Sometimes we like to play around with nerdy gear. During the restock of our Deuter range, we chucked in a Deuter Jaypack Pro 34+18 – the rugged blend of a trekking pack and photo-ready storage. This very specific pack is a solid companion for adventure photographers who don’t stick to sidewalks, and we had a feeling it might be the perfect fit for someone extraordinary.
That someone is Malcolm McRae. Describing himself as a “split-mountaineer and adventure photographer during the winter, and an exploration geologist during the summer,” he’s always chasing epic shots that often involve the mountains. And that’s where the Deuter Jaypack Pro comes in handy. Malcolm happily welcomed his new adventure partner and took the backpack on his photo-packed missions. Now, he’s written the most authentic, unpolished, and in-depth review of the pack you’ll ever encounter.
Whether you’re an adventurer, a photographer, a Deuter fan, or simply love to geek out over gear — grab a cuppa and dive in!
The Jaypack pro in its natural environment during snowpack profiling.
Summary
The Deuter Jaypack Pro 34 + 14 is a camera pack designed for guides and industry professionals in alpine environments. It is the most well-constructed pack I have ever used and incredibly comfortable for its size. Smart features like a minimalist steel frame, generous expandable storage and bartacks on every high stress area has made this pack into my favorite and daily driver for anything photography related.
Malcolm wearing the Jaypack during climbing in Mt Somers.
Pros
- Dominates the “large volume” camera pack segment.
- Unmatched build quality and materials.
- Dedicated avalanche pocket.
- Smart implementation of removable hip belt, laptop sleeve, dividers.
- Multipurpose for any type of shooting.
- Waterproof zips and waterproof material throughout the whole construction.
- Steel frame punches well above its weight for comfort and support when carrying heavy multiday loads.
Cons
- Heavy for an alpine pack (2kg).
- Only one external ice axe carry.
- Expandable roll top has a choke point that can leave the top unstable if improperly packed.
- Cinch webbing for roll top is ridiculously small.
- Strap covering the side access camera flap cannot be removed.
- No drainage holes for “wet pocket” avalanche pouch.
- Nine hooks for side compression do not have much grabbing power and allow for skis to rock.
Fully packed for 4 day, hut-based mission. Note the camera lens and body down the left-hand side of the pack.
About the Pack
Construction
It’s an absolute beast. It’s made from heavy duty weatherproof ripstop nylon with a reinforced, rubberized bottom tub to resist abrasions on rocks. The internal lining for the main camera compartment is standard grey fleece, which works well with industry standard hook and loop dividers but can hold dirt and seeds like all camera packs. Light nylon is used for the all other internal parts of the pack and pockets, similar to most other packs in this category. The main body has thin but stiff padding on bottom and sides which gives protection and shape. This padding ends just below the zip line of the roll top so the upper is supple.
Construction is fantastic with high quality polyester thread, double stitched seams, lightweight webbing as binding, YKK zips and bartacks on every seam end or point which may experience perpendicular forces. The grab handles on the pack are so solid it feels like they could be used to tow a car (not recommended). All webbing nine hooks are metal, and most straps are long from factory allowing to cut down and re-sew for the desired length.
The Deuter uses a full back opening design where the straps are connected to the opening back panel, rather than being permanently attached to the main bag like the Osprey Kamber and Raide 40l touring packs. This allows for a proper steel frame like a large volume tramping pack which massively increases comfort vs a frameless, however every bit of force is going directly through the rear entry zip as a result. I’ve thoroughly tested this pack with heavy (30kg+) loads, high speed crashes with camera gear etc and have yet to see any damage or failure of the zip.
Note two highly reinforced grab handles, one on the back panel and one on the main body.
Small thoughtful features like sacrificial canvas on the interior bottom half of the avalanche pocket and welded seams of the tripod/ ice axe carry system make me confident this pack will withstand the test of time.
On Snow
Deuter has done an excellent job at making a weatherproofed, streamlined camera pack, however it does have some significant compromises. The padding is a double edged sword; it gives protection to your gear when fully loaded but with minimal equipment main compartment you can feel items moving around when riding, skiing or performing technical moves. The boxy design also means more weight is distributed further away from your spine, making the pack feel more unwieldy than its pure alpine counterparts.
Comfort is excellent, with enough padding where you need it, and none where you don't. Don't expect the Jaypack to be as breathable as a mesh tramping/ hiking pack however, this is still a through and through alpine pack.
The camera flap works as advertised, with ample space for a camera body and lenses to be laid on top of each other for easy access. I tended to put all my camera gear and lenses on one side along with my first aid kit, leaving a long skinny section of my pack for skiing and climbing gear.
There are three grab handles on the back of the pack, one at the bottom, one at the top of the back panel between the shoulder straps and another sewn into the main body fabric above the zip. Inconveniently, when carrying skis with the roll top extended like you would on an approach the top and bottom grab handles become inaccessible. This means you must pick up the pack by your skis, or by the ice axe handle loop, and is a very definite design flaw.
When A-Framing wide skis or splitboards the 9 hooks provided are quite small and feature chamfered edges which allow for the top straps to come loose when your skis rock back and forth. This can occur as soon as you started walking, or immediately when picking up the pack after a break and even happened with a ski strap! Have a friend handy to re-tighten them, you will do it frequently.
