Lowepro Whistler BP Backpack for Camera

A bag worth the price. No regrets at all paying for this bag. Highly strongly recommended.

I have owned about a dozen packs and cases over the years, with several made by LowePro. Generally I've found their products better designed than class-comparable items from other makers. In fact, I purchased this Whistler pack to replace a LowePro Flipside 400 AW (Mark I) which was the only LowePro item I was somewhat disappointed with. The Flipside, I feel, was designed to compete with generic packs that folks use to shuffle half a mile from their car on a well-maintained, easy trail. So a comparison between the Flipside (which has similar construction to most run-of-the-mill packs) with this rugged Whistler pack is illustrative. I usually keep most of my main gear in a large photo pack. As I am traveling further afield and in more rugged terrain, I picked up the Flipside originally as a secondary smaller pack. I repacked gear into the Flipside for day outings where I would hike substantial distances or off trail, lightening my load and carrying only what I needed. I liked that the Flipside opened on the front, as my climate can be wet and I need to be able to set the pack down, get gear out, and not wind up putting mud against my shirt afterward. Other than that, I learned that the Flipside had numerous flaws. Lunch and accessories had to go in the main compartment with gear, and I had to take care not to put anything in there that might get my camera wet or gooey. The Flipside does have an accessory area on the back, but it is thin and flat, and it gets crushed every time you set the pack down, making it barely usable. The shoulder straps were insufficiently padded. The chest strap regularly slid off completely and never stayed in place. The waist belt was insubstantial. The mesh on the side was awkward to put tripod legs into, and tore on my first off-trail adventure. The zippers were small and flimsy, and sometimes jammed on things; one zipper pull broke. And the worst was the straps: several broke on my last outing, finally killing the pack for good. The Whistler II, like the Flipside, opens up on the side against your body. Beyond that, the Whistler II looks like it was constructed as an apology for every failing of the Flipside. The Whistler II has an added compartment at the top to place lunch and accessories away from camera gear. Instead of the thin, useless back compartment there are two areas toward the back side: an interior laptop sleeve, and an outer area that is separated from the photo section by a tough waterproof material (hypalon?). The outer area is designed to hold snow shoes and similar gear, and what do you know but I just got snow shoes last winter! The main compartment zipper is the sturdiest I've seen on a photo pack and the area against your back has enhanced breathability. The shoulder straps have substantial padding. The chest strap is engineered to be adjustable on the fly, but it stays in place when you set its height. The waist belt is reasonably padded for a 2/3 curvature roughly. A tripod can be mounted firmly and quickly to the pack's side. The straps are wider and thicker than on the Flipside. Zipper pulls are comfortable to use. I should note that I specifically chose the 350 size for my Whistler II because the interior main photo compartment measurements were almost the same as the Flipside, and I didn't feel I needed more capacity (or else I would simply take the large pack). Though the sizes are numerically almost the same, the padding in the Whistler is much sturdier and stiffer. I had to rearrange gear from my Flipside configuration, and then everything snugly fit with no room to spare. But I am not complaining, because the padding actually looks like it would do a great job protecting everything when I take a spill. [Pro tip: the Whistler I 350 interior is smaller than the Whistler II 350.] My only two quibbles are: First, I'd like the shoulder straps to be adjustable at the top. LowePro calls the shoulder strap styling "aggressive," but I call it "could fit better." One size does not fit all! Second, I would like the padded portion of the waist belt to go further around my waist. I feel someone with an average waist should have 3/4 wrap of the thick part of the belt, and a thin person should be 4/5. The point is to comfortably transfer weight to the waist so it is not carried on the shoulders, and to do this a large flaring waist belt is required for packs weighing over 25 pounds. I haven't used the pack enough to tell whether the zipper pulls might be prone to failure if they catch on branches, but I'm not too worried as they're only fat finger diameter. Time will tell. In short, if you're roughing it but want to baby your gear, buy this or its larger sister. This is the toughest photo pack I've owned, and the most satisfying photo pack I've used. If you cheap out, don't be surprised if your $100 no-name pack craps out in a boulder field and you have to weave a basket of willows to carry your camera gear home. I think my earlier mistake was buying a weekender pack for something it wasn't designed for. Yes, the LowePro Whistler 350 II costs substantially more, but it's the right tool for rugged country.

