Lowepro Fastpack 350 vs. Lowepro Slingshot 300 AWI own the Lowepro Slingshot 300 All Weather bag and was pleased overall with its construction and ample space for 2 cameras, 2 lenses, a flash and more. My only beef was that the single strap design on that model was uncomfortable with light clothing. I didn't need a bag with space for a laptop at the time so I didn't even consider the Fastpack even though the two shoulder straps looked more comfortable for me.
When I bought a laptop I purchased the Fastpack 350. While the two strap design is more comfortable for me personally, the bag has other problems and in some cases is the lesser bag compared to the Slingshot.
Pros (mostly in comparison to the Slingshot)
1. Space for laptop
2. At least double the amount of available open space in the top compartment for misc. items such as food, supplies etc. This also leads to a con, however. See below.
3. More comfortable straps
Neutral
1. Same side access design that allows the user to quickly pull out the camera and still keep the bag strapped to your body. A little more complicated process than the Slingshot, but that's just due to the 2 straps vs. the single on the Slingshot.
2. Definitely not for shorter users. This bag is quite long, definitely longer than the Slingshot
Cons
1. Wasted space/not as much room for camera equipment. This seems like a paradox which is what makes it so annoying. This is a much bigger bag than the Slingshot, but there's less space for camera equipment! The extra space is not given to the laptop slot, however. It's given to the top general use compartment. I was still able to fit my 2 bodies (Nikon D90 and D40x), 2 lenses and flashes, but it was much tighter and definitely not as user friendly. The available camera space is also less flexible than what you get in the Slingshot.
2. Extra compartments not nearly as elegant as the Slingshots. The space for memory cards is the most obvious. In the Slingshot this compartment is secure and ample enough to hold several cards. In the Fastpack it's smaller and more flimsy. Again, seems odd given that the Fastpack is the far bigger bag.
3. Lack of all weather cover. I'm not sure why this isn't just a standard feature on bags in this price range. Still, you can fix this by buying a cover separately.
Due to the limitations of this bag I'm not sure I'm going to use it as much as I had hoped. It'll be my general lugging around bag when I'm probably least likely to use my cameras for shooting, but want them on hand just in case while I'm using my laptop. In terms of adaptability/flexibility the Slingshot is the better bag. I kind of wished I'd looked around more at camera bags that have space for laptops. This one just has too much wasted space for my needs and too many flaws compared to my only one complaint about the Slingshot (uncomfortable strap).
If you only have a single body with multiple lenses and need a bag that holds both a laptop and provides extra space for other items (the top compartment) the Fastpack might be a great choice.
Update: I flew in a Bombardier CRJ-200 and indeed the backpack was too thick and I had to take out my laptop to be able to stuff it into the overhead bin. I also flew in an Embraer 145 and the backback just barely fit with my laptop inside.
Buy Lowepro Fastpack 350-Arctic Blue Now
I wanted a camera pack that could hold a DSLR with a 300mm lens and a battery grip mounted on it, plus three or four other smaller lenses and the usual accessories such as filters, extra batteries, charger, etc. So I knew it had to be large pack (I have outgrown the much smaller LowePro Pro-Runner 200AW I have been using for the last several years). I also looked at the Kata 3N1-33, and eventually decided on the Lowepro as the Kata had some reviews that said the straps chafed peoples necks, and it was too easy for gear to fall out of the bottom if the zipper was not fully secured.What I like most about the Lowepro Fastpack 350:
1. The straps are well designed and comfortable, and have enough adjustability to fit almost anyone from 100 to 300 pounds. The two sides of the sternum strap are actually mounted on sliders which allow about 6" of vertical adjustment in the strap (very nice!)
2. The interior partitions in the main compartment are fully configurable, and very stiff, so they should support even heavy cameras like the Canon EOS-1D, with "L" series lenses mounted to it.
3. The pack sits comfortably on my back, and in "sling" position it is still relatively comfortable. However, I agree with other reviewers that this pack is too large and bulky to be practical as a full-time sling pack when fully loaded. The straps are optimized for wearing the pack on your back, they are not optimal for sling position. The Fastpack 350 can be used in sling position in a pinch, but loaded with 20 or 30 pounds of gear, most users would probably find it difficult to move back and forth from back-mount to sling position. And this pack will usually be pretty heavily loaded with lots of gear, which is why you bought such a large pack in the first place, right?.
