Looking to nerd out a bit about the history and background. Here are the details about the Atlas Athlete Pack. The first copies are early prototypes, this Athlete Pack has an ORIGAMI CAMERA CORE (TM) rated for Leica, micro 4/3 and mirrorless systems circa 2015-2017. Production was very small, limited to just 300 units and they were not sold to the public or available online. You had to find us at a camera trade show or festival and be personally fitted to purchase one of these early editions. Fast forward to 2017 and the launch of atlaspacks.com.

This is when we started to sell an Athlete Pack with an updated ORIGAMI CAMERA CORE (TM). This generation Athlete Packs is rated for non-gripped DSLR's and mirrorless bodies, L-size and GM glass placed flat as well as systems like micro 4/3 and Leica.

Over a 5+ year period we made numerous small incremental updates and improvements based on customer feedback with one exception. When asked to increase the depth we always pushed back... Why?

The short answer is... There was not enough of the right types of camera gear out in the market to justify the change in design. Keep in mind most consumer are not upgrading to the latest and greatest no matter what message boards say. It takes a while for everyone to catch-up and that time happening now.

Camera gear is the heaviest, expensive and most fragile item you will carry on your back and the key to the success of the Athlete Pack is how well it keeps all that precious weight close to your body. National Geographic said the Athlete Pack is "one of the best camera bags for travelers", Ski Magazine said, "best camera bag for skiers" and Outside Magazine said, "best photography gear for 2020" amongst many other awards and accolades ;). With the release of this new generation, the Athlete will continue to be the pack that leads the way.

Working with our partners at Sony and Canon we are granted access to camera and video gear before the public. We test and spec'd every imaginable combination and with purpose and precision have designed the new generation of Athlete Packs for your next generation of camera and camping gear.

Details on all of the updates and features are below. Of note: Smaller gear sets like APS-sensors, Leica and Micro 4/3 size kits all still fit great; it's just that the new bodies and grips, tall GM and RF wides and long telephotos now fit too :)

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+ Overbuilt shoulder harness with load lifters
+ Removable frame / stay
+ MOLLE Loops (numerous spots)
+ Front loops for cross carry
+ Sleeping bag loops
+ Ice Axe Loops
+ Incredible weight distribution and support
+ Removable proper hiking hip belt
+ Single-fold Origami Camera Core (TM)
+ 10mm thick dividers that secure gear
+ Weatherproof 240 Double Rip Stop shell
+ Dedicated water bladder pocket
+ Velcro hang-tag and tube slot
+ Holds skinny and long 2L bladders
+ Bigger bladders can be hung outside pocket
+ x2 stretch side pockets (fits 48oz nalgene)
+ x2 hidden dump pouches (fits 48oz nalgene)
+ YKK Buckles and Zippers
+ Plus many many more...

Inspired by the Japanese art of paper folding, we invented and patented a new type of camera core. Unlike camera bag that need to be stuffed with ICU's or camera cubes, at Atlas Packs we design our packs with a sewn-in camera core. In the Athlete Pack, the top section of the camera core has movable fold that can easily be positioned and in doing so, space shifts between the back and front sections of the pack.

The Origami Camera Core (TM) is a much better system when compared to camera bags and ICU systems:

+ It's safer for camera gear
+ Distributes weight better
+ Holds more gear per/liter
+ Allows for non-camera gear
+ Can be resized on the fly

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With an Athlete Pack, your camera gear is snug and secure and easily accessible without having to cinch the pack down. Said another way, the non-camera section is fully independent from the camera side and can be expanded and compressed down as needed.

And unlike camera bags, there are no camera-cores or inserts that go inside. These systems are expensive and poorly designed. All of your heavy camera gear is detached from the structure of the bag and the zippers keep the inserts in place via a "pressure fit".

We invented and patented our own method and instead of pressure, we use "friction". Friction is a key ingredient to the way our Origami Camera Core (TM) functions. Be sure to test out just how much pop and snap your the pocket has. We made significant improvements to friction and structure with new types of foam, the shaping of the foam (also called "skiving") as well as all the outer fabrics that connect everything to the pack and frame.

Laptops as big as a 16" MacBook fit. The Athlete Pack has a dedicated sleeve for laptops. The sleeve is located on the back side of the Origami Camera Core, inside the front of the pack.

Choose your pack based on your torso length but start first with your height. While torso fitting is best, height works 86% of the time. Check the size chart for sizing and the next tab down if you want to measure.

The benefits to getting the medium are very limited. It's best to get the pack that fits correctly and adapt for specific use cases.

With the large Athlete Pack you can remove the standard frame and install a smaller "Traveler's Frame". This frame is not included and sold as an extra part. The large Athlete has a second set of flaps tacked in about 2"/5cm lower on the inner panel. Installing the Traveler's Frame here bring the pack height down to about 20" / 50.8cm --> Perfect for carry-on.

Installing this frame requires a tool such as a tire iron or crescent wrench.

1. Cut a piece of string 18"/45.5cm
2. Hold the top to your C7 vertebrae and drop the bottom end.
3. Now feel all the way down to where string ends. It will fall either
above or below your Iliac Center (essentially your love handles and
where you rest your hands when you are putting your hands on your hips).

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PS: If the string goes past your love handles, that means your torso is
shorter than 18" = medium size pack. If the string ends before your love handles, that means your torso longer than 18" = large size pack.

Curved shoulder harness systems for women are recommend when hip belts are not adequate to support the load. When you have a properly sized pack and hip belt a straight shoulder harness works perfectly.

With the Athlete Pack I recommend the medium if you are between sizes and are slim/slender or if you have a well sized hips. If you are broad chested and/or have big shoulders and between sizes, consider getting the large. Please chat with Pro Support for info.