Traveling with NYA-EVO - Getting the most out of your bags

March 27, 2025

Real world tips and insights of NYA-EVO's photography backpack eco-system written by Maureen G. Nowak, a professional photographer in the US who counts on NYA-EVO gear daily for both her commercial work and personal photo adventures.

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Traveling with heavy and valuable photo gear is never simple, but using NYA-EVO bags has made even complex international travel a breeze. How great it is that all three sizes of the Fjord backpack—the 36L, 50L and 60L—are sized to be carry-on compliant, ensuring that your precious gear can always remain close on board a plane. But, for times when carrying heavy gear on your back through airports isn’t optimal, I’ve discovered some tricks that work seamlessly.

First, be sure never to put camera bodies, lenses and batteries into checked luggage for safety purposes. They should always travel in a carry-on or personal bag, accompanying you on board. Ideally, lenses (particularly long or heavy ones) should be separated from camera bodies during transit to avoid any unexpected pressure on the mount connections. Using the NYA-EVO RCIs makes this easy since the bag can be quickly reconfigured to carry attached cameras/lenses when you get to your destination. Accessories such as filters, tripods, chargers, etc. can be stored in checked baggage to free up space in a carry-on for other items.

During a recent international trip that required three cameras, nine lenses, and a tremendous amount of support gear for each system, I discovered how flexible traveling with NYA-EVO packs can be. To alleviate the heavy load on my back and provide some extra safety to my gear, I placed the gear-filled large RCI with the excellent padded top attached into a hard-sided Pelican Air 1535, which meets rolling carry-on requirements for all airlines that I know of.

The Fjord 60 folded flat to fit easily into the top of my checked bag, a Thule Chasm, ready to be reassembled quickly upon arrival. The RCIs are a perfect fit inside all brands of rolling carry-ons (I’ve also used the RCIs inside a Thule Aion and Thule Chasm carry on roller) and allow some extra space around the sides to pack soft items like clothing. This method has the hidden benefit of eliminating worry if there is no room for your carry-on as you board the plane and the gate crew insists on checking your rolling bag. Simply remove the RCI from the roller and carry it on the plane—the attached handle makes it easy and all sizes of the RCI cube will slide smoothly under the seat in front of you. At your destination, the RCI can be quickly loaded into any of the Fjord bags.

For traveling photographers who prefer to use one of the Fjord bags as their carry-on, these backpacks can be attached to the handle of a rolling bag to give your back a break while transiting airports. Although there is no dedicated luggage-handle pass-through, the front straps on the Fjord 36 and 60C will secure the bag to the carrying handle. Simply sit your bag on top of your luggage with the front of the pack against the handle, and buckle the straps. Similarly, the 50C bag can be placed on the roller facing forward and buckled around the roller’s handle. An additional bungee cord can be added for additional support if desired.

In fact, travelers with only a rolling carry-on and personal bag, can place any size RCI in the roller with some additional clothing. Remaining clothing and travel items could be placed in the Fjord 36 and the side straps used to compress the size down to accommodate airline requirements to fit under the seat. If these items in the Fjord 36 are placed in packing cubes, it’s an easy switch to swap the RCI with the packed clothing cubes after the flight. This strategy means that heavy gear will be rolled and lighter clothing carried, preserving your back for when you need it most to carry gear on a photo adventure at your destination.

I recommend using the XS size RCI to pack all chargers, adapters, tripod head, filters, lens cleaners, tools, and other accessories in your checked bag — it keeps all photo supplies that don’t need to be with you in the airplane cabin together and fits smoothly in a larger bag. At your destination, you can use the versatile XS bag with the NYA-EVO optional strap when you want to travel light and bring one camera & lens on smaller outings, like a short hike, a walk around town, or out for dinner.

There’s plenty of space to tuck personal items like a wallet, phone or sunglasses, as well, eliminating the need for an additional bag or overloading your pockets. The zip-top and carabiner-style latches on the strap makes the RCI a secure cross-body accessory even in areas crowded with people. Note that the XS RCI also is a great fit in the top of the Fjord 60C when you need to bring a bit more gear, or in the 50C when you want to utilize quick side access.

Don’t forget your NYA-EVO Assistant Pouch with the optional strap. It makes a brilliant cross-body bag to keep key essentials close and safe while transiting an airport or on a flight since it’s the perfect size to hold a passport, wallet, phone (even the largest iPhone 16 Pro Max fits), glasses, earbuds, lip balm and other small items, allowing easy access when you need it. The Pouch can slip easily into any personal bag or NYA-EVO bag, and it’s ideal attached to your Fjord bag belt to hold filters, phone or batteries while exploring your destination.

NYA-EVO backpacks are more than simple bags, rather are a versatile system that can be personalized to make every type of trip smooth-sailing. From well-organized backpacks to protective RCI units in various sizes that safeguard gear, NYA-EVO offers something for every photographer on every trip. The accessory pouches, straps and smaller RCIs are icing on the cake. As their motto says, with NYA-EVO products you can “Go Further!”