Flipside 400 AW II

I like the profile of the bag, the access to my equipment, and the security of my things when carrying it. Great bag for a reasonable price. Holds everything I have which includes: Two Canon M50s, two GoPros, a portable LED light, all my batteries (including spares for all my cameras), all my chargers, three different RODE mics (micro, mic go, and a larger RODE mic), 13 inch MacBook, external hard drive, memory cards, filters, gorilla pod, tripod, several cables and accessories for various things, and more. Loaded this way it has very little room and is maxed out and can get heavy. It does still have room in the front pocket for various items like keys, pens, a small packable rain jacket, a hat, pad of paper, and other small items. There are plenty of dividers and I love the versatility of these in setting it up to suit my needs from any given trip or shoot to another. Could be configured to pack one of my M50s, my gamble, and the necessities for each. Or if I had a drone I could configure it to carry everything needed for it. I chose the 400 for the extra room and the additional padding on the belt for when I am accessing my equipment without setting my bag down. I have considered the 300 for a smaller load out but still feel it is a bit too small to justify the money when this pack will do what the 300 will do and much more as I have indicated above. If you have no need to carry additional items along with your camera and you don't need the room for a 13 inch or larger laptop, I am certain the 200 or the 300 will suit anyones needs just fine. Great bag, great materials, east to use, and carry.

I'm a fairly new photographer, and as my gear list has grown, so has my collection of bags, slings, and cases to hold what I think I'll "need" on a trip. I've gotten to the point now where I feel like I am comfortable with what I want to do and what I need to do it. Here's what I manage to fit in this backpack: Canon 6D Mark II Sigma 150-600mm Contemporary (on-camera) Canon 24-105mm STM Canon 50mm STM Canon 17-40mm 4.0L Canon 100mm 2.8L macro Neewer Speedlite Various filters, extra batteries, etc. All of the lenses except the Sigma are stood on their ends and the backpack just manages to close. I wouldn't try to stand up any lens longer than the 100mm macro. The main reason I purchased this backpack is because I was planning a trip to Europe and I wanted to be able to do both types of photography I enjoy most (landscapes and birds) without a huge hassle every time I needed to change a lens. This backpack fit the bill perfectly. For this trip, I left the 50mm and the macro at home to save weight and allow me to pack binoculars in the backpack also. When we left on a walk, I would put on the backpack, buckle the waist strap, and go. The pack never touched the ground until we got back. It was just so easy to swing the pack around, open it up, and switch a lens right there at waist level. One thing to keep in mind is that you may want to practice this opening procedure at home first. I practiced over a bed first, so that if anything went wrong, things would fall on the bed rather than the floor. And the first time I did, things almost did fall out. But it was an easy fix. The backpack was so heavily loaded, that once the zipper was undone, the main compartment wanted to flop downwards. But there are straps in the corners that you can tighten that will limit this tendency to tip downwards. I tightened them all the way and then, even fully packed, the backpack stayed horizontal when I unzipped the cover. I never had to readjust these straps on my trip. As for comfort, this is a very nice backpack. The waist strap does a great job of redistributing the weight off your shoulders. And both that strap and the shoulder strap are very well padded. Production value seems very high, seams don't appear to have any way of starting to fray. The side clasps worked great for holding a jacket or raincoat in place when I wasn't wearing it. The rain cover fit nicely over the pack, even with a water bottle and umbrella stuffed in the side pockets. This is the most I've paid for a camera backpack or case, but it's also the best I've purchased, and I wouldn't be surprised if it is the last one I purchase for quite a long time.

OK. Here is my impression of the LowePro Flip-side 400 AW II. It is only my impression and not criticism. First, this is not my first LowePro camera bag or backpack. As with my other LowePro gear, the materials used are second to none. They're top quality. My favorite part of the bag is how the tripod mounts... very secure. The side pockets are a little tight but I'm sure they'll take a water bottle. I've been shooting for over 40 years. My opinion is based on the many bags and backpacks I've owned over those years. So, here goes... This bag, while versatile, was not made to efficiently carry a larger DSLR. I'm referring specifically to the D850. I was very excited to get this bag but when it arrived, my first thought was, "This is it?!?" I grabbed my gear and started rearranging the ample compartment dividers. The pack does not have the depth for big glass. even just one. I took one look at my 300mm f/2.8 and chuckled. Maybe next time. I then tried my 80-200mm on the D850. If I take the small bag out, it barely fits lengthwise, and I have to sacrifice lens storage at the lens hood end or leave the hood behind. Now, using a medium prime lens on the camera gave me space for several other lenses. I could get four smaller prime and two compact zooms in there. That was cool. But here's the thing. My 850 sits too high to place a laptop or iPad in without the top of the prism and the laptop vying for space- it's a tight fit when zipping it up, as I have to pinch the zipper closed to secure the back. And the whole flip-side thingy? Do not trust this gimmick unless you have a firm grip underneath the pack. Nobody in their video reviews pointed that out. The weight of a full-sized DSLR is just too heavy and the bag buckles at the waist. Thanks for the warning, guys! :-D Now, after I sat and looked at the bag for a while, I decided to pack my other gear. I took the Nikon stuff out and placed my Leicas and their lenses plus my Fuji and the two lenses for that, a flash, a GoPro Hero 9 and mounts, and finally, my iPhone tripod mount. Now THAT fit perfectly, with room to spare. I have extra lens caps and body caps as well as all the extra batteries and chargers I need. They also do not impede closing the bag while the computer or iPad is stored. So for me, it was just an OK purchase. I give the bag a solid 4 for medium mirrorless cameras plus a lot of gear, but a three for the largest of DSLR's. I will not trust my bigger gear in this bag. My only advice is this... if you're buying this for a full size DSLR like the D850 (it's a beast even without the battery grip) you my want to consider a bigger backpack... and not a Flip-side!

