PMA 2008: LowePro Flipside & Fastpack Backpacks

Lowepro always busts out some stylish backpacks at PMA and this year compact and convenient were the operative words in Vegas. In their slim and urban Flipside line, we like the 300 ($57), a slender, lightweight backpack with enough room for a professional digital SLR body and 80-200mm f/2.8 lens attached plus up to four additional lenses or flash units. One of these packs would be great for knocking around the city for a day of street shooting. Plus, the price is hard to beat.

For safety nuts, the backpack has back panel access to your gear, a set-up we’re not always crazy about because it makes it hard to quickly grab the lens you want. However, on a demo of the Flipside we saw at the show, it seems you can use the waist belt to secure the pack and then simply turn it around over your shoulder to give you fast access to the back panel. It’s something we suggest you try out before buying though.

On the other hand, the Fastpack is a more traditional camera backpack
with ample room for all your tech gear. The Fastpack 350 ($99) has a
triple compartment design with space for a digital SLR, a bunch of
lenses or flashes, and a 17-inch laptop computer. There’s also a bunch
of extra pouches for a light meters, an iPod and other camera
accessories.

A 180-degree access panel on the bag makes it easy
to grab a lens or flash quickly without taking the backpack off your
shoulder. A side-entry compartment gives you another way to get to
your equipment. Like we said, at it was all about convenience and slim
style for Lowepro at PMA this year

For more info, check out their website: www.lowepro.com.