As an avid travel photographer, I’ve done my fair share of research into identifying the best camera bag both in terms of practicalities and looks. I love Brevite as a brand and this is my review of the Brevite Jumper Camera Bag which I hope you will find helpful.
Having been an early adopter of the Brevite camera bag (I’ve had the OG backpack since 2017), I felt it was time for a refresh, a little update if you will, and so I’m now the proud owner of the Brevite Jumper Camera Bag. Whilst there are many, many Youtube videos reviewing this modern camera bag, some of us prefer the old-school nature of written words and therefore this review is for you. A little collection of my thoughts on the coolest camera bags available today.
Brevite
Back in 2017, I left my career as a lawyer to travel around Australia and South East Asia with my now wife and plenty of camera equipment. I remember specifically searching for a camera bag that did not look like a camera bag but could carry everything I owned. Everything I owned included not only my camera, lenses, a drone, my laptop, hard-drives, a tripod but my Lonely Planet guidebooks, my water bottle, a spare pair of clothes. At the time at least, any camera bag that offered these insane levels of storage did not look stylish and clearly advertised its contents to passers. I wanted to find something that find my needs but looked sleek, modern and most definitely did not look like a camera bag. I thought what I wanted only existed in my head.
Enter Brevite.
Brevite was set up around five years by three brothers who launched the original camera backpack that I fell in love with and joined me on my travels for over 10 months. I have continued to use that same backpack over the last five years including for holidays, weekends away, commercial shoots and weddings. It was everything I wanted and needed a camera bag to be.
Brevite now offer a wider range of backpacks and proudly do business responsibly; sustainable, ethical and animal-free. It was a no-brainer to return straight to Brevite when I wanted something a little smaller and more suited for everyday use. The award-winning Jumper camera bag is exactly what I need.
MY REVIEW OF THE BREVITE JUMPER CAMERA BAG
First things first, let’s just say this – this backpack looks goddamn good. Very sleek, modern and compact. Perfect for everyday use.
This is such a popular camera bag that is very often sold out but, luckily for you, Brevite have just increased the range of colours to ten ranging from black to lemon yellow to pine green. They all look really good but I can never stray too far from black so that was my choice.
Features
The Jumper isn’t the largest backpack at 18 litres capacity but it’s surprising just how many features are on offer. I’ll just list them first and then we’ll dive into a few of my favourites:
Customisable removable dividers for camera storage with full front access
Top Compartment
Separate Laptop Pocket (up to 16in)
Quick access side door
Separate zipped area with four mesh pockets
Tripod Holder
Water Bottle Holder
Luggage Passthrough
Hidden Pocket
Weather Resistant
Camera Storage
With the Jumper camera bag, you get a few different sized removable dividers that you can configure yourself to best suit your equipment. As you can see, I have mine set up so that I can fit in my main camera with a lens attached plus FOUR more lenses. That is insane. Granted I use the Fujifilm system so the lenses are generally a bit smaller than full-frame equivalents but this is what I can get in the bag:
Fufjifilm X-T2 with 23mm f/1.4 lens
Fufjilm 56mm f/1.2
Fujifilm 55-200mm f/3.5-4.8
Samyang 12mm f/2
If you use the top compartment too, I can add a second camera with yet another lens! With the Fujifilm system, I could carry this bag round all day thanks to its padded straps and not feel a thing. No matter what equipment you own, you’ll definitely work out a configuration that works for you.
The camera storage area is easily accessed by a large opening at the front of the bag or via the quick access door on the side (more on this below).
Front Section
Within the opening for access to the main camera storage is a zipped pocket which contains four mesh sections ideal for storing spare batteries, hard-drives and keys.
Laptop
There’s a completely separate zipped section at the back for your laptop which I absolutely love. With the original backpack, the laptop section was inside so it wasn’t always easy to grab your laptop if you’d gone a bit overboard on packing! I have a 15inch Dell XPS laptop and it fits perfectly, you wouldn’t even know it’s there.
Downsides
As I said earlier, I am a long-term user of the original Brevite backpack and therefore making the switch to the more modern backpack that we are talking about here has come with some slightly surprising downsides. Are they enough to put anyone off? Not at all. However, it does unfortunately impact on my overall experience but I think that’s solely because I am so used to the original backpack. I always like to be completely honest so nothing goes unnoticed here.
My main grievance is that the quick access pocket on the backpack (ideal for grabbing your camera out at a moments notice) has changed sides. Even if I hadn’t used the original backpack for so long, I would still find this more than slightly annoying (unless I’m just completely cackhanded)
With the original backpack, the side door was on the right hand side (as you’re wearing it) meaning I’d simply drop the backpack off my left shoulder, it would slide to my right hand side and I’d quickly unzip with my left hand. I could access my camera within seconds. However, now, the side door has been moved to the left hand side making this move impossible for me. I physically cannot for some reason bring myself to do the opposite; it just doesn’t work for me. It would have been great if Brevite gave you the option as to which side the door is on to access your equipment. My number one used feature on the original backpack is now unusable for me.
Another downside that does affect me is the disappearance of the removable insert. With the original backpack, you had a completely separate insert that you could then customise depending on how you wanted to store your equipment. This came in handy so much more than you would expect. It meant that within seconds you could switch between a camera bag and a normal backpack. I often stored my equipment in the insert and had that separately in the home or, when travelling, entirely hidden.
With the new Brevite backpack, the concept of customising how you want to store your equipment remains but the insert has gone. Instead you use the same dividers but you have to try and velcro them directly to the inside of the bag. Once you’ve set up the equipment area, the camera bag stays a camera bag. Not necessarily a bad thing but I like a bit more flexibility. For some reason the dividers don’t see as tight as they once were in the insert meaning I have often found that lenses end up moving around within the bag. Of course, you might buy this as a regular backpack, you don’t need
Two final little downsides from my point of view. Gone is the built-in rain cover (though you can buy one for $32) and gone is the little metal clip ring from the front pocket which was super-handy for keeping keys in easy reach at all times. I loved the rain cover that was built into the bottom of the original backpack; it came in handy ALL the time especially throughout South East Asia during monsoon season.
My Final Thoughts On The Brevite Jumper Camera Bag
I know I’ve spoken a lot about the downsides but I must stress this is only from my five year use of the original backpack. Damn, I never realised just how good that backpack was. I still have that backpack and it’s still in great condition which is testament to the quality that Brevite offer. They even offer a lifetime warranty too so you know these backpacks are built to last.
Anyway, I still absolutely love the Jumper camera bag as it works perfectly as an everyday bag. Yes there are some features I would’ve loved to have seen carried over but if you’ve never experienced them, you won’t miss them.
This is a perfect camera bag suitable for everyone so I honestly can’t recommend it enough. Luckily I have the best of both worlds with the original backpack which I’ll still use for longer-haul trips and the Jumper for everything else.
For those wanting to invest in one of the best camera bags available, I’m pleased to be able to offer you a $10 discount off your entire order using the code JAMIECHANCETRAVELS or via the button below.
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This post contains affiliate links which means, if you do make a purchase, I may earn a small commission. However, all views expressed in this article are my own.