Photography Camera Bag Shootout: Atlas Athlete Vs Shimoda X30 Review

Full disclosure: These bags were purchased by me with no discounts or any special incentives.

Photographers love camera equipment and that means photographers are looking for that perfect camera bag to fit in all that gear. Unfortunately there is no such thing as a perfect camera bag and everyone has different needs and gear and I am in the same boat. However I will say I have found 2 great bags that you may want to to consider. Over the last few years I found that my camera bag requirements have changed drastically but now that I have settled into landscape photography and do the same types of trips and experiences, I now have a set of requirements which led me to chose the Shimoda and Atlas camera backpacks.

my Requirements

Requirement 1: Fit my camera gear

Here is what I have finally settled on for my camera gear, who knows it may change but I’m pretty confident this is my setup for at least the next year or two.

  • Bodies: Fujifilm XT-3 Silver + Fujifilm XT-3 Black

  • Lenses: Fujifilm 10-24mm F4 WR, 16-80mm F4 WR, 50-140mm F2.8 WR

  • Filters: Polar Pro Polariser, 4 stop ND and 10 stop ND in a Polar Pro Case

  • Tripod: Really Right Stuff TQC-14 or TFC-24L (depending on type of trip)

  • Tripod Head: BH30 or BH40 (depending on tripod)

  • Accessories: 3 Extra batteries and Pelican memory card holder 

Requirement 2: Fit the other stuff

One thing you learn from doing landscape photography is that you need more than your camera gear. From the long hikes where you need water or food to getting back to your car or accomodation in the dark and need your headlight to being in extreme cold weather where you need to pack layers of clothing such as rain jacket, gloves or a fleece.

Requirement 3: Usability and Travel

I travelled a lot pre covid and plan to travel post covid, so the bag must be travel friendly and then when out in the field, the bag needs to be easy to use, have the right places for my gear, space, good zips etc, The bag needs to fit on planes and go everywhere with as being in Australia this means for me to see the landscapes I love such as mountains, I have to go to far places. Travelling to the USA or within Australia you can get away with a bit of a bigger of a bag but when travelling through Europe, airlines are more strict.

Requirement 4: Comfort and Looks

I know its weird to combine these too categories together but hey lets run with it. The bag has GOT TO BE COMFORTABLE! Granted I’m not hiking 20 kilometres everyday or camping but I do hike where some locations involve the 10 -15 kilometres so it needs to be able to support long treks. On the looks department, I don’t want the bag to look like an obvious camera bag especially when travelling around the world. Lastly it needs to look cool, yep I am a little shallow but hey photographers love beautiful things… don’t get me started on how I became a Fujifilm camera user!

What led me to the Atlas and Shimoda bags?

I had gone through many bags over the years from Peak Design to Thinktank and Tamrac but they just didn't cut it for what i need now. In all honesty it’s probably not their fault but I needed a bag which was less general camera travel bag and more adventure/nature related. The Atlas camera bag I found on google when searching adventure backpacks and doing some instagram stalking while the Shimoda bag I came across on kick starter and watched many you tube videos to find out more.

lets see how the bags PERFORMED for my requirements

Fit my camera gear: Atlas Athlete 40L 

The Atlas Athlete swallows my camera gear nicely. In the internal camera unit (ICU), I can fit my two cameras, extra lenses, lens cloths, filters etc. A few things that need to be improved here are the ICU could be a bit deeper and the dividers aren’t that strong and feel a little cheap. The good news is the new model of the bag is about to be released and I spoke with the founder of Atlas backpacks Allan Henry and he has said these two issues have been addressed, so go over to https://atlaspacks.com for more. 

Fit my camera gear: Shimoda Action X30

Now the Shimoda is a little smaller pack and you notice this with the ICU. Interesting the ICU is a lot deeper than the Atlas pack, more sleek with nicer dividers and the ICU can be taken out of the bag where the Atlas you cannot do this. I found the ICU a little tight after I put my 2 camera and lenses with the filter holder and a few other accessories having to go in the compartment at the top, not a deal breaker but not perfect. I would consider maybe going for a larger ICU but will need to do my research to see how much room I would lose from the top compartment, you can find more details on the options for the ICU at https://shimodadesigns.com.

