Vanguard Veo Lite B25L backpack review: a stylish, everyday camera pack

Vanguard Veo Lite backpacks are designed for everyday photography and everyday weather. With how changeable the climate is around the world these days, it’s so easy to get caught out by bad weather when you’re out on location taking photos. The great thing about these weatherproof Vanguard Veo Lite backpacks is that you don’t have to pack up and go home as quickly as you normally might when there’s a shower – enabling you to keep your kit dry as you try and capture those dramatic skies or reflections in city streets that many of us miss as we’ve run for shelter!

Vanguard Veo Lite backpacks are available in 20-liter (B20L) and 25-liter (B25L) sizes. The B25L models are available in a tasteful navy blue and (perhaps a little impractical) cream, while the B20L version is also available in a trendy red. I’m testing the 25-liter B25L navy blue model.

So, what’s the practical difference in size between the 20 and 25-liter packs? The B20L is better suited to smaller DSLRs or mirrorless cameras and a kit lens, plus two to three extra lenses, a 14-inch laptop, and an 11-inch tablet. Whereas the bigger B25L will accommodate larger full-frame DSLR or mirrorless bodies with a 70-200mm f/2.8 lens, plus room for three or four additional lenses, and a 16-inch laptop and 13-inch tablet.

Both can accommodate a travel tripod in the side pouch/strap, or a water bottle. As I use full-frame Canon EOS cameras and regularly carry a chunky EF 70-200mm f/2.8L lens, the B25L should suit me and my kit well.

Vanguard Veo Lite: Specifications

Vanguard Veo Lite: Price

The Vanguard Veo Lite 25-liter backpack sells for £150 in the UK and AU$220 in Australia, while the smaller 20-liter variant sells for £130 and AU$200. Given the modest addition cost for the larger bag, that's the option I'd go for, unless you really like to travel as light as possible and don't see your camera kit expanding anytime soon.

Unusually, the Veo Lite range doesn't appear to be available in the USA as yet, and despite Vanguard being a global company with offices worldwide, the Veo Lite range isn't listed on Vanguard's own USA website or any of the usual camera retailers, which is a shame.

Vanguard Veo Lite: Design & Handling

The ability to wipe clean this Vanguard Veo Lite B25L backpack whenever it gets wet or muddy when I'm out on location, such as photographing landscapes in wintry or damp places, is a real bonus. It's also reassuring to know this Vanguard Veo Lite B25L backpack is also showerproof, so it doesn't matter if I stay out if there's a bit of drizzle.

Just to clarify, Vanguard says the Veo Lite backpacks are made of a “high-quality polyester with an eco-friendly PVC smooth coating with a durable water-repellent finish and weatherproof zippers, making the bag as weatherproof as possible, with a rain cover for the wettest days.”

Good to know, because I've been known to stumble too close to the water's edge trying to nail that great seascape composition or kneel a little too close to the lakeside for the sake of a better shot.

Should you be in any doubt, the B25L also comes with a black plastic rain cover (in a handy little pouch) that covers the entire bag if it really starts hammering it down with rain and you want to be sure your gear isn’t getting drowned.

The texture of the outer material is pleasing to the touch and feels slightly rubberized with a matte finish. This is a reassuringly well-made backpack, as I’ve come to expect from Vanguard, with sturdy straps, well-designed zipped sections. I'm a fan of the navy blue colour and sleek design that, as Vanguard says, “Has been created to disguise the fact that you are carrying valuable camera kit as you travel.”

The subtle blue backpack has just a hint of colour that says ‘hey, I’m cool’ but not too much colour to attract unwanted attention in cities with a backpack that says ‘hey, I’m a bag full of kit, come and steal me!’

While the cream option doesn’t obviously look like a camera bag, either, it’s a color that’s an acquired taste, and I fear that it certainly wouldn’t stay cream after a few photo trips with me to my local woods.

In the top ‘daypack’ section, I was able to fit my substantial lunch and snacks, with room to spare. If I weren’t carrying food, I’d be inclined to use the space for a flashgun or easy-to-grab lenses, depending on what I was shooting that day.

There’s a sturdy top strap (with extra poppers) for carrying the bag vertically in one hand. In addition, two rather unnecessary poppers fasten down the top zipped daypack section; as far as I can tell, these only serve to give you a little better access to the top section (and marginally more space) when both poppers are unfastened. I never needed to use them.

To access the main ‘camera compartment’ section, you need to lay the backpack down on its front and open the two chunky rubber zippers around the top and sides. You then have full access to all your camera gear.

