Wandrd Detour Hip Pack Review

Having had the fortune to test out some of the best camera bags Wandrd has to offer, I can confidently say that I am a big fan. They make very well thought out and durable products, and it’s clear that the design team take the time to look at the product from the perspective of the end-user.

The result is that each of their products suit a particular user group seamlessly.

I recently wrote a review of the Wandrd Veer, and that packable backpack turned out to be one exceptionally well-designed day pack.

What’s more, the Veer also features two innovative additions to make the bag more durable and user-friendly. The first is an inflatable back support insert and the second is an inflatable camera cube.

These are genius solutions to keep the bag minimal yet still able to protect your most precious gear.

The Wandrd Detour Hip Pack is a new bag in the Wandrd range that has just as much innovation and flexibility. This attractive and comfortable hip pack is adaptive to your needs.

I will also be providing you with a  mini-review of the Wandrd Inflatable Lens Case, a unique accessory that safely secures and stores one or two smaller lenses.

Lens cubes may not be new, but this is an inflatable version that when deflated, becomes compact enough to store away neatly.

Wandrd Detour Hip Pack Specs

 

• Weather Resistant N100D Robic Dynatec and N210D Robic HD Oxford.
• Weather Resistant Zippers.
• Dimensions: 26cm H x 20.3cm W x 12.7cm D (10.25″ H x 8″ W x 5″ D)
• Packed Dimensions: 10.2cm H x 17.8cm W x 6.3cm D (4″ H x 7″ W x 2.5″ D)
• Weight: 254g (9oz)

Inflatable Camera Cube (Sold Separately)

• Dimensions: 19.7cm H x 25.4cm W x 12.7cm H (7.75″H x 10″W x 5″D)
• Weight: 122g (4.3oz)
• 150D Polyester with TPU coating
• Packed dimensions: 15.2cm H x 7.6cm W x 7.6cm H (6″H x 3″W x 3″D)
• Fully inflatable

Build & Appearance

As with the Wandrd Veer, I was once again incredibly surprised by the packed size of the Wandrd Detour Hip Pack when it was packed into its attached sleeve.

Its packed size certainly makes a strong case to throw this bag, and the equally small Inflatable Camera Cube, into your main travel bag. This way you have a stylish and neat hip pack that you can choose to take with you on a day outing, rather than your big camera bag.

The overall shape of the bag is a trapezoid as the two taller walls are not the same length. This is a fun design choice and perfectly mimics the shape of the separate Inflatable Camera Cube. The bag holds its shape well once the cube is inserted.

All of the external material is made from highly durable and weather-resistant fabrics. All the seams are well stitched and very rigid with no give in them at all. Equally, all of the webbing and straps are made from tough nylon.

The Detour Hip Pack features solid plastic buckles in a range of sizes depending on their function. The two external zippers are weather-resistant and seal incredibly well when closed.

When the bag is worn, an adjustable shoulder strap loops over one shoulder. Then, wide adjustable hip straps travel around the hips and click together at the front of the body. Once adjusted to your liking, you can slide the bag from behind to the front of you along the hip strap.

With the Inflatable Camera Cube inserted into the bag, your camera gear is well padded and insulated from wet weather. The Cube comfortably holds a DSLR with a smaller zoom or a mirrorless camera with a couple of small lenses. Either way, your gear and accessories are in good hands.

This way you can have quick and easy access to your bag and gear or alternatively carry the bag in front of you when in a location where you need to be more safety-conscious.

Overall, the bag has a great look and feel to it and thanks to considered design and manufacture, and is a sturdy and reliable product.

Exterior Features

The Wandrd Detour Hip Pack is very minimal looking on the exterior. Starting with the base, there are two adjustable straps with solid plastic buckles to secure the length of the straps. The straps are only about 10mm wide and when fully extended probably would not be enough to hold a full-size travel tripod.

The straps seem to be made to attach an item of clothing such as a lightweight jacket or perhaps even a water bottle.

Both sides of the bag are featureless with the exception of a small doubled-over nylon grab handle – one on each side. The handle is designed to allow you to move the Wandrd Detour around on the waist strap with ease.

This way, getting the bag from behind you to in front of you is simple and effortless.

The back of the Wandrd Detour Hip Pack features a broad and adjustable hip strap with a considerable amount of length to it.

This strap slides freely through a wide nylon loop that covers from one side of the back panel to the other, and is secured halfway along its length with a broad and strong plastic buckle.

The other strap that attaches to the rear of the bag is the shoulder strap. Again this is fully adjustable and is complete with a plastic buckle strap. The purpose of this is to loop the strap over one shoulder which, along with the waist strap, provides a secure and relatively comfortable means of keeping the bag against your body.

The front panel of the bag features a vertically running YKK zipper that allows access to a flat internal pocket. This pocket would be ideal for storing your phone, wallet, purse or camera accessories such as batteries and memory cards.

Finally, the top of the Wandrd Detour Hip Pack features a weatherproof YKK zipper around three-quarters of the entire top length of the bag.

This provides direct and clear access to the main compartment of the bag and the inflatable camera cube inside.

Interior Features

The Wandrd Detour Hip Pack outer bag has a single internal cell. That cell can be used with or without the inflatable camera cube.

