Brevite The Jumper Photo Backpack review: a compact yet capacious (and colourful) camera backpack

Brevitē produce a range of camera backpacks including the smaller and cheaper Runner and the larger and more expensive Jumper. As the names suggest these are lightweight camera backpacks but each model is available in a range of sizes (and there are tweaked versions available to suit the male and female frame). I tested the Large male version of the Brevitē Jumper.

Many of the products that I’ve reviewed for Digital Camera World are designed and built in China, so it was refreshing to encounter the Brevitē Jumper - a product designed by three brothers who are based in New York City, USA. What’s impressive about Brevitē as a company is their commitment to creating a quality backpack that is environmentally sustainable. For example the Brevitē Jumper is constructed from recycled 640D Polyester. The process involved in producing the Brevitē Jumper is BlueSign certified, which indicates that the materials used are sustainable and the manufacturing process is more ethical in relation to the treatment of factory workers involved in the bag’s production.

Many of camera backpacks that I’ve tested for Digital Camera World are either green or black as you’ll see in our Best Camera Backpack Buying Guide: https://www.digitalcameraworld.com/buying-guides/best-camera-backpacks. The Brevitē Jumper on the other hand is available in 11 colours including Poppy Red and Lemon Yellow. When given a choice of colour for my Brevitē Jumper test unit I was tempted to go for the usual Black but I decided to choose a Moonlit Blue model instead. I tend to wear blue jeans so this colour turned out to suit me (and it also meant that the Jumper stands out more from the blander green and black backpack crowd!).

Brevite The Jumper: Specifications

Brevite The Jumper: Price

Although I’d been given a 22L version of the Brevitē Jumper to test, I could only find the 18L model available to purchase on Amazon in the UK, US and Australia. On contacting Brevitē I was informed that they plan to sell the larger 22L version but they don’t have a timeline for that as yet. At around $130 / £110 the large Brevitē Jumper is excellent value for money and you get the benefit of knowing that you are buying a long-lasting product that has been made from recycled materials. Let’s hope more models, colors and sizes appear on Amazon soon.

Brevite The Jumper: Design & Handling

On unboxing the 22L Large Brevitē Jumper, I was instantly impressed with its vibrant Moonlit Blue colour, which was a refreshing change to the usual black and green backpacks that I’ve tested. The main body of the backpack has three unzippable points of access - one at the top, another on the lower front (for when the backpack is lying on its back), and a smaller unzippable side pocket for quick access to smaller items such as lenses. The main compartment can be split into two sections thanks to a padded internal divider that has a hook-and-loop edge. This is very useful if you want to store smaller items (such as a drone) in the top section of the Jumper while placing other items such as a camera body and lens in the lower section of the backpack. The internal divider can be folded back on its hinge to open up the interior to store longer items.

The main body of the Brevitē Jumper is constructed from Recycled 640D Polyester. A 210D Nylon Oxford Weave creates a water-resistant surface that will keep your kit dry in a drizzle (though for extra protection you may want to consider the additional purchase of a rain cover). Access to the backpack’s compartments is achieved via sturdy YKK zippers. The zipper at the top of the laptop compartment also has a waterproof seam to keep water out of the interior, which is an essential feature I’ve encountered on many camera backpacks. I was easily able to slide my 15” MacBook Air into this super water resistant compartment so that I could enjoy processing photos and clips while travelling back from a shoot via train.

Brevite The Jumper: Performance

I tested the Brevitē Jumper backpack on several shoots. My first shoot involved a trip to London to test a Colbor CF5 smoke machine and a collection of Apexel 10-in-1 lenses. The Brevitē backpack ships with 4 hook-and-loop padded dividers of varying sizes, so you can create a collection of compartments in the main body of the backpack for lenses, etc. For my city shoot, I packed a Hohem iSteady M7 gimbal in its carry case inside the Jumper, plus a couple of Harlowe LED wands and a Colbor fog machine. As these items were quite long and bulky, I removed all of the Brevitē Jumper’s hook-and-loop dividers and folded the main divider back so I could use the entirety of the backpack.

