When I bought my Canon 450D, it already came with a bag, but it was kind of small as it could only fit one extra lens. And even then, to fit the camera with the extra lens, I had to attach the 18-55 mm kit lens to the body, and store the 55 - 250 telephoto in the additional space, otherwise, everything would not fit. So that was the reason for the new bag.
So, because of this experience with my Canon bag, I had some criteria in mind for the new bag. Basically, the idea was to use the current (and smaller) Canon bag for short outings, say to family gatherings, while the new, bigger bag was meant for longer trips, like holidays for example. So in general, the criteria were the new bag:
- had to be bigger than the old one (of course... duh), but I did not want a bag that is much bigger than any normal school back pack.
- had to fit a camera body and 3 or 4 lenses, including one telephoto lens, plus cables, flash, charger, my Sony DSC-T5, memory cards, et al.
- had to be a back pack form factor.
- must be able to carry my tripod
- had to be secure from pick pockets. I don't want anyone relieving me of my expensive EOS or lens without my knowing.
Enter the Lowepro Flipside 300. It actually fits almost all of the criteria above. The size is about right, as you can see from Image 1.
Image 1. Lowepro Flipside 300 on the right, and my Canon bag on the left.
When you open it up, you find the inside sectioned into several compartments, allowing you to carry a camera body with a telephoto lens the size of Canon's 70 - 300 IS USM, plus 3 additional lenses, and still leave adequate space for cables, chargers, and other accessories. See Image 2 for a view of the inside.
Image 2. Flipside on the inside.
A feature that I really liked is the way the bag opens up. If you want to store or retrieve your camera or any of its lenses, you could only do it by unzipping the zipper that sits on the side of the backpack that is facing your back when you're wearing the bag. There is no other way. But get this. You don't have to take off the bag to get the gear. All you do is, and this is assuming that you're got the waist belt fastened, you slip out of both shoulder harnesses and rotate the backpack so that it is in front of you. At this point, you can actually let go of the bag and in will sit horizontal at your waist, forming a table. You can then proceed to unzip the bag and get what you need. The design is genius. Nobody can steal anything from your bag when you're wearing it as the zipper is between your bag and your backpack, and you don't have to take the bag off to access it.
There is also a pocket on the right that lets you carry a water bottle, and a zippered compartment on the left with multiple pockets that let you carry memory card, pens, and other small stuff.
Right on the back is a latch and a pocket at the bottom of the bag that allows you to latch your tripod onto the back of the bag, as you can see in Image 3 below. The idea is good, but I thought the execution is weak for this particular feature. First, your tripod does not latch securely to the bag. If you put the bag down in a standing position, with the tripod latched to the bag, the tripod will slip out of the bottom pocket holding the tripod's feet. Second, you'd have to carry your tripod naked, without the tripod bag. This would expose you to scrutiny - which you might not think is a bid deal, except for when you're boarding a flight. You'll find that sometimes, airport security will make a big deal out of it because they argue that the tripod could be used as a weapon.
Image 3. Tripod.
A final plus for this bag is that it comes with a lifetime warranty. I was really impressed at first. But upon further questioning, the sales guy told me that the warranty only covered the zippers. Oh well, at least the zipper is covered...
Given the entire package, I thought it was a good bag. So I paid for it. Actually, what sold me was the security the bag provided. As I walked the KLPF floor, I was actually looking to buy the Flipside 200, which was slightly smaller, but in hindsight, and especially now that I'd been carrying the 300 around on my back all day, I think that the 200 would have been a bit too small for two reasons. First, I think I'll buy at least 2 more lenses. So that means I would eventually have a body and 4 lenses to carry around, and the 300 is perfect for that (I might even replace the 55 - 250 with an L in 2 to 3 years, but let's save that story for another day...)
The price? RM 350. Comparatively, I could have ordered this online for around USD 75, shipping not included. That would have saved me a few Ringgit, but I wasn't sure it would arrive safely. In any case, as far as delayed gratification goes, I lack the patience. I wanted the bag, and I wanted it yesterday. Nope, last week.
If you'd like to find out more about this bag, have a look at the Lowepro website.
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