Wotancraft, a Taiwanese bag maker, recently released a couple new backpacks: the City Explorer Commander Travel Camera Backpack and the New Pilot Travel Camera Backpack, which is what we are reviewing today. We previously also reviewed their Nomad Travel Camera Backpack. As you can tell, their specialty is in travel camera backpacks. I’ve been using the Pilot 18 as my everyday backpack for work for a little over a month now, and I’ve also used it a handful of times to carry my camera gear.
Disclaimer: This bag was provided to us by Wotancraft as a sample to review. We are grateful for the chance to try out the bag, but as always, our reviews contain our honest opinions based on real usage, including both positives and negatives.
Note that Wotancraft has a whole line of bags called the Pilot series. Most of the bags in the line are sling bags. The Pilot 18 backpack is a new version of the Pilot 20 backpack. This review is focused only on the Pilot 18 backpack.
The Pilot Backpack has a classic look with a ton of camera organization. It has a top flap opening and the interior has modular pieces that allow you to customize the compartments to fit your specific camera gear. The exterior has a variety of places to attach additional pouches. The pack is built very robustly and durably. There is plenty of padding and it’s comfortable to wear. Overall, it’s a great bag, especially for a casual photographer. As an office bag, it could use a bit more organization, but if you use org pouches it works well.
Strengths
Weaknesses
The Pilot Backpack is primarily a top-access backpack. The opening has a flap that acts like a lid and is secured with a Fidlock magnet. The webbing strap with the magnetic buckle is adjustable, so you can overload the main compartment. I use the expanded volume frequently, since the Pilot’s 18L of space isn’t huge and I sometimes bring gym clothes along with my work stuff.
The top opening has some flaps on the side edges, which help prevent gaps from forming at the sides when the top flap is closed. It’s very helpful for keeping your gear protected from the elements. Unfortunately, they also tend to restrict the width of the top opening and can get in the way when trying to put something wide in the main compartment or take something out, like a laptop or a binder, and even the camera insert that comes with the backpack. Perhaps it’s a necessary trade-off to protect your camera gear.
At the bottom of both sides of the Pilot Backpack are also zipped side-access openings. Similar to Peak Design’s Everyday Backpack, they let you access the main compartment without having to open the top flap. This allows you to get your camera out without having to put the backpack down. You just swing it around your front on one shoulder. This is where I would keep the camera that I am primarily shooting with.
I definitely wish, however, that the main compartment could be opened all the way — either a full clamshell opening or front panel opening. It would be significantly easier to get the camera insert and dividers in place and see how you are setting everything up. With the current access design, it can be a pain to get the camera inserts through the opening and down to where you want it to sit because of all the Velcro.
Overall, there are not enough organizational pockets for me to use as an EDC for work without additional org pouches. There are no pockets comfortably large enough for a laptop charger or my glasses case. The top internal compartment could technically fit them, but then the pocket bulges out and starts impeding the main opening. The front panel compartment can also fit them, but then it also starts bulging out. So, everything gets dumped into the main compartment except small items like writing utensils. So, some sort of org pouch helps.
In the backpack, I can easily carry my laptop and charger, a notebook, a wireless keyboard, and a large pouch with headsets, wireless mouse, and my glasses case. This leaves me with plenty of space for a change of gym clothes, and even a Nalgene bottle in the main compartment.
Wotancraft does do a nice job with small touches, such as zipper garages for the side access zippers and drainage holes in the water bottle pockets in case of spills, bad weather, or if you just need to give the bag a deep clean.
The Pilot Backpack is 18 L in volume and is 11 x 17.5 x 6.3 inches (28 x 45 x 16 cm). It comes in at 3.3 lbs. without the insert and dividers. With the inserts and dividers, it’s about 3.5 lbs. The exterior is a dense bonded nylon using 6, 6 thread. Wotancraft doesn’t list the actual density on their website, it feels like something around a mid-range density, maybe something around 500 D nylon with a tight weave and a water-resistant coating on the exterior. But most of the exterior has multiple layers of materials including a layer of firm foam. In the few spots that the exterior isn’t surrounded by the foam padding, the nylon is lined with microfiber on the inside. That microfiber lines the entire interior of the main compartment. The hardware all feels very durable as well. The zippers are YKK #8 RCT.
The shoulder straps are contoured and on the underside are lined with EVA foam and a soft mesh. The shoulder straps are a bridge style — i.e., they are actually one single piece and connected at the top. I typically don’t like this style because it tends to limit the flexibility of the shoulder straps, which can put pressure on your trapezius muscles or neck. But the foam padding doesn’t extend into the bridge, so flexibility isn’t much of an issue.
The back panel is lined with the same EVA foam and mesh with a quasi-airflow channel down the center. I call it quasi because it’s not deep enough to make a real difference. Nonetheless, the foam is a great choice and the backpack is quite comfortable. Wotancraft shows it as an option for a hiking pack. It doesn’t quite compare to true hiking packs like Osprey, Gregory, or Deuter. But it’s still comfortable for a camera backpack.
The Pilot Backpack’s bottom is shaped like a box and the exterior is somewhat firm, so it holds its shape very well. This means it doesn’t expand outward when you overpack the backpack, though you can expand the volume upward by loosening the lid’s magnetic buckle’s strap. This also means that the backpack stands up on its own well. Very well.
Lastly, as mentioned above, when using the camera insert, there is little space in the main compartment for non-camera gear. For casual amateurs like myself, who just carry one body and two lenses at the most, you can just use the dividers to create a separate partition at the bottom of the main compartment, and then not use the camera insert at all. This gives you the majority of the main compartment to use for other things you may need to carry (e.g., a jacket).
Overall, the Pilot Backpack is a comfortable and great looking backpack. The organization is exceptional for photography but not ideal for EDC or the office. That said, it can still work well for those purposes, but you’ll just need to use an org pouch or two. This is a well-designed bag for a photographer who is traveling or on a day hike.
Features: 5 of 5 — The Pilot Backpack has a lot of features and plenty of modularity. The design is thoughtful, and they keep small details in mind.
Organization: 3 of 5 — For the purposes of carrying camera gear, the Pilot is excellent. But for all other purposes, it’s relatively average. Though the modular components can add additional organizational options, on its own, you’ll likely need some sort of org pouch to use it for work.
Construction: 5 of 5 — The materials used in this backpack are all top-notch choices and the craftsmanship also seems excellent. Even though the nylon could be denser, there is so much padding surrounding the bag, that it still feels like a tank, a necessary design for camera gear.
Aesthetics: 5 of 5 — The Pilot Backpack, like all of Wotancraft’s bags, has a very classic look, especially the khaki brown color that I’m using. Some people might not love a very boxy look, but I thought it worked well in this case.
Comfort: 4 of 5 — Plenty of padding all around the back and shoulder straps, plus the sternum strap and removable waist belt.
Life Integration: 3 of 5 — Like all modular packs, it takes some time to figure out how you want to arrange things, especially with the camera insert and dividers.
X-factor: 3 of 5 — The Pilot Backpack is a great bag, but Wotancraft is also a relatively small team and doesn’t have the biggest global following. But their work is excellent.
As always, thanks for reading. Drop a note in the comments if you have any questions about the Pilot 18 Backpack and follow us on Facebook and Instagram to stay up to date on what backpacks we’re trying out.