Vanguard’s Alta Sky backpacks are designed specifically for sports, action or wildlife photographers who need to be able to carry their camera with a large telephoto lens attached. The Vanguard Alta Sky 42 is the smallest in the range, but that doesn’t mean it’s short on space. Its tall, relatively narrow form factor is designed to hold a full-frame camera with one of the latest long zoom lenses attached, such as the Canon RF 200-800mm F6.3-9 IS USM, Nikon Nikkor Z 180-600mm f/5.6-6.3 VR, Sony FE 200-600mm F5.6-6.3 G OSS, or Sigma 150-600mm F5-6.3 DG DN OS.

　　Vanguard Alta Sky 42 Backpack: at a glance £179.99 Holds camera with large telezoom attached Space for 3-5 more lenses Pocket for 12.9in tablet 27 x 24 x 50.5 cm (external) Weighs 1.9 kg vanguardworld.co.uk A zipped flap on the top provides quick access to your camera and long lens, with the rest of your kit accessed via the zip-opening back panel. There’s space for three or four more lenses inside, plus other bits and pieces, with Vanguard including a generous array of dividers to organise your kit. You also get a padded wrap to protect narrower diameter telezooms or spotting scopes.

　　Vanguard Alta Sky 42 Backpack: key features Pockets: Two stretchy neoprene side pockets will hold such things as water bottles, monopods, or folding stools Tripod: There’s a tripod holder on the front, with a fold-out ‘bucket’ for the feet and a pair of straps Handle: A generously padded top handle allows the bag to be comfortably carried one-handed, even when it’s full Luggage strap: A slim strap on the back lets you slip the bag over the handle of wheeled luggage On the front, a zipped pocket provides a readily accessible space for spare batteries and memory cards. It has two pockets inside with red and green tags, so you can keep used and clean cards separate. Otherwise, though, there’s not much organisation for small accessories, just some small flat zipped pockets on the top flap and front.

　　As usual from Vanguard, materials and construction are excellent, with plenty of padding to protect your valuable kit. The bright yellow interior makes it easy to see what’s inside. Both the shoulder straps and the back are generously padded, and mesh covered, which makes the bag comfortable to carry even when full laden.

　　Thanks to its semi-rigid design and flat base, the bag will happily stand upright and not fall over, too. Its relatively small footprint is very welcome on public transport, or when navigating your way through crowds.

　　I tested the Alta Sky 42 by using it for a couple of airshows with different sets of kit. For the first, I was able to fit the medium-format Fujifilm GFX100S II and GF 500mm F5.6 lens, plus the GF 32-64mm F4 for wide shots. Second time around, I used the Nikon Z6III together with the Nikkor Z 100-400mm f/4-5.6 zoom and 1.4x teleconverter, and the Z 24-120mm f/4 alongside. This left just about enough space to carry binoculars and some food, too.

　　If you need to carry larger telephoto lenses, Vanguard offers a range of similar bags in various sizes. The biggest in the line-up is the 36-litre Alta Sky 68. This should hold a pro camera body with an 800mm lens attached, plus additional lenses and a 16in laptop. It costs £325.

　　Vanguard Alta Sky 42: Our Verdict While the Vanguard Alta Sky 42 is a fairly specialist design, I found it worked really well for its intended purpose. If you frequently shoot sports, wildlife, or airshows, where you need to carry your camera with a long lens attached, it’s a great choice.

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