Without the cube, the shape of the bag collapses completely as it really relies on it to be able to stand up.

The inflatable camera cube fills the interior of the bag perfectly as it holds the same shape and volume when inflated.

The flap of the cube can be left unzipped as the flap can slide into a mesh pocket on the inside of the actual bag’s flap.

This way, when you open the main flap of the bag, the camera cube flap opens at the same time.

Storage Capacity

The interior of the inflatable camera cube is also a single cell and would comfortably fit a mirrorless style camera with a single zoom or two smaller primes.

It can also fit a smaller sized DSLR with a smaller zoom. My only gripe with this product is that there is not a divider to separate some of your smaller lenses and prevent them from banging together.

If you removed the cube from the Detour Hip Pack, then you could comfortably hold all your daily necessities such as a small point and shoot camera, headphones, keys, wallet, glasses and a banana.

On this occasion I fit the following gear with the cube inserted:

• Fujifilm X-T3
• Fujifilm XF23mm f2
• Fujifilm XF16mm f2.8
• Battery
• Cleaning Kit

Ease of Use/Comfort

The highly portable and packable Detour Hip Pack is incredibly easy to use. Unpacking either the bag or the inflatable camera cube only takes moments and once the cube is inflated it is easily inserted into the bag itself.

Thanks to the adjustable straps and durable buckles, it is easy to sling over or attach the bag snug against your body.

Think of this bag as a sling bag with a safety strap that hugs close to your body and doesn’t bang around when on the move.

With the Wandrd Detour Hip Pack’s unique sliding function, it makes it incredibly easy to move it (and your gear) from behind you to in front of you.

This is especially handy to quickly grab your gear when the moment arises and vice versa. It also makes for a good security feature as you can slide the bag in front of you when in a crowded area or traveling on public transport.

The weatherproof zippers respond well and glide without snagging. Gaining access to your camera gear is a seamless and smooth process given the considerable size of the single-cell inflatable camera cube.

Equally, the front zippered pocket holds a good amount of your everyday carry items that are flat, such as a phone or glasses.

Finally, given its light weight, the Wandrd Detour Hip Pack adds hardly any weight to your overall gear, making it a perfect bag for a day out with your camera and very little else.

The design itself drives you to think minimally and carry only the essentials, and that in itself is a fun creative challenge.

Value for Money + Discount Code

The Wandrd Detour Hip Pack on its own is incredibly reasonably priced at around $59 (see latest price here).

I recommend that you combine it with the inflatable camera cube, and receive the bundle for around $10 – see here.

The great thing about this kit is that the inflatable cube is the same shape and size as the cube you can choose to bundle with the Wandrd Veer Packable Backpack.

If you had the hip pack and the backpack you could share the inflatable cube between them depending on your daily carry needs.

Having that kind of flexibility when traveling is fantastic, especially since they pack down to the size of a couple of pairs of socks and weigh next to nothing.

Wandrd Detour Hip Pack Review | Conclusion

If you read my earlier review of the Veer Packable Backpack, you already know that I love the product for its design, quality of materials and clever build.

Further to this, the bag was packed with a range of surprising features and a great level of flexibility.

While the Wandrd Detour Hip Pack is a much smaller package than the Veer, it still features the same level of careful consideration in providing travelers with a durable and clever product to meet their needs.

I really like this product and its intended purpose. I think that more camera bag manufacturers should be looking for creative ways to challenge the norm and meet consumers needs in creative and unique ways. Fortunately, until then, we are being well catered for by Wandrd.

Wandrd Inflatable Lens Case Bonus Mini Review

As promised we have included for you a bonus mini-review on yet another Wandrd product that I like to refer to as the inflatables. On this occasion, I had the opportunity to test and review the Wandrd Inflatable Lens Case. Not to be mistaken with the Inflatable Camera Cube that is included in the main review above.

As with the other inflatable products, the Lens Case begins life as a compressed disk a little bigger than a hockey puck. By releasing an elastic strap, the halves of the puck shape separate and twist apart revealing walls of the same fabric as the Wandrd Detour and Veer bags.

When inflated, the case’ dimensions are 22.9cm H x 12.9cm W x 12.9cm D (9″ H x 5″ W x 5″ D) and an overall weight of 122g (4.3oz).

When the case is packed it is the size of a good hamburger which equates to 6.3cm H x 12.9cm W x 12.9cm D (2.5″ H x 5″ W x 5″ D).

The Lens Case boasts a valve that allows you to inflate the walls of the cylinder and provide structure and safety.

At the top of the cylinder, there is a weatherproof zip that runs around 80% of it, giving free and clear access to the now padded internal tube.

The Inflatable Lens Case is highly adjustable as it can easily fit a zoom of around the 70-200mm range.

It can also accommodate smaller lenses thanks to the four compression straps spaced equally around the cylinder.

Finally, the case can house two smaller lenses thanks to a padded disk that can be inserted in between the two.

As we have seen with the other inflatables from Wandrd, the product is highly versatile and can be thrown into a camera bag or everday bag with a second lens inside.

This whole product range is all about flexibility and ease of use including being able to travel with all the items with minimal fuss. All this is achieved with attractive design and excellence in manufacturing and material selection.