5 Years Later w/ the Lowepro Photosport Backpack (update)…
April 2022: I wanted to toss an update on this post and let you all know that I am still a huge fan of the Lowepro Photosport 300 AW II backpack. I am now a full-time lifestyle & product photographer, who spends a ton of time in the field, and I find this backpack to be the perfect mix of everything I need.
I can store my Fujifilm XT-2, 50-140 f2.8, and 18-55 in the camera compartment. And I have ample room in the top storage area for outdoor gear that I need while I’m in the field + whatever products I’m photographing for my clients.
Lowepro Photosport 300 AW II Review
Feel free to read on if you want to hear my full review about this bag from 2017. Or, if want the short version, go ahead and get this bag. This is hands down, the best camera bag for hiking that I’ve ever tried and it’s stood the test of time over these past 5 years.
Buy Lowepro Photosport 300 AW II Here
2017 Review
I have been testing the Lowepro Photo Sport BP 300 AW II for around 2 or 3 months. The Photo Sport was first mentioned in my July Gear Series article. In that article, I said that I believed it was a great mix between a photography and hiking/adventure bag. Let’s see how it stacked up in my testing in this full-length Lowepro Photo Sport 300 Review, right now…
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Lowepro Photo Sport BP 300 AW II Review
I believe the Lowepro Photosport 300 is perfectly geared towards outdoor adventure photographers. You could be a casual day hiker who likes to bring a camera along, a lightweight backpacker or a street photographer. I believe this backpack is well suited for all of the above. I actually happen to fall into each of those categories, leaning mostly towards wilderness photography and adventuring.
One Half Adventure / One Half Photography
The Lowepro Photo Sport 300 is a hybrid photography backpack. Half of the backpack is geared towards adventure/hiking gear and the other half accommodates photography gear. Lowepro got this half-and-half approach right with the Photo Sport.
The top storage areas of the Photo Sport backpack easily accommodate my necessities for a day on the trail or around town. And the bottom compartment does a great job of organizing my photography gear. While the exterior has plenty of capacity and lashing points for storing things like trekking poles, or extra clothing layers. I feel like the Photo Sport pack is the perfect size for “double-duty” day trips and photography adventures.
Lowepro Photo Sport Quality
All of the materials used on the Lowepro Photo Sport are excellent and right up there in terms of quality with high-end hiking backpacks such as Kelty & Osprey. The exterior of the pack utilizes lightweight materials that are highly water resistant, very durable and won’t rip/tear easily. The zippers and buckles are smooth and secure as well. I’ve not had a problem with the components of this pack and I’m positive I will get many years of great service from it.
Lowepro Photo Sport Review
Comfort of the Lowepro Photo Sport
The Lowepro Photo Sport reminds me of a dedicated hiking day pack, like the Kelty Ruckus (which is saying a lot because I love that backpack). The shoulder straps, load lifters, hip belt and sternum strap are spot on in terms of what I look for in a hiking backpack. They are very easy to dial in for a comfortable and personalized fit.
The “Active Zone” suspension system integrated into the Photo Sport is perfect as well. The back panel conforms to your body each and every time you put it on. Which allows the contents on the inside of your bag to stay in place a bit better. This makes the bag feel like an extension of your body, rather than something you’re wearing.
The Active Zone suspension system is very breathable and comfortable in high heat environments as well. (I’ve tested it up to around 95° with high humidity)
What about the Photography Gear Space?
The photography gear space/compartment is located on the left side of the bag. It is very convenient to swing the bag around to the front of my body, undo the “UltraCinch” buckle and unzip the compartment to access my contents.
I shoot with a Fuji X-T20, along with a couple of small lenses. With this dedicated gear compartment, I have plenty of space for extra things like my Matador Base Layer, lens clothes, extra batteries, filters, etc. For a mirrorless user, I feel like there is ample room.
Gear Compartment | Changes Wishlist
The Photosport photography/camera gear compartment is perfect, for the most part. It gives your camera gear a fantastic amount of security and padding. But I would love to see some slight improvements which I believe would take this bag to the next level…
The first improvement I would love to see is for the entire photography gear compartment to have soft-sided velcro. This would allow you to attach and arrange the dividers anywhere within the compartment. Currently, you’re only given a small strip of velcro down the middle. This can be limiting in terms of organizing your photography kit since you’re only given the 1 “shelf” to divide your gear.