In the past I used a $70 cheapo camera bag and it could hold 3 sections of gear. I always have my travel tripod inside to prevent damage, and I have a few lenses, camera body, laptop, misc camera accessories. The bag lasted 9 years and it was finally starting to fall apart, so I went looking for a new bag. Unfortunately the original cheapo bag I owned had been discontinued. I tried 4 other camera bags on Amazon and unfortunately they all had one major issue for me - I could not fit my gear anymore. It seemed that most newer bags expect to put the tripod on the outside to save space on the inside. All new bags seemed so follow this new trend of being slim which I did not want. I needed space to hold a lot of gear, yet still remain large enough to fit under an airplane seat. Not many bags do that now - they all want to go small and light. Eventually I came across the Lowepro 500 AW II. It was more expensive but at this point I had no other options. When I got it, this bag did exactly what I needed! Plenty of space for 3 sections of gear+tripod! Materials felt pretty good and durable. Had plenty of extra dividers I didn't really need but it's a bonus. And I actually tried fitting it under the airplane seat and it works!!! If I had to say what the negative/inconveniences were for me: 1. The camera section opens from the back instead of the front. 2. Not as much space to hold small accessories in the front zipper compartment or the inside/laptop compartment area. But they do give you a separate pouch which you can put your accessories inside there and it's velcroed. You'll be able to attach it somewhere inside the camera compartments. These are just minor inconveniences specific to me though so it may not apply to you. But this bag checks all the important boxes I need in a good quality durable camera bag so it's perfectly fine!

This backpack had loads of space for my camera equipment when I was traveling and managed to fit underneath the plane seat in front of me - a huge plus! Interior: This has a lot of space for your camera equipment as well as room for a laptop. The padding is more than sufficient to protect from drops or bangs that one may experience. It is very roomy! The laptop pouch is nice, but may have trouble fitting some 15 inch laptops. The front pouch has a lot of space for a tablet and papers if needed. Exterior: It is a nice sleek design with a very functional rain cover. I was caught in rain with it, and it kept all of my stuff dry. I don't use the flip side feature much, but it could be useful. Overall, great product that I would recommend to a traveler with lots of stuff!

I have the Lowepro flipside 450. Excellent product. Have grown attached to the flip-operation and love it. Wanted: all that excellence in an easier to carry, smaller package. Bought a cheaper wannabe bag to try. Yeah, it's okay, but, spoiled by the Lowepro excellence and all it's features... Enter this Flipside 200 AW II. Thrilled that it has all I love about the 450: - Rain cover - Flip operation - A divider that splits open to hold more small objects - pockets both sides ... BONUS: the tripod pocket! Not the easiest to figure out from images here, but there's a pocket tucked inside the back flap accessible from the bottom. It's a deep pocket/sling that pulls out, hangs down a bit lower than bottom of the bag. Okay - looking good, but I'll need to buy a strap for the top of the bag? NO! another ingenious pocket at the top - peel open that and pull out a strap system. So, tripod leg into bottom, one clip at the top = Side pockets remain available for other items (beverage bottle, etc). Excellent way to stretch the usefulness of this compact bag. In sum - has all I wanted, and glad I took a chance on the tripod pocket, even though not well illustrated here. Just be aware: If you want to carry more than 2 lenses, you're probably going to need a bigger bag, but if you want a quick grab for a short trip, I've got tripod, Sony a7iii, 24-105 G Master, and eventually, the 200-600, which at 12.5" should fit fine. Especially because you can pull the velcro'd accsy bag out of the inside top, exposing the full 15" height of the inside of the bag. Current deal (05-17-24) makes this an excellent buy at roughly $40 off normal street price elsewhere. Glad I didn't try another 40-$80 dollar knock off. Good to go with 2 excellent bags now, this one for light runs and the 450 when I'm "loading for bear". (BTW, I thought I bought the last one, 'cause that's what the availability counter said, LOL!)

So I'll first start by saying that I should have got the larger bag for my rig! Now, the review. This bag is great for someone who has a medium/small body crop sensor camera or DSLR. You have room for your camera, 2-3 lenses depending on your flavor, maybe a rode videomicro, some batteries, charger or two, and ND filters etc. It is a great fit, nothing will be loose flopping around. The material is firm and very well padded on the interior. The exterior feels very durable made out of what feels and looks like a bit heavier duty nylon etc. Now for me, I say these things because that's about my b cam setup. Sony a6400, sigma 30mm f1.4, Sony 18-135mm f4, few ND filters, rode videomicro, some other small cage accessories (side handle, top handle), couple battery chargers, Aputure MC, and that sums up what comfortably fits. What I was hoping for, and what some pictures show, is a full frame fitting with large lenses etc etc. So, great for my b cam, but leaves my primary rig begging for its own bag: Sony a7S iii, Sigma 24-70mm f2.8, rode videomic ntg, atomos ninja v, handles, batteries, etc etc. The next bag up would have been what I needed to haul both around. But make no mistake, this bag does make an excellent grab and go and I'm fairly certain if I didn't try to pack my entire a cam setup that I could at least have what I needed for a small day shoot in there! So ultimately knowing what I know now, I would have simply purchased the next large bag as this one I would class as a medium/small bag ie it's on the smaller side of medium bags! Definitely recommend the brand and even this bag if you fit the description of my b rig or less. Well worth the money and I will be purchasing the larger bag with confidence based on this bag!! Hope that helps a few of you because I know I spent an incredible amount of time trying to find a good bag that was actually worth the price!

I wanted a camera backpack case. This is a great case if you're a toddler. Don't buy this if you're and adult.