How much gear can you fit in a Lowepro Pro Roller x300 AW? We asked Jacob Cunningham, Senior Live Action Director for lynda.com to put this voluminous bag to the test for a series of location shoots that he was in charge of over a two week period.
Packing the Bag
“This particular arrangement was to designed for both shooting stills as well as video, so there was a little bit of everything in there,” Jacob wrote.
“When we take it out on shoots where we only have video needs, we’ll be able to fit another complete C-300 system in the bag in place of the two 5D bodies.”
- C-300 Body
- C-300 Monitor
- C-300 Handle Grip
- 6 C-300 batteries
- Original 5D mounted with a Canon 70-200mm f/2.8 and Battery Grip
- 5D Mark II body
- 416 Sennheiser Shotgun Mic with hard shell foam case
- 2 reference shotgun mics for the C-300s
- Wireless Lectrosonic Lav Kit (transmitter and receiver)
- Wireless Sennheiser Lav Kit (transmitter and receiver)
- Two additional tram mic kits
- One Pair of headphones
- 580EX II Pocket Strobe
- Canon 50mm f/1.2
- Canon 16-35mm f/2.8
- Canon 17-55mm f/2.8
- Canon 24-105mm f/4
- Zeiss 85mm f/1.4
- Zeiss 28mm f/2
In the Removable Zipper Pouches that come included, we have:
- Several 5D batteries
- Several Mark II batteries
- Some AA’s
- ome Card Cases
In the inner-flap zipper sleeves we have:
- A slew AA and 9V batts
- Lens Caps
- Body Caps
- Lens adapters
- Tripod plates
- Lens cleaning cloth
- An array of SD and CF cards
In the outer zipper pocket:
- Regular pens and pencils
- A couple of intervelometers
- Still More AA’s
- Dry Erase markers
- A small powder and anti-shine kit
In the outer sleeve we have:
- Our slate
- Camera Reports
- Model Releases
- Property Releases
- Production Notes/Shoot Files
- Three tone gray card
And I think that’s it….phew!!
Thoughts on Design and Usability
“After getting to know it for about the last week and half or so,” Jacob continues, “I can honestly say that I haven’t a single bone to pick with Lowepro on their design of the Pro Roller x300 AW.”
“Considering the fact that it’s really not a huge bag, the amount of gear that we’re able to fit into it is actually pretty incredible. We were able to take all of the contents from one regular size shooter’s backpack, one oversized shooter’s backpack, and an additional over the shoulder camera bag and fit it all into the x300.”
“Not only did we condense our footprint considerably, but we were able to save our backs in the process! From someone who’s living out of camera bags both in my professional and personal life, I can say without hesitation that amidst the myriad of options available, the x300 is my bag of choice.”
Favorite Features
- First and foremost, the depth of the bag. I can’t believe how much space it has given it’s size.
- The option to convert to from roller to backpack. My needs change mid-shoot all the time, I need a bag that’s as versatile as I need to be in order to get the job done. The built in raincoat fits into that category as well.
- Another thing that’s certainly new to me is the design of the sectional dividers. They’ve designed them so that the Velcro flaps lay flat until you’re ready to affix them. This makes reorganizing the bag to fit the needs of each new shoot easier than ever. This is a big one for me.
- The TSA locking zipper is huge, We definitely don’t have any other bags with this feature.
- The two removable zipper pouches. We use these kinds of pouches all the time. Love it that Lowepro ships the x300 with these included!
- And finally, just the overall quality. It really feels like Lowepro pulled out all the stops in the design of this bag, from the wheels and handle to the materials and zippers, it’s a bag designed with a professionals workflow in mind.
“It truly is an incredible bag.”