My 2nd recommended improvement:
The Lowepro Photosport utilizes the flap/door of photography gear compartment as a space to store SD Cards, which are secured by elastic straps (see above). These do work flawlessly for holding SD Cards. However, I would rather this area have a simple zippered mesh pocket that runs the width/height of the flap. A mesh pocket would allow me to put varied gear in this area such as batteries, instead of being limited to SD cards only.
Lowepro UltraCinch
UltraCinch was a smart move on Lowepro’s behalf. Not only does it “cinch” the camera compartment down so things aren’t bouncing around, but it adds an extra layer of security to your backpacks camera hatch. The strap, paired with the dual zippers ensure that you have to be very intentional and focused in order to get into this area of your bag. (Which is nice for securing your gear on street photography adventures)
Stay Hydrated
The water bottle pocket on the right side of the Lowepro Photosport backpack is a great size. I can easily fit my large Klean Kanteen water bottles, which are a necessity on the trail.
The Photosport backpack also has a dedicated hydration compartment, which can accommodate a 2L bladder. However, I very rarely use water bladders and I did not test this portion of the pack. (I can confirm that it looks very well thought out and I’m sure it would perform favorably)
Quick Access Lid
The top lid of the Photosport is ideal for carrying items that you need quick access to on the trail, or in your day-to-day life if you choose to use this as an “everyday bag”. The lid actually carries a large amount of gear. I personally keep my keys, wallet, some trail snacks and a simple notebook in this area.
Dual Waistbelt Pockets
There are 2 sizable zippered waistbelt pockets on the Photosport 300 AW II. They are perfect for carrying items such as a compass, lens cleaning cloth, small knife, chapstick, mini first aid kit, etc. I personally get a ton of use out of these pockets and I really appreciate that they were included on the pack.
The hip belts also do a very nice job of stabalizing your backpacks load and taking some of the weight off of your shoulders.
Sternum Strap Whistle
One thing I always forget to add to my first aid kit is a whistle. With the Lowepro Photosport 300, I don’t have to worry about that because one is included on the sternum strap buckle…And it is indeed loud.
Lowepro Rain Cover
The provided AW Cover for the Lowepro Photosport 300 AW II is fantastic. It has a designated zippered pocket located on the bottom of the pack and it easily tucks away when you don’t need it.
The All Weather cover gives you peace of mind to an already water-resistant pack. And it adds a bit more padding to the bottom as well.
Front Shove It Pocket
Behind the “Photosport” text and white lines (shown above) is 1 large/slightly expandable “shove it” pocket. I do wish this pocket was a bit more stretchy like the Osprey Talon 44 so it would accommodate bulkier gear, but it still performs well.
I personally like to utilize this pocket to store a light clothing layer, wet clothes, food, my camp grill and things of that nature.
Would I Recommend It?
Absolutely! Any photographer who is coming from a background in hiking will feel right at home with the Lowepro Photosport 300.
Vice versa – I would immediately recommend the Photosport to a photographer looking to get into hiking or active outdoor activities as well. This bag offers the perfect balance of space for outdoor gear and camera gear, all while being very comfortable to carry for miles on end.
Lowepro Photosport 300 (9.5 out of 10)
As I mentioned above I whole heartedly recommend the Lowepro Photo Sport. I do think it could benefit from more velcro in the camera compartment, a stretchier “shove it” pocket, along with swapping out the current SD card slots for a zippered mesh pocket. But this is certainly not a make-or-break and most people wouldn’t even think of those things.
This backpack does a lot of things perfectly, which is why it gained itself a near perfect rating after my extensive field testing. Most importantly with a hiking backpack, the Photo Sport 300 is extremely comfortable with heavy or light loads even for miles of trekking. It features high-end materials, superb quality and it carries the perfect amount of gear for a day of adventuring.
I believe the Lowepro Photo Sport is the perfect companion for outdoor photographers.
Buy Lowepro Photosport BP 300 AW II
Interested in purchasing a Lowepro Photosport BP 300 AW II? Please consider purchasing from my Amazon Affiliate link here. I receive a small kickback from each sale made through these Amazon Links. Which helps to support reviews just like this one.
Read Next: Camera Gear for Hiking (using the Photosport) | Photography Blog
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Be sure to give me a follow on Instagram and a “like” on Facebook. And feel free to drop me a comment below if you have any questions or want to chat about this pack. Also, if you have experience with the Lowepro Photosport I would love to hear what you think.