The avalanche pocket is roomy and generous with an “n” shaped zip that is fantastic for access. Inside there is space for a snow saw and snow science kit along with a small pocket near the top with a keyholder. There is no drainage point for the avalanche pocket, so all snow that you do not remove will melt and seep into the bottom of the main compartment where you are likely to have camera equipment.
While I wish there were two ice axe attachment points you can double stack them if using low profile axes like the Petzl Gulley, or stash one inside the avalanche pocket. 55cm Petzl Sumtec’s and Grivel Light Machines do fit inside, however be careful of the spike at the bottom of the axe.
When not needed, the top compression straps and top snowboard carry strap can be stuffed away in hidden sleeves, however the lower compression strap that covers the camera flap cannot.
The hipbelt is well built, comfortable however there is no height adjustment for different back lengths, this is a onesize fits most style of pack. Big stretchy pockets on the hipbelt leave ample room for snacks on one side, and a PLB or inreach on the other side.
For out expandable roll top it is hidden in its own compartment with a waterproof zip. The material is slightly thinner than the rest of the pack, however still waterproof. It has a standard buckle closure and can be cinched with a hidden webbing strap. The hidden webbing strap is extremely short from factory and does not encompass the roll top when it is half full, let alone maxxed out. I recommend cutting it out immediately and sewing in a longer strap.
Original length on left, modified length on right. The strap will now fit over the rolltop with only two folds as well as a pair of crampons or approach shoes.
The zip designed to hide away the rolltop and make the pack more svelte does act as a choke point, so careful packing is required otherwise the rolltop can be floppy and will move back and forward. This will smack you in the back of the head and cause you to go slightly crazy, as it did with me. There is a thin nylon divider that can separate the main compartment and the roll top, however I do not recommend it for the above reason.
Note the zip forced at a 90-degree opening, and how it does not go all the way to the front of the pack but instead creates a choke.
At the very top of the pack there is a large, 270-degree zippered pockets with a nylon divider. This works perfectly for sunglasses, gloves, snacks and a small first aid kit. Keep in mind, when the roll top is extended this pocket does rotate forward and compress down slightly to become a vertical pocket.
During testing I filled the pack with overnight snow camping gear, ski touring equipment and food. For camera gear I took 1x full frame camera, 24-120 f4, 24mm 1.8, 35mm anamorphic lens and a tripod. The pack was comfy and with some smart packing it easily ate the gear, however as per usual the tent needed to stay on the outside.
Note that after taking this photo, because of no grab handle the pack was cumbersome to pickup. I had to roll it onto its front, which is not possible when carrying ski boots in the bindings like normal.
Similar multiday trips into the Arrowsmith ranges and Arthurs Pass has confirmed this pack is more than capable on multiday missions, however it needs to be packed with intention as separating and dividing the pack into camera gear and non-camera gear can quickly eat space and leave many dead spots.
Sadly there is no external helmet carry on this pack, and I have yet to manufacture a solution. You will note helmet is attached to my A-frame ski strap, a very inelegant solution.
Non-Technical Uses
Outside of the snow on the flatlands it fitted into Ballet and Gymnastics competitions with ease, at one point with 2x D5’s, a Z8, Z6ii and Z6iii PLUS a 24mm, 35mm 50mm, 85mm, 135mm (all f1.8) and a 24-70 inside with ease. On top of this, it also fitted spare batteries and filters all in the main compartment! The main compartment is designed with professional battery grip integrated cameras in mind (like the D5/6, Z9, R1/3 etc) with just enough space to vertically stack them with a lens attached unlike many smaller packs from Lowepro, Manfrotto, etc.
With a removable laptop sleeve, back padding, hip belt and fully customizable interior this pack will allow you to go from alpine gremlin mode to fancy business carryon in a flash. For travelling and flying the side access flap and back entry zip have locking horns that will fit standard TSA locks. Please note you can still get in through the rolltop if you haven't closed the internal nylon zip flap, so this is not recommended as a fully secure solution.
Verdict
As a working professional I stress test and abuse gear far beyond what recreational users do, and demand different features than industry standard. What recreational users see as a small niggle, professional users can see as an absolute deal breaker. While the Jaypack Pro 34+ exhibits its fair share of niggles, it is so incredible dominant in a category populated by photography first pack manufacturers (Shimoda, Manfrotto, Atlas packs) that there is no other comparison or recommendation. For example the Shimoda Action X2 has a front pocket, but its designed for laptops, not avy gear and does not have any quick ice axe removal for when you are in the shit on an exposed ridge. The Evoc CP 35 comes close, but with a maximum 35l size I are now comparing a daypack, to a multiday alpine pack.
Realistically the only real competition this pack faces is the age-old tradition of using a regular camera pack and wrapping your lenses in various puffers and beanies. While those alpine packs may be more dialled and refined, for a first attempt the Jaypack Pro is an extremely compelling product.
Well done Deuter!
All pictures -except for the header- by Malcolm McRae
The original review can be found here .
Wanna see more from Malcolm? Visit his website or follow Malcolm on Instagram @ascensionarts.nz