A variation on the company's side-opening, single-strap Slingshot models, the Lowepro Fastpack series integrates the clever top-and-side camera compartment approach with a more traditional backpack design. Middle of the line, the Fastpack 250 offers an attractive, relatively comfortable option for a weekend traveler who likes to wander armed with a midrange-to-large camera body, several lenses and accessories, and a Photoshop-worthy laptop.
I and the 250 ventured out with a Nikon D3 plus the AF-S Nikkor 14-24mm f/2.8G ED lens, the AF-S Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8G ED lens, and the SB-800 AF Speedlight. It was a tight squeeze because of the exceptionally wide (physically) 14-24mm lens.
The top compartment is large enough to hold a hardcover book, sunglasses in a case, and other miscellany. There are a couple spaces to slide in pens, a mesh pocket that can handle a largish MP3 player, a small pocket sized for a typical cell phone, and another flap pocket that I use for holding business and credit cards. A few free-floating pouches or dividers and a way to Velcro them in place would be useful to keep random items organized, though. On the front is a free-form zippered compartment.
