For anyone that is into photography the name Lowepro will stand out in your head as the maker of one of the best (in not the best) soft-sided camera bags and backpacks on the planet. I suppose at this point you are wondering why a 64-bit hardware review site is taking a look at a Lowepro product, well that is simple to answer. As more and more photographers move away from film and into the Digital realm we see an increased demand for smaller and more powerful laptops. The market has responded to this demand with gusto so problem one solved. But there is another problem… How do I carry my Photography gear and my new powerful (possibly 64 bit) laptop with me without needing tow large bags? This is where the Lowepro connection comes in. Lowepro have been making combo bags to hauls around your gear and laptop for some time.
We recently were able to get a hold of one of the Lowepro Fastpack 350s, through Lowepro to see if they meet the needs of not only the photographer but the day to day laptop user.
Product: Lowepro Fastpack 350
Author: Sean Kalinich
Reviewed on: July 4th 2008
Product cost: $149.99
Manufacturer: Lowepro
Spelling and Grammatical editor: Planetx64 Staff
{mospagebreak title=Construction}
Construction:
The Fastpack 350 is made of a sturdy water resistant Cordua Nylon material, it also has a thinner nylon internal barrier to help maintain breathability and water resistance. Stitching is done with a heavy gauge nylon thread. In areas where there is direct contact with the body, such as the straps or the padding on the back. Lowepro has used a breathable weave to help reduce the amount of heat and moisture retention.
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General layout of the pack is along similar lines to your ordinary laptop backpack with the storage space for the book at the back of the pack (against the wearers’ body). Where the Lowepro design differs is that instead of loading from the top the access to the laptop compartment is along the side. Lowepro state that the Fastpack 350 will hold most standard 17” widescreen laptops, yet we were unable to get an Asus G2S A1 inside it. Looking at the dimensions for most PC based 17” laptops I found that there were quite a few that would not work with this bag. I also discovered that the Macbooks fit in quite nicely. I was a little disappointed with this fact I would have thought Lowepro would try to be more accommodating. In the end I was able to get the G2S inside the FastPack but the material was so stretched that the pull tab for the zipper actually came off. I had to re-glue it back on before I was able to get my book back out.
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The camera space on the FastPack is very well laid out and is setup perpendicular to the main axis of the pack. Lowepro again shows they know photographers by setting up the camera compartment for easy body access. As you can see in the images below you do not have to fully open the pack to grab your camera body. The inside of the camera compartment is easily configured to hold your gear; Lowepro includes Velcro attached barriers to compartmentalize this area to your needs. Full access to the camera compartment is granted by unclipping a simple flap. Under this flap is a storage space that is perfect for carrying DVD or CD disks.
At the top of the camera compartment flap are two spaces to store your extra media. These, like the camera body are also accessible without the need to open the whole case and are a very nice touch.
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Above the camera compartment is a large storage area for your laptop peripherals, there is even a nylon bag for your power cord. This bag attaches to the inside front of this are with Velcro and helps to keep this area organized. This area also contains pockets for pens, two flapped pockets (one large enough for filters) and a mesh pocket perfect for a mobile mouse. This large and friendly compartment zippers open from the top down and allows very easy access to the contents inside. On the front flap is another small compartment that is good for papers or other small items.
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On the opposite side from the camera compartment opening is a small draw-string mesh area perfect for a water bottle or other items that do not need to be protected and that you may want for ready use.
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Performance:
In general use I found the FastPack 350 to be very well done with a few exceptions. The first is the one I mentioned above, the small size of the laptop compartment. My other complaints were with day to day carrying. Lowepro made the straps on the FastPack 350 very comfortable, they are padded, very adjustable (adjustment straps at the top and bottom to provide best fit) and breathe well, but this did not translate to the waist strap. My problem whit this area was not during use, when you have this strap around your waist (during hiking or cycling) it is very comfortable and does not feel binding. It is when you do not need or want to use it. The waist strap becomes a bother; it either sticks out and ends up getting tangled or bunches up under you and becomes VERY uncomfortable. It would have been nice for Lowepro to provide an area for this strap to be tucked away when not needed. After carrying the FastPack 350 around for 30 days in my day to day, and photographic work I found it to work out well for me but I was left wanting more.
{mospagebreak title=Price/Warranty}
Price/Warranty:
The Fastpack 350 can be picked up for the reasonable price of $149.99. This is a great price for a camera bag from Lowepro and the added laptop storage (as limited as it is) is a plus.
Lowepro has a lifetime warranty on all of its cases and packs. Warranty information can be found at http://www.lowepro.com/support/warranty.
{mospagebreak title=Conclusion}
Conclusion:
I like Lowepro, I own 3 other Lowepro bags and many other accessories. In my personal opinion you cannot get better than their gear for photographic carrying cases/packs. That having been said I was a little disappointed by what I saw in the FastPack 350. It is a great camera case with tons of room and fits the gear I have perfectly. I would not expect any less from Lowepro. The problem was with the laptop side and general comfort. Clearly Lowpro has some improvement to do on this particular pack. The fact that a large number of 17” widescreen laptops would not fit in this bag is surprising. I hope they improve this side of the FastPack. The added annoyance of the waist strap is also something to be very aware of.
In all the FastPack 350 is a decent entry level Laptop/Camera bag, but well below what most would consider LowePro’s normally high standards.