Winner and conclusion: The Atlas comes out on top here but only just! Both ICUs are good, the Atlas is expandable and larger and feels more flexible as you can put more gear in there.

Fit the other stuff: Atlas Athlete 40L 

Probably my biggest frustration with this bag is the fitting of the other stuff and it’s not because it has not enough room its actually because there is a lot of room and no boundaries or structure in the main compartment, let me explain…. Lets look deeper into the main compartment of the bag which is the other side of the ICU, this is where it gets messy as everything goes everywhere. Gear can fall to the sides of the main area around the the ICU and down the bottom etc. Now this is fine if all you are putting clothes in there as you can stuff the clothes in all the empty places however when you put such things as tripod accessories, food etc it’s impossible to find them and you spend a lot of time shuffling around to get what you need. The laptop sleeve is also very loose and it means you can fit a 15inch laptop but it doesn’t feel that secure or well designed. There is pockets on the side for tripods or water and then there is a top pocket with a separate small pocket, again this also suffers for the same problem as I can put lots in there but again i find it I quite heavy when full or just hard to find anything. 

Fit the other stuff: Shimoda Action X30

The shimoda is designed nicely here, the expandable roll top means you can put a lot of stuff in the top compartment, there is also two pouches and a key ring attachment, so you don’t lose your keys, the front section is also nicely optioned with so many little compartments to put what you need and keep things organised. Granted this isn't as handy as you would think for out in the field but for travelling its a lifesaver. The laptop sleeve is also where the ICU is, which i like but when packed to the brim it can be a little tight to close especially if you have a 15inch MacBook. Lastly there are really cool pockets on the straps where you can put your mobile or water in which is super handy when hiking. 

Winner and conclusion: Shimoda wins this round, it’s organised more effectively and granted you can fit less but what you can fit, is easily organised and I can still get everything I need in there. Both have plenty of space for what you need so both do get the job done just one better than the other.

Usability and Travel: Atlas Athlete 40L

Another tricky challenge for the Atlas is the travel requirement. The extra size bag means you may be in trouble when travelling in Europe. I have been knocked back from the a European airline as it was too large. The issue is when there is nothing in the bag it fits requirements but with a full bag of gear it’s just too big and sticks out to the airlines who are strict. Now I spoke with Allan about this issue and the work around he suggested was to take the frame out and this will shrink the bag. This is a bad idea in my opinion and something i needed to do once and wouldn’t do again. The reason this is a bad idea is its a bloody pain to take it out and the put back in and also the whole structure of the bag goes to pieces when the bag is full and the frame has been removed. I know its only temporary but its just not a solution you want to go through. Usability wise its a great bag to use, I know i have criticised the organisation part but its still a great bag to house your gear and you can throw it around, zips work great and it just feels like a high quality made bag. The ICU is highly configurable and adjustable so its a plleasure to pack all your stuff in the ICU and when you don’t have a full bag of heavy accessories that need to go in the main compartment the bag is just slick!  Lastly you can remove the belt which is great as when I am not hiking as it makes the bag easier to travel with, lighter and gives it a lower profile.

Usability and Travel: Shimoda Action X30

The Shimoda really is the perfect size bag for travel, its not too big, not too small, its just right. I have been on many airlines around the world and have had no issues. It meets the travel requirements perfectly. The two pockets on the bag straps are genius like I mentioned before, one for your phone which is so damn handy which the atlas doesn’t have and one for a small drink bottle or anything else. Now the camera cube isnt as amazing as it looks, I sometimes find it hard to get my camera in and out as its a very tight fit and its not the actual dividers that are the problem but more because the ICU is removable there is a slight gap between the ICU and the structure of the bag which means it can get caught. The other pockets are handy as is the roll top. I wasn’t sure I would like the roll top but its flexible and does the job. The zips, clips etc all very nicely made. The belt also comes off just like the Atlas. 

