backpack, traveling with photo gears
I would recommend this to a friend!
Written by a customer while visiting Peak Design
Customer Rating
3
It’s not an outdoor bag. It’s an outdoor photo bag
on April 30, 2026
Posted by: Vladimir
from North Carolina
I have mixed feelings. I should say this is not an outdoor bag for hiking. It’s still behind Osprey or Deuter backpacks. Main compartment is easy accessible from the top and back. I like it. The front top pocket is useless for big items because the material is not stretchy. The same for small front pockets. They are good for keys and snacks but there’s no place to store a big box with sunglasses. It would be nice to have some sort of a top pocket for additional items.
I would not buy this bag for hiking. There are better brands.
BUT…
The bag is great for my outdoor photography adventures. I don’t want to carry a typical photo bag which has usually bad ventilation and feels bulky. This bag is for carrying photo tools all day long. Shoulder straps provide great support with heavy weight. But there is too much cushion which soaks water during rain. The idea of having special attachment points for a camera plate on both straps with two different heights is great. This is the main issue with typical outdoor bags because they don’t have good attachment points for the plate (straps are too wide). Over fit is for narrow shoulders, great for me, might be an issue for more muscular shoulders. Side bottle / tripod pockets are super deep and stretchy so they can fit 32oz Yeti bottles easily.
I tested the bag in 2 hours of rain and no leaks inside. Let’s see how the zipper insulation will look after one year.
I would not buy this bag for hiking. There are better brands.
BUT…
The bag is great for my outdoor photography adventures. I don’t want to carry a typical photo bag which has usually bad ventilation and feels bulky. This bag is for carrying photo tools all day long. Shoulder straps provide great support with heavy weight. But there is too much cushion which soaks water during rain. The idea of having special attachment points for a camera plate on both straps with two different heights is great. This is the main issue with typical outdoor bags because they don’t have good attachment points for the plate (straps are too wide). Over fit is for narrow shoulders, great for me, might be an issue for more muscular shoulders. Side bottle / tripod pockets are super deep and stretchy so they can fit 32oz Yeti bottles easily.
I tested the bag in 2 hours of rain and no leaks inside. Let’s see how the zipper insulation will look after one year.
My summary is 3 stars because it’s advertised as an outdoor backpack. Get this bag if you do long hikes with camera gear. Don’t get it for regular hiking adventures.
No, I would not recommend this to a friend.
Written by a customer while visiting Peak Design
Customer Rating
3
Good Bag but poor sizing for airlines
on April 28, 2026
Posted by: crusted
The 18L Outdoor Backpack is of excellent quality with no apparent defects other than it is an inch too big on two of three dimensions to qualify as a "personal item" on Air Canada plus most European Union airlines. As such, it is a problem when carrying with another "Carry On" like my PD 48L Travel Bag.
Otherwise the back is pretty good on flights where I have checked luggage (rare for me).
I am currently on a long trip using a checked bag and with the 18L being my only bag for camera gear and personal items. The bag is good but for reasons I can't explain, awkward. For example the city on the shoulders won't let me use a capture clip to the straps.
Otherwise the back is pretty good on flights where I have checked luggage (rare for me).
I am currently on a long trip using a checked bag and with the 18L being my only bag for camera gear and personal items. The bag is good but for reasons I can't explain, awkward. For example the city on the shoulders won't let me use a capture clip to the straps.
No, I would not recommend this to a friend.
Written by a customer while visiting Peak Design
Customer Rating
4
Good with some quibbles.
on April 26, 2026
Posted by: d-ron
from Philadelphia
This review is for the 18L version - PD doesn't show you which version of the bag people bought in their reviews which is just silliness.
Overall I like the bag and will be keepingit. I'll be replacing a smaller Osprey hiking bag with this for day hikes and festivals and such.
Pros:
- LOVE the all the connection points. They're ALL over the bag but totally invisible which is super cool.
- I like being able to take off/rearrange the external cords. Hiking bags tend to have all these silly straps and hooks and loops and cords, as if all the people buying them are going ice climbing. In reality they're just liabilities waiting to get caught on the nearest shrubbery and I end up cutting them off. Take them all off and it just looks like a normal bag
- chest straps are removable in the same vein
- shoulder straps are wide and comfy
- seems waterproof but haven't had a chance to test it yet
- LOVE the all the connection points. They're ALL over the bag but totally invisible which is super cool.
- I like being able to take off/rearrange the external cords. Hiking bags tend to have all these silly straps and hooks and loops and cords, as if all the people buying them are going ice climbing. In reality they're just liabilities waiting to get caught on the nearest shrubbery and I end up cutting them off. Take them all off and it just looks like a normal bag
- chest straps are removable in the same vein
- shoulder straps are wide and comfy
- seems waterproof but haven't had a chance to test it yet
Cons:
- the optional connection points for a hip belt (sold separately) is dumb IMO. if you're putting enough weight in this bag to warrant a hip belt, you need a different bag. dead weight. I wish they had skipped that and added a luggage sleeve instead.
- I straight up don't understand why the shoulder straps have metal hooks to disconnect the top from the body but not the bottom (sewn to the bag and can't pull the strap out of the slider). what is the point of that? maybe someone can enlighten me. more dead weight
- chest straps are hard to keep parallel due to the invisibility of the connection points. I keep attaching mine crooked. maybe I'll get used to it. or maybe I'll take a white marker to them so I don't have to guess
- the optional connection points for a hip belt (sold separately) is dumb IMO. if you're putting enough weight in this bag to warrant a hip belt, you need a different bag. dead weight. I wish they had skipped that and added a luggage sleeve instead.
- I straight up don't understand why the shoulder straps have metal hooks to disconnect the top from the body but not the bottom (sewn to the bag and can't pull the strap out of the slider). what is the point of that? maybe someone can enlighten me. more dead weight
- chest straps are hard to keep parallel due to the invisibility of the connection points. I keep attaching mine crooked. maybe I'll get used to it. or maybe I'll take a white marker to them so I don't have to guess
I would recommend this to a friend!
Written by a customer while visiting Peak Design
Customer Rating
1
Too complicated and not practical in real use
on April 16, 2026
Posted by: Tegola78
On paper this looks like a perfect backpack, but in everyday use it turns out to be more complicated than useful. There are too many straps, systems, and adjustments that end up slowing you down instead of helping.
The internal organization is not very practical: to access items inside the cube you often have to open the entire backpack, which is inconvenient, especially when you need something quickly.
Another downside is the glossy front panel, which scratches very easily and starts to show signs of wear after a short time.
Comfort is also not always ideal, especially with heavier loads or during longer use, and some design choices feel impractical in real-world situations.
Overall, it’s a well-built backpack but too complicated, expensive, and not very user-friendly. I wouldn’t buy it again.
The internal organization is not very practical: to access items inside the cube you often have to open the entire backpack, which is inconvenient, especially when you need something quickly.
Another downside is the glossy front panel, which scratches very easily and starts to show signs of wear after a short time.
Comfort is also not always ideal, especially with heavier loads or during longer use, and some design choices feel impractical in real-world situations.
Overall, it’s a well-built backpack but too complicated, expensive, and not very user-friendly. I wouldn’t buy it again.
Written by a customer while visiting Peak Design