review / photo tour: Lowepro Photo Sport 200 AW - new active hiking biking bag

You know, this bag just wasn't made/designed to carry so much gear. It's a more minimalist style bag, not the "all the gear I have *and* the kitchen sink" kind of bag.

Ha, trust me, I'm not putting in 'all the gear I have'.

I'm just getting desperate to find a outdoor pack that has space for stuff other than gear (top portion) and just a little bit of gear for my travels (yes what I have listed is considered just a little bit of gear). It's really between this pack, and the Tamrac Adventure 10 (which yes is a bigger bag).

But to be perfectly honest, I'd love to get the F-Stop Loka, it's too bad they don't seem to ever have stock.

I've had the bag for a while now, and I love it. The one thing that bothers me is also a blessing. the main chamber has an upper hull that holds your personal gear. that section isn't closed off to the lower section, which has a separate photo bag hull. so stuff can, at times, slide down and you have to put your hand down there and hunt for it. at the same time, that allows me to put an umbrella or smaller tripod in the bag, so it's not horrible.

I love the material. I love how versatile the bag is.

Bit of a bump:

Is it possible to remove the camera hull? And use the bag as a normal daypack?

No, it cannot be removed .

took my photo sport out for another trip last week to yosemite. this has to be the most comfortable bag for active photographers!!!

I love this bag but it's so small and that stupid padding takes up so much space. There's left over space on the side. Wish I could take that out and it's be perfect.

I saw this bag in a local shop today and it's perfect...EXCEPT (as always, when looking for the "right one") it isn't wide enough for my 5D/70-200

Great bag, though! Tough, light, and not over-engineered.

Same issue. May work if I could take out that stupid insert.

daveyboi wrote in post #13902208
took my photo sport out for another trip last week to yosemite. this has to be the most comfortable bag for active photographers!!!

I agree completely. I have a mark III in there now and it seems to fit better than the mark II. I never studied the dimensions of the two.

Still love this bag. Now that spring and summer are here, it'll be getting a ton of use.

I went to BH today to get the bag; I liked it a lot, but for one thing - only one divider, and only 2 fabric strips in the middle of the camera compartment to attach it, so even with additional dividers it's not very flexibel ...

That's a bummer, I really wanted one for my Sony Nex and some small lenses, adapters, etc., the size would be perfect ; what was Lowe thinking, they usually get stuff like this right ...

lowepro was thinking that you only need essentials. body 1-2 lenses

daveyboi wrote in post #14287994
lowepro was thing that you only need essentials. body 1-2 lenses

exactly. when I'm hiking, I need a relatively wide and a long. not a bag of lense$ to weigh me down.

Now I went and got the bag anyways; I like it a lot, in particular for one reason .

I can fit a travel tripod inside it, and don't even have to fold the legs over !
It reaches over the top a bit, but the flap can still be closed easily; if the tripod is folded, it fits perfectly, but is crowding the camera compartment a little .

It's a medium to small Horusbennu , with a Markins Q3T head .

I mentioned the lack of flexibilty in the camera compartment before; there is just not enough fabric to attach velcro dividers to, just 2 stripes down the middle.
I'm using it with a Nex 5N, an adapted 100-400 Minolta zoom, a couple more compact Nex lenses and accessories, and will add some dividers and supports myself.

There is plenty of room for any mirrorless system, but Lowepro was cutting corners there.
No offence meant, but the argument that is is strictly made for a basic DSLR/ 2 lenses combo is nonsense .
I decide what goes in there, not the manufacturer .

Something else that's sorely missing is some sort of organizer for pens and such, and the shoulder straps are very lightly padded for the size- not the best solution for extended walks, but I haven't really carried it yet .
For the money, there shouldn't be such shortcomings in a camera bag, I think .

Either way, it seems like a great bag, and I really like most features, the dimensions and versatility (apart from the above issues) , and the dimensions are prfect for me , compact but tallish.

It has enough straps to attach extra pouches, a bottle holder, the water bladder compartment holds a small laptop, and the large front pocket is great for maps, travel documents, magazines and such, all of which is essential for my needs .

Awesome review, been looking to test one out in store as this seems perfect for hiking/biking trips