Lowepro Photo Sport 200AW Review - Part 2

 You can read Part 1 of Tony's PhotoSport 200AW here;

http://morrisphotographic.blogspot.com/2011/10/lowepro-photo-sport-200aw-review-part-1.html

So far so good. But what is it like to use? For general photography I use a digital SLR with an 18-105 zoom, a 70-300 zoom and a 50mm prime lens, plus various glass and gel filters with their holders. The main items fit easily within the main camera chamber, with the other items housed within the various pockets. The camera chamber provides all-round protection and the clever drawstrings pull everything together for a snug fit to prevent items bouncing around while in motion.

Once all the photo gear was in, I added the other items I would need for my trip. This included waterproof jacket, trousers, spare socks, maps, water bottle etc. as illustrated by the photo below.

Once loaded it was a just question of adjusting the straps to the correct length. This is quite important as you have to make sure the bag is comfortably located on your back and the weight of the pack is distributed evenly.

So I was ready for the off! The location of my trip was the rolling countryside of the Mendips near Wells. The Lowepro Photo Sport ^TM 200 is designed for far more extreme terrain than Somerset has to offer so I was interested to see how I would get on.

Once on, the bag instantly felt very comfortable. Everything seemed to be very well balanced. Unclipping the front belts and swinging the bag onto one shoulder meant I had easy access to the camera chamber without taking the pack off completely. Other items were easily accessible as they were located in their individual pockets, so there was no rummaging around in the main compartment as I had to in the past.

After 10 Miles the Lowepro Photo Sport ^TM 200 was still very comfortable. It will be interesting to see how it stands up to a longer distance.

The TEST Verdict.

Pros

An excellent backpack for photography, walking and other outdoor pursuits. One of the most comfortable backpacks I have tried. There are various excellent examples by other brands but the Lowepro Photo Sport ^TM 200, shows why Lowepro is one of the market leaders.

Cons

There are very few. With camera bags it really depends on what you need. There is one downside to this product; it is so comfortable that you may forget you have taken your camera with you!