When I first reviewed WANDRD’s PRVKE backpack, I talked about the bag’s unique customization options, heralded by its camera cube that was held in the bottom half of the backpack.
With WANDRD’s new camera cubes, the company has taken its customization to the next level, offering three different sizes to its users. I received the Essential+ and Mini+ from WANDRD for this review, and I have to say that the minute I opened them up, I was blown away.
While the padding is certainly thicker to provided more security for your gear, it doesn’t take away from what you can do with the cube. You can customize it to your heart’s content, fitting your lenses, camera bodies and other gear to perfection.
Three size options to fit your camera lifestyle
WANDRD offers its camera cubes in three distinct sizes — Mini (to fit in the top portion of the bag), Essential (to fit in the bottom portion) and Pro (to fit the entirety of the bag). If you have the 31-liter backpack, you’ll want to go with the “plus” cubes, as they’re slightly larger.
The reason I went with the Mini and Essential, is I knew that for most of the time, the Essential cube would be enough for much of my Olympus micro four-thirds gear. But if I ever wanted to travel with my long 300mm f/4 lens or something similar, the Mini would come in handy, providing me extra storage in the top level of the bag.
In the Essential, I can easily fit a camera body with standard lens, my 40-150mm f/2.8, 45mm f/1.2, 8mm f/1.8 fisheye and 17mm f/1.8 with room to spare. It can easily fit a lens trifecta. In the Mini, I can easily fit a camera body with no lens and two other smaller lenses, or I can remove the dividers for one or two larger lenses (in this case, my 7-14mm f/2.8 and 12-100mm f/4).
Needless to say, the customization options truly are endless.
Worthy upgrades
In addition to its upgrade in padding, the camera cubes now come with multiple elastic straps to make sure your lenses don’t bounce around. Depending on your setup, you may or may not find these to be necessary, though it’s nice they’re included.
While the Pro and Essential cubes come with a side zipper so you can access your gear from the side of your bag, the Mini also comes with a top zipper, making it easy to retrieve a piece of gear from the top of your bag without taking the entire thing apart.
The Pro also integrates with WANDRD’s Duffel Straps so it can be carried as a separate, less obtrusive backpack. All three cubes can also be used outside of the backpack, allowing you to put them in luggage or organize your less-used gear in your office (like I’m doing with my previous camera cube).
Needless to say, the quality of the cubes has certainly been upgraded, providing more options for photographers than before.
The new WANDRD camera cubes start at $49:
