Ever since my early days of photography, I have dreamed of the ultimate photo adventure backpack, a hybrid photo bag with the comfort and design of a walker’s rucksack. Just like you, ideally I need a range of bags, for different reasons and activities. The remarkable ThinkTank Streetwalker Pro is my everyday tardis; compact, understated and unbelievably it can hold two bodies and six lenses. Yet for day hiking, or more adventurous activities, there has never been a product to suit.
Overloaded
For me, the realisation began on Dartmoor. Every weekend I lugged a loaded Naturetrekker to almost exhaustion, all straps and padding, ready for any eventuality; equipped yet totally overloaded. We’ve all done it and we all still do it regularly, but the design of these bags does little to help the situation. Photo rucksacks are bulky, boxy and uncomfortable. They are primarily designed for the unfit to haul expensive, heavy glass for short distances.
Visit any hiking shop and gaze over the polar opposite - superb bags made of lightweight materials, perfectly balanced and very comfortable. I ditched my camera bag for an adapted 70 litre Osprey Aether. Bought with tent in mind, I put a Lowepro Rover insert in the bottom and found I could carry 10kgs with extreme comfort. What a relief. The harness is second to none; a long frame with a superb belt system, it’s everything a camera bag lacks on a long walk.
So finding out that FINALLY a manufacturer had crossed this rather obvious divide was exciting news for me indeed. Enter the Lowepro Photosport 200AW, a hybrid of outdoor and photographic thinking.
The wonderfully shaped and brightly coloured Lowepro Photosport 200AW
Doesn’t it look wonderful; it makes me want to go for a walk just looking at it. Brightly coloured in Terrys chocolate orange with imported hiking design, the AW200 certainly attracts attention without giving the game away.
The concept is to pack light. May I remind you, this rucksack is designed for those who enjoy outdoor adventures, with some photography in mind, not the other way round. There is room for a smaller camera body, say a 5Dmk2 with 24-105mm attached along with another lens of your choice (more on this below).
Craghopper gortex coat inside thetop compartment, Canon G11 and food underneath.
Open the top 13.9litre compartment using the drawstring and there is room for a jacket and additional area on the left side, perfect for another lens slid down the side. Immediately you notice that the bag is far removed from a conventional camera bag.
The iPad 2 fits easily into the hydration pack compartment, what a bonus.
Rather wonderfully, Lowepro have included a protective H20 water pocket in between the main compartment and the harness, but I found this perfect for a small netbook, iPad or similar. I use the iPad extensively, for mapping and communications so its great it can accommodate alternative uses.
With the bag on its side, the profile is far removed from camera bag convention. I was able to slide my Gitzo 1297 tripod into the drinks pocket, tightening it down with a handy strap. When on my back it felt slightly right heavy, but this tripod is fairly light so it was never cumbersome. I took the FLM48CT ballhead and placed it inside the top flap of the rucksack, for further stability.
Just like sling bags, access to the camera is through a door on the side. Slide the strap off your right shoulder and swing the bag across your body. Zips are lightweight but good quality, as are the looped pulls.
I managed to get my infrared 5D with Contax 35-70 attached and a Canon 70-300 f4L IS into this compartment for a trip out. Forget a 1Ds3 or similar pro series body, as the camera is too tall. I did manage to squeeze one inside, but it made the backpack press uncomfortably into my back. Store an additional lens in the upper compartment.
Packing Protocol
The brilliance about this bag is that Lowepro have listened to the ‘packing advice’ that companies like Osprey have been advising for years. Your rucksack should have the heaviest weights positioned as close to your back as possible, with other lighter weights distributed outwards. This is where the AW200 is so good in the field. Tighten the drawstring inside and the weight is pulled into the lower back. As you climb and jump, looking for exciting new compositions, you feel balanced and nimble, without the bag swinging from side to side.
The design of the ‘molded airflow backpad’ is exceptional. There’s subtle padding either side of your spine acting as guides, so the bag stays in the middle of the back. The entire back plate is flexible plastic that feels extremely comfortable. The belt is designed to keep the bag aligned with the spine, rather than to distribute heavy load. There is also a small pocket on each side, perfect for keys. The shoulder straps are also very comfortable, despite appearing too thin at first. It takes a while to let of camera bag convention.
Bag or jetpack? Its a wonderfully designed and very comfortable bag to wear thanks to the harness.
Weight and Fabrics
The AW200 feels brilliant. Gone are the heavy, coarse materials. It’s so relieving to touch light, soft, and squashy technical fabrics instead. All the exterior flaps, pockets and straps have been designed with weight in mind. The entire bag weighs 1.3kg when empty, similar to the ThinkTank Streetwalker Pro (1.2-1.5kg). For me, this bag is already a new member of the team.
Lowepro have put so much thinking into this bag and it shows. They have looked across the board to outdoor companies like Osprey, GoLite and beyond, considered what is important and what to omit. The Photosport 200AW is designing genius, a hybrid that will sell across both the hiking and photography market. Their website videos seem to pitch this towards rock climbers and runners than the moorland hiker like myself, but the brilliance of the bag is its adaptable nature. I am sure those who enjoy a good walk to seek out new images, will smile at those in the composition collecting slow lane.
Although the camera chamber seems initially undersized, is it really that difficult to wrap your coat around another lens in the upper compartment? Photographers get so finicky about neatly organised compartments when purchasing, disregarding the endurance they suffer later, lugging boxy uncomfortable bags a mere 300m from the car. Think one body, three lenses, some accessories and set your legs and creativity free. Its time to re-evaluate the statement ‘suffering for your art’ and ask yourself is it really necessary?
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