Field Test of Naneu’s Adventure K5-II at White Sands, New Mexico
I recently took my Naneu Adventure K5-v2 hiking pack out on the road for a field test. My destination? New Mexico’s White Sand Dunes under a full moon. In this particular Park you have two options to access the Park outside of normal hours of operation;
1). Pay the Park Rangers to access the Park after or before its normal hours of operation at the rate of $50 per hour.
2). Pack your gear in to one of their remote campsites and spend the night in the Dunes to experience sunset, the night sky and sunrise.
I chose option two as I wanted to take full advantage of my time in the Park and get away from the casual tourists on the main road. In packing my gear I need to be prepared for a 50 degree temperature swing with highs in the 80’s during the day, and lows dropping all the way down to the 30’s at the coolest point of the night. I also had to consider the possibility of rain in the forecast. Unfortunately the weather was uncooperative on this trip, but I was still able to enjoy the versatility of my new pack. Heavy rain showers blew in one of the days I was there, but the Adventure K5-v2’s rain cover kept all my gear dry. Besides my camera equipment I was also carrying a 2-man backpacking tent, sleeping bag, sleeping mat, rain jacket, change of clothes, water and food for two or three days. Fully loaded my pack weighed over 50lbs, and distributed the weight exceptionally well. While it certainly isn’t weightless, I easily could have carried more gear if needed.
Lines In The Sand | New Mexico
The 80 liter capacity the Adventure K5-v2 offers more space than any other technical, hiking camera pack available. I was pleased to find that its internal frame and ventilated, padded back support was designed with photographers in mind. The spacious main compartment can be accessed from both sides, as well as the top and the bottom. The numerous external pouches and pockets afforded me plenty of additional space to stow a wide variety of items and keep them readily accessible. I like to always have a designated location to store my wallet, keys and smart phone on these trips, the waist straps pockets were perfect for this. An interior pouch on the left side of the pack is designed to hold a large volume water bladder and one elastic pouch on either side perfectly accommodated two Nalgene bottles allowing me to transport plenty of water even in a desert climate. There is a built in system that secured my tripod and didn’t allow it to shift around or hit me in the head.
There were a few features that really sold me on this pack, but perhaps the most notable was the removable camera pod. The Adventure K5-v2 has a dedicated center compartment that fits a separate camera pod for storage of all your fragile camera equipment on long treks. This center compartment is accessible from either side of the pack and is fully collapsible once the camera pod is removed. The pod’s padded interior easily provides storage for my pro DSLR with my 70-200mm lens attached, spare batteries/memory cards, filters, cable release, flash and three additional lenses. The pod’s shoulder straps allowed me to use it as a day pack for shorter hikes and leave the main body of the Adventure K5-v2 behind at my base camp. The pod also clips to the front of the Adventure K5-v2 allowing it to be transported attached on your chest and quickly accessed without having to remove the hiking pack from your back for shooting on the go.
My initial response to this pack is nearly all positive. I will say that if you are not going on an extended, multiple day trek this bag may be more than you need, however that is not to say the Adventure K5-v2 couldn’t be used on single day trips as well. I advised Naneu that I’d like to see the hydration bladder pouch be designed in future production to be a zippered compartment as opposed to a sleeve style pocket. They have taken that feedback and are researching what can be done to address that request. I noticed some shift of the chest strap at times, but have experienced that with other packs as well, so that might just be the nature of life on the trail with 50lbs of gear on your back.
Naneu Adventure K5-II Camera Pod
One of the common complaints made by photographers looking for a good hiking pack is that there are few technical, hiking packs designed to properly carry camera equipment, and camera backpacks are certainly not designed to offer balanced weight distribution for your body over long distances, much less transport camping gear. Naneu left no stone unturned in the design of this pack and the result is an intelligently crafted pack in a class by itself. The Adventure K5-v2 is the perfect fusion of a top of the line camera bag and a technical hiking pack in one. If you’re in the market for a new, large volume, hiking pack and looking to transport your camera gear in a safe, secure way this pack is the answer. If you choose to order one be sure to mention my name at checkout to receive 15% off your order and free shipping.
