When the package from Lowepro arrived at my home, I was surprised by the size of the rolled-up backpack. It crumples down to about the size of an extra-large burrito or rolled up bath towel. At just over 400 grams, the Lowepro RunAbout BP 18L won’t weigh you down when you’re on a hike. And for those who are conscious of how earth-friendly a company is, this bag is made of 84% recycled fabric. It’s made to easily hold the Lowepro GearUp series of camera inserts. But how good is it for those who don’t own any of these?

Table of Contents

Too Long, Didn’t Read

Pros and Cons

Pros

Cons

Innovations

Gear Used

Tech Specs

Ergonomics

Build Quality

Ease Of Use

Conclusions

Likes

Dislikes

Too Long, Didn’t Read

It’s ultra-lightweight for a backpack, and it can be easily rolled up and tucked into any storage area without much hassle. Without a padded camera insert, especially one from the Lowepro GearUp series, you can’t simply toss your camera gear inside and expect it to feel comfortable on your back. Best to throw in some thick articles of clothing which can transform into the inner lining of the backpack (as it lacks any padding inside). It’s got a decent number of outside and inside pockets, but what disappointed me were the shoulder straps. I loaded the Lowepro RunAbout BP 18L with only 6kg of gear and clothing in total. The straps were painfully cutting into my shoulders about halfway through a 5km hike.

This one seems more suited for quicker hikes with lighter gear. If you tend to carry a lot of gear on your hikes, I would recommend the Lowepro PhotoSport BP AW III.

This one seems more suited for quicker hikes with lighter gear. If you tend to carry a lot more gear on your hikes, I would recommend the Lowepro PhotoSport BP AW III.

Pros and Cons

Pros

I like that bright orange colour

Extremely compact when rolled up

Weighs only 400 grams

Made of 84% recycled fabric

Comes with attachment points for hiking poles

Pockets on both sides for tripods, water bottles or other similarly sized accessories

Top drawstring as well as back zippered access to gear

Good for quick, short distance hikes without much load inside

Good for quick, short distance hikes without much gear inside

Cons

I thought the shoulder straps would eventually feel comfortable, but no luck after three hours of hiking

Even a minimal lining of padding inside might have tempted me to pack a camera without any other protection

Even a minimal lining of padding inside might have tempted me to put in a camera without anything else

I don’t think I’d put expensive cameras in here without a proper camera insert due to the lack of any inner padding

Innovations

Photography bags and backpacks often tend to use recycled materials inside them, but I’ve never heard of one being made with about 84% of recycled material. Top marks to Lowepro for doing this.

Gear Used

I tested the Lowepro RunAbout BP 18L using the below gear (weighing around 6kg in total).

I tested out the Lowepro RunAbout BP 18L using the below gear (weighing around 6kg in total).

Sony A7 III

Sony FE 24-70mm F2.8 GM lens

Dji Mavic Pro 2 FlyMore kit

North Face padded winter jacket

Wacaco Nanopresso Portable Espresso Maker

Coffee capsules

Huawei P40 Pro mobile phone

T-shirt

Wooden coffee cup

Two aluminium water bottles

Travel pillow

Filters for lens and drone

Tech Specs

As seen on the webpage for the Lowepro RunAbout BP 18L

Weight0.4 kgInternal Dimensions24 x 16 x 48 cmExternal Dimensions25 x 17 x 50 cmTotal Volume18 LMain ColorOrangeExterior Material70D triple ripstop nylon (recycled)

Ergonomics

I often carry around a lot more weight on my shoulders with regular backpacks, and while I wasn’t expecting the same comfort level with the Lowepro RunAbout BP 18L, I didn’t think the straps would be weighing down this much. Despite tightening the straps to perch the backpack higher up on our model’s shoulders, they still kept weighing down heavily on him. Croydon is someone who hikes often, works out regularly and plays football eve...