I found these large rubber zippers were great when trying to unzip the bag with gloves on or with cold hands when quickly trying to grab a different lens mid-shoot.

As it’s waterproof and wipeproof on the front and sides, I wasn’t overly worried or as cautious laying down the Vanguard Veo Lite B25L as I am with my usual Lowepro backpacks – which are traditional top-access backpacks, so I often have to lie them down on their backs, which can mean wet and muddy backstraps picking them back up off damp ground in fields or woodlands.

In the Vanguard Veo Lite B25L’s main camera compartment, I could fit a Canon EOS R5 Mark II full-frame mirrorless with large Canon RF 100-500mm f/4.5-7.1L IS USM super-telephoto zoom, although understandably this left less space for other lenses, so I could only squeeze in a Canon RF 24-105mm f/4L IS USM and Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L USM on one side, but could fit a Canon 600EX-RT Speedlite flashgun in the space on the other side of the camera and telephoto lens.

I tried out some alternative kit combinations, and found I could also fit a Canon EOS 5D Mark IV full-frame DSLR with Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II USM telephoto zoom attached, plus four Canon pro lenses; a Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L USM, Canon RF 24-105mm f/4L IS USM, Canon EF 24-105mm f/4L IS USM, and a tightly fitted Canon EF 16-35mm f/2.8L II USM wide-angle zoom!

It was snug with a full-frame and five lenses, and this mid-sized backpack felt noticeably heavier as the weight is concentrated into a small area. I feel that if I were to carry one body with an attached lens plus four lenses for a day-long shoot, I’d prefer to use my larger pro backpack to spread the weight and fit the kit more evenly spaced inside.

Great side access means, if you choose, you can sling the bag around off one shoulder and quickly zip open this side pocket to grab your camera and lens (or another lens if you’ve left it in the space you’d normally stow your camera).

The two internal zipped mesh sections that form the inside of the back flap were a good size; the top one ideal for 2-3 spare batteries and a cleaning cloth, while in the second section I could comfortably fit four lens filters (I usually carry a polarizer and two NDs, so this was more than enough space).

The unzipped mesh pocket above the camera compartment (that’s the rear of the top ‘daypack’) wasn’t so useful; it was fine for loosely stashing some food, and if I wanted to access it from the top, I could just partially undo the main zippers to reach it. However, when laying the backpack on its front to access the main section, anything in the unzipped section slipped out as it’s fastened with a very weak magnet.

Conversely, the mesh sections on the other side of this space, inside the top daypack section, were good. The magnetic fastening here was better (but still not that strong), plus there’s a zipped section the width of this internal day pack, which I’d use for things like memory cards, a card reader and cable, and/or portable SSD and cable.

A stretchy mesh material is used for the various internal zipped sections, enabling you to see what gear is inside, and, as it stretches, you can pack in more stuff than you might think you can, if necessary. Whether this material is made to last remains to be seen.

Vanguard Veo Lite: Performance

For my weatherproof testing of the Vanguard Veo Lite B25L out in the field, I used a water spray bottle, and the outer shell handled repeated sprayings, with the water beading on the surface before simply running off. I could also wipe off excess water drops from the smooth blue surface of the bag. However, on closer inspection, a small amount of water had seeped through to the interior.

So I probably wouldn’t recommend relying on the waterproof outer of the bag in heavy downpours or sustained rain to keep your camera gear perfectly dry, but I would recommend getting the supplied rain cover on just to be sure.

There is one side pocket on the right, which I found is best suited to carrying my water bottle (such as a standard 750ml plastic bottle), rather than squeezing in a travel tripod and strapping it to the side of the backpack.

Now I should confess; I don’t use travel tripods as such; I prefer to use a full-size sturdy tripod and carry it in my hand when walking to a location with my backpack on. I find it comfortable to carry this way, plus it's quicker to set up when a photo op presents itself.

I could just about squish the compacted end of a lightweight Manfrotto BeFree aluminium travel tripod and ball head in the side pocket of the bag, and it wasn’t too tall, and I could strap the top securely to the bag.

But I found it annoying strapped to the side, and found the extra weight on a fully loaded backpack wasn’t comfortable to carry. Perhaps you prefer to strap your little tripod to your bag and carry it that way; I just carry my tripod in my hand. Horses for courses.

A small note about the small side strap; it’s cleverly hooked in design, so it’s easy to unhook to access your tripod rather than having to loosen the strap itself and slide the tripod through the strap.

