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
Great lighter alternative to the 45Travel Backpack
on April 10, 2026
Posted by: Bulls96
Bought this as the lighter alternative to my 45L Travel backpack and it has performed mightily. Packing cubes and camera cubes are essential for those traveling with some camera gear.
Was able to hook up my 7L outdoor sling to the front too!
Was still able to fit this 45L backpack under my plane seat too!
Was still able to fit this 45L backpack under my plane seat too!
I would recommend this to a friend!
Written by a customer while visiting Peak Design
Customer Rating
5
Great one bagger for heavy loads.
on April 10, 2026
Posted by: Jskilpatr
from Mississippi
Bought this 45L to replace my REI Ruckpack for heavier and longer trips. As an avid one-bagger for international trips, I really enjoy the hip belt support this pack gives me. It’s often loaded over 40lbs. I use the main stash pocket for the 7L Sling, which works great on long flights. Keep your seat-stuff handy while the pack goes up top.
If you’re new to the PD ecosystem, the strap/cords and their clips take some getting used to. The loops they clip on to are just starting to break in, as well as my muscle memory. They took some getting used to, but now I wish all my packs and gear had this system. They don’t slip, stash away and stay away when not in use. Which brings me back to the hop belt. When I do bring a carry-on with second bag clip, the belt and shoulder straps stow away in the back panel. The pack rests flat on my 60L rolling duffle and my hardside pilot case. For rail travel in Asia, stowing the belt and the flat shape of the pack make front-carry easy and comfortable.
To be fair, this is made more for light trail work so there isn’t a whole lot of organization like tie Travel Backpack. But with 5 nice large stash pockets and rugged belt, it’s the best one-bag for the way I travel: lots of walking and rail with the ability to go from travel to tourist to work. Love this bag.
I would 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
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
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
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
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
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