Shimoda X30 - first impression

PillowFightr wrote:

Norwegian wood wrote:

PillowFightr wrote:

Thank you for the outstanding review!

I am wanting to get the Action X30 or the Action X50, not sure how to decide between them because no reviewer has compared them side by side yet

I need a backpack to take to work with me everyday (i carry 2 laptops in the data center where i work) and on the weekends i go hiking so i will need it to be able to take my upcoming Canon R5 with 1 or 2 lenses max plus 3 liter of water and food and first aid kit and stuff like that..

I was hoping the Action X30 would be enough for all that, but the Action X50 might be better!

Hi there.

Not sure which size laptops you bring to work, but you would easily get a 13" or probably a 15" Macbook in the "door sleeve". Adding to that it is even more space in the front where you probably could add at least one more laptop, if not two.

No issues bringing the camera gear with you as well at the same time. And some clothing, food and water. I usually bring my quite large 1 litre Stanley vacuum bottle and food in the top compartment with no issues. Still space for some clothing and small gadgets. And... the stretch pockets on each side will give plenty additional space for water bottles/tripod.

I have not used the X50, but I would choose the X30 again, as it is roomy enough, and I dont want unnecessary bulk.

My own take on X30 vs X50 with your gear would be X30 as I find it just the right size. Not too bulky, but good space, even with both camera gear and laptops at the same time. If you do not bring your camera gear to work, that would free up a massive space for extra clothes, shoes, food and water. X50 is of course larger, but I doubt you would need that extra space, unless the clothing you bring during weekends are very bulky.

Hope you find the right size for your needs.

Edit...just some additional thoughts...

1. If you carry your camera readied outside the pack and only keep 1 or 2 lenses in the pack you could use the small core unit instead of the medium mirrorless core unit. That will give more space for clothes/food.

2. I recently bought myself the Primus Firestick Stove with propane canister and a small 0.9 litre kettle, fits easily. Good choice if weekender "dryfood" is on the menu.

3. If you want to add a large battery grip to the camera or if the lenses tend to be on the long side I would probably consider X50 as an option, as the mirrorless core unit is not super deep. That said, I use the Z6 with a Smallrig grip with no issues in the mirrorless core unit.

Yeah i carry 2 laptops, both 15" but it sounds that they will fit fine in the X30!

And my camera will be the Canon R5 with the grip and a total of 2 lenses, which again sounds like the X30 is perfect for!

Thanks for the clarification. Much appreciated

I added some pics for you to get a better understanding of the internal sizing for laptop/clothes.

One 13” Macbook Pro 2019 in the front compartment. Looking closely you can see there is a small divider/pocket that will keep the laptop quite stable, and the same divider can be used to separate two laptops, about 2/3rd of their length. If you dont need the divider, its fine too, as it is just a thin layer of fabric that gets out of the way.

Two of them stacked. A third could probably fit, but it would be tight

One before it is fully seated. Ruler for measure.

Ruler for measure. About 40cm useful length in the front compartment. Is about 3.5-4cm useful depth when it is about equally stretched over the width, When carrying bulky clothes it will probably give to 8-10 cm at the max (not equally stretched out, its not a stretchy material). This is where I store my shell clothing or some thinner layer for cold weather. It also have a divider and some zippered pockets for small items.

Top compartment. Not utilizing the rolltop. Note this is with the Mirrorless core unit inside.

Top compartment

Rolltop opened up. Its huge, but it will be somehow tighter on the top and not so deep when you roll it slightly. Still plenty of very useful space for additional clothes. The rolltop is a super feature. And its turns into a handle when you dont need it.

Rolltop opened

Showing the very useful zippered pockets for smaller items in the top compartment through the rolltop. Can be used ofcourse with the rolltop closed aswell.

Hope this gives you a good idea if it is large enough for your use.

Note also the light colored interiour and the see through zippered pockets. That is the kind of attention to details that makes this backpack so great. The features on this pack is really well thought out.