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There’s a lot to be said for photo shoulder-bags. They’re compact, the gear is easily accessible and they can easily be made to look like regular messenger bags (yeah…I have to give Crumpler some love). The downside is that those chiropractor bills can really add up. I’ve mostly used shoulder-bags apart from one little Lowepro backpack I never really liked much because not even my 350D would fit in there with the grip attached. The more gear I accumulate the more I realise I’m literally gonna break my back if I don’t get a serious backpack.

Enter Lowepro Flipside 400 AW. I mentioned this backpack in my previous post but I wanted to do a more substantial review of it. I got the 400 because I wanted a future-proof bag, one that’ll take longer lenses when I eventually get them. I also needed a bag for a trip to Norway later this year that will probably involve a lot of walking. I needed a bag that would fit 2 DSLR bodies with grips, a 70-200, an 18-200, a 70-300, a 50 and a speedlite along with chargers, cables, cleaning gear and other bits. The ability to lug a tripod and have a weather-proof solution for carrying my gear was also a priority. This backpack does it all and on top of that getting to your gear doesn’t mean having to take it off and lay it on the ground. Like I mentioned earlier, you take the shoulder-straps off, swing the bag around to your front and it’ll happily hang from your waist by the waist-strap. The side that goes towards your back opens, giving you access to the gear and a stable platform to change lenses/swap cards or batteries on. Like most other photo bags it has tons of pockets so I’m sure i’ll be finding new places to stuff my gear into pretty much every day. The best thing about this bag though is how evenly it distributes the weight of your gear over your shoulders. The straps and the back are well padded and comfortable to wear.

The one thing it doesn’t do is carry a laptop, granted it’ll probably fit a 10″ notebook in the front compartment. I thought this would be a negative thing at first but then again, how often do I need my camera gear and a laptop  at the same time? The only other bag that I found that would carry approximately the same amount of gear and a laptop is the Lowepro Computrekker, however that’s a conventional backpack and you can’t get to your gear without putting it on the ground.

The price is pretty reasonable for a bag that does this much, give or take a little, the Flipside 400 AW would set you back €100. It comes in black or black and green.

Here’s the official Lowepro Flipside 400 video courtesy of Youtube:

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