Gear Review - Lowepro Flipside 400 AW
With my ever accumulating pile of gear and a strong desire to carry as much of it as possible I decided it was time to invest in a 'proper' camera bag. After much research, I decided on the Lowepro Flipside 400 AW - I may be giving the game away a little but... I was not disappointed! This bag is great and after finding quite a deal on Ebay, I am very pleased with my purchase.
The inside of the bag is cavernous and can easily accommodate two camera bodies, a long lens, a selection of smaller lenses and a host of other items thanks to the large front pocket and side pockets. The clever little bag also has internal pockets for your memory cards, internal padding that can be adjust to make room for whatever gear you need to pack and a rain cover tucked into the base for when things get wet. Though I must say, I think this bag does a great job of defending your gear against lighter rain showers.
One of the best features of the bag and what gives it it's 'Flipside' name is the way the bag opens. The zip is tucked against your back to keep sticky fingers out. This also helps when accessing your gear as the bag can be rotated in front of you and opened without putting the bag on the ground. However, if you do, it is easy to access the bag in an upright position to avoid putting a dirty bag on your back.
Any criticisms? Not many, one thing to be wary of is how you pack the bag, being careful to 'balance' the weight evenly so the bag does not try to slip of one side. The other is the tripod straps, I found that strapping a tripod horizontally across the top of the bag is the best solution though you do have to be careful walking through doorways! These are very minor criticisms that really shouldn't stop you from considering this bag - All-in-all - I would highly recommend it - 8/10