Hiker/Photographer extraordinaire Mike Byrne took the Adventure K4L for a spin this past summer during a 2 weeks-long hike in the Canadian Rockies that could make anyone die of envy and hate its behind-the-desk regular 9 to 5 job.
He sent in these thrilling photos and field test. Here’s MB in his own words:
I’m a hiker. My idea of a great day is 10 to 20 miles over hill and dale and hopefully up a mountain or two.
I believe in being well-equipped. I usually carry rain gear, a few layers of warm clothing, a healthy lunch, water, maps, a first-aid kit, emergency tools…and maybe a spare pair of footwear.
I’m also a photographer. To the equipment above I’ll add my DSLR, at least 2 or 3 lenses, spare batteries and storage cards, and often a full-size tripod.
The Naneu Pro K4L camera backpack is my pack of choice for day hikes. It has a well-padded compartment for all my camera gear and with a little creativity I can fit in a lens like my 70-200 f2.8.
In a second compartment there’s space for my lunch, clothing and other equipment. The K4L includes a padded slot for a laptop up to 17” but when I’m hiking I find this is the best place for my rain jacket.
The K4L is not a small bag. It is built with the serious hiker/photographer in mind. The belts and straps are sturdy and well-padded. The shell is made from water resistant 1680 Ballistic Nylon and the zippers are rugged (the laptop compartment zipper is water resistant).
I acquired my K4L in spring 2009 and tried it immediately on several short hikes. Without being particularly stressed, the pack passed with flying colors: it carried my gear efficiently and it was comfortable.
This summer was my first chance to really test the bag. I had a 2-week shoot scheduled for the Banff area of the Canadian Rockies. With the K4L fully loaded (about 30 pounds of gear), I hiked the many trails around Lake O’Hara (BC). I probably averaged around 12 miles per day, catching some terrific reflections in the early morning light and some cool shots of friendly wildlife.
The K4L handled the weight well and even on long days with lots of uphill the pack remained comfortable. I was somewhat concerned about the connection of the shoulder straps to the top of the pack — the join seemed less rugged than the rest of the pack — but the K4L held together perfectly. I would like to see higher density foam in the shoulder straps as they did tend to twist a bit under heavy loads.
One of my favorite components of the pack is the tripod pouch. When needed, it unzips from the center of the pack and folds down to secure the legs of a full-size tripod. Two straps secure the upper reaches of the tripod. One small quibble with this arrangement is that the straps do not lock down so the tripod can work loose and shift around a bit.
After a week at Lake O’Hara, I shifted my focus to several peaks surrounding the town of Canmore Alberta. The weather took a turn for the worse and I summitted Heart Mountain in light rain, barely able to see the rock ahead of me. Again, the K4L performed very well, and the included rain cover kept all my gear dry.
My final hike was a fifteen mile effort up Middle Sister. The skies were mostly clear, the views superb, and the K4L as comfortable as always. If you’re a serious hiker/photographer, the Naneu K4L is a great choice.
