THE STORY
OF LEICHTMUT

WHO'S BEHIND LEICHMUT?

Leichtmut is a small business. In fact, it’s just me – Jacob!

I design, sew, and ship everything myself. I created this website, I’m behind every social media post. I pour my full passion into these ultralight camera bags, and I love every ounce of it. But how did we end up here?

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My Journey

My story is simple: I love backpacking as much as photography. For me, the two are intertwined. I love to capture the beauty of the outdoors, and it’s the joy of photography that pushes me there.

In 2018, I began taking photography seriously. Astrophotography caught my interest, so I invested in my first full-frame camera, a wide-angle lens, and a star tracker. At the time, I was living in London, and I traveled to the Lake District to climb some hills and capture the night sky.

Let me tell you, my backpack was heavy, and I felt every extra pound on the way up. I captured some beautiful images, but as soon as I got back home, I fell deep into the rabbit hole of ultralight backpacking.

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But then, I hit the glass ceiling of ultralight backpacking: the limit you reach when you’re determined to carry your camera gear on the trail. The point where you find little advice, because most ultralighters ditched their camera years ago.

The story of Leichtmut is the story of how I started breaking through that ceiling, trying to lighten my load even further without leaving my camera behind.

Bringing Ultralight To Photography

The challenge was simple: How do you carry your camera gear in a way that’s easily accessible, protected from rain and rough terrain, and yet doesn’t add unnecessary weight?

The available options weren’t cutting it. Camera clips didn’t provide protection, and other ultralight camera bags couldn’t fit a second lens. So, I began thinking. And then, I started making.

In early 2020, just after moving back home to Hamburg, I sewed my first ultralight backpack on my mom’s sewing machine. It was my first project, and I’m still proud of it. It had one unique feature—a zippered side opening, allowing me to take off the backpack, flip it on its side, unzip, and access my camera gear inside an internal camera unit. But as you can probably guess, it was too complicated, and I still needed a separate camera bag.

The pandemic hit, and hiking plans were paused. I spent my time capturing the full moon in Hamburg and sewing more of my own gear. Fast forward to 2022, when the pandemic finally hit me personally. I was stuck in my bedroom for two weeks, and my mind began wandering to the outdoors. I decided I wanted to hike the Kungsleden, and I knew I needed the right camera bag—light, accessible, and weatherproof.

That’s when the first prototype of my Leichtmut Roamer Camera Bag was born. It still had a zipper, limited attachment points, and wasn’t exactly pretty inside, but it was focused on being as light as possible. It weighed just 140g and fit my Canon EOS RP, multiple lenses, a filter bag, spare batteries, and a few accessories.

But even though it weighed less and had more features than my current Roamer Camera Bag, it wasn’t quite there. The open foam interior was so sticky it was hard to pull out my gear, 4 mm foam didn’t provide enough rigidity for a bag this size, the dividers never stayed in place, and the zippered lid couldn’t be properly sealed. Still, it was a promising start.

Shaped By The Trail

I kept refining the design and successfully finished multiple photography oriented hikes with it. In February 2024, I took my latest version on the Fishermen’s Trail in Portugal. This really wasn’t long ago, but back then, starting my own business was far from my mind. I had just quit my job, but I was actively seeking a new role, even receiving interview invitations during that trip.

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On the very first day of the trail, a heavy rainstorm hit. I knew I should pack away my camera bag because those zipper seams weren’t fully waterproof, but I couldn’t resist capturing the stormy sea. When I finally opened my camera bag, I found a small puddle at the bottom, with my camera and lenses wet.

Needless to say, I wasn’t happy. We took an early break to dry everything, and luckily, nothing was permanently damaged. But it got me thinking: What if the camera bag had a rolltop design that could seal tightly against rain?

When I got back, I sat down at the sewing machine, and soon, the next version of the bag emerged. It had to be tested again, this time on a winter ski trip along the Kungsleden. In addition, I also sewed a new fully waterproof ultralight 60 L backpack.

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New Adventures Ahead

By spring, I was in a new job, but I quickly realized it wasn’t for me. I quit two months later, uncertain about my future. As I reflected on what I truly wanted to do, I realized: I wanted to be self-employed, to build something of my own.

I considered returning to my roots as a copywriter, but the rise of AI was reshaping that field. I thought about full-time photography, since I had already been selling prints part-time for a while. But then I remembered the camera bag—the solution I had created for myself, the problem I had solved that so many other backpackers faced.

I set my mind to it. Months of hard work lay ahead, refining the design, finding the perfect balance between weight, functionality, and flexibility, while ensuring the bag stayed waterproof. I tried many variations, and with each iteration, it became clearer: this was a product worth sharing.

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Leichtmut Begins

Over the past years, I have tested many ways to carry a camera on trail and collected hundreds of miles of experience with this. I’ve been able to identify and remove many quirks, coming up with unique solutions. My bags have truly been tested on trail – from protecting your camera during rocky mountain climbs to shielding it from sand between the dunes.

And that’s how Leichtmut was born – out of a need to solve a problem and a passion for capturing the beauty of the outdoors. This journey is just beginning, but I’m proud to share these ultralight camera bags with you – so that you may never miss another shot.

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