A Daypack for Walkers and Photographers

Most camera packs are designed more for photographic gear than outdoor gear. Often, there’s little room for the latter, which isn’t much use for all but short walks in fine weather. Walkers who are keen photographers generally use standard daypacks not camera ones. This Lowepro pack with a long name – I’ll just call it the Photo Sport – is different. It’s a roomy daypack with a padded insert for camera gear and serves both purposes well.

The Photo Sport is well-designed. The back system is made for heavier loads than most daypacks so it can handle weighty camera gear. It has a framesheet with moulded foam panels on the outside, a wide padded hipbelt, and padded shoulder straps. Space for storing and organising gear is good. There’s a big stretch pocket on the front, a lid pocket, zipped hipbelt pockets, a zipped hydration sleeve accessible from outside the pack, and a stretch mesh side pocket on one side. On the other side is zipped access to the padded camera insert. Other features are side compression straps, trekking pole loops, and a rain cover in the base.

The external zip gives easy access to the insert without having to open the rest of the pack. It has a movable divider inside so you can adjust if for different cameras and lenses. The insert measures 22 x 12 x 19cm and easily holds my small APS-C mirrorless camera with attached lens plus two other lenses. If the insert isn’t full it can be cinched down around the contents with a compression strap attached to a cord system. This works well at stopping your camera gear moving around. There is space for walking gear around the insert.

In use the Photo Sport is comfortable and stable. At 1.2kg it’s not that light but if you’re carrying much photographic gear I think it’s a good choice. I’ve used it to carry a second camera and a few extra lenses  and it’s certainly good to have easy access to these and to know they are well-protected rather than stuffed into the pack in a random selection of bags and pouches. If it’s not big enough for all your gear there is a roomier version called the BP 300.

£160