Hyperlite Mountain Gear Camera Pod Review: My Experience Hiking, Backpacking, and Thru-Hiking

Over the past few years and thousands of miles of hiking, I’ve been searching for the best way to carry my full-frame, mirrorless Sony camera while backpacking and thru-hiking. This past summer on my thru-hike of the 93-mile Wonderland Trail, I finally decided to try the Hyperlite Mountain Gear (HMG) Camera Pod. By the end of my hike, I couldn’t stop thinking: I wish I had used this camera bag sooner and on all my past thru-hikes. Ever since I bought the HMG Camera Pod, I’ve taken it with me on every single hike and backpacking trip I’ve been on because I like it so much. In this post, I’ll give my full review on the HMG Camera Pod and how it performs for me on my hikes and backpacking trips.

TL;DR: I should have started using it sooner.

Here is an overview of what I cover if you want to jump ahead to a particular section:

HMG Camera Pod: Specs and Features
What Size Hyperlite Mountain Gear Camera Pod Do I Use?
What Camera and Lens Fit in My HMG Camera Pod? (And Which Lens Doesn’t)
Camera Carrying Methods I’ve Used in the Past
What I Love About the HMG Camera Pod
What I Don’t Love About the HMG Camera Pod
Will I Keep Using the Hyperlite Mountain Gear Camera Pod on Future Thru-Hikes and Backpacking Trips?

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Hyperlite Mountain Gear Camera Pod Specs

Sizes: Regular or Large
Dimensions: Regular - 7.0" x 5.5" x 3.8", Large - 9.5” x 6.5” x 4.3”
Color Options: White or Black
Weight: Regular - 2.8 oz, Large - 3.7 oz
Materials: Dyneema® Composite Fabrics (“DCF”)

HMG Camera Pod Features:

Weatherproof: This camera bag is made out of waterproof material, DCF, which is my favorite feature of the camera pod.
Water Resistant Zipper: Helps keep your camera dry.
Two Carabiners: I use these to attach the camera bag to my backpack.
Handle/Carrying Loop: Makes it easy to carry the camera bag when it’s not attached to your backpack or waist strap.
Eight Daisy Chain Attachment Points: These make it so you can attach and carry it in various ways. I personally like to attach my camera pod to my shoulder straps on my chest.

What Size Hyperlite Mountain Gear Camera Pod Do I Use?

I purchased the HMG Camera Pod in the regular size and in the color white. I have not tried the large version of the camera pod yet. They list the regular size camera pod dimensions as 7.0" x 5.5" x 3.8", but below are my approximate length and width measurements.

What Camera and Lens Fit in My HMG Camera Pod?

For me, the regular-sized HMG Camera Pod fits the following camera and lens combinations from the camera gear I currently use:

**Sony A7RIII with the Sony Sonnar T* FE 35mm f/2.8 ZA Lens:**

On my Wonderland Trail thru-hike, I fit my Sony A7RIII with the Sony Sonnar T* FE 35mm f/2.8 ZA Lens attached in the regular-sized HMG Camera Pod. I could also store a couple random items in the camera bag, such as an extra battery and lens cloth.

Sony A7RIII with the Tamron 17-28mm f/2.8 Lens:

On my recent day hikes and backpacking trips, I fit my Sony A7RIII with the Tamron 17-28mm f/2.8 attached in the regular-sized HMG Camera Pod (with no room to spare).

Which of My Lenses Don’t Fit?

My Sony A7RIII with the Tamron 28-75mm f/2.8 lens attached does not fit in the regular-sized camera pod. It sticks out about 1.5-2 inches and I’m not able to zip the camera bag closed. This camera and lens combination would fit in the large version of the HMG Camera Pod.

Camera Carrying Methods I've Used in the Past:

For some context, here are the ways I’ve carried my camera on past thru-hikes:

Peak Design Capture Clip: For my thru-hikes of the John Muir Trail and the Pacific Crest Trail, I used a camera clip that attached to my backpack shoulder strap. I like how easy it is to access my camera with this clip, but it digs into my shoulder a bit and my camera isn’t protected from the elements.
Fanny Pack: For my Continental Divide Trail thru-hike, I used a 2-liter fanny pack to carry my camera. The fanny pack wasn’t waterproof - it was only water-resistant, which definitely resulted in my camera getting wet occasionally. Additionally, it wasn’t as easy to get my camera in and out of the fanny pack as I had hoped.
Stuffing My Camera in My Backpack’s Side Pocket: For my Arizona Trail thru-hike, I stuffed my camera into the side pocket of my backpack, which is probably my least favorite method. I took far fewer photos than on the other trails because my camera wasn’t easy to access.

