Shimoda Action X30 1-year review
Shimoda Action X30
The perfect camera backpack for photography day hikes
Out with the old, in with the new
Little over a year ago, when my 10 year old camera backpack started to give up, it was time for a new camera backpack. In that 10 years of time, I had come across a few shortcomings with my old backpack. Now I wanted to fix those shortcomings so I made a list of must have things of my new backpack.
My list was following:
Enough room for my typical gear (Sony A7 III with lens attached, 2 medium sized lenses, 2 small lenses, accessories)
2 side pockets outside of the backpack that can hold a bottle or tripod (one for water, one for coffee or tripod)
Room for jacket, shirt, gloves etc.
Easy access pocket for headlamp
Weatherproof without separate rain cover!
That last one ruled out most of the backpacks out there, but I was so fed up with faffing with those separate rain covers, that I wasn’t willing to give up on it. And I’m glad I didn’t have to.
Meet the Shimoda Action X30
I had seen Shimoda backpacks before, but thought that they were little bit too pricey for my liking. This time I took a little closer look at them and read through some reviews online. I came to a conclusion that the X30 was the perfect backpack for me and worth the price. There’s also a bigger X50 and X70 available, but the X30 seemed to suit my needs the best. So I placed an order for black Shimoda Action X30 and medium mirrorless core unit (you have to buy core units separately). To date I haven’t regretted that decision. It checked all the boxes on my list and has been every bit as good as I expected.
Lets see some of my favorite features of the backpack!
There’s side pouches on both sides of the backpack that can hold your bottles or tripod. There’s also a possibility to stuff away those pouches if they are not needed. The straps keeps your bottles tightly in place. There’s another straps above the pouches which can be used to tie your tripod, monopod, hiking poles or other longer items to it’s place.
The roll-top gives you extra 7 liters of space so you can pack even more clothing, food or what ever you need. I’ve read mix opinions about it, but I really like it. Especially in winter it’s nice to have that extra room for down jacket, thick gloves, winter hat etc. There’s a side access zipper in front of the upper part so you don’t always have to roll the top open to get access inside.
The Shimoda Action X30 is a very comfortable backpack to carry. The sturdy shoulder straps has 3 height options for different sized torsos. The removable belt is sturdy and helps balancing the weight of the backpack nicely.
There’s a small pocket on each of the straps for things like phone, headlamp(!), snacks etc.
The camera section of the X30 is held closed by a heavy duty zipper. This is the only zipper that’s not weather proof, but it doesn’t matter, at least when you are carrying the backpack. There’s not enough room for any significant amount of water to end down there when the backpack is in your back.
My typical gear fits nicely in the medium mirrorless core and there’s plenty of room left for other stuff in the upper section of the backpack.
And last, but definitely not least, the X30 is weatherproof without any separate rain cover. The thick outer fabric and weatherproof zippers have kept all the rain and snow out of the backpack so far. Now I don’t have to worry about my gear getting wet when a rain hits me or when I ditch my Backpack in the snow. That peace of mind was well worth the cost.
Conclusion
The Shimoda Action X30 is an excellent choice for photographers how want to go out there, no matter the weather. It’s not the cheapest backpack out there, but looking at my own X30 after over a year of use, it’s not showing any sings of wear. I think this backpack will serve me well for many years to come so it has been a good investment.
Check out the Shimoda Action line up and specs at shimodadesigns.com/by-series/action-x/