Winner and conclusion: Its a tie! This is quite the conundrum for me. The ICU is easier to user on the Atlas and I love using the bag more than the Shimoda HOWEVER the Shimoda X30 is just better designed to access your other stuff better and you don’t have to worry about getting knocked back for having a too big a bag as the Shimoda X30 will get you on the plane every time and worse case you could take ICU out and take it with you on board whereas the Atlas Athlete I need to have some courage and faith I will get it on board airlines in Europe which means in reality I am not going to take it :(. 

Comfort and Looks: Atlas Athlete 40L

This is where the Athlete really flexes its muscles, the bag is damn comfortable especially with a lot in it, it feels like I am carrying a trekking bag. I recently did some hikes in the mountains of Tasmania and it held up so well, granted I was a little sore but thats more on me and generally any bag will take its toll. The best way I can describe it is I will pass the bag to someone lets say my dad, he will say wow thats damn heavy but once he puts it on his back and straps in, he says wow this is pretty good and supportive! I have travelled with this bag everywhere and have done 10k + hikes no problem. Now to the looks, for me I just love the look of the bag, the tone of the black, the minimal design , the understated looks, it’s all really cool. The other thing I love about this bag is I don’t see it anywhere when I travel, i.e I have not seen anyone else in the field with it which i know sounds strange but it’s nice being a bit more unique. Probably credit to Allan and the gang for not going down the influencer route. 

Comfort and Looks: Shimoda Action X30
Good ol shimoda, this bag is also comfortable, I love the harness design as it really straps you in. Now I have not done as many long hikes as with the Atlas backpack but it has held up on everything i have thrown at so far. I would say the belt is not as supportive as the Atlas Athlete and the material is good but not as comfortable as the Atlas either. Overall though this is one very comfortable bag.  Now to the looks department… when I saw this bag on kickstarter I loved it, the cool logo, the colour, the design, i did have to think about the roll top as it can look a bit strange and is not everyones cup of tea. When I received the bag I was very impressed it looks great however over time I have not found I am in love with the looks as I once was. The colour and material is a bit too shiny, the bag looks a little bit too square and to be honest seeing so many you tube photographers having the bag has put me off. It also stands out a bit. I was on a photography workshop last year and someone else had it and when looking at it on someone else I kind of fell out of love with the looks. Hey its still a beautiful bag still I’m just being a fussy perfectionist photographer. 

Winner and conclusion: It’s the Atlas for me on this one. The Shimoda is definitely comfortable and won’t be an issue I promise, I have just done a lot more miles with the Atlas and it wins plus I love the look of the bag more than the Shimoda. 

a brief note on customer service... 

I have to give a big shoutout to both companies and owners on this one. Allan has been very good in answering any question I have had either before or after the purchase of my bag, every message answered and he has even featured some of my shots with my bag on his social media. I also had an issue with my bag where Allan sent out a brand new bag express post a few months after a strap broke. Note I have not had any issues with the replacement. Shimoda and Ian have also been very helpful answering my questions and making sure I got my bag in time for an overseas trip a year and half ago. Thanks to both guys on this one and rest assured customer service is guaranteed with both companies in my own experience.  

In conclusion, what camera bag would I choose...

Honestly this is so tricky, I do like both bags and I use both for different use cases. I use the Atlas Athlete for Australia, NZ and USA shooting and then I use the Shimoda for Europe and Asia. There really is no perfect bag out there and its a personal deiscion. In saying that I hope my article helps you choose what you think is the best bag for you. Both are great bags! 

If i had to choose one? Hmmm let me get back to you on that one ;) I would say if the Atlas was a touch smaller, had better organisation pockets then I would think about selling my Shimoda. For now though i will use both. If things change after more use of either bag ill definetly update the article. If you have any questions about the bag feel free to message me via instagram or email. Thanks for reading and happy shooting!