After working with a Lowepro Orion Trekker II photo backpack for the last 8 years, I found myself looking for a new backpack.  Time and wear and tear had taken their toll on my good friend.  In addition, my growing collection of photo gear meant I needed an upgrade.

Before going into a review, I wanted to share my requirements for a backpack.  My full wish list included room for 1 to 2 camera bodies.  Capacity for at least 3 to 4  lenses, the largest of which should be a 70-200mm 2.8 zoom lens.  I also wanted the bag to have rain protection.  Finally, I wanted a way to carry a tripod.

I had looked around at all sorts of bags including Tamarac, Lowepro, Kata and the likes.  While I did like some of the larger Tamrac Expedition 7 and Lowepro Photo Trekker AW II models they felt a little to large for the environments that I like to shoot in.  I tend to do a lot of travel photography and I felt the larger size of the Expedition 7 and the Photo Trekker AW II might be just a little too big and might get in the way.

The Flipside 400 by Lowepro seemed to fit most of my requirements and the slightly smaller size made it look a little more like a standard backpack than a huge camera bag calling extra attention to it.

The gimmick of the Flipside series is that the gear storage compartment is reached via the back panel of the backpack that rests against your back as you carry it.  Lowepro claims this is an added security feature, which I agree with if you consider pick pockets.  They also claim that this configuration allows the photographer to remove the shoulder straps, leaving the waist belt attached, swing the bag around, open the bag, and reach your gear in a quick and easy way.  More on that feature later.

If we consider the capacity of the bag, it meets all of my requirements.  I was able to fill the bag with two camera bodies, one with an extra battery grip and one without.  I easily fit 3 smaller wide angle zooms, and one slightly larger 75-300 mm f5.6 zoom lens.

Of course when fully loaded the bag has some weight to it but that is to be expected.  The backpack comes with nicely padded shoulder straps, and a well padded waist belt to transfer the load of the gear off of the shoulders to the hips.  For those that might be a little taller, do be aware that the waist belt height is not adjustable in the vertical direction, meaning that for taller individuals the belt may not sit properly on your hips but more around the mid-section.  For this reason, if you are over 6 feet, or 1.85 meters tall I suggest you take a trip to you local camera shop to try one on.

Finally I was looking for something to carry a tripod.  I do have quite a few different tripods so depending on what I am doing I might bring a different sized tripod with me.

While the Lowepro Flipside 400 comes with a dedicated tripod foot and strap, it also comes with 2 adjustable straps along the top of the back that can be used to attach a jacket, or other gear.   The tripod foot and strap are well suited for a small, travel tripod.  As is often the case, this configuration will make the backpack a bit awkwardly balanced if the tripod is to heavy.   For a small tripod like the Velbon 343 shown in the photo the tripod foot works well.

For a larger tripod, this bag might not be the best.  The straps across the top of the bag make it extremely simple to attach a larger tripod, but as you can see from the picture, you start to get a pretty wide load on your shoulders.

While I find that putting even the smaller tripod across the top of the backpack makes for a more comfortable hike, I have not tried a hike of any substantial length with a full sized Manfrotto tripod.

The final gimmick I have not yet touched on is the ability to remove the shoulder straps, swing the bag around and work out of the bag like a table top while standing up.  The verdict is still out on this one.  I found that yes, this can be done.  It is much easier with a lighter load, as an example a single body, 2 lenses and no tripod.  It is also much easier if you find a rock, or stair to put your foot on so you can rest the bag on your foot while you work out of the bag.

To get an idea of how this feature works I suggest to take a look at the Lowepro product video that is available at youtube.com or the Lowepro website.  I have inserted the youtube.com video below.

To sum up the bag has plenty of room, the ability to carry a smaller travel tripod quite well, a built in all weather cover and a comfortable shoulder strap and waist belt system.  I have taken it out a few times already and it seems to do the job well.  For the price, (149 USD) or 250 CHF in Switzerland it seems to be just the right backpack for me in terms of price and capability.