Lowepro Photo Sport 200AW Review - Part 1

Tony Tests;

The Lowepro Photo Sport ^TM 200 AW
For years I used a traditional canvas camera bag to lug around a huge amount photo equipment. Two camera bodies, various prime lenses including a 28mm, 50mm, 135 short telephoto and one or two zooms. To this was added a motor drive, flash gun, filters and a cable release and most essential of all, boxes and boxes of film.

Tony happily plodding along with the
Photo Sport 200aw.

My trusty old camera bag did a very good job of housing all this gear both at home and in the boot of the car. But it had 3 main drawbacks. Firstly it was very heavy even before I had put so much as a lens cloth in it! Secondly it was very uncomfortable, due not only to the weight but also to its sheer bulk. The third problem, which was quite serious as far as delicate photographic equipment was concerned, was if the bag got wet, everything inside got very, very damp.
So I struggled on, with many a photo trip ending with me in a hot bath tub to sooth my aching mussels and my camera bag and equipment spread out in front of the fire in a hopeless attempt to dry everything out.
For longer treks I chose to leave most of the gear behind and rationed myself to a single camera body and a few lenses. All this ended up in my backpack together with my waterproofs, sandwiches, maps, etc. Travelling light seemed to work much better but as everything was jumbled together I had to hunt through socks and sandwiches every time I needed to change lenses. There is another problem with traditional backpacks; they offered absolutely no protection to the camera equipment. Everything was jolted and bashed together.
Eventually the photo industry came to the rescue and offered the adventurous photographer a combined camera bag and rucksack with a separate padded compartment for camera gear and a separate compartment for walking gear etc. One such bag was the Lowepro Orion Trekker. I bought an Orion Trekker over 10 years ago and still have it today. It is very well made, of a very sturdy construction and could take an SLR with a zoom lens attached, an extra lens/ flashgun and a few smaller accessories. It did the job very well. However it did have a few niggles. It was quite heavy and had to be fully removed to gain access to the camera compartment. It didn’t stand up to extreme weather conditions, which meant that the contents could get quite wet in heavy rain and there weren’t enough pockets for smaller items. Although fine for short treks it wasn’t suitable for all day use.

So fast forward 10 years to the Lowepro Photo Sport ^TM 200 AW. The first thing you notice is the colour. I was lent the orange version for the TEST and one thing is for certain, you will stand out from the crowd! There is a black version available for those who are more reserved but on a remote mountain path I think I would prefer the high visibility that the orange pack provides. The next thing you notice is how light it feels with an empty weight of 2.9 lbs/ 1.3kg. Like the old Orion Trekker there is a separate camera compartment, but this time access is from the side. There is a main compartment for jackets and other gear, plus numerous internal and external pockets for all those small but essential items you need on an expedition.
I particularly like the zippered pockets on the waist belt which is ideal for holding a mobile phone, keys, loose change etc. There is also a large stretch pocket which is useful for maps or even a light jacket and a side pocket for water bottles, gloves or other quick grab items. It is apparent that this bag has been designed with some serious outdoor pursuits in mind as it also has a dedicated pocket for a 2L hydration reservoir and to keep out the worst of the weather it has an all weather cover built into the base. (That’s why it’s got AW in the name!) There are also numerous loops and compression straps which will take additional equipment such as jackets or walking poles. Everything seems to be well put together and the Lowepro Photo Sport ^TM 200 made from the latest high performance fabric so it should stand up to the most rigorous use. 

Watch out for Part 2 - coming next week! :D