Visit Naneu’s website for more info.
Your thoughts and comments are always welcome.
- Nathaniel
Sounds like a great trip and some great gear. You took some nice photo’s too. The pack makes an excellent subject in those rolling white hills. Slap a logo on it and send it to the printers!
It was a great trip. I’m loving the new pack Corey and the ability to easily and safely transport my camera gear cannot be underestimated.
Nathaniel. Excellent review. From an old backpacker from days gone by, I can tell you the frame and weight distribution are key. More importantly, having access to water is an absolute must in all climates. I like the idea of having a water bladder and space on the exterior for two water bottles. The pack sounds versatile….I also like the idea of the camera pod. Thank’s for sharing your thoughts!
I was really pleased with the multiple ways the interior was able to be configured Ken. Even with the pod inside the pack I was able to slide gear in behind it and make use of all the space the pack provides.
Nice write-up and nice narrative about your trip. I always appreciate real live user reviews. Further, I appreciate all the positive points you raise. However, nothing is perfect. Notably missing are the bags shortcomings, or perhaps put another way, things that you wish ere different or suggestions to the maker for the next iteration of their bag. As, like Ken Maddox, having been a hiker and backpacker for a very long time, translating to having worn and owed many bags, there is always, and I mean always something I wish were different. With this bag what are those things?
Hi Craig, it was a bit late when I completed the review and looks like I uploaded the wrong file. I’ve corrected that and the post has been updated to the proper file. The updated ‘cons’ now read: “My initial response to this pack is nearly all positive. I will say that if you are not going on an extended, multiple day trek this bag may be more than you need, however that is not to say the Adventure K5-v2 couldn’t be used on single day trips as well. I advised Naneu that I’d like to see the hydration bladder pouch be designed in future production to be a zippered compartment as opposed to a sleeve style pocket. They have taken that feedback and are researching what can be done to address that request. I noticed some shift of the chest strap at times, but have experienced that with other packs as well, so that might just be the nature of life on the trail with 50lbs of gear on your back.”
Nice pack, but at close to 10 pounds when empty, it will take a real hoss to carry it…! Their claim to being the “only” solution for a technical pack that is also camera specific is, shall we say, inaccurate… The Lowepro Rover Pro 45 Liter AW is definitely smaller, but it is under 3 lbs when empty. It would be interesting to compare/contrast these two bags.
I’d agree that there are a variety of other packs out there with a similar design Jerry, none of which come close to the 80 liter capacity of the Adventure K5-v2 though. The Lowepro Rover is basically half the size. If someone can manage to transport 3+ days of gear and food (plus their camera’s) in a 45 liter pack then more power to them, I haven’t been able to thus far. While a comparison could certainly be done of these two packs I don’t believe it would be an ‘apples to apples’ comparison due to the vast size difference between the two packs.
Reviews have pros and cons, this is quite a biased review, but to be expected when they are your sponsor.
Hi Joe, it was a bit late when I completed the review and looks like I uploaded the wrong file. I’ve corrected that and the post has been updated to the proper file. The post now outlines my ‘cons’ as well, few as they are. They are as follows: “My initial response to this pack is nearly all positive. I will say that if you are not going on an extended, multiple day trek this bag may be more than you need, however that is not to say the Adventure K5-v2 couldn’t be used on single day trips as well. I advised Naneu that I’d like to see the hydration bladder pouch be designed in future production to be a zippered compartment as opposed to a sleeve style pocket. They have taken that feedback and are researching what can be done to address that request. I noticed some shift of the chest strap at times, but have experienced that with other packs as well, so that might just be the nature of life on the trail with 50lbs of gear on your back.”
Thank you for this very helpful review !!
Also, i try to find an extra information that i dont find anywhere else..maybe you could help me 🙂
Is there a place for a 15” laptop?
Thank you very much !
Leo
Hi Leo,
There is not a designated pocket, but this pack could easily accommodate one inside it’s spacious interior.