I’ve always been a bit picky about camera bags. I’ve been known to return bags that didn’t meet my expectations. My hypercritical backpack standards have only intensified as I’ve reviewed dozens of options as the Reviews Editor at The Phoblographer. But, as I have completely changed camera systems and then grew that system a little more, I keet coming back to one bag — the Wandrd PRVKE.
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The PRVKE has built up a following since the launch of Wandrd’s first roll-top backpack. The second reiteration tweaks a few small details and adds a few features to a bag that was already well ranked. It’s a bag that’s comfortable, well-organized, and durable — my three main must-haves. Gear is well protected, the roll-top leaves room for lots of extras, and the straps comfortably distribute the weight.
I will be the first to say that I haven’t yet found the perfect bag. I don’t like having the laptop pocket against my back. The quick-access door isn’t quite big enough and reversed lens hoods sometimes get stuck pulling them through. But, the pros here far outweigh the cons.
I’ve grown out of the PRVKE Lite, yet changing from DSLR to mirrorless made the 41L a bit too big, so I decided to try out the 31L. The shallower 31L is a better fit for mirrorless cameras without the built-in battery grip. I can fit two bodies, three lenses, two flashes, and two flash triggers in the regular-sized camera cube. And if my system grows more, I can upgrade to the Pro Cube which adds some padded storage to the roll-top area.
Now that I’ve tried three of the four available sizes of my favorite camera backpack, I wanted to share additional insight into the PRVKE. I’ve added the following to our Wandrd PRVKE II review:
What Size Wandrd PRVKE Do You Need?
I’ve now had a chance to test three of the four sizes of the Wandrd PRVKE: the Lite, the 41L and the 31L. While they share similar features, there are a few key differences in each to note. The 41L is designed to fit larger gear, while if you want to fit more gear but use a smaller mirrorless body, the 31L with the Pro+ cube may be the better option.
The Wandrd Lite has enough variations from the full-sized bag that it has its own review here. It has the dividers built-in rather than a removable camera cube. (Though that means the dividers match the exterior color of the camera bag.) It lacks the passport pocket and tablet sleeve. And it fits a body with 3-4 lenses and a flash, but I outgrew this bag when I added a second flash.
In the Wandrd PRVKE 31L, I’m able to fit two Fujifilm X-T4 bodies, three lenses, two flashes, and two flash triggers. I could fit more if I swapped out the Essential Cube for the Pro+, which takes up some of the roll-top storage. And I’m able to stash a number of things in the roll-top, from a dual camera strap to a sweatshirt and a lunch.
The PRVKE 41L isn’t just another 10L of space; it’s also a much deeper bag. Where the 21L and 31L are 6.5 and 7 inches deep, respectively, the 41L is nine inches deep. The 41L is the bag to get for cameras with built-in grips like the Canon EOS R3. A camera like the X-T4 or Nikon Z7 II has a bit too much space to bounce around. If you have smaller bodies but lots of lenses to fit, the 31L with the Pro+ cube is the better choice, while the 41L is ideal for those larger bodies.