Filson Harvey Backpack - Some pictures and thoughts

[Peter David Grant]

Hello,

There was a post a while back about Filson's newline. I've bought the backpack and thought some of you might appreciate pictures and thoughts.

Backstory:

I've used a Hadley Pro until now. However, since I've started to shift my work towards documentary, I've started to carry more bits and pieces. On top of that, I tended to carry my bag for 5-10 hours at a time, and having any weight in a shoulder bag for that long sucks. So I had been looking for a rucksack replacement for a year or so now.

1. Quality is great.

2. The buckle is easy enough to get open. Wasn't a fan at first but I've got used it. Hadley straps straps are much easier to open. That said I doubt they'd be appropriate here.

3. Having an open top with the insert at the bottom sucks. The camera is somewhere down there!

For now, I've got the Hadley Pro insert in. It is stiff enough to place the Filson one onto of that. The Filson one is soft enough that it's easy (with cameras in them) to get between them, and pull out pretty much whatever is in the Hadley one below. This uses the space much better.

4. While something like a 15" MacBook Pro can fit, it makes the back so hard, it isn't the most comfortable.

It carries weight surpassingly well. I typically two cameras with lens attached, spare batteries for both, a small Leica flash, iPad 3, two Moleksines, some cash, pens, and some audio recording equipment and it is comfortable for long periods.

5. Front button pocket buttons are stiff. A pickpocket would have to pull hard to open them, so you would easily notice. One contains a clip for keys.

6. There is a small zipped pocket inside. I use it for batteries, lose change, pens etc.

Finally, there is a button on top to the Filson insert, but I've not used it yet.

If you've got any questions, I'll do my best to answer them.

Cheers,
Peter

 

[Bob Baron]

Still Happy With It?

Still Happy With It?

Thanks for this detailed post.

It's a little over a year on. Are you still using this arrangement and are you still happy with it?

 

[mdwsta4]

Funny, I have the Filson Camera Bag and also put in the Hadley Pro insert. My issue with the Filson inserts is how flimsy they are. And in the case of the Harvey, there is only one strip of velcro to put a divider. That really limits how much gear you can put in it. The Magnum Camera Bag with the Hadley insert is, for me, the perfect bag. Large enough to hold a lot, light enough not to feel heavy, soft enough to conform to your body.

 

[Bob Baron]

Matt, to narrow this down: Do you have the Filson Magnum Harvey messenger style bag? Did you substitute the Hadley Pro Insert for the insert that came with the Filson bag or did you / could you stack them as the OP did in the Filson Magnum Harvey backpack?

 

[mdwsta4]

Matt, to narrow this down: Do you have the Filson Magnum Harvey messenger style bag? Did you substitute the Hadley Pro Insert for the insert that came with the Filson bag or did you / could you stack them as the OP did in the Filson Magnum Harvey backpack?

No, I have the Camera Bag, which is the other messenger-style Magnum offering Filson made. The Camera Bag is slightly different than the Harvey in that it does not have a removable insert, but is slightly more padded from the start and has multiple dividers/velcro points inside. I just felt the bag was too flimsy so I put in a Hadley Pro insert which fits perfectly (had an extra insert lying around). Glued two velcro strips to the outer part insert so it stays in the bag. Works like a charm.

Regardless of the Camera Bag or Harvey bag, you'd only be able to fit in one insert. No way you could stack them side by side let alone on top of one another.

Here's the bag:
http://www.filson.com/camera-field-bag.html

and here's a quick cell phone shot to show you what the insert looks like inside the bag:

The opening of the bag looks like this. I typically carry two cameras and either additional lenses or a printer in the insert. Film, batteries, filters, etc can either fit in the insert or one of the front pockets.