{"id":155,"date":"2015-07-28T20:51:00","date_gmt":"2015-07-28T20:51:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/redrocksreview.com\/index.php\/2015\/07\/28\/review-mindshift-gear-firstlight-20l-photo-backpack\/"},"modified":"2015-07-28T20:51:00","modified_gmt":"2015-07-28T20:51:00","slug":"review-mindshift-gear-firstlight-20l-photo-backpack","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/redrocksreview.com\/index.php\/2015\/07\/28\/review-mindshift-gear-firstlight-20l-photo-backpack\/","title":{"rendered":"Review: MindShift Gear FirstLight 20L Photo Backpack"},"content":{"rendered":"
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I try to stay fast and light in the mountains. This is the reason I use Mirrorless Micro 4\/3rds gear. But what is the point of having all this gear if you don’t have it with you?  As you know I am a huge, Huge, HUGE fan of MindShift Gear’s Trail Rotation<\/a> 180 pack.  That pack has done more for my photography than any other piece of gear I have owned. It is designed for a camera, lens and your outdoor gear. But sometimes you want to go out and have all your lenses to follow your photographic heart. When I went looking for a pack to carry multiple lenses and a tripod I immediately looked at MindShift Gear and picked up the MindShift Gear FirstLight 20L.  I mean you never know when you’ll see a moose on the trail, having your 7-14mm is not going to help you get that pic!<\/p>\n

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I just wanted to share that pic of a moose, look at that fellow! If you are too impatient to read the whole review, lets just get to it;  this bag looks great, works great and is built to last. You should buy it.<\/p>\n

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If you are looking for a pack to carry your gear for miles in the backcountry and also able to use it to carry your gear and laptop\/tablet while traveling this is the bag you have been looking for. As with all MindShift Gear bag the form and function are both top notch. <\/div>\n
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The FirstLight 20L is the smallest in the FirstLight line. It has room for all of your lenses, flashes, bodies, etc. I can fit the OMD-EM1 with the 40-150 PRO with MC-14 mounted with room to spare. In the pic below I have the Olympus 7-14 PRO, Olympus 12-40 PRO, Olympus 60mm Macro and a spare wind breaker in the storage area. In the top right of the picture is the included full coverage rain cover.<\/p>\n

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The inside of the main pocket has 3 zippered areas for your filters, batteries, cards, lens cloths, etc.<\/p>\n

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The pack features a neat system to carry a tripod with hide-away attachments at the top and bottom.<\/p>\n

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All these functions and this yet it is streamlined for time on the trail or on the plane.<\/p>\n

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I use a small 3 Legged Thing Punks tripod which doesn’t fit snugly in the integrated straps. So I attach  it to the webbing on the bottom. The front flap has two pockets. A top pocket the fits flatter items or a laptop. I carry food and a first aid kit in the pocket for the most part.<\/p>\n

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Just showing how deep the pocket is.<\/p>\n

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The FirstLight 20L has a side pocket for things like gloves, maps etc.<\/p>\n

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The pack also has side  expanding pockets that will fit up to a 32oz Nalgene.<\/p>\n

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The side pockets can also be used to fit your monopod, tripod or in my case dog leashes and a monopod!<\/p>\n

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The side of the pack has compression straps . And this is pretty neat, they have locking cams to keep the straps from loosening<\/p>\n

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As you have come to expect from MindShift Gear, the zippers are bomber and have nice easy to use zipper pulls. As the MindShift Gear FirstLight 20L is meant for the trail and town, the zippers have loops for a lock to keep your gear from getting jacked. <\/div>\n
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And look at that bomber padded handle. <\/div>\n
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Hidden at the top of the pack is a small pocket for your wallet, phone and keys.  And as always a nice touch is the built in key-per. <\/div>\n
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The bag is built like a high end hiking backpack in every way. The shoulder straps are thickly padded, adjustable and ergonomic. <\/div>\n
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The back padding is articulated and you can adjust the length of the pack by moving the built in stiffening sheet. The waist belt is padded all around and is adjustable with thick webbing. I routinely carry all my gear and two water bottles for 8 hour days in the mountains and don’t even notice the weight. <\/div>\n
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I really like this pack and as you have come to expect from MindShift Gear it is well thought out, well built and will be well used once you have it! It has everything you need for a summer, spring or fall hike in the mountains. If you went out in winter, above tree line you might want to carry more layers and you’d want to move up to the 30L or 40L pack. It is so nicely made, I store all my gear in the pack when not in use. Look no further for a pack to carry all of your gear on the trail or on the move traveling. <\/div>\n
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MindShift Gear says: http:\/\/www.mindshiftgear.com\/products\/firstlight-20l<\/a><\/div>\n
The FirstLight 20L backpack is designed for traveling outdoor photographers. Built for extended days of travel, the pack is carry on compatible*, making it easier to get to your destination. Plus, this high capacity backpack is comfortable enough for a long day on the trail. The FirstLight\u2019s contoured, 11-point adjustable torso harness fits most men and women. The pack also offers ballistic nylon bottoms for durability, accommodates a 32 oz. Nalgene, and has long lens capacity with extra room for your laptop and personal gear.<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I try to stay fast and light in the mountains. This is the reason I use Mirrorless Micro 4\/3rds gear. But what is the…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-155","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/redrocksreview.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/155","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/redrocksreview.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/redrocksreview.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/redrocksreview.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/redrocksreview.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=155"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/redrocksreview.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/155\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/redrocksreview.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=155"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/redrocksreview.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=155"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/redrocksreview.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=155"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}