Vanguard Alta Sky 42 Backpack review - the big-lens beast

Amateur Photographer verdict

This specialist backpack will hold your camera with a large telephoto lens attached. It’s comfortable to carry and provides a good amount of space, with lots of dividers to keep things organised.

Pros

Easily holds a pro camera with long telephoto zoom
Comfortable to carry, even when full
Lots of attachment points for a tripod, monopod, hiking poles, folding stool, and water bottles etc.

Cons

No space for personal items

Vanguard’s Alta Sky backpacks are designed specifically for sports, action or wildlife photographers who need to be able to carry their camera with a large telephoto lens attached. The Vanguard Alta Sky 42 is the smallest in the range, but that doesn’t mean it’s short on space. Its tall, relatively narrow form factor is designed to hold a full-frame camera with one of the latest long zoom lenses attached, such as the Canon RF 200-800mm F6.3-9 IS USM, Nikon Nikkor Z 180-600mm f/5.6-6.3 VR, Sony FE 200-600mm F5.6-6.3 G OSS, or Sigma 150-600mm F5-6.3 DG DN OS.

Vanguard Alta Sky 42 Backpack: at a glance

£179.99
Holds camera with large telezoom attached
Space for 3-5 more lenses
Pocket for 12.9in tablet
27 x 24 x 50.5 cm (external)
Weighs 1.9 kg
vanguardworld.co.uk

A zipped flap on the top provides quick access to your camera and long lens, with the rest of your kit accessed via the zip-opening back panel. There’s space for three or four more lenses inside, plus other bits and pieces, with Vanguard including a generous array of dividers to organise your kit. You also get a padded wrap to protect narrower diameter telezooms or spotting scopes.

Vanguard Alta Sky 42 Backpack: key features

Pockets: Two stretchy neoprene side pockets will hold such things as water bottles, monopods, or folding stools
Tripod: There’s a tripod holder on the front, with a fold-out ‘bucket’ for the feet and a pair of straps
Handle: A generously padded top handle allows the bag to be comfortably carried one-handed, even when it’s full
Luggage strap: A slim strap on the back lets you slip the bag over the handle of wheeled luggage

Vanguard Alta Sky 42 interior — There’s ample space inside for a camera with long lens attached, plus other lenses and accessories. Credit: Andy Westlake

On the front, a zipped pocket provides a readily accessible space for spare batteries and memory cards. It has two pockets inside with red and green tags, so you can keep used and clean cards separate. Otherwise, though, there’s not much organisation for small accessories, just some small flat zipped pockets on the top flap and front.

Vanguard Alta Sky 42 front pocket. — The front pocket provides space for accessories such as batteries and memory cards. Credit: Andy Westlake

As usual from Vanguard, materials and construction are excellent, with plenty of padding to protect your valuable kit. The bright yellow interior makes it easy to see what’s inside. Both the shoulder straps and the back are generously padded, and mesh covered, which makes the bag comfortable to carry even when full laden.

Vanguard Alta Sky 42 backpack in use. — The backpack is comfortable to carry and not too bulky. Credit: Andy Westlake

Thanks to its semi-rigid design and flat base, the bag will happily stand upright and not fall over, too. Its relatively small footprint is very welcome on public transport, or when navigating your way through crowds.

Vanguard Alta Sky 42 backpack top opening — The top opening provides quick access to your camera. Credit: Andy Westlake

I tested the Alta Sky 42 by using it for a couple of airshows with different sets of kit. For the first, I was able to fit the medium-format Fujifilm GFX100S II and GF 500mm F5.6 lens, plus the GF 32-64mm F4 for wide shots. Second time around, I used the Nikon Z6III together with the Nikkor Z 100-400mm f/4-5.6 zoom and 1.4x teleconverter, and the Z 24-120mm f/4 alongside. This left just about enough space to carry binoculars and some food, too.

Vanguard Alta Sky 42 backpack with tripod and monopod — There’s a pair of stretchy side pockets, with a tripod carrier on the front. Credit: Andy Westlake

If you need to carry larger telephoto lenses, Vanguard offers a range of similar bags in various sizes. The biggest in the line-up is the 36-litre Alta Sky 68. This should hold a pro camera body with an 800mm lens attached, plus additional lenses and a 16in laptop. It costs £325.

Vanguard Alta Sky 42: Our Verdict

While the Vanguard Alta Sky 42 is a fairly specialist design, I found it worked really well for its intended purpose. If you frequently shoot sports, wildlife, or airshows, where you need to carry your camera with a long lens attached, it’s a great choice.