Vanguard Sedona Wanderlust Review
Vanguard Sedona Wanderlust Backpack Review
With its good looks, the Sedona Wanderlust is a well-designed bag offering great functionality. It features a handy chest and waist strap and when in use, is incredibly comfortable. Storage capacity is fairly good thanks to its modular design allowing several different ways of customisation. The build quality feels tough and the water resistant fabrics do their job well. For those adventurous photographers who often go out hiking over a weekend, this could be a serious contender, especially considering the price point.
The Sedona Wanderlust was created with help from Vanguard Pro – Joan Vendrell. This is his idea of the perfect camera backpack and is aimed towards the more adventurous photographer. Inspired by traditional hiking bags, the exterior design allows the user to clip things onto it, while the inside houses a modular design, making it a more versatile option. It certainly is an appealing bag for the photographers who enjoy hiking.
Features
The water repellent fabrics used on the exterior are tear-resistant and feels like it can withstand abuse over time. If you’re caught in a serious downpour, there is a waterproof cover found at the bottom of the bag. You can store a 15’’ laptop in its dedicated slot and the main compartment of the bag is separated into two sections which are completely modular, allowing you to customise your setup. More commonly used items can be accessed from the top whilst for larger items, there is rear access too. On both sides you’ll find some more pockets and straps, useful for carrying a drinks bottle or a tripod.
Build and handling
This is where I feel the bag excels, they have done a fantastic job with the padding and straps which makes it very comfortable to wear, even with a heavy load! Durable is probably the best way I can describe the build quality, it just feels like it was made from robust fabrics and materials which won’t fall apart after a few months – unlike some bags I’ve come across in the past. There is a lot of padding within the bag too, giving me confidence knowing my gear would be very well protected if it all tumbled down a cliff!
Performance
Over the past few weeks I have been trying out some Olympus gear, using it alongside my Sony. I thought this would be a perfect bag for my trips out, but packing the bag was an occasional pain and found the 2 section modular design quite limiting for my needs. Whilst it was fine for the smaller lenses, I had a few problems trying to fit an EM-1X with 300mm f/4 and an A7r3 with 70-200mm f/2.8. I was able to work around the issue by having both bodies attached to small primes and storing them both in the top compartment. Out in the field, it did the job and like I said, very comfortable to wear. If you get caught out in a short downpour, like I did, there’s no need to be too concerned as the water resistant materials worked flawlessly. For the times when I knew I wouldn’t need so much gear, the bag was perfect.
Verdict
Vanguard and Joan have created a terrific bag that looks fantastic and is well designed. For the price of £119, it offers a lot of features and in my opinion makes it one of the best bags available in this price bracket. It’s hard to say anything negative about the bag, however, as I found out, space can be somewhat limiting but this is totally dependant on you and how much gear you’ll be taking, so bear that in mind. All in all, a highly recommended bag!