Lowepro Fastpack 350

I went to buy a Lowepro Fastpack 350 last night. I bought this one instead of a CompuTrekker for it has another compartment for other stuff. It also features a mesh pocket for water bottle.

Today, I tried to fit things in, and here's a shot:

On the left hand side, you can see the Borg 45ED II with the JMI NGF-S. The lens cell as well as the extension tube are removed to make it short enough for this slot. Under the Borg, there's a Canon 200mm f2.8L. They are separated by those customizable padding.

In the middle, you can see my Canon 450D with the kit lens attached. It can be removed from the bag without fully remove the whole bag from my back, and this is what Fastpack mean. Separated by the padding, we have a pair of Canon 10x30 IS binoculars.

On the right hand side starting from the top compartment, we have a Borg 45ED II lens cell, as well as the extension tube. Finally, the lower compartment on the right, we have a Kenko Teleplus 2x and a Canon 50mm f1.8 II.

This is about what I will take for the solar eclipse trip. On the top compartment, I can put the solar filters, and other small accessories. Bringing the Coronado Solarmax is no problem as well, but I would rather leave it at home this time.

I would reserve the top compartment for my personal stuff for this trip, like a light jacket, mp3 player, mobile phone, etc.

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The top compartment of this bag is fairly big. I can put the whole Takahashi TG-SP II inside without problem, including the battery pack, the counter weight, the hand controller, the V-bracket. And there's still plenty of room for other stuff!!!

I can also put my Gitzo G106 tripod inside without problem, but of course, it couldn't stay inside with the TG-SP II at the same time.

The notebook compartment is definitely great for computer. And maybe one or two star atlases.

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Overall, this bag is not too big. Maybe I've used to take a 55l comping backpack. This one is definitely rather compact and very nicely designed. And better yet, it's easy to wear. Even when filled with many stuff, I know that I can still run with it.

Since this bag does not come with a rain cover, I took out my old rain cover for another backpack which I have, and it fits very nicely. So, it's not an issue for me.

I'm very pleased with the purchase. And I'm sure it will be good for daily hiking trip, even to work or to school.