I was recently offered the chance to take the Hex Ranger Clamshell Backpack out for an extended spin. Will this stylish clamshell camera bag live up to the standards other Hex camera bags have set, or will it fall short? Find out in our full review.
Note: We were sent the Hex Ranger Clamshell Backpack to review and keep. However, all thoughts and opinions about this bag are our own. We have not been influenced in any way. We tell you this as we always want to be honest with you.
Pros
- Extremely customizable
- Made with quality materials
- Thick padded interior
- Lots of storage space for cameras and lenses
- Pockets galore
- Tripod holder on the bottom
- Competitively priced
Cons
- Anti-theft latch only from one side
- Thin padding on straps
Hex Ranger Clamshell Backpack — Technical specifications
All technical specifications for the Hex Ranger Clamshell Backpack are from the official Hex website:
- Ergonomic shoulder straps with air-mesh
- The padded laptop sleeve fits up to a 15″ MacBook
- Genuine Cordura® exterior
- Hidden rain cover
- YKK Zippers with metal pulls
- Fully customizable interior dividers
- Dimensions: 18″L x 12″W x 6″H
- Weight: 3.5lbs
- Capacity: 21L
Hex Ranger Clamshell Backpack — Ergonomics
The Hex Ranger Clamshell Backpack has a very nice look to it. Unlike many camera bags, the design is relatively simple and clean. As a result, the bag does not look like one that could be holding expensive camera equipment, and that’s always a plus. It’s also a great size. The bag weighs just 3.5lbs and isn’t so big that it becomes a burden.
Like many other Hex bags, you can choose between a few different color schemes. I was sent the Camo variation. You can also pick up this bag in flat black or with a Glacier Camo finish, which is more muted than the regular Camo bag. All three designs look great, though.
Let’s take a look around
As the name suggests, this camera bag features a clamshell design. This means that the entire front of the bag zips open and folds out. This design gives excellent access to your gear. On the front of the clamshell, you’ll find one decently sized pocket that can hold a mini-tablet and various accessories. Next, you’ll find a hidden pocket secured with Velcro on the bag’s underside. It’s here that you will find the hidden rain cover. Finally, the bottom of the bag houses straps that can hold a tripod or a rolled-up jacket.
On the left side of the bag, there’s an expandable pocket that can hold a water bottle or a tripod. On this side, you’ll also find the zippered faux-fur-lined laptop pouch. The right side is home to a zippered faux-fur-lined pocket that can hold a phone. The left and right sides are home to some loops to which you can clip carabiners.
Once you open the clamshell, you’ll see the thickly padded divider system that will hold and protect all of your gear. There are pockets for small accessories on both sides of the interior. There are even pockets on the inside of the clamshell. Hex has designed this bag so that every square inch is functional. Ergonomically, the Hex Ranger Clamshell Backpack is pleasing. It’s stylish but won’t draw too much attention, all pockets are easily accessible, and the size and weight are just right.
Hex Ranger Clamshell Backpack — Build quality
I have used several Hex camera bags and have always been impressed with the build quality. Fortunately, the Hex Ranger Clamshell Backpack doesn’t buck this trend. The bag is made from rugged, water-resistant Cordura fabrics. All of the zippers are YKK, and they operate smoothly.
The bottom of the bag is covered in a durable, non-skid covering that can also protect against water on the ground. The clasps are plastic and metal. I wish Hex used one or the other for the clasps and buckles instead of being a mixture of metal and plastic. Still, all of the claps and furniture are sturdy.
The padding inside the bag is thick, and the Velcro used to secure the dividers is strong. This bag accompanied me with the Hex Cinema Backpack (read my review here) on eight days of travel.
The Ranger Clamshell put up with immense abuse. I haven’t cleaned the bag, either, so what you see in the images is eight days’ worth of the bag being bumped, banged, dropped in the sand at the beach, being placed on the floor at multiple wildlife refuges, getting wet and a whole host of either stuff. Yet, the bag still looks remarkable. The Hex Ranger Clamshell Backpack is one tough cookie.
Hex Ranger Clamshell Backpack — What can it hold?
If you take the time to adjust the dividers to fit snugly around your gear, you can fit a surprising amount of equipment into the Hex Ranger Clamshell Backpack. Now, if you use gripped cameras, walk away. If you use a camera without a battery grip, read on. I was able to fit the following gear into the bag comfortably:
- OM SYSTEM OM-1
- OM SYSTEM 20mm f/1.4 Pro
- Olympus 100-400mm f5-6.3 IS
- Olympus 8-25mm f/4 Pro
- Olympus 45mm f/1.2 Pro
- Godox V1 Flash
- Godox Pro Trigger
- Filter case and various accessories
- 12.9-inch iPad Pro with keyboard case and pencil
- One water bottle
- One tripod
Realistically, you can only carry one large zoom lens in this bag. Still, there’s plenty of space for primes and smaller zoom lenses. Also, there was ample room left over in the laptop pouch with my iPad Pro in there. So, the claims that it can hold a 15″ MacBook ring true.
I also love that the tripod attaches to the base of the bag. There’s nothing worse than having a heavy tripod on one side of the bag as it throws off weight distribution. Overall, I’m impressed with the storage capacity of this camera bag.
Hex Ranger Clamshell Backpack — In the field
The great thing about the Hex Ranger Clamshell Backpack is its versatility. You can use this bag in three ways, thanks to two cinch straps tightening over the main clamshell zipper. Essentially the straps stop the zipper from going past a certain point on the zip runner. This effectively creates side access panels on either side of the bag or the top.
To set this up, you set both zips at the bottom of the bag on either side and then tighten the straps. If you want a top opening, position the zips at the top of the bag and tighten the straps. It’s a pretty genius way of incorporating quick access panels into a bag design that isn’t usually able to incorporate them.
These access panels will, of course, only give you access to your camera and whatever lens you have attached to it. If you want to access all of your gear, you’ll need to take the bag off, lay it flat and then open the entire clamshell.
So close to a near-perfect design
There is, however, a problem with this design. One feature I love is the anti-theft clasp. It’s located in the water bottle pocket. You can pull the clip out, bring the zips over to the left side of the bag, and then run the hook through the eyelets in the zip pulls to secure them.
The problem is that to use the anti-theft clip, you have to set the bag up so that the quick access panel is always on the left side of the bag. I wish Hex would have put a similar clip on both sides so that you’re not limited when setting up the bag. For me, this design means I either choose the convenience of having the access panel on either side of the bag or security. It’s not ideal.
Also, the phone pocket is only just big enough to house my iPhone 11 Pro Max. So if you have a phone bigger than this, it might not fit into the plush-lined pocket. The front pocket is nice and spacious, though. There are plenty of mesh storage compartments here for cables and batteries. There’s even a chain where you can secure your keys.
It’s great for city dwellers
In terms of comfort, the Hex Ranger Clamshell Backpack is good. However, it’s not the most comfortable backpack I’ve ever used, as the straps’ padding is a little thin. However, the air mesh design allows cool air to flow, keeping you nice and cool.
The sternum strap, once correctly adjusted, also helps with weight distribution. At the end of the day, as long as you set the bag up to work for you, you’ll find that the Ranger Clamshell Backpack from Hex is an easy-to-use bag that will protect all of your gear well. This bag is excellent for photographers who like day trips or who take extended photo walks around the city. However, the thinner straps and lack of a waist belt lead me to say that it wouldn’t suit hikes in the wilderness.
