LowePro Flipside 200

The LowePro Flipside 200 is a nice idea that just needs a few more inches of interior room. For photographers carrying only an SLR body with a lens attached and one extra lens its a convenient backpack style camera bag, especially for longer hikes. If you need more gear, there really isn't room for it in this bag.

The LowePro Flipside 200 camera bag/backpack is a sturdy backpack-style bag that is easily slung over one shoulder or both shoulders for back country photography trips. The long and narrow design makes it more comfortable for longer hikes than a wider bag. However, the narrow design also leaves the interior of this bag very cramped. I found it too cramped to hold the amount of equipment LowePro specifies this bag was designed to hold. There is an additional zippered storage compartments on the outside of the bag that makes carrying extra memory cards and other small accessories simple. There is also a tripod sling that allows you to fasten a tripod to the outside of the case in a vertical position (rather than the awkward horizontal position of most bags). The Flipside 200 also has another interesting feature. The zippered gear compartment opens to the carrying of the bag rather than the outside. This means that when the bag is worn on the back, gear cannot fall out due to an accidental loosening of the zipper. This is a HUGE safety feature for a backpack camera bag. However, this feature does make it more difficult to access photo equipment and the opening flap constantly falls back on your hands while trying to work with gear in the pack.


Thanks to BorrowLenses.com for the loan of the FlipSide 200 for review.