Lowerpro Protactic 250

[stephengv]

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Has anyone tried the Lowepro Protactic 250 with Leica Gear? Particularly Leica Lenses? 

[Luke_Miller]

I have not, but in general find backpack cases very inconvenient to work from.  Great for getting your gear to the shooting location, but once you get there you have to take the backpack off to access the gear.  And where do you put it while off if the location is wet or muddy? 

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[stephengv]

I have not, but in general find backpack cases very inconvenient to work from.  Great for getting your gear to the shooting location, but once you get there you have to take the backpack off to access the gear.  And where do you put it while off if the location is wet or muddy? 

 

 

It would be the first time I'll use a backpack. I plan to use it on Landscape work.  I think a backpack can store all the gear and its more comfortable than a shoulder bag when doing landscape and with heavy gear. 

Edited August 25, 2017 by stephengv

[Guest )-(]

I've got an old Lowepro Flipside backpack that's similar (but only half the volume is dedicated rear access like the OP one.)

 

I use it for Hasselblad stuff, purely for landscape activity with a tripod and for that end, it's very good.

You can set the bag down on its front, pull out what you need and use it like a mini 'desk' when you need to faff around with filters, cables, film etc.

I also use 'Occy straps' and caribiners to attach my car keys, Lee filter pouch, tripod etc. to the bag as and when needed.

 

I don't use it for Leica equipment, but only because I I treat that as a handheld system.

 

I can hang the bag from my tripod central hook if necessary but then I prefer my landscapes dry and warm, not wet and muddy

It looks fine for your intended purpose and would keep everything tucked up safe inside whilst you're on manouevres.

 

My only tip is to always zip the bag back up when not in use, very easy to pick the bag up when it's not zipped up tight...

It also might be a bit big unless you're intending to bring a fair few lenses/bodies etc...

 

The backpack factor is good comfort if you're doing a lot of walking with a reasonable amount of stuff, worth the hassle for that.

[stephengv]

I've got an old Lowepro Flipside backpack that's similar (but only half the volume is dedicated rear access like the OP one.)

 

I use it for Hasselblad stuff, purely for landscape activity with a tripod and for that end, it's very good.

You can set the bag down on its front, pull out what you need and use it like a mini 'desk' when you need to faff around with filters, cables, film etc.

I also use 'Occy straps' and caribiners to attach my car keys, Lee filter pouch, tripod etc. to the bag as and when needed.

 

I don't use it for Leica equipment, but only because I I treat that as a handheld system.

 

I can hang the bag from my tripod central hook if necessary but then I prefer my landscapes dry and warm, not wet and muddy

It looks fine for your intended purpose and would keep everything tucked up safe inside whilst you're on manouevres.

 

My only tip is to always zip the bag back up when not in use, very easy to pick the bag up when it's not zipped up tight...

It also might be a bit big unless you're intending to bring a fair few lenses/bodies etc...

 

The backpack factor is good comfort if you're doing a lot of walking with a reasonable amount of stuff, worth the hassle for that.

 

 

Thank you for your insight. 

[eujin]

I've got the larger ProTactic 450, which I used on a trip to Iceland last year. Back then, the only choices were the 450 and 350; the 250 came out later. I went with the 450 because I needed to carry my 15" MacBook Pro. That said, the three bags share the same basic design principles, so I think some of my experience with the ProTactic might be useful to you.

 

Accessibility, flexibility, and ruggedness are the three best things about the ProTactic line. In terms of access, you get top, side, and rear entry to the interior of the bag. VERY few backpacks on the market offer this level of access. The top compartment features a hard top shell, which is nice if you want to keep a camera up there. The side access is available on both sides of the bag, so it's equally friendly to righties and lefties. The rear access runs the full length of the bag, so configuring the interior compartment with dividers is very easy.

 

In terms of flexibility, the interior space can be divided such that the top portion can be used for other items. The bags come with a full-width divider that allows you to create a "floor" for such a purpose. You can size this top section to your liking, with the limitation that its maximum size is dictated by the side openings of the bag. The rear flap that covers the back of the bag also offers a slot for a laptop or tablet. For my 450, I can carry a 15"; the 350 is sized for a 13" and the 250 is supposed to carry an 11" laptop or similarly sized tablet. You can unzip just the top part of the rear flap to access this tablet/laptop sleeve; very handy if going through airport security. I used to own the Flipside 450 for many years and the main drawback with that line is the lack of laptop storage. There are various other small pockets built into the rear flap that can be used to store memory cards, filters, cable releases, and sundry small items. My 450 also comes with a removable waist belt but I'm not sure if the 250 does (it's too small a bag to justify having one, really).