4. Computer compartment. The manufacturer claims that this pack can hold "most" 17" laptops. I have a 17" Dell Vostro, which is the laptop I usually take on longer trips if I will be shooting video as it has two hard drive bays. This Vostro is a monster of a laptop, weighing in at almost 13 pounds, with exterior dimensions of 15.5" x 11.5" x 1.8" (394mm x 292mm x 45mm). I can just get the computer through the loading slot of the Fastpack 350 if the zipper was any shorter, it wouldn't go. You have to load a large laptop through the zipper at an angle, then swing it down into position in the compartment, squeezing the corner of the laptop past the zipper. Once past the zipper and fully inside the compartment, my Vostro actually fits with plenty of extra space, an inch extra in width, and 2" extra in height. I also have a slightly smaller Compac Pressario laptop, 15" x 10" x 1.8" (381mm x 254mm x 45mm) which slips into the compartment straight with no need to twist or tilt it to finagle it past the zipper. Those reviewers who criticized this pack by saying it could only hold a 10" netbook must be talking about some other pack, as mine can swallow my 17" Dell Vostro with room to spare. The limiting factor is the length of the zipper, not the size of the compartment. The laptop compartment is adequately padded, so your laptop should be protected against at least minor bumps. When wearing the pack with the laptop in it, I could not feel the corners of the computer digging in to my back so it's still a comfortable pack to wear even with a laptop in it. Just remember that this is a camera pack, so if you do bring a laptop also, there isn't a whole lot of extra room for laptop accessories like the power brick, mouse, or external hard drives. With an average size 15" laptop, you can get the computer, and it's power brick and a mouse into the laptop compartment; with a 17" laptop, you would probably have to pack the power brick and mouse somewhere else.
5. Carrying strap. The top carrying handle is mounted the "right" way, side to side, for comfortable carrying. On the Kata 3N1-33 pack, the handle strap is sewn on front-to-back, which many reviewers said was very uncomfortable. This was one of the reasons I decided against the Kata.
6. Top compartment. The top of the Fastpack 350 consists of a large empty space, rather cavernous actually, with a few pouches for small accessories like lens brush, pens and pencils, and USB cable. The floor of this compartment measures 11" x 7" (280 mm x 180 mm), it is 7.5" (190 mm) tall, and it tapers gradually to 8" x 2" (200 mm x 50 mm) at the top. Total volume is around 349 in³ (5719 cm³) If you will be carrying items like spare batteries, chargers, cables, lens cleaning kit, small tools, etc. in the top compartment, I recommend you shop around for a small toolbox or tackle box that would fit in this space, something with adjustable dividers, to hold these accessories. Otherwise, if you fill this compartment loosely with small items, you will have a tough time finding anything and preventing it all from spilling out every time you open the zipper. If you travel by airline, keep in mind that airport security protocols pick occasional random carry-on bags for full search, and it will be a lot easier for you if your small items are packaged in a container instead of jumbled loose in that big top compartment.
7. Other features: There are two pockets inside of the camera compartment flap, sized specifically for flash cards. They seem rather small, like SD cards would fit but maybe not Compact Flash cards? I wish there were more than two of these pockets. I will probably end up making some additional pockets myself and sewing them on. There are a couple of zippered compartments for storage of small, thin items like documents or a rain cover for the pack (you would have to make or buy this your self, the pack doesn't come with one). On one side, there is a mesh pouch, supposedly for a water bottle. but it is not very deep or secure. If you tipped the pack sideways, for example to put it in sling position, a water bottle in that pouch would be almost certain to fall out.
8. There is a flap of material with two quick release buckles that partially covers the camera compartment door. It has no apparent purpose other than to prevent you opening the camera compartment door so much that gear falls out when the pack is in sling position.
I won't go so far as to say there are aspects to the Fastpack 350 that I actively dislike, but there are a few areas with room for improvement:
1. No built-in provisions for carrying a tripod. My old Lowepro ProRunner 200 daypack has straps sewn onto the bottom for slinging a small tripod. You will have to figure out something for yourself. There are some videos on You-Tube that show a couple of different solutions to the tripod-carrying issue that other owners of the FastPack 350 have devised.
2. The zippers are light duty, rather undersized for a pack that could be carrying heavy, expensive gear, especially the zipper on the main camera compartment flap. In my opinion, a pack that could be carrying several thousands of dollars worth of camera and lenses should have heavier-duty zippers. Other than the zippers, the build quality of the pack is okay.
3. The zipper that closes the laptop compartment is BARELY long enough to squeeze a 17" laptop through it. If this zipper was even 1" longer, it would make it a lot easier to carry a large laptop with this pack. Smaller laptops, like the typical 14" or 15" models have no problem.
