Sorry I missed your thread when it was first posted.
Are you looking for a purpose-built camera backpack or an insert for carrying camera gear inside of a standard hunting/backpacking pack? I've tried several approaches myself, and am happy to share what I have learned from my own experience.
1) Backpacking/hunting packs are designed to carry more weight, over longer distances, and as such have a better frame and suspension than dedicated "camera" bags. This has led me to treat my DSLR gear as a set of items to arrange within my primary hunting or hiking bag.
2) If I am not hunting, or hiking any great distance, I'll carry my camera gear in my EDC back, a Mountainsmith Borealis
Amazon.com : Mountainsmith Borealis Camera Pack : Sports & Outdoors (I have the old version, it's since been updated).
I think one of these would also be cool for ease of access:
MindShift Gear Rotation 180 Professional Review
... and these are also highly acclaimed:
Tilopa
... but haven't tried either high-end camera bag as I felt if I was spending hundreds of dollars on a backpack, I should spend the money on something that could do more than carry camera gear, so I went the Kifaru route.
3) Initially when carrying my camera stuff with me hunting, I tried to pack all my DSLR gear into a single padded case (like a camera bag or an F-stop ICU) within the larger frame pack bag. But that resulted in challenges packing around the large volume needed to protect my typical setup (Canon 7D + 17-55 + 10-22 + 70-300L), and I ended up splitting up the components. I was using an Eberlestock X2 at the time, and with the small main compartment needed to distribute camera parts across pockets.
4) For ease of loading the pack and distributing the camera gear into pockets, lids, etc. as needed, multiple smaller protective enclosures for DSLR system components are what I'm using now.
Currently I carry one of these for a few lenses, filters, and batteries:
Amazon.com : Mountainsmith Kit Cube Bag, Anvil Grey : Camping And Hiking Equipment : Sports & Outdoors
... and a couple of these for lenses that I want to access individually:
Amazon.com : Xit XTLPL Neoprene Soft Lens Pouch 8" (Black) : Camera Cases : Camera & Photo
... and sometimes I'll put my camera body + attached lens in one of these:
https://www.amazon.com/MindShift-Ultralight-Camera-Cover-Black/dp/B00I45CWFY/ (although I may be just as likely to wrap it in a puffy jacket)
5) Ease of access is a consideration when your camera is in your pack. But if you have to take the pack off anyway to access your gear, the difference between grabbing out an individual lens from a pouch vs. opening a larger pouch with your whole kit is less than one might think. Either way, the camera is not readily available. No bueno. So I've tried various ways to have a camera at the ready:
* The standard BackRapid R-strap puts the camera at your side, but results in a padded strap under or over the backpack strap you are already wearing. I did this for a while. (
https://www.amazon.com/BlackRapid-RS-Sport-Extreme-Camo-Camera/dp/B0083RS0V8)
* The BlackRapid Backpack strap attaches across your chest and takes advantage of the fact that you have a pack on anyway to attach. However, I found it was difficult to undo the connections and get out of my pack. You can see how this would be a problem if you look at the design of the hooks in the product photo (
https://www.amazon.com/BlackRapid-Backpack-Strap-Converter-Adapter/dp/B00NI2MN84)
* I'm currently running a Capture Pro clip for the DSLR + primary lens off my backpack shoulder strap. (Thanks Aron & Gritty Bowmen for turning me onto this carrying method!)
https://www.amazon.com/Peak-Design-CapturePRO-Camera-Clip/dp/B00OY5UMD2 This is the best option I've tried to date for "open carry" of a camera in good weather. The camera does not bounce around with this setup and I only need to get in the bag if I need to change lenses, but may be not even then...
* ... I also sometime use a PALS-compatible padded lens case on my belt (e.g.,
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B003SG7N8U) so I can have, for example, the wide angle lens mounted to the body but the telephoto at the ready on my belt. So I need to get in the pack even less while mobile.
* If it's raining, the above won't work. Then I consolidate the camera pockets into a 50L dry sack (or a trash bag) inside my main bag.
Hope this helps!
