Pro Moviemaker July/August 2024 - Web

MINI TESTS

It only takes a few minutes checking out the Lowepro Pro Trekker BP 650 AW II and you will soon discover that this is a bag made by a company with a long history of high-end backpacks used to carry a wildlife shooter’s hefty set-up in the great outdoors. Lowepro’s designers have thought of everything in making this large, clever bag. No corners have been cut, as you might expect in a bag that costs £399/$550. Of course, that’s small change in comparison to the value of kit a bag like this can safely hold. It’s built so it can accommodate a camera with a huge 800mm lens, an extra camera body and three to four additional optics. We put in a Sony 300mm f/2.8, Sony A1 with battery grip and 70-200mm f/2.8 lens, a couple of fast f/2.8 zooms, mics and wireless gubbins, plus a 16in laptop – and it swallowed them with room to spare. It’s truly vast, and the padded dividers can be altered to suit just about any combination you might have. From cine cameras to drones and more, it’s a backpack for long days outdoors hauling loads of kit. Potential thieves can’t just unzip the bag while you are wearing it; access is via the rear panel that sits next to your back, so you have to take the bag off to get full access. Fill the thing to capacity and it is seriously heavy. Lowepro has thought of that, though, so the company has provided a specific lifting handle, a padded and removable waist belt offering two different carrying styles, a revamped harness system and lots of adjustability to make sure it sits just right on pretty much everyone. That’s if your back is up to it, of course. LOWEPRO PRO TREKKER BP 650 AW II £399/$550 lowepro.com

GET LOWE This Lowepro bag can store a mountain of kit and has all the accessories you could need

The interior has two long dividers, five short dividers and a further two with stretchy straps for accessories and cables. Both sides have plenty of compartments, straps and webbing for carrying extras. A top pouch takes even more kit, or you can remove this and use it as a sling bag. And a special section fits a bladder-style hydration system with a channel to feed through the drinking tube – or for old-school bottle users, there’s a side zip pocket. The rucksack comes with a decent rain cover in case there’s a deluge of biblical proportions, but the pack also has a fully coated waterproof exterior fabric with sealed zips for weather resistance in showers. If the bag isn’t quite heavy enough, there are straps to attach a tripod or slider to the side or rear. For a total workout, you could even fit both at the same time. Even when loaded with a great quantity of gear, the Lowepro Pro Trekker BP 650 AW II is surprisingly comfortable to wear and adjustable

SPECIFICATIONS

Type: Backpack Size: 43 litres

Exterior: 500D recycled polyester, 840D recycled polyester, 79% recycled 420D nylon 6.6 Robic ripstop with TPU Interior: Cushioned foam with removable dividers Exterior dimensions (wxhxd): 62x34x31cm/24.4x13.4x12.2in Interior dimensions (wxhxd): 54x32x18cm/21.3x12.6x7.1in Weight: 3.65kg/8.04lb for pretty much everyone. If you want the best bag out there for long hikes with plentiful kit, this is it. PRO MOVIEMAKER RATING: 9/10 The king of burly outdoor backpacks Pros: Fits everything you’d want Cons: Very heavy when full

BIG GULP The cavernous interior is able to swallow up lots of big kit

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