Customer reviews from Peak Design
Peak Design - Outdoor Backpack 45L - Cloud
Average customer rating
4.3
(232 Reviews)
Rating breakdown 232 reviews
5 Stars
141
4 Stars
48
3 Stars
24
2 Stars
9
1 Star
10
86%of customers recommend this product.
(
173 out of
201)
Customer Reviews for Peak Design - Outdoor Backpack 45L - Cloud
Customer Rating
5
My outdoors self found a bag!
on April 2, 2025
Posted by: Deke
from Philadelphia, PA
I backed the kickstarter and it came. I already had the everyday zip but this bag is a big larger and provides space for my life out and about in the wilderness or going to pick up groceries. The highlight is the harness and the deep bottle pouches on the sides super comfortable and great storage!
I would recommend this to a friend!
Written by a customer while visiting Peak Design
Customer Rating
5
Unique in its own way
on April 3, 2025
Posted by: Jorge
from Spain
Me and my partner share this bag. It´s perfect por her height (165cm) and a little short for me (185cm) if I use the hipbelt.
The design will take some hikes to master it if you are used to the "normal" hiking bags, but it´s on point.
The best: the shoulder pads and straps, the distribution of the space and full back-opening.
The worst: it lacks 1 small pocket in the inside and if you go throught spiky bushes the side-pockets will get damaged.
The design will take some hikes to master it if you are used to the "normal" hiking bags, but it´s on point.
The best: the shoulder pads and straps, the distribution of the space and full back-opening.
The worst: it lacks 1 small pocket in the inside and if you go throught spiky bushes the side-pockets will get damaged.
I would recommend this to a friend!
Written by a customer while visiting Peak Design
Customer Rating
4
Review after National Parks Trip
on April 3, 2025
Posted by: Eric
from La Crosse, WI
I used a 45L Outdoor Backpack for a Utah National Parks trip. The bag safely stored my camera gear (one body, two lenses, some accessories) along with my electronics, water bottle, and random other things. This bag is probably a little too tall to fit under the seat so I had to carefully place my feet on the ground.
On the ground, it was good but I do miss the quick camera access provided by the Everyday Backpack. Due to hiking in rough terrain, I was not comfortable using a Capture Clip. It was quite comfortable hiking. I liked the chest straps, load lifters, and waist belt options. I think it's more comfortable than the Everyday Backpack.
I would not place a water bladder beside my camera gear.
The outer cover got marked up and maybe that's a badge of honor, but it looks nice when it's shiny so I used a wet cloth to wipe it down periodically.
I would recommend this to a friend!
Written by a customer while visiting Peak Design
Customer Rating
3
Unexpected Range Bag
on April 6, 2025
Posted by: jonizzzle
from Fairfax, Virginia
Originally thought this would be a nice hiking camera bag but the large camera cube is actually pretty cramped. The back panel opening is just slightly too small to really access the entirety of the camera cube so that got a little annoying. So I went back to just using the large camera cube with the 35L duffel. The straps could also be more comfortable (kinda like Osprey packs) and the string sternum straps are a little fiddly to use so I stopped using them.
The outdoor backpack is actually quite a nice range day bag and fits multiple pistol pouches in the main compartment along with ammo, ear/eye protection, and miscellaneous tools. The outer quick access compartment behind the rugged flap is perfect for my B&T GHM9 to be stowed away with the stock collapsed (the SBR measures ~19" and fits pretty well). The side pockets easily store rolled up targets and suppressor. It's really a nice surprise because the backpack doesn't scream range bag but fits everything I'd ever need to bring.
In all, slightly disappointing as an outdoor camera bag but pretty awesome as a range bag.
I would recommend this to a friend!
Written by a customer while visiting Peak Design
Customer Rating
5
Excellent hiking pack
on April 7, 2025
Posted by: Dunes
from Seattle, WA
I finally had a chance to take the PD outdoor bag on some serious hiking. I had avoided the previous PD bags due to the lack of a solid hip belt, so I used an REI day hiker with a small camera cube. That worked, but it was always frustrating due to the cube not being secure in one place. I love that i can secure my smedium cube at the bottom of the bag with the back panel access. My only gripe here is that the loops to secure the smedium cube with the c-clips were not perfectly aligned so it was tough to get a secure connection on one side. Never-the-less I made it work.
I was worried about the performance of the roll top closure, however with the magnets to bring the sides together it actually works pretty well as long as you don't over fill.
On my previous bag, I had the capture clip on the shoulder belt but after a long hike one of my shoulders would be sore and knotted up due to the weight on one side. On the Outdoor bag I tried mounting the clip on the hip belt. This was far more comfortable for me, though I could see someone being annoyed with the camera being near where you hands come to rest hanging down.
I think you could get a bag that functions similarly at another manufacturer for less, however I've experienced PD standing by their lifetime warranty and if you can stomach the initial price then you know you have a product for life.
All in all the bag is very functional and I'm super happy with the purchase. Looking forward to some summer hiking!
I would recommend this to a friend!
Written by a customer while visiting Peak Design
Customer Rating
5
So comfortable
on April 10, 2025
Posted by: Brillero
from Tel Aviv Israel
Bought this bag and the sling 2L. Have the 15L zip as well. Very happy with the buy. The bag is super comfortable and so easy to dig in.
Few comments:
1. Another pair of zippers would've made this perfect like the zip bag has.
2. Not comfortable and not intuitive to connect the sling to the bag. The set up is too much and I always prefer letting go of the connection.
Few comments:
1. Another pair of zippers would've made this perfect like the zip bag has.
2. Not comfortable and not intuitive to connect the sling to the bag. The set up is too much and I always prefer letting go of the connection.
