It’s always a thrill to reconnect with old friends — especially when it’s so much fun to follow them on their travels and projects.

We recently reconnected with Dan and Janine Patitucci. Specializing in mountain sport and travel photography, their clients include high profile companies like The North Face, Patagonia and GORE-TEX®. What’s more, they are amazing mountain sport athletes as well as great photographers.

With the Dolomites as their background playground, Dan and Janine don’t have to look far for adventure. But for the next 6-7 weeks, they will be on a whirlwind tour for clients, photographing mountain biking in Tuscany, ice climbing in Norway, ski mountaineering in Chamonix (France), climbing above the Mediterranean in Sicily and alpine climbing in the Dolomintes and Swiss Alps.

If anyone can put our gear to the test, Dan can. He’ll be taking his Toploader Pro 70 AW along. This is the bag we challenged him to try after he posted on his blog that he had stopped using camera bags altogether. Take a look at what he recently wrote about his new Toploader.

Over the next several weeks, we’ll be following Dan and Janine as they post updates on Facebook and send us pictures from their travels. Stay tuned — it’s bound to be exciting!

Sam is the PR and Photographer Relations Manager for Lowepro’s Worldwide Marketing team.

I got this from Pete Hill, our VP of Design. It’s a great story about the Versapack 200 AW. My hat’s off to Luis — not sure I could make it for 2 full weeks in just this backpack, but then I’ve always been challenged by travelling light!

As a Lowepro Designer, Luis is always willing to walk the talk with products. When he designed the VersaPack he had in mind a product that would travel well under a wide range of demands. 

For a two-week trip that included a visit to Photokina in Cologne, Germany, market visits in Milan, Italy and a fast weekend in the mountains, Luis packed the Versapack – as in just the Versapack. He carried a 13” Macbook Pro, a Canon G-10 with charger, a small Wacom tablet plus business and outdoor clothing for 2 weeks. His concession came when he had to tie his climbing helmet and harness on the outside of the bag.

While it may seem extreme to pull off a two-week trip in a small daypack, I think it speaks to the challenges everyone faces when they travel internationally with cameras. How do you pack all the equipment you need into the shrinking requirements of international carry-on regulations.  Scrutinizing every piece of equipment and every article of clothing and being a creative problem solver in the field can make it work.

So, how do you pack your Versapack? We’d love to know…..

Sam Marsh is the PR and Photographer Relations Manager for Lowepro’s Worldwide Marketing team.

We hear a lot of interesting stories from the folks who use our bags. But this has got to be one of the best! Submitted by Sean Scanlon, a travel and landscape photographer based in Southern California, the story unfolds in Yosemite National Park where Sean and his CompuTrekker Plus AW had a close encounter with one of the Park’s residents.

Here, in his own words, is Sean’s story…..

I was shooting up on Washburn Point along Glacier Point Road overlooking Half Dome and the Mist Trail—right inside Yosemite National Park. As usual, I was waiting for the sun, but this morning, not much was going on. My camera was set up on its tripod. My Lowepro backpack was on the ground. And I was ready for something exciting to happen. And it did!

Two bear cubs appeared on the staircase above and started to walk towards me. I know that bear cubs usually mean a mother bear is nearby, so I grabbed my camera from the tripod, left the bag and moved a safe distance away. Moments later the mother bear arrived and sniffed my Lowepro backpack. Next, she pulled at the pack and tore it open. What was interesting at first became potentially troubling; I had three valuable lenses, 10 memory cards, several high-end filters and my travel journal inside that pack.

So I raised my arms and yelled at the mother bear. I hoped that would scare her off. It worked. She scampered over the wall and down the hill, but dragged my Lowepro backpack with her. I kept yelling—louder. I practically begged her to stop. She continued to tear at the pack with her claws and teeth. I saw stuffing fly out. I felt pretty devastated. Eventually, she stopped—it seemed she couldn’t completely break through it. She abandoned the pack, but her cubs gave it a quick shake and then lost interest and followed their mom.

I hopped the fence and walked down the hill to find my beaten and battered backpack. Some stuffing was on the ground. The front pocket was ripped and the zipper broken. Teeth and claw marks adorned the front and back…but amazingly, my equipment was safe and sound.

I feel very comfortable saying that I’ll always use a Lowepro bag for my valuable camera gear. After a harrowing morning at Washburn Point, the score was: Lowepro 1, Bears 0.

Check out our web site for more Unbelievable Stories. And if you have an interesting story of your own about your life with Lowepro, we’d love to hear from you!

The Lowepro Passport Sling

From the beginning, Lowepro’s Passport Sling has drawn the interest of female photographers in our community. But how would people feel once they had a chance to actually use the bag? I decided to find out by putting a Passport Sling in the hands of Natalie Andes. She’s an enthusiast photographer residing in Broken Arrow, OK, USA. I connected with Natalie via our Facebook Fan Page.

Natalie spent weeks with the Passport Sling, then sent me this review. I’m posting it in its entirety, without editing so you can get the best feel possible for this innovative bag.

The Passport Sling: One Photographer’s Review

by Natalie Andes

A bag is a personal thing. Finding the right one is trial and error. Just take a look into a girl’s closet and you’re bound to find several empty (or mostly empty) purses, totes, messengers, etc. For me, I’m on a quest for the perfect bag for my camera.

I got a Lowepro Passport Sling a few months back and have been spending my time testing it as I gear-up for vacation — the true camera bag test.

Once I got the Sling in my hot little hands, I started trying to place my gear in it: a Canon 40D, an 18-55mm lens and a 70-300mm lens.

I was warned beforehand that all of my equipment wouldn’t fit in the camera “box,” but I’m always up for a challenge. It was suggested that I leave the “box” out of the bag and just put my equipment in that way. That idea was quickly ruled out because the bag, in and of itself, doesn’t provide the protection the box does. Plus, if I’m going to carry around thousands of dollars in camera equipment, it’s going to be protected… period.

The “box” is quite sturdy, but not big. I’m able to carry my camera body with the 18-55mm lens attached in the box. The 70-300mm lens has to stay outside the box. For every day use, the 70-300mm stays home. It’s a sacrifice and I’m happy to make.

A look inside Natalie's Passport Sling. Photo by Natalie Andes.

The bag has several inside pockets for carrying cell phones and the like. I’ve found that it’s also perfect for carrying my little point and click. The camera is protected, and I have easy access on the fly.

The outside pockets are ideal for the little things — ponytail holders, hand sanitizer, etc.

There’s a large outside pocket that, according to the pictures on Lowepro’s site, is designed for a water bottle. I have to take issue with the design here. First, it’s a solid pocket — not mesh or expandable, thus limiting the size of the water bottle I can carry. Second, it butts up to the camera “box.” This means that as water bottles sweat, that condensation can get into the bag in an area closest to the “box.” I dislike this feature greatly.

The bag is expandable. It’s a nice feature if you’re taking it on errands and you just want to shove your stuff into the bag. On the whole, I found the expandable part made the bag cavernous. Not a feature for me, but it could be quite appealing for those who love the trash-bag-sized purses of the moment.

Overall, I like the bag. It’s comfortable to carry. Access to the camera is quick and easy. For travel, I plan to break it down and carry it in my Lowepro backpack. When it’s time to hit the trail, I’ll pack my Passport Sling and head out.

Derrick Story is the Photography Evangelist for Lowepro.