Lowerpro Flipside Sport - Part 2
One of the biggest problems when searching for a camera bag is trying to figure out exactly what you can fit in the thing. Research normally involves cobbling together information from online images, manufacturers dimensions and other reviews so with that in mind I've decided to add a little update to my last blog post about the Lowepro Flipside Sport 15L… maybe it'll help somebody with a future decision.
Since the last post, which was my first impression of the bag, I've had a chance to use it in the field and have to say I'm over the moon with it's performance. In use it is light and comfortable, to be fair it isn't really big enough to carry enough gear to make it heavy but that's exactly what I wanted. The 'flip side' feature (which enables you to slip off the shoulder straps, rotate the bag around to the front and access your gear with the bag supported by the waistband) works perfectly. I was able to quickly change lenses, grab filters etc without having to put the bag down in wet grass or keep taking it on and off so I always had everything to hand.
Something I forgot to mention in the original review was that the camera compartment is completely removable, it has a drawstring cover and handles so you can store your camera gear and use the bag as a standard daypack. I forgot about it largely because it wasn't something that particularly interested me but what is useful however is the drawstring cover. With the camera compartment in place in the backpack you can tuck the cover away out of sight but in poor conditions, a windy beach for example, you can pull it up over your gear giving it an extra layer of protection from the elements while the bag is open.
Finally I'll get to the point, the main reason for this little update is that as well as trying the bag out properly I've also spent a bit of time playing with the internal dividers to get a better layout and have managed to find a way to comfortably fit everything I need into the main compartment.
As the bag is nice and deep I found that by putting all the cards, batteries and other bits and bobs in a ThinkTank cable management pouch (if I'm wearing a coat, these go into my pocket anyway) there was space to sit it on top of the 100-400mm (or maybe 70-200mm) saving enough room for my filters and leaving the side pocket free for a hydration reservoir/drink bottle, snacks… perfect.
