Manfrotto PRO Light Multiloader Backpack Review: Pros and Cons

This year, I met my favorite travel backpack to date: the Manfrotto PRO Light Multiloader. In nearly 9 years on the road, I have tried countless backpacks and tried to make them into my travel carry-all for photo equipment, laptop, and other necessities, but none have shown up to the task quite as well as this backpack here.

I don’t usually invest in pricer bags, but this backpack alone has shown me why it’s worth spending a little bit more on a well-engineered and high-quality product… and I’ll let you know why below. 

Manfrotto PRO Light Multiloader Review

This backpack is perfectly designed to be a travel camera pack, but so much more than that. The bag has SO many compartments, so you can properly organize not only your camera gear but also your other stuff. Neat organization happens not only in the main compartment – which comes with more velcro dividers to section areas off than you could possibly need – but in the many other zip pockets and compartments also. 

The backpack is rigid so that it maintains its shape (which is also the perfect carry-on size) so you can easily set the dividers to always make sure nothing is banging around inside even if it isn’t entirely full. It’s become one of my top recommended travel essentials I never leave without.

It has a separate laptop pocket that zips on the outside, which makes a world of difference when trying to organize both a computer and multiple cameras inside.

Here are some of my favorite parts about it (with a few quick photos I snapped before a trip, but don’t judge their quality!) in my Manfrotto Pro Light Multiloader backpack review. For more info, learn some tips in this complete guide to buying backpacks first, or check out my review of another backpack I tried, the Lowe Pro Pro Tactic.

Large Main Compartment with Movable Soft Velcro Dividers + Multiple Access Points

The main compartment of the Manfrotto Pro Light Multiloader backpack is amazingly spacious for the size of the bag – which looks manageably small to the naked eye. This compartment has room for PLENTY of cameras and lenses, and there are enough dividers to ensure that you get the perfect amount of space to safely secure each camera. 

I cozily fit a Mavic 2 pro drone and remote, a Sony a7riii camera with a 28-75 Zoom lens, a spare 70-300mm lens, an iPhone gimbal, a small gorilla tripod, and a Nikon d750 with a massive 15-30 Tamron wide angle lens inside this backpack with room to spare at the top for business cards, baby wipes, a big universal adaptor, chargers, and a few different articles of clothing. I usually like to fit a few more articles of clothing on top of the cameras as extra padding – you can even pack for a whole weekend with all these cameras using just this bag. 

I have to note that even with less or no cameras, the dividers are fabulous for separating different types of items to pack for any kind of trip. When I only travel with one or two cameras, I use the space for a book or more clothing.

Below are some quick photos I took before a recent trip (where I only took 2 cameras), showing different ways to pack it:

Multiple Access Points

This backpack is designed in such an innovative way that I haven’t seen before in that you can zip open the entire top flap to view all your gear, or zip all the way around to only open one side at a time. The zipper moves like a wave around the whole backpack to make this possible. Wow!

Large Upper Pocket with Dividers Available

In many backpacks, the outside pocket is like a measly afterthought without much room to put things you actually need like cords, travel adaptors, neck pillows, locks, cards, sunglasses, accessories, and more. 

In the Multiloader backpack, the top pocket is a PROPERLY spacious, padded, and zipped portion with its own dividers so you can decide if you want to put extra stuff in there or perhaps even another lens or filter. 

This is the pocket I use to keep all my extra stuff, from hand sanitizer to sunglasses to a spare tampon, travel toothbrush, and pens (which fit inside full length – no squishing)! You can easily divide it into 3 sections for electronics, toiletries, and other extras like jewelry or glasses. The flat mesh stretchy pockets at the top are perfect to put business cards, contact lenses, or chapstick.

Manageable Size 

This backpack fits snugly underneath the airplane seat and easily in the overhead compartment. I’d say it would even be perfect for a carryon size without any cameras inside too!

The Manfrotto PRO Light Multiloader Backpack doesn’t NEED to be a camera bag – the different compartments can be used for different clothes and travel supplies – but of course it works fantastically as a travel camera backpack too. 

Separate Laptop Pocket Outside the Bag 

I can’t count the number of times I have been frustrated using a bigger backpack with a laptop sleeve (slash piece of material as a separator) that is also a part of the main compartment of the bag. If you ever have to get your laptop out, you have to either unpack the bag or struggle with your other items to get it back in – which is even more stressful in a hurry. 

