Lowepro has released the Lowepro Fastpack Pro BP 250 AW III. The backpack is designed for hikes, camping, weekend getaways, and travel. We checked out its features. Read on!
Note: Lowepro sent us the Fastpack Pro BP 250 AW III to review and keep. However, this is a completely independent review. All thoughts about this product are our own.
Pros
- Versatile design
- Large enough for hiking, camping, or weekend trips while bringing clothing as well as camera gear and laptop.
- Light weight for its size
- Side access is quick (but Lowepro provides secure clips to keep people from easily accessing your bag or your contents from falling out)
- Deep side pockets for drink bottles
- Bright gray interior helps you to see contents inside the bag much easier
- Large, bright orange zipper pulls help to use zippers for night photography or while wearing gloves
- Organizing pockets for batteries, memory cards, cables, chargers, and accessories
- Holds up to a 15″ laptop in a separate compartment
- Retractable waist straps get out of the way when you are not using them
- Luggage pass-through sleeve
- Lifetime warranty
Cons
- It screams, “Hi, I’m a camera bag!” which might not be good for public transit or certain kinds of travel.
- The padding for the shoulder and waist straps is a little thin and doesn’t feel comfortable for long periods of time or with very heavy loads.
- The backpack fits slightly awkwardly for tall people if using the waist strap (but should fit most people under about 5’11″/1.80m well)
Lowepro Fastpack Pro BP 250 AW III — Technical specifications
All specifications for the Lowepro Fastpack Pro BP 250 AW III are from the Lowepro website.
- Weight: 1.45 kg (apparently, a 33% reduction from its predecessor)
- Internal Dimensions: 30 x 22 x 53 cm
- External Dimensions: 31.5 x 23.5 x 54 cm
- Laptop Compartment Dimensions: 27.5 x 2 x 41 cm
- Total Volume: 25 L
- Camera Compartment Dimensions: 28 x 15 x 25.5 cm
- Top Compartment Dimensions: 30 x 15 x 23.5 cm
- Device Volume: 14 L
- Front Compartment Dimensions: 27.5 x 4.5 x 20.5 cm
- Device Volume: 14 L
- Interior Material: 200D polyester
Further product information:
- Fits mirrorless DSLR with portrait grip or folding drone kit
- Camera zone: adjustable EVA dividers and QuickDoor opening
- Device zone: CradleFit padded laptop pocket for 15” laptop
- Open zone: dedicated pockets and space for personal items
- All Weather AW Cover and coated fabrics for extra protection
Lowepro Fastpack Pro BP 250 AW III – Ergonomics and build quality
The Fastpack Pro immediately feels solid and durable. The material seems solid, with water beading on the surface.
I should begin with a disclaimer that I am quite thin, and perhaps more sensitive to straps that are not wide and well-padded. In short, I am very picky about my straps. That said, the shoulder and waist straps are a little thin, and don’t feel comfortable when used for long periods of time or with heavy loads. This is not the first pack I would reach for if I am traveling long distances, have heavy loads, or am backpacking for several days.
I am also 6’1″ (1.85 meters) and have a long torso. If I am using the waist strap, I have to loosen the shoulder straps slowly to get the waist straps to ride on my hips, where they belong. However, loosening the shoulder straps makes the upper part of the backpack begin to pull away from me. As a workaround, I found that locking the sternum strap tightly largely addressed this. I prefer my backpacks to follow the contour of my back more closely. I believe that most people who are about 5’10” or 5’11” and under may not have an issue with this.
Finally, the dividers do not have as much cushioning as some of the other Lowepro products I’ve used in the past. This is a trade-off. After all, the Fastpack Pro BP AW III is lighter than most packs of its size. It seems like the dividers, and for that matter, the backpack, should still be able to protect its contents adequately, so this seems like a decent trade-off. Still, it bears mentioning.
Lowepro Fastpack Pro BP 250 AW III – In the field
The Fastpack Pro BP 250 is a good size for bringing a single DSLR or mirrorless camera and numerous lenses. It would probably be a good-sized backpack for things such as street or event photography.
I brought it with me while walking several miles around a local lake to photograph birds. During this time, I found it quite easy to access the camera from the side compartment. The safety clips did their thing, preventing me from opening the pack too much and exposing the other contents to accidental spills. Having lenses spill out near a lake would not be a great thing. No, it wouldn’t.
Lowepro Fastpack Pro BP 250 AW III – What gear can it hold?
Probably due in part to its boxy build, this backpack holds a decent amount for a 25 L bag when you take both compartments and the various sleeves into consideration. There are the usual organization pouches and such. We’ll have a look at the two compartments first.
Upper compartment
The upper compartment is reasonably roomy. It’s not cavernous, but still, it’s large enough to have some clothes and various accessories. You could use this single pack for a weekend getaway, a camping trip during a long weekend, or something similar. Between this upper compartment, a decent-sized front pocket, and two deep drink bottle pockets, it’s pretty good. And additionally, there’s the 15″ laptop pocket as well.
Of course, you could slip in a few more camera accessories, such as a flashlight, chargers, or maybe one more small lens!
All the zippers seem reasonably robust. I should mention here that I love the large orange pulls on the exterior zippers for the gear compartment. It makes it so easy to find and grab in the dark while wearing gloves. This is such a nice touch. Between this and the light-colored interior, it makes me wonder if one of the people at LowePro designing this does night photography.
The zippers do not have fabric covering them, and are therefore not waterproof. However, if it really begins raining, you do have the included all-weather cover.
Gear compartment (lower compartment)
The gear compartment, which is the lower of the two compartments, easily holds a DLSR camera with an attached lens, and several other lenses.
I tried to load it up with gear for my walk around the lake. You can see this on the left. My gear includes a large Pentax K-1 full-frame DSLR with an attached 28-105mm lens, a Nikon 28-300mm zoom lens, a Nikon 50mm f/1.4 lens, the very large and heavy Pentax 15-30mm f/2.8 lens, a small Lensbaby lens, and a ProtoMachines LED2 light for light painting.
On the right is a photo supplied by Lowepro. They are evidently a lot neater than I am, but to be fair, I did really try to stuff it full of lenses! You could probably fit two mirrorless cameras in here, but it might be tight. It’s not a giant compartment, but it’s large enough for most people who are not bringing their collection for them. Remember, this backpack is more geared toward hikes, weekend getaways, and travel.
Can it hold a tripod?
Yes, yes it can. Can it hold a decent-sized 23.6″ tripod with ball head like mine? Yes, although it’s not ideal. The strap is a bit small for that, and a bit lower, so while you can do it, it definitely creates imbalance while walking around. A small travel tripod or smaller would be perfect.
The strap that holds the tripod in place is small and black and has a snap. It goes through a loop, and is therefore not sewn in to the backpack. If you wanted, you could swap this out for another strap, although the one supplied is sufficient.
Lowepro Fastpack Pro BP 250 AW III – Can it attach to your luggage?
I am happy to say yes. Easily and simply since it has a luggage pass-through sleeve in the back.
Light-colored interior with orange-colored zipper pulls
One of the things that I immediately liked about this bag was visibility. You can see your contents a little easier than dark-colored interiors in many bags, utilizing orange zipper pulls, orange-colored interior zippers, a light gray interior, or the orange-colored laptop pocket. Very nice.
Above is another look at the gear compartment, which is easily configurable for whatever you need. Note the light interior, making it easier to find your items.
The photo on the right shows how you can loop the security clip to the top of the cover. This makes it challenging for someone to open your backpack all the way, and makes the contents a bit less prone to spilling out due to accidental unzipping of the pack.