I only received this sack today but I am really over the moon about it. Yes I know I haven't had the chance to try it out properly yet but I used and owned enough rucksacks in my time to know a good one when I see it. I ummed and ahhed about this bag for a long time, I wanted one I could carry my modest amount of camera equipment into the mountains with but also have enough room to carry the essentials for comfort and safety. There aren't many good bags out there that satisfy those requirements (why???) and those that do either look rubbish or are too small to carry, the extra gear needed and keep your delicate camera gear dry should you put wet clothes in the bag. This bag would appear to tick all my boxes, all my camera stuff fits in with room for some expansion, I suppose that bit goes without saying, it's what Lowepro do. What I am impressed with firstly is the fit and comfort of the bag, it's as good as any specialised mountain sack I've ever used, even loaded up and after a long day in the mountains I think this will still be comfortable. The construction looks very good, the material feels like it will wear very well, more like mountain bags used to be. I've no idea how weatherproof it is yet but the amount of material in between the weather and camera is substantial, the zip of the camera compartment however is exposed, I suppose Lowepro know what their doing there, we'll see. The extra gear storage is well thought out, sealed from the camera section and accessible by a large zip. My first thought was that the space was a bit tight until I found an expandable section that unzips that doubles the available space so there is loads of room for coats, food etc. The straps for extra gear like tripods, skis etc are as expected, they certainly hold everything I need with room for plenty more or bigger. So it's a well made and thought out bag that seems to be ideal for a day (or two) in the mountains that will keep my camera gear safe. It's not too big or bulky, certainly less than I imagined it would be.

I confess I get Gear acquisition syndrome a bit. But if you want that camera backpack solution ticked off your list and the one bag for life chosen and done, then this is it. Solidly made, protective and safe, fits in airline carry on etc etc. very happy with it. Feels good on my bad back, rides well. Rain cover included as well as plenty of straps to attach tripods and the likes. I thought about the 450 but worried it was too big. I’m certainly happy with the 350 and it fits all my gear and then some. I use the Lowepro cubes inside the main compartment for organisational ocd.

Ich habe jetzt einige Rucksäcke probiert und verglichen: Mindshift Backlight 18l,Lowepro portactic 350 AW II und den Lowepro Whistler 350 AW II.Ausrüstung: Sony A7III, Sony GM 16-35, Sony 70-200F4, Sony 24-104 G und Sony 90 mm macro f2,8. Allesamt nicht die kleinsten Objektive. Vorweg: Alle 3 Rucksäcke machen einen tollen, perfekt verarbeiteten Eindruck. Der Protactic hatte bei mir keine Chance denn ihm fehlt es an Tiefe. Hier muss man definitiv alle Objektive legen und das frisst zuviel Platz. Für kleinere Systemkameras ( alpha 6000er Reihe ) sicher ausreichend. Der Mindshift ist klasse, superleicht und trotzdem stabil. Auch bekomme ich die ganze Ausrüstung hinein. Allerdings ist dann kein Platz mehr für Blitz oder Filter. In der Tiefe gehts geradeso, das 24-105 hat 13,5 cm Länge und da spürt man schon eine Druckstelle am Rücken. Der Whistler ist für mich perfekt. Bis auf das Tele kann ich alle Objektive stellen, am Schluß ist auch noch Platz für ein Blitzgerät, Fernauslöser und Filter. Und von aussen kaum grösser als der Mindshift. Er ist etwas schwerer, allerdings hat man auch das Gefühl die Ausrüstung überlebt nen Flugzeugabsturz..... Und selbst vollgeladen lässt er sich toll auf der Hüfte tragen. Erst nach ein paar Tagen habe ich einen versteckten Reisverschluß entdeckt mit dem man das Aussenfach vergrössern kann, für Regenjacke oder ähnlich. Das einzige was ich vermisse ist eine Tasche an der Seite wo ich eine Trinkflasche reinstellen kann. Dort sind nur Gurte. Insgesamt absolute Empfehlung, locker 5 Sterne und auch sein Geld wert. Gruß