The Manfrotto Multiloader Pro Light Backpack has a spacious laptop compartment located on the outside of the bag. This means you can fully pack the other compartments and STILL have PLENTY of space for your laptop in the back, even inside a laptop sleeve.

My 17-inch MacBook fits inside the compartment inside its sleeve, which also has compartments containing cords, my hard drive, and more. I can even fit the charger inside too if I need to. Thumbs up.

TSA Lock Built-In

If you ever have to check your precious cargo, this backpack has a TSA lock built in that attaches to both zippers of the main compartment if you bring them all the way around to the top. When you aren’t using it, the lock slides snugly into its own pocket at the top of the bag. 

2 Water Bottle Holder Sleeves

The Multiloader has a sturdy water bottle pocket on BOTH sides with an elastic strap. It fits a standard reusable water bottle easily.

Many Extra Pockets, Everywhere 

There’s a spacious front pocket, a mesh zip inside the main compartment (perfect for camera batteries, memory cards, and chargers), a pocket on the side, and the amazing, large and rigid top pocket too. There are so many places you can place special items in this travel camera backpack so you don’t forget them. 

Multiple Tripod Connection Points

If you’re heading out on a shoot with a tripod or two, you can easily slip them through the tripod connections on the outside of the bag to have everything conveniently on your bag. It’s super helpful to have external tripod connections so you save space in the bag.

Water Resistant Material + Rain Fly

It’s clear that the material the backpack is made from is water resistant – you can see water droplets fall right off like on the back of a duck. But for heavy rainfall and water exposure, the Manfrotto Multiloader Pro Light also comes with a rain protecting barrier to put over the bag and also keep your equipment cool.

Padding on the Bottom and on the Back

Photographers are always on-the-go with heavy equipment and oftentimes need to get different glass or other filters out of their bag at a moment’s notice.

The Manfrotto Multiloader camera backpack has thick padding on the bottom of the bag so you don’t have to worry about setting it down on the ground. It also has advanced bouncy mesh padding that goes against your back to keep it extra comfy. 

Waist and Chest Strap

If your load is as heavy as mine, you’ll absolutely appreciate the presence of both a waist and chest strap when walking long distances. This helps take the load off your shoulders anytime, from airports to hikes. 

Adjustable Straps for Multiple Uses

This travel camera backpack has been innovatively designed in many ways, especially with the strap system throughout the bag. You can actually change the attachments to change it from a backpack to a duffel bag to a one-shoulder sling with the side-zippers enabled to easily grab gear from the pack.

Cons of the Manfrotto Multiloader Pro Light Backpack

I do LOVE this bag, but in the spirit of honesty and taking the positive with the negative, here are a few cons to think about:

Heavy Weight + Burdens on Small Connection Points

The bag is just under 5 lbs (just over 2 kgs) which is quite heavy for a backpack (it has so many amazing features but they do weigh it down). With added camera gear this backpack can get EXTREMELY heavy.

In my experience, the weight can strain some of the smaller backpack strap connection points which are removable due to the multiple ways you can wear/carry the bag – even with everything very firm and high quality, some of my backpack connection points are unraveling as I have to take it on and off frequently to get camera stuff in and out. This is my biggest concern as I don’t know if the strap connection points will last.

Hopefully, you won’t be using any airlines that weigh your carry-on bag because with camera gear and general items this bag can get overweight easily.

Strap Systems can be Confusing

The backpack and straps can be worn in so many different ways that it can get very confusing which strap is for what, and to me seems a little bit superfluous. Even with many cameras and tripods I simply use the bag in the backpack orientation, and there are so many little straps and connection points that detach and attach all over the straps and sides of the bag that it’s easy to get very confused if something comes undone accidentally.

However, having many loading points and ways to wear the bag is clearly the main point of the ‘Multiloader’ backpack not being the Manfrotto Frontloader, Backloader, or Flexloader and something that many people desire in this bag. Just make sure to learn it all beforehand!

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That’s it for an in-depth Manfrotto Multiloader backpack review! I hope you enjoyed reading about the Manfrotto Pro Light Multiloader backpack which is definitely the best travel camera backpack I have owned. I hope it lasts me for years!

Don’t forget to check out this backpack on Manfrotto online.

Thanks to Manfrotto for gifting me this backpack. Of course, all words are my own and I adore this backpack!