Moment Exposure 10L Vest review: Is this cycling jersey-inspired photography vest style and substance?

A photography vest can be a very practical and lightweight alternative to big and heavy camera bags; however, let’s face it, they can often look a little… how should I put it… 'goofy'. While perfect for a safari, bird hide, press pit, or trackside at a racecourse, your typical photography vest doesn’t fit in quite so well in urban environments, and that makes them rather limiting for many photographers looking to ditch a heavy camera bag.

Well, Seattle-based camera accessory manufacturer Moment might have the answer. The Exposure 10L is inspired by cycling vests, so it's designed to be sleek, sporty, and allow you to be agile with your camera while you work.

Moment got its start in 2014 with a successful Kickstarter campaign for wide-angle and telephoto lenses for early-generation smartphones. The company has since diversified its offering to an entire ecosystem of bags, outdoor apparel, and camera accessories, all made from high-quality and sustainable materials, designed to put the creator first.

The Exposure 10L vest belongs to Moment’s 'Fast & light' collection, sitting alongside the Moment Sequence 23L Camera Backpack and sling bags of varying sizes.

Packing light is something I struggle with, so the Exposure 10L is the most interesting item of the bunch for me personally, forcing me to pare down my kit and change my shooting habits. It should make for more enjoyable shoot days and allow me to be more nimble and quick to fire off my shots – let’s find out how it performed...

Moment Exposure 10L Camera Vest: Specifications

Moment Exposure 10L Camera Vest: Price

Moment makes its Exposure vest in two variations to accommodate different chest sizes, with the S/M version for 38-45” chests and the L/XL version for 45-55” chests. Both sizes have the same 10L capacity and cost $120 / £120.

In the US, where Moment is based, I found the Exposure 10L readily available in both sizes and in both its black and desert styles; the latter has a sandy beige colour with black accents, while the black is more stealthy and is completely black all-round – great for keeping a low profile in urban settings. In the UK, the black iteration was readily stocked; however, I couldn’t find the desert colorway anywhere this side of the pond, but hopefully we'll soon see stock of this version too.

The Moment Exposure 10L is pretty much twice as much as the CampCo Humvee Safari Photo Vest, which I've also reviewed. Looking at the two vests side-by-side, the Moment Exposure 10L does feel and look both more stylish and more premium, so I think it could be worth the extra money.

A spokesperson for Moment told me that the company likes to make rolling changes to its products based on customer feedback. While the Moment Exposure 10L initially shipped with one zipped front pocket and one mesh pocket, the Exposure 10L has since been updated to have two zippered front pockets instead after taking into account feedback from its customers; this is the version I got hold of for review.

Moment Exposure 10L Camera Vest: Design & Handling

The Moment Exposure 10L is a lightweight photography vest inspired by the practicality of fishing vests, which allow you to carry key items without the need for a bulky backpack. The team at Moment has also taken inspiration from sleek cycling vests, with rear pockets that can be accessed without having to first take the vest off.

The Moment Exposure 10L vest only comes in two sizes: S/M, which fits chests between 38-45” (96.5-114cm) and L/XL, which fits 45-55” chests (114-140cm). Compared to the Humvee by CampCo vest, which is available in seven sizes ranging from XS to XXXL, this does make the size options for the Moment vest seem a little scant. It also has far fewer pockets than the Humvee’s 21 – at just eight. However, these numbers alone don’t tell the full story – many of the Exposure 10L's eight pockets have netted sub-pockets within them, so it doesn’t feel like you're missing out on storage and your accessories can be organized neatly.

One zippered pocket on the back also has two sub-sections that run the full length of the back panel – Moment claims this can fit up to a 14” laptop, though it has to be a very thin and lightweight laptop, such as a MacBook Air M3, which has a thickness of just 1.15cm – much thicker and you’ll struggle to fit it in. This was actually surprisingly comfortable, and it’s also more than spacious enough for a tablet like an 11” iPad.

The laptop pocket can also be fitted with a hydration bladder to help you stay hydrated on long walks and adventures.

The Moment Exposure 10L has some pretty unique tricks of its own, and whether you use the S/M or L/XL version, it’s been designed to hug your body to distribute the weight evenly across your front, back, and sides.

The vest material is a LightWeave ripstop fabric with DWR coating that acts as a ‘rain guard’ to keep you and the contents of your pockets dry in a downpour. The laptop compartment has some much-needed extra protection with its magnetic flap, which prevents water ingress. The inside is nylon ripstop fabric, while the vest exterior is 210D ripstop nylon.

Moment Exposure 10L Camera Vest: Performance

The Moment Exposure 10L certainly hugs the body and is a lighter, more enjoyable way to carry core camera kit compared to a backpack. That said, it comes in just two size options (S/M and L/XL). I have a chest of 40”, which falls within the recommended 38-45” chest size with the S/M model, though this did feel quite tight.

