subscribe 0330 333 1113I http://www.amateurphotographer.co.ukI 13 April 2019 51LOWEPROis upthereasoneof theleading
camerabagmanufacturers,offeringa carrying
solutionforalltypesof photographers,witha vast
rangeof modelsforthosewhospenda majorityof
theirtimein thegreatoutdoors.Thecompany’s
Whistlerseriesis nowintoitssecondgenerationand
is onceagaindesignedforadventuristsandloversof the
landscapelookingfora high-performanceoutdoorbackpack
that’sasgoodat carryingcamerakitasit is a varietyof
outdoorgear.LoweprolabelsitsWhistler350AWII and
450AWII asitsmostversatilepacksforextremeconditions,
andit’sthesmallerof thetwowe’relookingat here.
Tokeepcontentssafeandsecure,thepackfeatures
accessfromthereartothemaincompartment,accessedby
largeorangeYKKzipswithtagsthatallowyoutopullthem
aroundeasily,evenwhenwearinggloves.Insideyou’llfinda
roomyinteriorspaciousenoughtoswallowa pro-specDSLR
ormirrorlesscamerawith70-200mmf/2.8lensattached,
withspaceoneithersideforfourorfiveadditionallenses.
Thetwointeriorpocketsareusefulforstoringthin
accessoriesorvaluableitemsandyoualsogettwomemory-
cardpockets.Thethickandprotectivecameraandlens
dividerscanbefullyremovedif you’dliketouseit asa
general-purposebackpackandit providesa CradleFit
compartmenttoslotin a largetabletor13inlaptop.Thisis
accessedviathetopof thebag,whereyou’llfinda handy
storagespaceforlargeraccessories,cablesorfilters,witha
zippedpocketbeingdedicatedtotheAllWeathercover.
Thelargefrontpocketexpandstofit essentialssuchas
a cagoule,andhasa waterproofbarrierwitha drainholeto
separatewetgearfromthemaincompartment.Aneasily
adjustablewaistbeltandelasticatedsternumstrapprovide
extrastabilityandpreventthepackfromswayingfromside
tosidewhenyou’reonthemove,withthebackpanel
offeringreasonablyfirmbutessentialpadding.Outof its
packagingI foundthebagsatquitehighonmyback,so
I’drecommendloadingit withyourgearandmakingthe
necessarystrapadjustmentsfirstto
ensureit’scomfortablebeforerefi ning
thestrapposition during use.Ve r d i c t
Testingthebagona tripawayrevealednodiscomfortorany
majorissues.Thegrabhandleat thetopmadeit easytopull
fromluggageracksandthematerials,stitchingandoverall
qualityof itsconstructiongivesyouthereassurancethat
yourkitis safeinside.Theonlythingit doesn’thave,which
I alwayslookforona backpack,is a pocketonthesideto
storea waterbottle.A stretchyNeoprenebagsuchasthe
S&Fbottlepouch(£18)thatLoweproproduceswouldbe
thefirstthingI’dbuytogowiththisotherwiseexcellent
exampleof a durablebackpack that’ll serve outdoorsy
ALL PRICES ARE APPROXIMATE STREET PRICEStypes extremely well.
A distinctivefeatureofthebagis itsbrightorangestrapsatthefront
thatcomprisea Nifco-typereleasebuckleandDuraflexhooks.These
supporttheattachmentofheavyequipmentandwillmostoftenbe
usedbyphotographerstocarrya tripod,butthey’realsostrongenough
tocarrya snowboard,withtheNifcoreleasebucklesatthesideofthe
backpackofferingadditionalsupportforcarryingskis.Thismakesit a
superboptionforwintersportsphotographers.Theorangestrapscan
beremoved,althoughthey’rerathergoodtokeeponastheDuraflex
hooks in their fixed position prevent full access to the front pocket.BUCKLES AND HOOKSLowepro Whistler350 BP AW IIMichaelTophamtests an ultra-resistantoutdoorbackpack● £269● http://www.lowepro.co.ukACCESSORIES TestbenchGOLDAtaglance●Airlinecarry-onfriendly
●Laptopcompartment
●AllWeather cover
●2.65kg
●29x24x53cm(external
dimensions)Colour
Thebackpackis finished
in anattractivedarkgrey
withflashesoforangeon
theinsideandaround
theexterior.Waistbelt
Thepaddedwaistbelt,
alongwiththesternum
strap,helpstogivethe
backpackbettersupport
andstability.Camera
compartment
Thespaceallocatedto
carryingcamerakit
measures26x15x39cm.Frontpocket
Thefrontpocketbenefits
froma waterproofliningto
protectanyexpensivekit
fromwet-weathergear.