Contribution · Jul 2015
In my quest for the ultimate bag, I have purchased some great bags from Domke and Lowepro. Although I still have some of these bags and they have their place, I really am enjoying this new bag from Lowepro. I have had it for a week and I am very satisfied with my purchase. It's a great bag to safely carry a few lenses and accessories. I have been a big fan of the reviews on cambags.com and this is my first review. I LOVE this bag. I have photographed street events and sports and I always had to be conscious of who was behind me when wearing my backpack or shoulder bag. With the Flipside, I can relax quite a bit since the only things a thief would get to are the water bottle, snack bar, business cards, pens and a couple of old 512 cards that I keep as emergency backups. The bag is light. Even with the heavy lens listed above, the bag is both comfortable to wear and carry. I feel I can wear this bag longer than I can my other bags so far. The bag is of a slim design and comes with one long accessory pocket and a mesh pocket on the other side. The mesh pocket will fit a 16oz bottle and a couple of snack bars. You could probably fit a 20oz bottle too. The accessory pocket does an okay job. I was hoping to fit my Lumiquest ProMax but it is just too tight in this compartment. Just use it for the bare essentials; extra memory cards, lens brush, small pocket knife, business cards, writing pad and pens. It has key hook and mesh pocket but it gets hard to close with too many things added. Would be nicer if this was a little bigger. I love the fact that the bag opens from the side that is against your back. Not only is this great for security reasons, but it keeps you from getting dirty or wet when you have to put the bag back on your back after putting down to get to your gear. I photographed a garden for four hours last week and it was so cool to be able to just pick up the bag without constantly brushing off the debris. The zippers are nice and smooth and I found no problem getting quick access to my gear. The waist belt is thin which may only help a little in a long trek versus the wider belts on Classic Trekker and Mini Trekker. Haven't tried attaching a Slip-Lock item to it as it is so thin it may slip off when I put the bag down. I haven't tried it myself but you can actually swing the bag around and use it as a waist bag. As another reviewer stated, I would be hesitant to have my expensive equipment dangling from a thin waist belt with one small connector. The should straps have Slip-Lock loops on them. I have attached a memory card holder to one and may get a lens pouch for the other. I do wish that the loops were lower. However, the shoulder straps are wide enough for me. I am 5'10" It also has one big carrying handle to which I attached a ball-bungee cord. May use it to carry my flash bracket too. Inside the bag, there is a accessory bag which is Velcro to the top but can be removed to accommodate a longer lens. It has plenty of room for extra batteries, charger cleaning supplies, remote cord and the battery holder for the D300 grip with room to spare. The dividers are not as customizable as other Lowepro bags. The compartment doesn't have the felt part all around the inside of the bag. Because of the slimness of the bag, you essentially get 2 1/2 rows as oppose to the full three rows. I don't see this a problem for most as you can use the half space for a flash with an Omni-Bounce diffuser. I was also able to fit two flashes side by side when they are folded in their normal shooting position. The pictures show my setup if I was to shoot an event or sports game. Because of the size of the lenses, you can only fit two or three. I used two of the dividers under the 80-200 for added support. Also, the lens hoods for the 24-70 and 80-200 may not fit depending on the configuration, so I use a rubber hood instead which what I would use anyway when shooting sports. On top, I put the four piece filter case and can also fit a mini-tripod. The inner flap is pretty thin. I have the LumiQuest Pro System pieces without the wallet, a PhotoBert CheatSheet, a flat ND-Gradual filter and Grey/White Card with a Nikon D300 quick guide. The flap doesn't fold down all the way which makes it take a bit longer when you are accessing whatever lens or accessory you have in the lower part of the bag. My other setup that I tested was with the D300, Nikon 24-120 AF-D, Nikon 105 Micro, Nikon 50 1.8 AF-D, Sigma 10-20 lens and the SB-800 flash. Have also tested a portrait configuration with two Pocket Wizards, a couple of flashes and the 24-70 and 80-200 lens. Although you're still a big target if you got your camera out of the bag, I immediately felt more confident shooting in crowds and I don't feel I have to put my bag down on the sidelines because it gets too uncomfortable or heavy to wear. Overall, this is a great bag and I am really enjoying working out of it. If I had to change some things, it would be perhaps a small pouch on top for maps, gum or small LED flashlight. Would also like to see a slightly bigger accessory side pocket, Velcro in the inner accessory pouch for better organization or two smaller pouches to have the choice of placement or removal. Dividers that gave more options. Lower SlipLock loops. I think that for most of my uses, this will be my main bag. Would only trade it for a newer model of Flipside. Would highly recommend this bag if you're looking for the minimalist approach to photography. My brother in law is getting one for Christmas Well done Lowepro.
What works
Confidence about security. Light and easy to carry.
Room for improvement
Love/Hate the Side pouch. SlipLock loops too high.