4. I wish there were more pockets and pouches for small items. My ProRunner 200 daypack has at least twice as many small pouches despite the fact that it is half the size of the FastPack 350. In particular, there needs to be one or two pouches sized large enough to carry extras of the typically sized lithium battery packs that most DSLR's use, and the charger for the batteries. NONE of the pouches or pockets that come with this pack are deep enough to carry battery packs or chargers. Of course you can always carry these in a small tackle box, which is what I use. The Plano company makes at least a dozen different tackle boxes, with either fixed or adjustable dividers, that are small enough to fit in the top compartment of the FastPack 350. Look in particular at the "2-3600 PROLATCH(tm) STOWAWAY", the "3500-22 DOUBLE SIDED UTILITY BOX", and the "3455-00 ADJUSTABLE STOWAWAY". The "2-3650-02 STOWAWAY" is 7.5" x 11", and fitS the top compartment of the FastPack 350 either flat on the bottom or standing on edge. WalMart sells these for around $5.00; I bought two but will probably only need one. It accomodates the charger for my Canon 60D, a USB cable, some small tools (tweezers, pocket screwdrivers), two or three spare camera batteries, 5 SD flash cards, and a cleaning kit, and there is room for several more small items. It is sold as a fishing tackle box, but with the adjustable dividers it comes with, you could use it for almost any storage of small items; it works very nicely as an organizer for my FastPack 350. I don't work for Plano, BTW, I am just making a suggestion for a type of small organizer box that could help you utilize the top of your camera pack more efficiently.
5. There are no "D" rings on the outside of the pack; if there were, it would be easier to fashion some kind of rig to carry a tripod. Of course, you can buy 1/2" webbing and "D" rings at any fabric store and sew them on to the pack yourself, it would just be nice if the pack came with four to six "D" rings placed around the perimeter in back.
SUMMARY: The FastPack 350 is a large capacity camera backpack for photographers that need to carry a lot of gear, including a laptop computer. Although it can be used as a sling pack, it is too large to be realistically used this way, especially if fully loaded to it's maximum carrying capacity. Note that it can only be slung to the users' left side, as the main compartment flap is not double-sided. People needing a large capacity pack that can be slung either right or left handed should also look at the Kata 3N1-33 pack.
As a backpack, the FastPack 350 is quite comfortable, and very adjustable, with well-designed, ergonomic straps, including a vertically-adjustable sternum strap and waist strap. It will carry a full-sized DSLR with a battery grip and up to a 300mm lens in the main pouch; there are 4 other padded lens pouches. The top compartment is large enough to carry plenty of accessories like flash guns and spare batteries, although there are fewer pouches and pockets than I would have expected on a pack this large. The top compartment is not padded, so you should not carry lenses or other impact sensitive items up there unless they are in their own padded cases.
The price of this pack on Amazon seems to fluctuate between $108 and $125; I paid $108 for mine. This price seems fair and reasonable for what you get, and the build quality and features are pretty good, so I can recommend this product. Prospective buyers should also consider the Kata 3N1-33. It has about the same carrying capacity as the LowePro FastPack 350, and enough of it's features are different that some users may decide the Kata better suits their needs.
Read Best Reviews of Lowepro Fastpack 350-Arctic Blue Here
Fits my ThinkPad with the extended oversize battery well with room for power adapter in with laptop. Plenty of camera room and the top compartment carries all my tools, cables, cds/dvds, iPod, headphones, etc.. Comfortable even with all the weight from all the gear.Want Lowepro Fastpack 350-Arctic Blue Discount?
The Lowepro Fastpack 350 served excellently on my recent trip to Hawaii. First, it fit under the airline seat with room to spare, so I had access to the travel items I had packed in the upper compartment without having to get up and get the pack from the overhead compartment. That upper compartment was large enough for cell phone, books, pens, keys, large wallet, snacks, kleenex, and even my inflatable neck pillow and fleece pullover. I only used the camera compartment for a Nikon D40 with attached lens, a Sony digital video camera, all batteries and chargers, and had room left over for some small travel items. During the trip, I carried the backpack everywhere and it was never too heavy, but balanced just right whether using both shoulder straps or just one. It stayed in place each time I swung it around to access my cameras and was never in the way as I photographed or videotaped. Yes, the zippers could be more heavy duty, but they served well. The best part was being able to have my cameras with me, as well as all of the important travel items that one has to take along with on a day journey, including water. Prior to purchasing it for my trip, I was hoping that it was not too bulky or that I wouldn't be wishing that I had taken something smaller. It was just right. I would highly recommend this backpack especially if you want the extra room that a regular camera bag will not give you.Save 16% Off
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