It seems like no matter how many camera bags you have, you never have too many. I have quite a collection, ranging from some rather large ones that I use for travel (Thinktank Airport Acceleration) or for serious photography on the trail (“Lowepro Rover Plus AW”) to smaller bags like the “Lowepro Slingshot 200 AW” and one of the Lowepro Topload Zoom bags. Each of these has a relatively specific role in my photography.
Even with all these bags there has been one sort of situation for which I’m ill-equipped: carrying minimal gear on walking/hiking trips, perhaps just the camera/lens or perhaps with the addition of one extra lens, water, and a few small non-photography essentials. I’ve used non-photography lumbar packs and small backpacks, but they don’t really work the way I like for photography.
I recently had a chance to use the Lowepro Inverse 200 AW bag, and it seems like it may fill this gap for me.
The basic idea of this bag is that it takes a small to moderate size camera bag and turns it into a “fanny pack” design. The size is such that I can carry my Canon 5D with the EF 24-105mm f/4 L IS attached and my EF 17-40mm f/4 L in the bag in case I need it. There is still enough room in the main compartment to add a few small items – batteries, filter, extra memory cards – and a small “back” pocket holds more small items including things like my wallet, phone, iPod, and so forth. There are two additional mesh compartment on either end that can hold water bottles. A space between the back pocket and the main bag is expandable and should hold additional gear or perhaps a windbreaker, and a pair of straps on the bottom should hold a small tripod or monopod (though I have not tried this yet).
The bag incorporates fairly thing but dense padding all around the main compartment and includes the usual internal dividers that can be customized to your gear. (Fortunately, bag manufacturers seem to include more dividers than I need, so I have a pretty good collection of extra pieces in a desk drawer. When I get a new bag like this one I simply pull out all the dividers, drag out my “back stock” of older dividers, and customize.) The whole top section opens by way of two zippers which normally would be set up with one on each side. If you do it this way, you can actually open the top sections without manually sliding the zippers by means of lifting a small bit of webbing at the opening end of the top flap. In addition, and as is the case with all of the Lowepro “AW” (all-weather) bags, a pocket on the back holds a waterproof cover that quickly deploys in case of rain. (It won’t make the bag “waterproof,” but it certainly provides significant protection in light rain and so forth.)
Being a “fanny pack” type of bag, the Inverse obviously has a hip belt system, in this case an integrated system with comfortable padding and side straps that adjust to pull the load forward. It also has a good shoulder strap system that attaches to the top of the bag. The combination makes for some interesting carrying options. When I’m on the trail I like to carry the weight on the hip belt, but I also sling the shoulder strap bandolier style across my neck and shoulders. Not only does this stabilize the load just a bit, but it makes getting into the bag on the trail very quick and easy – I simply unbuckle the hip belt and swing the pack around in front of me when it hangs by the shoulder strap and I can easily access the camera and other bag contents. For urban street photography I found myself using the pack as a true “fanny pack” when going from place to place, but then switching and using the shoulder strap in traditional camera bag style (slung over one shoulder) while actually shooting.
For street photography use, it is perhaps an advantage that this pack does not scream “PHOTOGRAPHER!” Most people will just think it looks like a normal fanny pack since its design isn’t significantly different from non-photo packs that you might find at a REI store. And the double-zipper top pocket lets you get your camera out of and back into the bag quickly and inconspicuously.
No bag is perfect, and I have a few minor quibbles with some elements of this pack’s design. The buckle that holds the rear pocket section in place must be detached to get at the rear pocket zipper slider. (Though this might be a Good Thing in urban shooting…) With a full load the back may sag backwards a bit even with the adjustment straps tightened. But these are quite minor details and don’t affect the overall effectiveness of the bag.
Bottom line: The Lowepro Inverse 200 AW is a great bag for fast and light trail hiking and for urban/street photography. It can carry a typical DSLR with one zoom lens attached and one additional zoom lens in the bag, and it will hold other non-photographic stuff including water bottles as well. The hipbelt/shoulder strap system is very flexible and adapts to a wide variety of shooting situations.
G Dan Mitchell Photography
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