[Wired]

I love my Lowepro Transit 350 AW, I'm going to say that right off the bat. It's a terrific backpack and just shy of perfect...just shy of it.

Lets start off with this bag all closed up. It's a pretty nice looking bag, not the usual black, but a slate grey color. It's nothing really special to look at, but its of standard Lowepro quality. The straps all feel pretty well stitched and it feels made to last. There is an additional strap that goes across the chest that you can raise or lower for comfort. In fact, it is a very comfortable bag.

I originally bought it for use while I'm cycling on the river valley trails, and a lot of that had to do with the comfort. It's also lighter. I have a similar bag made by Tamarc, and really it's almost a carbon copy, but a lot heavier and the straps are not as supportive. There was also a difference in features. The Lowepro bag has a tripod holder on it. A huge plus. The downsides? The Tamarac bag has more little pockets..they are everywhere. A water bottle holder on the main flap, memory card slots on the camera side access, additional storage on the inner side of the main flap, and the laptop compartment will actually fit my Dell XPS 15z.



Of course, as time went on I started using it more and more than my Think Tank Stealth Reporter v2.0 60....why? Access. The Think Tank bag is still an amazing bag and I do love it, but only if I need one or two lenses. If I need to be prepared for almost anything, I'm taking the Transit 350. Why? Just look at the below image!!



Lets do an inventory starting with the top pocket and moving through the bag.

top pocket
Pentax K3 w/FA 77mm F1.8 Limited mounted
Rode Videomic Pro
Nikon SB700 flash
Hana hoteshoe adapter
Elinchrom Skyport Speed Transmiter
Elinchrom Skyport Unviersal Receiver
Tripod tool kit
Nikon 50mm f1.8G
hoods for the 50mm and Tokina 16-35

main pocket:
Nikon D800 w/80-200mm f2.8 D ED mounted
Nikon 24-70mm f2.8 G w/hood reversed
Pentax DA*50-135mm f2.8
Pentax FA 43mm f1.9 Limited
Pentax FA 31mm f1.8 Limited (under the 43)
Tokina 16-35mm f4 ATX PRO
Nikon 135mm f2.0 DC

Main flap inner zipper:
2 spare D800 batteries
2 spare K3 batteries

Main flap outter zipper:
extra memory card holder (4 32gb CF, 4 32gb SD)
32gb usb stick

laptop pocket:
Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 w/usb cable

side mount:
Benro Travel Angel II w/plate and flash/umbrella holder

D800 is loaded with 32gb CF and 32gb SD
K3 is loaded with 32gb SD and 32gb Eyefi X2 Pro

That is an incredible amount of gear... thats around 7.5 Kilograms of gear not including the tripod (about another 1.6 kilos.... so around 9 kilograms of weight.

I've carried this kit for shorter distances (under a km walk) and surprisingly without a lot of pain. The way the weight is distributed once you have the bag setup right its actually quite comfortable and can be for a long time. But 9 kilograms is a lot of weight on your back, and it's not recommended to load any bag this heavy not only for your health but as to not break the bag. **I have emailed Lowepro asking what the carrying limit of this bag is**

So there you have it, one killer bag!

What would I change?

I would add a cellphone holder to one of the front straps, the other strap I would throw a flip down memory card/battery holster like that on the Blackrapid Cargo sling strap. I would love to have another slip pocket on the back and the side of the bag to put a small notebook and pen. I also wish the opening for the laptop was slightly bigger so that those of us with non-Mac's can fit our 15" laptops in.

That being said, for $99... can you really beat this bag?

[Ole]

Thanks for the review. Does the bag have access from the side (it looks like it) and is that a feature you value?

[shreddo]

Thanks for your review, it is super helpful. I was wondering if my much chunkier XPS 15 will fit in? Can you help? Thank you