Lowepro has refreshed one of its most enduring backpack lines, and the Fastpack IV Collection keeps the trick that made the range popular in the first place: side-access to your camera. Swing the bag forward off one shoulder, reach in, and you’re shooting — no need to fully unpack or set the whole thing down on wet ground.
What’s new is a redesigned full back-panel opening, which makes loading and rummaging far easier than digging through the side alone. Inside, a dual-compartment layout separates camera gear from personal items and accessories, so your sandwich isn’t wedged against your sensor. The camera insert can also be reconfigured, effectively turning any Fastpack IV into a conventional daypack for commuting or non-photo travel. Lockable zips and dedicated organization pockets round out the practical touches.
“Today’s creators expect one bag to do more than ever before,” says Nick Tsang, Product Marketing Director at Lowepro. “It needs to protect camera gear, organize daily essentials, and move easily between travel, work, and shooting.”
The collection comes in three sizes:
- Fastpack BP 150 AW IV — the smallest and lightest, with 16 liters of capacity. It holds a mirrorless body plus three fairly standard lenses and a 14-inch laptop.
- Fastpack BP 250 AW IV — a 22-liter mid-size option aimed at daily travel, adding room for a fourth lens and stepping up to a 16-inch laptop sleeve.
- Fastpack BP 450 AW IV — the largest at 28 liters, fitting yet another lens and also carrying a 16-inch notebook.
Lowepro’s own product shots show the bags swallowing pro glass like a 24-70mm f/2.8 and a 70-200mm f/2.8 alongside some primes. With a bit of rearranging it looks feasible to fit a larger telephoto, though your mileage will vary depending on how you divide the modular compartments.
The design leans on Lowepro’s half-century of building carrying solutions, with updated materials and improved durability over the previous Fastpack generation. The pitch is the classic one-bag-does-it-all argument, but the retained side-access system is what keeps this line genuinely useful for photographers who shoot on the move rather than just haul gear from point A to point B.
Pricing is refreshingly restrained. The BP 150 AW IV starts at $139.95, the BP 250 AW IV sits at $169.95, and the flagship BP 450 AW IV tops the range at $189.95. All three ship in black only — no color options here, which suits the low-key, don’t-look-like-a-camera-bag aesthetic just fine.