I would recommend this to a friend!
Written by a customer while visiting Peak Design
Customer Rating
4
The backpack that keeps on giving
on April 12, 2025
Posted by: Bob61
from Melbourne
I have just finished a 1 month tour of: ~Singapore, Turkey, Dubai, Tanzania & Kenya using the backpack. It’s amazing how each time I need space I find another surprise in a space or methods of using it. It wonderfully easy to add storage space no matter the size. I used it as a carry on and it is perfect.
I would recommend this to a friend!
Written by a customer while visiting Peak Design
Customer Rating
3
Doesn't work for my travel photo hiking backpack.
on April 13, 2025
Posted by: mferring
I really, really, wanted to like this bag. My intention is to use as a carry on for international travel, and then hopefully continue to use it for moderate photo based hiking using the Peak Design Capture Clip on a shoulder strap, and carry layers, snacks, and hydration pack on those same trips. My favorite photo backpack for that purpose is the Lowepro PhotoSport with the Peak Design Capture clip. However, after my main bag was lost for an entire hiking trip, I now try to as a minimum to carry on all necessary stuff for 2-4 days of the trip including electronics, toiletries, and several changes of clothes in addition to my hiking stuff and camera. The Lowepro PhotoSport is my perfect hiking photo backpack, but is not big enough for the above use case.
I also have the Peak Design 30L travel backpack which works very well for travel and meets my volume requirements. I have toyed with the idea of using this backpack also as my hiking backpack. But I just find that the strap system is just too uncomfortable for up to 10-14 mi of multi terrain hiking. So I only use that travel backpack for non hiking trips.
Therefore, after reading and watching maaaany reviews of the new Peak Design 45L Outdoor Backpack (PDOB) , it looked like I might have my solution.
However, I must say after getting the pack a few days ago, I am pretty disappointed with its capabilities.
First, in real life, the bag just seems much smaller than the advertised 45L. I suppose if you roll the top of the PDOB all the way up and stuff it full, it might be around 45L, but I would never want to use that backpack without cinching down the rolltop at least part way.
My intention was to use the stuff sack portion of the bag to hold my layered clothes which consist of rain pants, rain coat, and a light stuffable puffy jacket. I was very surprised to see how narrow the bag was and how small the stuff sack was. Even though my layers don't take that much room they basically overflowed the narrow small stuff sack area and it was difficult to pull the draw string tight enough to get the panel to close over the layers. Not good for light rain situations.
Then I planned to use the main area of the bag under the carry straps to carry my electronics, toiletries, camera during transit, and 2-4 days worth of clothes. Again, I found this area quite a bit smaller then I expected. Also, it had zero structural integrity and wanted to stay tightly compressed all the time (perhaps this might relax over time). So it was a bit of a challenge to pack out the main area without this structural stability. As others have mentioned it was also a bit finicky to get the carry straps out of the way to unzip the back, but this was not a big deal to me.
Then, after all the years of people complaining about Peak Design carry straps being uncomfortable, and because of the reviews I saw, I really expected the carry strap system to be the ultimate in comfort. I was very surprised to find that they were not, at least to me. Even though the pads were thick, they were quite hard. Also, the shape over the shoulder was more like a fold then a curve. Again, I suppose over time that these straps might break in and be better. But I was not sure I wanted to take that risk as the bag is very expensive.
And ultimately, the PDOB had to contend with the comparison to the latest version of the Cotopaxi Allpa 35L (CotoA) which I had also picked up as another possible choice.
Even though the CotoA is only rated at 35L, to me, practically it carries more than the PDOB. Although it is quite a bit wider than the PDOB, it is all very usable and still meets the airline carry on restrictions. And if you don't pack it full it can be compressed to fit into smaller spaces. Some reviewers have said they have successfully gotten the CotoA under their airline seat. And it is much easier to access and pack out the interior of the clamshell opening CotoA then the PDOB.
The straps on the Cotopaxi are very comfortable and I think would work well for hiking. The bag itself is a little big for my hiking use case, but if not packed out should have a pretty low profile. I do admit that the clamshell access is a bit slower for hiking use, and it is more likely that you will get part of the pack dirty since more of it will touch the ground when opened. I also do not like that it does not provide a hydration pack solution, but at least it now has an outside water bottle pocket. It was a bit of a challenge to attach my PD Capture Clip. However, I used the PD provided allen head screws vs the knurled knobs. These screws were a bit longer and allowed me to attach the clip below the chest strap mounts on the shoulder straps. I have a fairly heavy camera (Canon R5 with 24-70 F2.8 lens), but I cannot even feel the weight when clipped in.
And finally, although this was not a huge driver for me, when using the bags as a travel bag, the CotoA is much better at providing access to desired items via its two outside pockets vs the PDOB.
The CotoA is big enough that I may even decide to carry a packable day back and hydration pack with me as my hiking solution. I have the Venture Pal 40L Lightweight Packable Travel Hiking Backpack Daypack and think I can make it work. I have placed a hydration pack in the back pocket of the Venture and ran the drinking tube over my shoulders and threaded via the carry strap loop. Even though the Venture was not designed as a hydration backpack, itworks pretty well and all packs down and fits with the CotoA. I can also hang my camera on the Capture Clip on this backpack. Even though the straps are thin, it is still pretty workable.
So it is obvious that PD is really trying had to find innovative unique solutions to our travel and hiking use cases. I just think that no matter how much I am trying to like this bag, I cannot recommend it for the type of use I have in mind.
Written by a customer while visiting Peak Design