 

The overall construction of these bags is very rugged. You can see that in the aesthetic design of the line and the materials used certainly bear this out. Ballistic nylon or cordura is used throughout. Straps are very well made and extremely comfortable. Speaking of straps, many other bags simply pad the straps like crazy to make them feel comfortable. These straps actually seem very well designed to spread the load; the bag fully loaded feels lighter on your back than in the hand. There's a built-in rain cover that's stored in a hidden pocket on the bottom panel of the bag.

 

Overall, I think this is a great bag line. The few drawbacks I see are mostly related to the size of my 450, which is not going to be a problem for you with the 250. I believe that the 250 should also come with some of the exterior carrying pouches that the 450 and 350 come with. Mine came with a tripod carrying support and an accessory pouch or two. These are easily attached to the Molle-style webbing that covers the bag's exterior. Speaking of exterior storage, that's one of the few areas that this bag doesn't deliver because...well, there is no exterior storage (unless you attach a pouch). I would've liked a small pocket or two for small items like keys, flashlight, spare battery, etc. Lowepro also promised more exterior storage attachments but I don't think these have materialized. I also haven't figured out a way to buy an extra pouch or two. Other small niggles? The bag doesn't stand on its own very well, mostly due to the fact that the bottom isn't ever going to be perfectly flat (because of rain cover storage). Like many other LowePro bags, the rain cover is permanently attached. This means you're never without it, which is great. But it also means it's a pain to dry off if you actually have to deploy it! The rain cover is attached with a thin piece of fabric, so it can be easily snipped. I might do that with mine at some point.

 

My 450 is not a walk-about bag unless you're walking about in nature. Your 250 should be fine walking around anywhere. Hope this helps!

[stephengv]

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I've got the larger ProTactic 450, which I used on a trip to Iceland last year. Back then, the only choices were the 450 and 350; the 250 came out later. I went with the 450 because I needed to carry my 15" MacBook Pro. That said, the three bags share the same basic design principles, so I think some of my experience with the ProTactic might be useful to you.

 

Accessibility, flexibility, and ruggedness are the three best things about the ProTactic line. In terms of access, you get top, side, and rear entry to the interior of the bag. VERY few backpacks on the market offer this level of access. The top compartment features a hard top shell, which is nice if you want to keep a camera up there. The side access is available on both sides of the bag, so it's equally friendly to righties and lefties. The rear access runs the full length of the bag, so configuring the interior compartment with dividers is very easy.

 

In terms of flexibility, the interior space can be divided such that the top portion can be used for other items. The bags come with a full-width divider that allows you to create a "floor" for such a purpose. You can size this top section to your liking, with the limitation that its maximum size is dictated by the side openings of the bag. The rear flap that covers the back of the bag also offers a slot for a laptop or tablet. For my 450, I can carry a 15"; the 350 is sized for a 13" and the 250 is supposed to carry an 11" laptop or similarly sized tablet. You can unzip just the top part of the rear flap to access this tablet/laptop sleeve; very handy if going through airport security. I used to own the Flipside 450 for many years and the main drawback with that line is the lack of laptop storage. There are various other small pockets built into the rear flap that can be used to store memory cards, filters, cable releases, and sundry small items. My 450 also comes with a removable waist belt but I'm not sure if the 250 does (it's too small a bag to justify having one, really).

 

The overall construction of these bags is very rugged. You can see that in the aesthetic design of the line and the materials used certainly bear this out. Ballistic nylon or cordura is used throughout. Straps are very well made and extremely comfortable. Speaking of straps, many other bags simply pad the straps like crazy to make them feel comfortable. These straps actually seem very well designed to spread the load; the bag fully loaded feels lighter on your back than in the hand. There's a built-in rain cover that's stored in a hidden pocket on the bottom panel of the bag.

 

Overall, I think this is a great bag line. The few drawbacks I see are mostly related to the size of my 450, which is not going to be a problem for you with the 250. I believe that the 250 should also come with some of the exterior carrying pouches that the 450 and 350 come with. Mine came with a tripod carrying support and an accessory pouch or two. These are easily attached to the Molle-style webbing that covers the bag's exterior. Speaking of exterior storage, that's one of the few areas that this bag doesn't deliver because...well, there is no exterior storage (unless you attach a pouch). I would've liked a small pocket or two for small items like keys, flashlight, spare battery, etc. Lowepro also promised more exterior storage attachments but I don't think these have materialized. I also haven't figured out a way to buy an extra pouch or two. Other small niggles? The bag doesn't stand on its own very well, mostly due to the fact that the bottom isn't ever going to be perfectly flat (because of rain cover storage). Like many other LowePro bags, the rain cover is permanently attached. This means you're never without it, which is great. But it also means it's a pain to dry off if you actually have to deploy it! The rain cover is attached with a thin piece of fabric, so it can be easily snipped. I might do that with mine at some point.

