Review of the Lowepro Freeline BP 350 AW Backpack

Lowepro’s answer to the Peak Design Everyday Backpack

Positive

Weather-resistant material.
Abrasion-resistant material
Lightweight material.
Weather-resistant YKK zippers.
Low-profile design.
Removable camera compartment.
All-weather Rain Cover
Comfortable shoulder straps.
Comfortable padding (ActivZone) on the back.
Dual side access to camera compartment This can also be seen as a negative in some circumstances. See ‘Negative’
Two side expandable bottle pouches which both can take a one-litre Camelbak Chute.
New buckle system made of anodised aluminium. Which allows for complete strap removal.
The straps on the front of the pack can be moved to secure items on the side of the pack.
Internal compartments have a very strong hoop and loop system (Velcro).
Bottom of the pack has two foam strips which can stop water entering pack when placed on the ground.
The side straps can be used to secure pockets against theft.
It looks very nice, in my opinion.

Negative

Front straps are difficult to remove.
Zip-pulls need to be made bigger and glove-friendly. Currently, only three of the zip-pulls are looped. Every zip-pull needs to be looped.
Only two horizontal dividers are supplied. Four are needed in my opinion.
Outside material marks easily. But this does not mean the pack has been compromised in any way. It’s a cosmetic as the material is tough.
Although dual side access can be seen as positive. It also adds another point of failure, and the potential to lose equipment.

Lowepro or Peak Design

It was a toss-up between the Peak Design Everyday Backpack and the Lowepro Freeline. The Freeline won because I believe it is less likely to let in water.

I’m am a sixty-one-year-old landscape photographer. So why did I need a pack which has been aimed at the urban photographer considerably younger than me?

Firstly it was the low profile design and the muted presence.

Then it was the weather-resistant material and YKK weather-proof zippers

My Lowepro Whistler 350 was too large and too conspicuous. I rarely need to carry a tripod so the Whistler was getting used less and less. The Whistler is a much tougher, more comfortable beast for those who mainly move in the mountains, which I don’t.

I live on the coast and 700 foot above sea-level is the highest I normally go. So, I have no problems using this as a day landscape photography pack.

I will let my photographs tell the rest of the story. But before I go, there’s one major thing I should point out. Dual side access to the camera compartment led to my lenses falling out of the pack.