The Exposure 10L uses elasticated bungee sternum straps that adjust to be more or less snug to your body. Some users might have preferred a zipper to tether the two breastplates, but the elasticated straps make it feel nimble and flexible.

Modeled on cycling vests, the Exposure 10L certainly feels very agile. However, Moment has made one big change for photographers by putting the large waterproof laptop compartment on the back, and while this is certainly handy for photographers looking to edit on the go, it means the back isn’t breathable, so you probably wouldn’t want to use it for cycling or while doing extensive exercise. Other photography vests have better ventilation, so if you’re shooting on safari or in hot locations, the Exposure 10L might look cool, but perhaps it's not the best at actually keeping you cool.

While the black version is great for keeping a low profile in urban settings, it gets hot in direct sunlight, which can be uncomfortable. You may therefore want to consider the desert option with its lighter beige colorway, which will do a better job of reflecting the midday sun away from your body.

The vest incorporates an ‘AirLift’ back panel, which basically means there’s some perforated foam covered in an open grid of abrasion-resistant mesh and has channels to enhance airflow. Moment says this helps wick away sweat and promote evaporation; however, the padding is extremely thin, and once you put something heavy in it, like a laptop or a water bottle, you are going to feel it – it’s just never going to be as comfortable as a big photography backpack and all the cushy foam padding that comes with one. However, if you need that functionality, it’s good to know it’s there.

Each breastplate has a large pocket secured with YKK zippers for extra durability and weather resistance. The inside of each of these pockets is bright salmon pink to help you find your kit, and items such as a smartphone or compact camera can fit in these with ease. There are also sections within the pocket for organization, making it easy to stash items such as pens and spare batteries, and there’s a carabiner tied to the inside of one of the pockets for attaching items such as a penknife or multitool.

The right-hand-side chest pocket can have a cable threaded through it and up inside the shoulder strap, all the way to the back pocket, where it can be connected to a battery pack, which has its own stretchy pocket inside the back panel. Alternatively, you could route a hydration hose through here to a water bladder in the back.

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On the front of the two main chest pockets are two stretchy net pockets that have a flap covering; these are handy for stashing items like snacks. There are also two stretchy pockets built into the webbing around your waist. The official imagery from Moment shows a user stashing a compact camera in this for quick access, but note that none of the pockets are particularly well padded, so your camera and laptop aren’t best protected; the vest trades protection for speed and agility.

The pockets are naturally snug, so a full-frame interchangeable lens camera is off the cards, though Moment does suggest some specific point-and-shoot compacts like the Canon G7 X, Ricoh GR, and Sony RX100 series cameras, along with popular cameras for street photography, such as the Fujifilm X100VI and Leica Q3.

Photographers with larger kit, such as full-frame cameras, might be thinking that a device like Peak Design's Capture Camera Clip would be a good workaround; however, this is sadly incompatible, as the shoulder strap material is too thin to have such a heavy load placed upon it. It's also a bit of a shame that there isn't a reinforced area for a Capture Clip on the waist, but then the vest is designed for premium compact cameras, so I can't really mark it down for this.

The bottom half of the back panel has a large stretch pocket with a rain cover flap over it – this looks like two separate stretchy pockets for water bottles, and while it could be used for this, it’s actually a pass-through pocket, which means that larger items such as a rain jacket could be folded up and put inside it. This large pocket also has a reach-through or ‘no-look’ style, with holes cut on either side allowing you to grab your water bottle from the back without having to take the entire vest off – inspired by cycling jerseys.

This large, netted pocket also has two elasticated bungee cords with tensioners on either side of its openings, allowing you to secure a rolled-up raincoat or wind shell, or larger items like walking poles. While you could technically use this to lash a tripod to the vest, I think that, due to its thin padding, you would find this uncomfortable, even with a very small, lightweight carbon fibre model. A Gorillapod, though? Maybe…

Moment Exposure 10L Photography Vest: Verdict

I really enjoyed testing out the Moment Exposure 10L, and it’s been in regular rotation for those times when I want to head out to take photos without carrying a heavy backpack. Limiting my photography kit to carry only the essentials in this photo vest has helped me realize what equipment really is necessary, and I've found photography to be liberating and enjoyable, traveling light without getting worn down by a heavy photography bag.

I think the Moment Exposure 10L nails both style and substance, and will be a hit with younger photographers. If you’re looking for a flexible photo vest that packs the core essentials with ease and looks good too, the Moment Exposure 10L is perfect for those who like to travel light and shoot in urban settings, but you do pay a bit of a premium for it.

Alternatives

The CampCo Humvee Safari Photo Vest boasts an astonishing array of 21 pockets and only costs about half as much as the Exposure 10L, but doesn't quite match its build quality or sleek lines.