 

My 450 is not a walk-about bag unless you're walking about in nature. Your 250 should be fine walking around anywhere. Hope this helps!

 

 

I've got the larger ProTactic 450, which I used on a trip to Iceland last year. Back then, the only choices were the 450 and 350; the 250 came out later. I went with the 450 because I needed to carry my 15" MacBook Pro. That said, the three bags share the same basic design principles, so I think some of my experience with the ProTactic might be useful to you.

 

Accessibility, flexibility, and ruggedness are the three best things about the ProTactic line. In terms of access, you get top, side, and rear entry to the interior of the bag. VERY few backpacks on the market offer this level of access. The top compartment features a hard top shell, which is nice if you want to keep a camera up there. The side access is available on both sides of the bag, so it's equally friendly to righties and lefties. The rear access runs the full length of the bag, so configuring the interior compartment with dividers is very easy.

 

In terms of flexibility, the interior space can be divided such that the top portion can be used for other items. The bags come with a full-width divider that allows you to create a "floor" for such a purpose. You can size this top section to your liking, with the limitation that its maximum size is dictated by the side openings of the bag. The rear flap that covers the back of the bag also offers a slot for a laptop or tablet. For my 450, I can carry a 15"; the 350 is sized for a 13" and the 250 is supposed to carry an 11" laptop or similarly sized tablet. You can unzip just the top part of the rear flap to access this tablet/laptop sleeve; very handy if going through airport security. I used to own the Flipside 450 for many years and the main drawback with that line is the lack of laptop storage. There are various other small pockets built into the rear flap that can be used to store memory cards, filters, cable releases, and sundry small items. My 450 also comes with a removable waist belt but I'm not sure if the 250 does (it's too small a bag to justify having one, really).

 

The overall construction of these bags is very rugged. You can see that in the aesthetic design of the line and the materials used certainly bear this out. Ballistic nylon or cordura is used throughout. Straps are very well made and extremely comfortable. Speaking of straps, many other bags simply pad the straps like crazy to make them feel comfortable. These straps actually seem very well designed to spread the load; the bag fully loaded feels lighter on your back than in the hand. There's a built-in rain cover that's stored in a hidden pocket on the bottom panel of the bag.

 

Overall, I think this is a great bag line. The few drawbacks I see are mostly related to the size of my 450, which is not going to be a problem for you with the 250. I believe that the 250 should also come with some of the exterior carrying pouches that the 450 and 350 come with. Mine came with a tripod carrying support and an accessory pouch or two. These are easily attached to the Molle-style webbing that covers the bag's exterior. Speaking of exterior storage, that's one of the few areas that this bag doesn't deliver because...well, there is no exterior storage (unless you attach a pouch). I would've liked a small pocket or two for small items like keys, flashlight, spare battery, etc. Lowepro also promised more exterior storage attachments but I don't think these have materialized. I also haven't figured out a way to buy an extra pouch or two. Other small niggles? The bag doesn't stand on its own very well, mostly due to the fact that the bottom isn't ever going to be perfectly flat (because of rain cover storage). Like many other LowePro bags, the rain cover is permanently attached. This means you're never without it, which is great. But it also means it's a pain to dry off if you actually have to deploy it! The rain cover is attached with a thin piece of fabric, so it can be easily snipped. I might do that with mine at some point.

 

My 450 is not a walk-about bag unless you're walking about in nature. Your 250 should be fine walking around anywhere. Hope this helps!

 

Wow thank you for the very detailed review. Very much appreciated. 

[marcg]

I had never used a camera backpack before but I decided to try one out.

 

I bought a Lowepro Hatchback – 22 – very cheaply on eBay. It was in pretty decent used condition. I didn't want to shell out any more money on an experiment. It cost about 20 quid.

 

It turned out that the backpack was fine although not at all waterproof but it came with a built in rain cover. I really didn't need any more space for daily walking along Hadrian's Wall over a period of about seven days.

 

For quick access I supplemented the backpack with a hip pack which contained a second camera and a couple of lenses. This worked very well and in fact I ended up wearing the hip pack on my back underneath the backpack but swivelling it round to my front any time I needed to take something out of it.

 

An unforeseen spin-off benefit of using the hip pack in that way was that it helped to lift the backpack higher up my back and that made it even more comfortable to carry.

 

I have a feeling that a company called Mindshift do something which has a bottom compartment to the backpack and which can rotate round to the front. However, I'm sure that it is a load more money than what I paid for on eBay for my backpack and for the hip pack.

 

The whole thing was so successful that I am going to start looking around to see if I can find a slightly more suitable backpack although the Hatchback was pretty good.

Edited September 6, 2017 by marcg