Lowepro Powder Backpack 500 AW Review
By Dave Roberts 
on January 29, 2023
Posted in Outdoor Gear Reviews, Packsphotography
Lowepro Powder Backpack 500 AW Review
Dave Roberts reviews the Lowepro Powder Backpack
We’ve all been there. We try to squeeze extra photo kit into our packs, usually to no avail. More so once we factor some protection for the kit such as lens and camera cases. Usually something has to give, and for safety reasons that compromise is often on what camera kit we can carry with us. That’s especially true in winter, when all that winter kit and insulated layers means you’re lucky if you can fit a DSLR into the pack, let alone a couple of extra lenses. We’ve tried a homebrew camera bag, which works for shorter walks but ultimately falls short as either the camera kit covers the walking kit or vice versa, so you end up emptying the pack and refilling in an endless cycle to get to the kit you need. You’re still left with a compromise regarding the space as well, so this method only worked for us on quick moving mountain walks of a few hours or so.
For serious photography, you need to look at using a dedicated pack. Most of those available at the lower price bracket are largely unfit for the photographer who does serious walking as they are basically a simple camera bag in rucksack form. They’ll do if you’re walking from the car a few 100m, or around a tourist spot, but not if you’re actually entering the wilds.For that, you’ll need something that combines the best of a camera bag and a hillwalking pack as well as providing enough capacity that you’re not compromising on either..
This is where packs such as Lowepro Powder fit in.This is a 55 litre capacity pack designed for backcountry photographers with the capacity split roughly 50/50 between the camera compartment and the rest of the kit. That’s a healthy 25 litres each, and around the capacity of a usual summer pack. Which according to the pack description is enough to carry a pro-level DLSR along with 2-4 lenses as well as accessories.
We reviewed the Lowepro Powder in Midnight Blue/Horizon Blue, with the pack also being available in a more Mud and Routes friendly grey/orange colourway. The pack weighs in at 2.4kg, which might be on the heavy side for a walking pack (we like things light!) but not once you consider the extra protection this pack has to include for the camera section. We also found it comfortable enough in use – though as always that’s something that will differ from person to person.
A 55L versatile solution for backcountry photographers looking for extreme lightness, performance and capacity
Fits Standard DSLR and Pro Mirrorless cameras and lenses
Secure, body-side access
50% of interior dedicated to non-camera storage
Ski/snowboard carry system
Dedicated slat pocket holds up to 15-inch laptop
The Lowepro Powder is split into two main sections. The upper section of the pack is for walking kit and easily swallows the kit you’d need for the most challenging day out in the hills. The camera compartment can be found on the back of the pack and holds what a regular camera rucksack would do. It’s padded and waterproof, with an external zip on a padded flap protecting the actual padded camera compartment. We did find that the inner zip was rather fiddly to use, and does have a bit of a knack to closing it properly.
The internal campera compartment of the Lowepro Powder can be reconfigured to fit whatever kit you’ve got. We could easily fit two full size bodies in here, a Canon EOS 6D with 24-105mm lens and an analogue EOS 5 with a pancake lens, as well as a selection of lenses that’s more than enough for us and room to spare. If you need more space, you could also stash extra kit in the pack. There are small Velcro pockets which are handy for securely stashing spare batteries, memory cards, film and any other small items you’d need. The internal section is also removable for those days where you may need to carry extra walking equipment, which makes the Lowepro Powder much more versatile for all-round use.
We also used it to carry a wide range of analogue cameras from large medium format Fuji 6×9 rangefinders, Zenza Bronica ETRSi as well as a usual 35mm camera with spare lenses and a fistful of film. It coped admirably and I seriously wouldn’t want any more space as I’d shove an extra vintage camera in there!
You can only access the camera compartment from the body side – which is a mixed blessing. Side access is handy for when you can ask a walking companion to fetch the camera for you without needing to remove the pack, but having the back-only access makes the pack more secure for your expensive photography gear.
On the outside of the pack you’ll find plenty of attachment points, including one for winter sports kit (skis up to 120mm wide, ice axe, probes) as well as walking poles and a dedicated tripod attachment.
One feature that we were ecstatic to find was that our sizeable Pixel 6 phone would fit in the waist pockets as they are often too small. Even with all that kit in the bag, I often find myself using the camera on my Pixel 6 more than my regular camera, especially on tougher terrain when the DSLR can get in the way.
There are a number of pockets on the front/back of the Lowepro Powder thatgive you lenty of options here for stashing smaller items of kit as well as a hydration compatible side-pocket. There’s also a dedicated section for a laptop up to 15” though we managed to refrain from taking one on the mountain this time.
The one thing we didn’t like was trying to close the zip on the inner compatment. Either my hands are too large, or there’s a knack to it that I’m yet to master!
We found that the Lowepro Powder is slightly on the large side for summer walking, especially if you’re a minimalistic walker like me who carries the bare minimum. It’s still perfectly useable half empty, though it won’t always cinch down tightly and tidily. It is the ideal size for winter walking and photography. However, if you’re out all day with more time taken on the photography than walking, you may need extra kit such as extra layers while waiting for that perfect wildlife shot or for the light to fall just right. Likewise for stargazing and night photography that bonus space is a gamechanger. You could easily squeeze a camping chair such as a Helinox in there, as well as some warm layers and other essential supplies.
We reckon you could even use the pack for a short wild camping trip, if you’ve got lightweight and non- bulky kit. We didn’t get a chance to try this out with the aftershocks of the pandemic making it harder to get out there, but there’s plenty of space in there to carry enough lightweight kit for a night out, especially if you have some spare capacity in the photography compartment.
Ok, what did it cost? In terms of walking packs, at £425 this is an expensive bit of kit. However, camera bags tend to be more expensive anyway, and in that light the price doesn’t seem unreasonable. Keeping in mind that this pack is aimed at the keen amateur photographer through to professional shooters, £425 is a small price to pay to protect equipment that’s worth thousands of pounds. We also found it was often cheaper than this, even on Lowepro’s own side, so it pays to shop around
Summary
This is a well designed, sturdy pack for the photographer who needs to be kitted out in all conditions. While it may be slightly larger than we’d need in summer, it makes up for that as a versatile pack that’s capacious enough for all seasons. In an ideal world, we’d invest in a smaller pack just for the summer months and problem solved.
Despite the hefty price tag, this is likely to be the one of the photographer’s least expensive bits of kit and worth every penny to protect that investment.
Dave Roberts
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