The little zipped smartphone pocket built into the front of the left-hand shoulder strap is… interesting. A nice idea, although trying to use it was nasty. I could squeeze my iPhone Pro Max (which measures 158x78x8mm) into this pocket if I removed my phone’s rubber case. But when walking around with the backpack, my phone was basically tucked under my chin.

This also meant it was very tricky to get my phone back out of the pocket with the bag on my back, as I had to undo the zipper (which is only half the width of the phone pocket, as the zipper is the width of the strap), then try to pull my phone out. Like most people, I stash my phone in my jeans pocket anyway, so after initially trying it, I didn’t bother with this little pouch.

On the rear of the Vanguard Veo Lite B25L is a separate zipped laptop compartment (that measures 250mm wide by 360mm tall) that can hold up to a 16-inch laptop, making it an option as an everyday commuter bag. You can also rearrange the internal inserts to organize your laptop accessories (power charger, mouse, and so on), or remove the dividers altogether to maximize space for your everyday stuff.

There’s a bit of a knack to sliding your laptop into the slim pocket inside the back, when you have camera gear in the main section, as it snags on stuff, but a little jiggle and my 16-inch Apple MacBook Pro slotted inside just fine.

The slim outside pocket on the front of the backpack (under the Vanguard logo) is perfect for your tablet, and fits an Apple iPad (with protective case), no worries.

Designed for use around town, the Vanguard Veo Lite B25L backpack allows you to keep your gear charged on the go, whether keeping your camera battery topped up, or mobile phone powered up – as at the side is a subtle slot for cables to slip inside and connect to your portable power bank, which remain dry and hidden inside the bag while you charge kit. There’s also a tiny secret Velcro pocket tucked away in the daypack to put an Apple AirTag / smart tracker.

If you find the 25-liter backpack isn’t quite big enough, you can attach the Veo Lite S2L Compact Shoulder Bag (available separately) to the front of a Veo Lite backpack.

With the Vanguard Veo Lite B25L backpack loaded up, with both sections full, and a water bottle in the side pocket, I found it comfortable to carry. The shoulder straps are slim yet padded, plus there’s a chest strap for added stability if you’re trekking longer distances.

The chest strap was easy to click in place with one hand and pull tight for comfort, plus it was pretty easy to adjust the shoulder straps, depending on whether I was just wearing a jumper or a thick padded jacket.

It doesn’t have a waist strap, which isn’t unusual for a medium-sized backpack like this. I find waist straps quite annoying anyway, and often just tuck them out of the way.

When I added my 16-inch Apple MacBook Pro laptop and iPad, the backpack was understandably very heavy. But I would very rarely carry my laptop, iPad and camera kit all together, unless taking a flight for an overseas photo trip.

Hidden under a black strap across the width of the rear of the backpack (to slide it onto a trolley handle) is a flat, secret zipped section; this is ideal for stashing valuables like a passport or cash, to keep them secure and inaccessible in busy touristy areas.

The top daypack zipped compartment is ideal for packing the personal kit you need for a day out, such as lunch and snacks, or carrying even more camera kit.

Vanguard Veo Lite: Verdict

At 25 liters, the sophisticated Vanguard Veo Lite B25L is a compact-sized backpack but a good size for everyday use, and large enough inside to fit your camera with lens, plus more than enough extra lenses for most photographers' needs. Plus, it has plenty of features and additional internal pockets to stash all your camera kit, personal stuff, water bottle/tripod, and more.

Although it’s described as "waterproof", I'd say "water-repellent" would be more accurate, fending off light moisture, so it offers protection against drizzle and splashes, rather than heavy rain. The cool design means it’s equally suited to landscape hikes or city trips, as well as travel, and it can double as a personal backpack for the days you're leaving the camera at home.

Alternatives

LowePro RunAbout
If you’re an avid camper and your main camera rucksack has a GearUp insert, the LowePro RunAbout is a no-brainer. It’s a well-designed folding daypack that’s easy to stow and should appeal to photographers and dedicated hikers alike.

Lowepro ProTactic BP 350 AW III Lowepro's hardy line of ProTactic backpacks has never been more feature-packed. With considerable upgrades to the webbing placement, extra stretchy side pockets, redesigned padding, and new Quick Straps to help you lash your kit to your bag in the best way that works for you. It's not a cheap system, although its specific features make it worthwhile if you're visiting locations that need a hard-wearing backpack.