As a five-foot-two female, I’m usually swallowed by hiking camera backpacks meant to carry a lot of gear on larger torsos. It’s difficult for me to find a comfortable camera bag for hiking. The NYA-EVO Fjord 60-C is a large hiking bag with adjustable shoulder straps and a well-padded waist belt. And, on the smallest shoulder strap settings, it fits like a hug.
But there’s more to the Fjord than plush shoulder straps. It’s made from recycled nylon. It can be carry-on compliant for some airlines, yet two different ways to expand it allow the same bag to carry up to 60 liters. If that’s not enough versatility, the camera cube can be removed, there are two ways to access the main compartment, and it comes with many attachment points. However, there are a few sticking points that may keep many photographers from choosing it.
The Big Picture
The NYA-EVO Fjord 60-C is a roomy camera bag with plush, adjustable straps that fits like a hug. A waist strap and internal frame help take some of its weight off the shoulders. Plenty of pockets, external latch straps, tripod pockets, a helmet net, and a laptop pocket means there’s a wide range of things it accommodates. The bag expands in two places, with a folding top compartment and two zippers to add more depth. It’s nylon — but that nylon is recycled.
While the NYO-EVO Fjord 60-C is a comfortable bag, it’s priced like a luxury backpack, not a nylon bag. Camera gear is difficult to move, and the nylon can be a bit noisy.
While the NYO-EVO is a nice bag, there are nice bags out there for half the price with easier access and quieter materials. If you want plush adjustable straps, expanding pockets, and plenty of versatility in an earth-friendly bag, the NYO-EVO Fjord 60-C is a good but pricey option.
I’m giving the NYO-EVO Fjord 60-C four out of five stars.
Pros
- Folds flat, including the camera cube
- Two ways to expand
- Plushly padded straps
- Adjustable shoulder strap height and chest clip height
- Made with recycled nylon
- Lots of pockets and exterior attachment options
- Some water-resistant zippers
Cons
- Fabric is noisy
- Needs to be removed to access gear
- Pretty pricey
Gear Used
I used the NYA-EVO Fjord 60-C with a large removable camera cube (sold separately or as a set). Both were given to me by NYA-EVO. I filled the bag with my own gear:
Innovations
NYA-EVO recently updated the Fjord — it’s not a completely new bag. The updates are nice to see. The bag is now made from recycled nylon, and at the end of its lifespan, it can also be recycled to be turned into something new. The camera cubes were also updated, and the bag comes in a few new color options.
Ergonomics
The NYA-EVO Fjord 60-C is a roomy, rear-entry backpack that is compatible with three different sizes of camera cubes. The bag and the camera cube fold flat, so when there’s nothing stashed inside, this won’t take up much room in your closet.
Access to the main compartment is through the back panel, which unzips clamshell style. On the inside of that rear panel are two mid-sized zippered pockets. This main compartment is where the camera cube sits. With three different sizes of camera cubes, the bag can be customized to fit lots of camera gear or a little bit of camera gear along with lots of other items. Any space not taken up by the camera cube is accessible through a zipper at the top of the bag. This area expands to hold more stuff or folds/rolls down flat for a more compact look.
The camera cube also folds flat but tucks in the four padded panels, and the cube gains rigid sides to protect gear. The entire front of the camera cube zips completely off the cube, so there’s no pesky flap in the way. Seriously, why don’t more bag companies do this? Most concoct a way to tuck that top flap, so it’s not in the way. But if it’s removable, it would be lighter and have only one zipper between me and my gear.
If you want to convert the NYA-EVO Fjord 60-C into a regular backpack, ignore the rear access and use the top rear zipper. This allows access to anything stored above the camera cube but below the expanding rolltop. There’s a removable divider here that can be used to keep items separate or it can be removed for access to the full main compartment. Inside is also a mesh zippered pocket that stashes the rain cover.
The expanding top of the bag is a separate compartment from the main gear area. The top can fold down or roll down and clip to a fastener. Or, it can be filled to take this bag from 44 liters to 60 liters.
The front of the bag has a large zippered opening. Inside is the laptop pocket as well as another zippered pocket. Outside this pocket, there’s another smaller, almost hidden zippered pocket.
Two zippers on each side of the front expand the sides of the bag to make the main compartment a bit bigger. This takes the depth from 9.8 inches to 12.6 inches.
Both sides of the bag have water bottle pockets. With straps at the top and expandability, these pockets can also be used for tripods.
Two removable attachment straps sit at the top and bottom and wrap around the front and two sides of the bag. These can be used for items like hiking poles. The bag also includes a net that can latch onto these straps to carry a helmet or jacket on the bag’s exterior. And it’s also compatible with a hydration bladder.
