Lowepro, a company that designs backpacks and carrying bags especially for recreation and the outdoors, has just announced the latest addition to its DroneGuard collection, the 450 AW.
Lowepro’s bags and backpacks have a reputation for quality, utility, and durability. Based on our experience, the 450 AW, is in line with that.
The DroneGuard 450 AW is an industrial strength backpack designed to carry your DJI Phantom or 3DR Solo comfortably and safely for miles in any outdoor environment. It will accommodate your quadcopter and everything needed to fly and maintain it . . and more.
This backpack was not designed for walks in the park. It was designed for hikes in the mountains — in any kind of weather. While lacking a hard shell, the 450 AW has what Lowepro calls “a FormShell™ armoured construction.” Regardless of what you call it, it provides a firm, protective, water resistant structure. The interior can be configured and customized to meet your needs. A set of padded inserts with velcro edges can be moved or removed as you see fit. It has two dedicated compartments large enough for a controller, tools etc. There is a separate zippered sleeve for your tablet and straps for eight propellers. In addition there is an inside pocket for your tablet and the lid on the top of the case can be unzipped to hold sunglasses, a wallet, and other items.
The 450 AW comes with its own poncho tucked into a pocket underneath the case that can cover it and protect it from the elements, hence, the AW, short for all weather.
The pack has a lot of pluses, but chief among them is the ease of wearing it while fully loaded. We tested it on a five-mile hike in the foothills of the San Gabriel mountains in California. Its fully adjustable padded shoulder straps and belt provided comfort and support. Lowepro describes all of this as the ActivZone™ harness. It works. It is comfortable and designed to keep you cool. We could have easily gone another 10 miles with no discomfort.
The only issue we experienced was a slight slipping of the left shoulder strap which required tightening. We also would prefer a bit more substantial handle at the top of the bag. But all in all, this is a sturdy well-designed backpack for the drone enthusiast who wants to venture out into the wild or field professional whose job requires hiking out into far flung locations.
The Lowepro DroneGuard Backpack 450 AW retails for $249.99. You can find it on the DroneGuard web site. You can but if from Amazon at 25% off here.
Frank Schroth is editor in chief of DroneLife, the authoritative source for news and analysis on the drone industry: it’s people, products, trends, and events.
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