There's a specific kind of trip that every filmmaker knows. You're not going somewhere purely for work, but you're definitely bringing the camera. You need your kit, but you also need to actually live for a few days, clothes, charger, passport, the basics. And every time you try to make one bag do both jobs, something doesn't fit right.

The Lowepro Fastpack IV was the first bag I've used that genuinely solved that problem. Not by being the biggest bag I own, but by being the most thoughtful one.

Tested in Bali

I took it to Bali first, which is about as demanding a test as you can give a camera bag without actively trying to break it. Motorbikes through Ubud, rice fields, 35-degree heat, the kind of humidity that gets into everything. The coated material on the top and bottom of the bag dealt with it without complaint. Sand, dust, a bit of rain, nothing stuck and nothing got through. The selfstanding design sounds like a small thing until you're setting the bag down on uneven ground every ten minutes and you don't want your camera tipping over in a rice field.

What I kept noticing was that nobody clocked it as a camera bag. In Bali especially, moving around alone with expensive gear, that matters more than any feature on a spec sheet.

Back Home in Lisbon

Coming back to Lisbon with it felt like a completely different context, which is kind of the point. Coastal hikes, moving through the airport, days that start on set and end somewhere else entirely. The collapsible divider lets you pull out the gear section entirely and use the whole bag as a daypack, which in a more urban European setting is exactly what you want. It stops looking like a working photographer's bag and starts looking like anyone's bag. That flexibility is genuinely rare.

The laptop and passport sleeve sharing one zip also made airport security feel less like a production than it usually does. Small detail. Real difference.

Where Fastpack IV Fits In

I want to be clear about something, because I think it matters for anyone considering this bag. The Fastpack IV has not replaced my ProTactic 450 AWIII. That bag is still what I reach for on full client production days when I need everything I own with me and comfort over long distances is the priority.

What the Fastpack IV did was fill a gap I didn't realise I had. It's the bag I grab when I'm the one travelling, not just the gear. When the trip matters as much as the job. When I need my camera and my life to fit in the same place without one compromising the other. It found its own place in how I work without taking anything away from what was already there.

That's not something I say about many bags.

Watch the Full Review

Discover the thoughtful upgrades, smarter organization, and travel-ready features that make Fastpack IV the backpack you didn't know you needed. See why it's built to keep up wherever your journey takes you.

LUCA EPIFANI

Luca Epifani is a talented filmmaker, photographer and Lowepro creator with a passion for travel and visual storytelling. Whether he's documenting life in remote destinations or sharing filmmaking insights with his growing online community, Luca focuses on creating authentic stories that connect people, places and experiences.