I seem to be constantly hunting for the right camera bag and have gone through something like 7 or 8 bags trying to find the one that is right for me. I've tried Rucksacks, Sling style bags & Shoulder bags, huge bags, tiny bags and everything in between but nothing really seemed quite right. Big bags where too heavy for hours of use, small bags didn't hold enough equipment and whilst Rucksacks were great for hiking they were a pain at all other times. So could my new bag, the Lowepro Stealth Reporter D300AW be the perfect bag for me?

In the past I used to have a Lowepro Mini Trekker AW which was undoubtedly a very good rucksack and allowed me to carry tons of gear with me comfortably and also allowed me to strap my tripod on to it as well. The trouble is that I really hate carrying heavy bags on my back because they just make me too hot and as I suffer from a bad back they invariably make me walk slightly bent over after a couple of hours of walking which just aggravates my back. I also used to own the Lowepro Slingshot 100AW and 200AW. The Slingshot 100AW was great in that it was incredibly light and very comfortable but because it was so small I couldn't really fit much into it and although I don't always take all my gear with me and sometimes leave my Canon 70-200 f/2.8 L USM lens at home I do want to be able to take it with me when needed. However there was no way that this lens could ever fit in the Slingshot 100AW. The Slingshot 200AW was actually a similar size to the Mini Trekker and I could comfortably fit all my gear in it but being the same size and weight as the Mini Trekker meant it was no good for my back.

The best bag I've ever had was the Lowepro Magnum AW which was a truly stunning bag in that I could easily fit all my gear into it and despite it's vast size was actually very comfortable to carry even on quite long walks. The trouble was though that this bag is very bulky which makes carrying it around with you on 'days out' potentially hazardous in that it is all too easy to constantly bump people with it and walking around a gift shop could be an expensive mistake! In short it is a fabulous bag for a professional photographer but simply too large for a 'walk about' bag.

Up until now I have been trying to make do with a Lowepro RL200 shoulder bag which is a Lite version of the Reporter series. As the term 'Lite' suggests, this bag isn't exactly packed with features, it doesn't even have an all weather cover but despite this it's actually a nice shoulder bag. The biggest problem I had with this bag is simply that I couldn't really fit all my gear in it. I could fit my Canon EOS 30D with Sigma 24-70 f/2.8 EX attached and my Sigma 10-20 f/4-5.6 EX but if I also wanted to take my Canon 70-200 f/2.8 L USM then this was a really tight squeeze and didn't really fit and it was impossible to then fit any filters, speedlite or my Canon 2x Teleconverter.

The Lowepro Stealth Reporter D300AW therefore seemed an obvious choice as it was the next size up from my existing Lowepro RL200 but not as bulky as the next size up in the range, that being the Stealth Reporter D400AW. The D300AW measures 31.5x23.5x23.5cm externally with internal dimensions of 27.5x17.5x19.5cm and Lowepro themselves say this about it:

Created for photojournalists and news photographers, the Stealth Reporter D300 AW is designed to withstand the elements while providing quick access to lenses and digital accessories. Although the Stealth Reporter D300 AW was designed to be light weight, it's still heavy on features and durability. Durable ballistic nylons, high density closed cell foams, deluxe shoulder strap, metal hardware and an All Weather Cover™ ensure that this is one tough bag. After all, the last thing you need to worry about is your camera equipment.

Unlike the RL200 the Stealth Reporter D300AW does have a number of useful features. My favourite is the Memory Card Wallet which is attached to the bag by way of a lanyard but that tucks into a pocket between the lining of the bag meaning that not only are your memory cards very well protected but also they do not take up any room in the usual front pockets.

There is also a pouch that again can be attached via a lanyard if required which could be used to store any number of things such as a sensor cleaning kit or extra batteries etc. Personally I think this is the least useful of the features of this bag as although when empty it can be stored between the lining of the bag, when filled the only option is to store it within one of the lens compartments which then reduces the number of lenses you could pack.

The front of the bag is also well designed in that in addition to the usual front pocket that runs the entire width of the bag there are also two additional deeper pockets which are the perfect size for storing filters, portable drives, mobile phones and other such gear. I really like having two separate front pockets as it allows you to be more organized than just having to dump all small objects into the one large front pocket. As you would expect this bag also features an All Weather cover which neatly tucks into a concealed pocket when not in use. The cover is very quick to put on and has slits to allow the strap to still be used with Velcro seams to secure the cover around the strap to ensure that water doesn't get in.

So how does the bag perform? Very well. It is very comfortable to carry and the shoulder strap is long enough to put over your head and it even has a waist strap so you can stop it bouncing around on your hip if you wish. There is also a third hand strap which goes across the top of the bag which is useful but it is really difficult to lengthen this strap which you need to do because straight out of the box this strap is so tight than you can only just open the top of the bag fully. Even when lengthened this strap, although now doesn't interfere with the operation of the bag is still slightly shorter than I would personally like it but this is a very minor complaint. I can finally fit all my gear into this bag but I would have to say that it is a little tight but this doesn't bother me because I rarely take all my gear with me at any one time anyway and also the next size up, the Stealth Reporter D400AW, although would more comfortably take all my gear it was also too big a bag for me and so the Stealth Reporter D300AW is the perfect comprimise. This is what I can fit into the bag:

Canon EOS 30D, Sigma 24-70 f/2.8 EX, Sigma 10-20 f/4-5.6 EX, Canon 70-200 f/2.8 L USM, Canon 2x Teleconverter, Sigma EF 500 Super DG Speedlite, 77mm filters and Cokin Square filters, Memory Cards, Batteries, Cleaning Kit, Digital Wallet.

If I had a battery grip for the camera than in all honesty this probably wouldn't fit unless I took the lens off but although I would like a battery grip (I used to have one on my Canon EOS 10D) I don't really need one anymore so it's not a problem for me.

I ordered my bag from Warehouse Express