What I Love About the HMG Camera Pod

Weatherproof/Water-Resistant

The HMG Camera Pod is made of Dyneema® Composite Fabrics (DCF), which is waterproof, and the zipper is water-resistant, making this camera bag very weatherproof. I’ve used the HMG Camera Pod in both rain and hail, and my camera stayed completely dry inside the camera bag. Having this protection from rain and weather is extremely nice. It makes it so I don’t have to stuff my camera inside my backpack when it starts to rain, which is what I did in the past with all the other camera-carrying methods I’ve used. This is one of my favorite features of the camera pod and one of the reasons I wish I had started using it sooner.

Easy Access of my Camera

The Hyperlite Mountain Gear Camera Pod makes accessing my camera super easy. In my opinion, it’s as easy to access as the Peak Design Capture Clip. I attach the camera pod to my backpack’s shoulder straps across my chest, which makes it super accessible for taking my camera out to take pictures while hiking. I definitely take more photos when my camera is easily accessible, which the HMG Camera Pod allows.

Additional Camera Protection from Dirt and Scrapes

In addition to protection from rain, hail, and snow, I love how this camera bag also keeps dirt off my camera and provides better protection when I set down my backpack. I found that with the Peak Design Capture Clip, my camera got some scratches and dirt on it since it was just hanging from my shoulder strap unprotected.

Easy to Attach to My Backpack’s Shoulder Straps

I like how the HMG Camera Pod can hook directly onto the daisy chains on my Nashville Pack Cutaway backpack shoulder straps, which also have a daisy chain attachment system, so I can choose the exact height I want the camera bag to hang. The camera bag also has additional loops if you want to attach it at more than two points.

The Size

The size of the regular HMG Camera Pod doesn’t feel too big and it easily fits my go-to thru-hiking camera gear setup (Sony A7RIII with the Sony Sonnar T* FE 35mm f/2.8 ZA Lens).

Carries Well (in my experience)

The HMG Camera Pod didn’t bounce around a ton, which I fully expected it to. I also like how the weight of my camera on my chest counters my pack’s weight.

Easy to Carry When Not Hiking

The HMG Camera Pod has a small handle/strap on the back, making it easy to carry around when not hiking, such as during a resupply in town or at camp when you’re not carrying your backpack. In my experience, the camera pod is a great little bag that is much easier to carry around than carrying my camera out in the open, especially since I don’t like leaving my camera in my backpack when I have to leave my backpack somewhere (for example, most stores require you to leave your backpack out front when you go inside).

What I Don't Love About the HMG Camera Pod

The Outside Gets Dirty

I fully expected the outside of the camera pod to get dirty, especially since I chose the white version to match my white Nashville Pack, so this is probably not a “fair” negative. I knew the exterior of the camera pod would get dirty due to its white color and the nature of DCF, which tends to attract dirt and stay dirty. If the dirt bothers you, get the black version of the camera pod. However, the bag works perfectly and protects my camera from dirt and the elements, so again, it’s not a fair con - just something to be aware of.

The Size

Yes, I listed the size as both a pro and a con. I use the regular-sized camera pod (the smaller one) and I love that it fits my thru-hiking camera setup. However, for my normal day hikes and backpacking trips, I can only fit my camera with one of my other main three lenses attached - the Tamron 17-28mm f/2.8 lens. I wish it could also fit the Tamron 28-75mm f/2.8 lens, which I would need to get the large camera pod for. However, I don’t think I would love the size of the large camera pod because it looks a bit too big for me and might be awkward to carry on my smaller frame. Again, I haven’t tried the larger camera pod, so your experience might vary, and it might work great for you. I just wish there was a size in between the regular and large options to fit my favorite non-thru-hiking lens.

The Price

The HMG Camera Pod is currently priced at $119 for the regular size and $139 for the large size. While it seems expensive compared to stuffing your camera inside your backpack, using the Peak Design Capture Clip, or a fanny pack (all methods I’ve used in the past), the HMG Camera Pod is a specialty camera bag made from top-of-the-line ultralight, waterproof material. The price isn’t outrageous for what you’re getting. To me, the pros of the camera bag make the price worth it.

Will I keep using my Hyperlite Mountain Gear Camera Pod on future thru-hikes and backpacking trips?

Absolutely. I wish I had taken this camera bag with me on the Pacific Crest Trail, Arizona Trail, and Continental Divide Trail. My camera would probably be in much better condition than it currently is if I had protected it better on those thru-hikes, which I believe the HMG Camera Pod would have helped with. I’m pretty confident the HMG Camera Pod is now my go-to camera storage system for all my future hikes and backpacking trips.

Hyperlite Mountain Gear Camera Pod Review: My Experience with the HMG Camera Bag for Hiking, Backpacking, and Thru-Hiking