There’s a handy padded pocket on the lower front of the backpack, which has a collection of webbed pockets. This was very useful to store smaller items such as charging cables, a power bank, and a wireless mic kit. Despite being packed full of gear, the Jumper was comfortable to carry and small enough to fit onto the overhead luggage rack on the train as I travelled into the city.

When shooting in the corridors of the Barbican Centre, I was keen not to cause any obstructions to members of the public, and the Jumper was small and compact enough to be safely stored in a corner (without tripping up passersby). The backpack’s three zippable points of access enabled me to grab gadgets as and when I needed them (and then store them away). The straps on the Brevitē Jumper are narrower than I’ve encountered on other backpacks, but they are padded, so my kit was comfortable to carry. This is just as well, as I walked 17,000 steps that day. Due to its relatively small size, I was able to pop the Brevitē under various tables on the pub crawl that followed my city shoot. Unlike on a previous occasion, I didn’t leave the backpack in a pub!

For my second shoot, I took the Brevitē Jumper to the English Peak District. On the first day, there was a bit of drizzle, but the backpack’s water-resistant Oxford Weave kept my kit dry. As a smartphone photographer, I was travelling relatively light so the backpack wasn’t too heavy. I was glad of this portability as I had very steep hills to negotiate while exploring the valley at Monsal Head.

On day two of my countryside test, I used the four hook-and-loop dividers to rig the backpack for a drone shoot. I popped my DJI Flip and controller into suitable compartments as well as the usual wireless mic kit, gimbal, and even my MacBook Air! I also popped my passport into the supplied concealed pocket so that I could demonstrate this useful feature in the accompanying video review. Thanks to the presence of my laptop, the Jumper was a bit heavier than on my previous shoots, but I was still able to jump from one rock to another while safely transporting my gear up the famous Stanage Edge rock formation in the Peak District National Park. I’m not an experienced Drone pilot, but I was delighted with the view and the various clips that I was able to capture after transporting the drone safely and comfortably up (and then down) the hills in the Brevitē Jumper.

Brevite The Jumper: Verdict

The Brevitē Jumper is a stylish and minimalist camera backpack, and I thoroughly enjoyed using the eye-catching Moonlit Blue version in my various test shoots (though that colour is so new that it’s not filtered through to Amazon at the time of writing). Its hook-and-loop dividers can be configured to suit a range of kit requirements (or removed entirely if you want to repurpose the Jumper from a camera backpack to a generic one). Features such as the hidden passport pocket and the luggage pass-through handle make it especially attractive to flyers. Indeed, its dimensions of 44 x 30 x 15 cm should make it acceptable as hand luggage on various airlines (such as EasyJet), but do check those requirements as they vary between airlines.

The 22L storage space in the Jumper should make it suitable for DSLR and mirrorless camera users, though I found the configurable layout and multiple access points particularly attractive as a smartphone photographer/videographer. There are lots of spaces and compartments to store small accessories.

The bottle pocket on the side was particularly welcome when on a thirst-inducing climb in the Peak District, and the tripod hooks on the bottom of the pack will be useful for traditional photographers (though I used the Hohem iSteady gimbal as a tripod, as it will also perform as an AI-assisted camera operator).

If sustainability is important to you, then the Brevitē Jumper should appeal as it ticks lots of eco-friendly and socially conscious boxes thanks to its BlueSign certification.

Alternatives

Gomatic McKinnon Camera Backpack
This spacious 25L backpack has a ‘ladder’ system that enables you to adjust the size of its internal compartments so that there’s more space for camera gear and less room for items such as clothes (or vice versa). The ladder is a hinged divider like the one in the Brevitē Jumper.

Shimoda Explore V2 35L
If you’re a DSLR user who needs a more capacious backpack than the Brevitē Jumper, then try this! It’s a durable and well-built backpack for outdoor adventures. Its larger capacity means that it’s much heavier to carry, but the thick shoulder straps and supporting chest and waist bands make it comfortable to carry.