For a while now, I’ve been on the search for the perfect camera bag; and in some ways the ZKin Yeti is a contender. It’s a beautiful camera bag with lots of space and great access for a working photographer. Considering the fact that I’m usually a messenger bag man, this bag does quite a bit to justify itself as something seriously worth looking at.
To be honest, not only does it have low-profile great looks–but it can also be a great option for traveling or shoots that require extra from you.
Gear Used
The ZKin Yeti was tested with Sony a7 cameras, loads of lenses, loads of Olympus lenses, loads of Olympus cameras, Fujifilm cameras and lenses, and film lenses and cameras. Plus flashes, tripods, laptops, and film were all stuffed in there.
Tech Specs
Specs and details cited from the Lomography page listing.
Lifeâs obstacles are all around you! RAW backpack series is designed to battle through the toughest terrain or the most demanding city streets. RAW camera bag – Yeti provides you all you need for getting the best of the environment, the competition and yourself.
Wandering with one backpack! ZKIN has launched different designâs backpack in order to meet userâs requirements. There are 3 colors of Yeti for selection. Regardless of the style and color, ZKIN keeps surprising their user. The upper compartment enables the user to pack personal belongings. The 2 side-entry compartments also let you grab camera and lens units quickly. There is also an attached quick-release tripod mount and adjustable waist belt. The built-in waterproof nylon cover will give an extra layer of protection for your gadgets.
Additional Information
| SKU | b901g |
| Color | Green |
| Sex | |
| Material | No |
| Size |
Ergonomics
The ZKin Yeti looks a lot like many other travel backpack style camera bags for photographers, but has a few features that really make it stand out from the rest of the crowd. These features also lend themselves to versatility overall.
Being a camera bag, the Yeti allows itself to have quick access with the front pocket. There is enough protection for the photographer to not have to worry about major items being taken out of here.
Before I forget, let’s swing to the back side really quickly. I think that these are some of the most comfortable backpack straps out there. They’ve got loops to attach things onto like your keys and they’re designed strong.
Back to the front: the front pocket opens up with you undoing the leather straps via buttons. It’s simple, quick, and effective.
Unzip the front pocket and what you’re going to find is the main camera section. This takes up most of the bottom of the bag. The bag also has side access on both sides. The dividers are thick, padded, and adjustable accordingly to whatever you need.
The top section is quite interesting as there are parameters that affect getting into it. You’ve got the leather strap buttons but then you’ve also got strings that pull things in tighter, leather straps that can be secured and tightened and another section that we’re getting to in the next photo.
What’s really cool about this is you can basically overstuff the bag with clothing, toiletries, etc.
Here’s the other way you can get into the bag: a side zippered pocket. You can stuff a tripod into here and then stick it out of the side when you want or need.
The back of the bag has a giant zippered pocket. This is ideal for laptops.
Move onto the bottom of the bag and what you’ll find is this small pocket for tripods specifically. It’s pretty tight, so you’re not going to stuff a massive Vanguard tripod in there for sure.
Build Quality
This bag has been with me on the NYC Subways, in the rain, up hills, down hills, through Uber car after car, etc. It’s held up to everything well. A concern of mine was how it held up in the rain. There’s a rain cover for just that sort of thing, but I found I never needed it.
Ease of Use
Overall, this is a very easy bag to use. If you’re on public transport, you’ll want to put it on the floor and grab onto it due to crowded conditions. What really was incredible is just how nice the shoulder straps are. At one point, I needed to go up a seven floor walkup in Chinatown and loved how comfortable the back felt. It didn’t at all dig into my skin despite being packed with gear.
The photographers that will make the most of this bag are those that use DSLRs or mirrorless cameras with lots of lenses and then need to bring extra production items like flashes, small modifiers, light meters, film, extra lenses, changes of clothing, etc. It’s a true working photographer’s bag–but not necessarily for a photojournalist. Sure this bag allows you to have quick access via the side pocket, but I still feel that it’s best done by putting the bag down and changing out whatever you need. Instead, it’s best for photographers that go from one place to another and need to unload at a spot, pack up and go back home.
Conclusions
The ZKin Yeti bag is great for many photographers that don’t need the quickest access, but still want relatively fast access to their gear. It’s absolutely fantastic for traveling photographers that need to bring basically a studio’s worth of stuff with them or many things overall.
We give the ZKin Yeti four out of five stars.
