Lowepro Fastpack Pro BP 250 AW III Review

The Lowepro Fastpack Pro BP 250 AW III is a relatively budget-friendly camera backpack with extra space for your daily carry or travel items. That said, just because extra gear fits doesn’t mean it works well. Let’s dive in and find out how it performs!

External Components

The pack is divided into an upper and lower half. The top portion is crafted from 300D ripstop with a polyurethane coating on the inside, which is weather resistant but not as waterproof as the bottom, which has a PU coating on the exterior for added durability and weather protection. The lower portion feels much more durable, though both sides feel up to the task.

The pack comes with an All Weather Cover, which is waterproof and works well if you’re out in the elements and don’t have anywhere to hide. Don’t forget to bring a rain jacket or a travel umbrella for yourself, too!

The zippers on the pack are mixed: some are YKK, and some are from a brand we don’t recognize. Sometimes, we see this when a brand wants to use cheaper zippers on the interior; however, some of these mystery zippers are on the outside, which feels like a miss. Still, we haven’t had any issues with the openings so far!

The buckles and hardware are from Duraflex, one of the best brands in the business. The buckles are flat, which looks sleek, and they’re still easy to open, even with gloves on in the winter.

The camera compartment (the lower half of the bag) has a buckle over it, which acts as a stopper so the compartment can’t fly open as quickly. You can also stick the strap through the zipper pull, making it harder for unfriendly hands to grab your camera gear.

The straps on the bottom of the bag can also hold a tripod, though the water bottle pocket is the best place to stow a full-size tripod on this pack. As a hydration pocket, you can fit larger bottles; however, taller models may tumble out if there isn’t a way to secure the top portion with the attachment loop. You can also fit most full-size travel tripods here, which is handy. The attachment loop has a locking mechanism, so the strap won’t loosen, no matter how heavy the tripod or water bottle pulls on it. Overall, we dig this inclusion, though you can’t stow water and a tripod simultaneously, which is a bummer for travelers who like to hike with a camera backpack.

There are handles on the top and bottom of the pack, which are handy for grabbing the pack quickly on the plane or while hiking on the trail. The top handle has some padding for comfort, and the bottom is more of a strap, as it lacks padding or aeration. Still, both are handy.

There’s a luggage pass-through on the back, which is also handy when using rolling luggage. It keeps your backpack vertical, which makes grabbing gear easier.

Fit Notes

The back panel is fairly well padded, though it isn’t the thickest or densest we’ve tested. It has aeration, which keeps things cooler on a hot day, though it will still get warm when the temperature rises.

The shoulder straps are pretty well-padded and have aeration, too. Their curvature conforms well to most body types, but your mileage may vary. There’s an attachment loop on each side, which is handy for attaching sunglasses.

The sternum strap is on a rail and is removable; however, with how heavy this pack can get with camera gear inside, we recommend keeping it on.

The hip belt has nice padding and aeration, making it a comfortable addition when engaged. Like the sternum strap, it adds comfort when the pack is heavy and shifts some weight off your shoulders, which is helpful if you bring a lot of camera gear.

The hip belt isn’t removable; however, you can stow it behind the back panel, which is nice. It does create a small bump on the lower end of the back panel; however, we still find the carry comfortable when stowed away.

Inside The Pack

This pack has two secondary pockets, a laptop slider, and two primary compartments.

The top, front secondary compartment is a small, flat one that works well to stow your wallet, phone, or similar device. Items with too much depth don’t do well here, so don’t try shoving your over-ear headphones in this pocket.

Above that, there’s another secondary compartment with more organization. The back wall has two pockets, one crafted from soft material to protect a phone or sunglasses, which is a solid inclusion. This compartment is more significant, but there still isn’t much depth. It shares capacity with the pocket we just mentioned and the primary non-camera gear compartment, too, so we wouldn’t recommend trying to stow large gear here. Your phone, wallet, tablet, and a few tech items will do well.

The main gear compartment is accessible from the top of the pack. There isn’t much organization here, which we dig, as there’s more room for gear. If you want to keep things organized, we recommend packing cubes and a tech pouch. That said, we appreciate the versatility offered by the compartment, as you can fit a second camera body here or clothing for a weekend trip that’s centered around photography. There isn’t as much padding in this compartment, so keep that in mind if your camera gear overflows here from the lower portion.

There’s a large pocket on the front side with a key leash, which is a good place to stow your keys while traveling or hiking and can also be used to hold the All Weather Cover when you aren’t using it. Knowing exactly where this is can be a lifesaver if you get caught in a torrential downpour. A large zippered pocket on the backside is handy for locking gear down in this larger compartment. This is a solid place to stow a passport or travel documents. The rest of the space is wide open to fit larger gear, packing cubes, a tech and toiletry pouch, or extra camera gear. If you’re a light packer, you could fit 2-3 days of clothing here, a toiletry pouch, and a tech case.

The laptop compartment is suspended an inch off the ground, ensuring your laptop stays safe when you set it down in the city or on the trail. It’s well padded, though it isn’t the most dense padding we’ve seen. Still, our computer felt safe in testing. We dig that it has a dedicated pocket, though we wish that pocket had a PU-coated zipper for extra protection from the elements.

The camera compartment has two zippers, so you can leave them wherever you want when wearing the pack. You can also open just the side portion for quick access to your camera when a shot presents itself.

The compartment has good dividers; they’re well padded, dense, and don’t move when you don’t want them to. The hook-and-loop fasteners are secure, but not so much so that it’s challenging to move them when you’re trying to rearrange things. There’s a trap door divider that you can pivot for easier access to gear, and the rest are standard.

You can fit a DSLR or mirrorless camera here, even with a portrait grip and a lot of accessories. The internal dimensions of the compartment are roughly 11.5 by 10 by 5.5 inches or 29.21 by 25.4 by 13.97 centimeters. You should be able to fit most kits here, bar those that include multiple long or telephoto lenses. In testing, we had a Fuji X-T3 with 18-50mm, 55-200mm, 300mm, and fisheye lenses inside with a little room to spare. The dividers will also work for other gear, like a folding drone or action camera gear, like a GoPro, though they work better with standard camera equipment.

The padding on the lower section is top-notch, and we felt that our camera gear was always safe when testing this bag. Whether on the trail or exploring the city, your gear will be in good hands, and your body will be comfortable.

Overall, we dig this pack for its versatility. The non-camera portion isn’t huge, though it may work for some ultralight packers and weekend trips that don’t require large clothing items. It works well for road trips and as a carry on bag if you’re bringing rolling luggage, too.