One of the biggest challenges that any photographer faces is finding a way to keep their fragile — and usually very expensive — camera equipment safe while traveling. This is especially true if they happen to wander into remote outdoor settings where the environment isn’t particularly forgiving when it comes to sensitive equipment like camera bodies and lenses. It was with this in mind that backpack manufacturer Mountainsmith set out to design a new line of packs to help keep our photography gear safe in the backcountry. And who better to partner with on those bags that renowned adventure photographer Chris Burkard.
Burkard is well known for going to great lengths to get the perfect photo. His journeys have taken him to places like Alaska, Iceland, and Norway. And since he can sometimes spend days at a time out on a photoshoot in remote locations, he knows all too well the challenges of keeping his gear well protected. Burkard says that when he embarked on this project his goal was to help Mountainsmith create a line of bags that was well suited to his own personal shooting style. The result is the new T.A.N. collection, which stands for “tough as nails.”
The T.A.N. collection consists of five packs in total. Three of those bags are camera totes that fall under the “Cube” subheading, and come in small, medium, and large sizes. The other two packs in the line are a bit more traditional in design. For instance, the Tanack is a 10L lumbar pack with an interior that was custom made for carrying camera equipment, along with just a few basic essentials for a day on the trail. It is intended for the outdoor photographer who sometimes heads out into the field with just a minimal amount of equipment.
And for those who need a bit more capacity, Mountainsmith offers the Tanuck is a full-sized backpack with over 40 liters of space. It has been built to integrate nicely with the smaller Cube packs and the Tanack, creating a modular system that allows the user to essentially customize each of the pieces to best fit their individual needs.
The entire line of photo bags is available now, with prices starting as low as $50 for the small Cube and going up to $230 for the Tanuck backpack. But, for those prices you’re getting purpose-built packs made specifically for taking your photo equipment into demanding environments. In fact, Burkard says that he feels these bags are tough enough to accompany him on 95 percent of this trips, with only the most extreme environments requiring something else. If they’re good enough to go into the field with one of the best adventurer photographers working today, chances are they’ll work fine for you and me, too.