At the rear, the shoulder straps can be adjusted to three points, accommodating different heights. This is a great feature for accommodating smaller torsos. The shoulder straps are very thickly padded and have several elastic bands for attaching more items as well as an adjustable height chest clip. The waist belt is just as lushly padded. But, if you don’t like waist belts, the belt can slide off where it is looped through the back panel.
The lush padding and adjustable straps make wearing the Fjord pretty comfortable. The straps don’t dig or rub, and there’s plenty of padding on the back panel of the bag too. Fully loaded, there’s enough weight to create some soreness, but the waist belt and lightweight frame help offset some of it. It’s not magic for heavy loads, but it is pretty good.
Build Quality
The NYA-EVO Fjord 60-C is made with recycled nylon, which makes it lightweight. The material also feels pretty durable; its Econyl has about a middle ground thickness. I’ve tested recycled nylon that was thinner, and I’ve used bags with thicker, more posh material. It repels water pretty well, and most of the zippers are weather-sealed, but the main zipper against your back is not.
While material feels sturdy, it’s loud — it sounds similar to a noisy raincoat. I didn’t hear it much when walking with the bag on. But, when moving around the bag to access gear, it’s a little noisy.
The Fjord feels like a quality hiking bag, but I’m not convinced that it feels like a $500 bag. I love the earth-friendly nylon, but typically nylon is also more wallet-friendly. For a nylon bag with plastic buckles, it’s pricey. The only material that feels luxury is the padding on the shoulder straps and waist belt.
Ease of Use
Because the waist belt connects to where the back panel unzips, this bag is not ideal for accessing gear without removing the bag. Removing the shoulder straps and swinging it around on its waist belt to unzip the pack, you have to keep one hand on the bag or it will tip forward. This means it’s not easy to access gear without taking the bag fully off.
But, it is easy fairly easy to convert the bag. The camera cube can be pulled out completely. Then, if you remove the divider, you can access the main compartment from the back like a camera bag, or from the top like a more traditional backpack.
The waist belt can slide out easily if you prefer to go without it. Adjusting the height of the shoulder straps is slightly annoying and time-consuming, but most photographers will only need to do this once.
Who Should Buy It?
The NYA-EVO Fjord 60-C is a roomy bag with comfortable straps and an earth-friendly construction. The adjustable shoulder straps are very thick and, along with the waist strap, create a comfortable carry. The removable camera cube and extra straps for carrying anything from ski poles to a helmet make this bag very versatile.
However, this bag is very pricey. It retails for $419 alone, or $498 to $538 with the different size camera cubes. I’ve tried great bags for half that price, like the Wandrd PRVKE. Camera bags priced over $500 are often made with more luxurious materials like leather or canvas, not nylon. Of course, recycled nylon is more earth-friendly, but I just wish it were both earth and wallet-friendly.
The other issue with this bag is that it’s hard to access gear without completely taking it off. That’s not uncommon for backpacks, but it lacks easy rear entry or a quick access side door that some bags have. The fabric can also be a bit noisy, which may scare off some wildlife photographers.
Ultimately, the NYA-EVO has a comfortable fit for such a large bag and lots of smart pockets. Those plush, adjustable straps may win over some photographers, but it will require lots of cash.
Tech Specs
NYA-EVO lists the following tech specs for the Fjord 60-C:
- Volume expanded: 60 liter
- Volume not expanded: 44 liter
- Weight: 2400 g / 5.30 lbs
- Weight stripped down: 2000 g / 4.41 lbs
- Dimensions expanded: 34 (W) x 70 (H) x 32 (D) cm / 13.4 (W) x 27.5 (H) x 12.6 (D) in
- Dimensions not expanded: 34 (W) x 56 (H) x 25 (D) cm / 13.4 (W) x 22 (H) x 9.8 (D) in
MATERIALS
- Outer body fabric: 100% ECONYL® Regenerated nylon, 200 Denier Rip-stop with thermoplastic polyurethane on interior and water-repellant coating on exterior of the backpack.
- Internal liner fabric: 100% recycled polyester 200 Denier Rip-stop with polyurethane coating.
- Soft touch, quick dry knitted fabric for all contact points to the body.
- High-density closed cell foams for suspension system.
- Glove-friendly aluminum zip pullers and Woojin® or Duraflex® plastic side release buckles.
- Outside zippers are all YKK®️. Heavy gauge for rear zip and Aquaguard® zip for top and front zippers.
- Nylon webbing.
- Hypalon® base.
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