# Flipside 400 AW / Fastpack 350 with gripped 60D/5D3 anyone?



## Raddy (Apr 19, 2012)

Hi!

I'm just about to purchase a new backpack (preferably one of the ones mentioned in the topic) for my equipment listed below:

60D (gripped)
16-35 2.8 II
70-200 2.8 II
50 1.4
430EX

Anyone in here who owns one of those backbacks and could confirm a gripped 60D/5D3 would fit nicely?
As I'm about to replace my 60D with a 5D3 some time this year it would be nice not to think about getting another backpack again then. Oh yea, and the 5D3 would come with the 24-105.
Would be great if there is anyone who could share his experience.

Thx!

Edit: 
As the Fastpack 350 offers space for my Macbook, I'm kinda aiming for this one at the moment.


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## mws (Apr 19, 2012)

I had pretty much the same set up, and found the fastpack to be a tight squeeze.

I went with the mountainsmith parallax

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/673875-REG/Mountainsmith_10_81018R_01_Parallax_Pro_Backpack.html


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## Raddy (Apr 19, 2012)

mws said:


> I had pretty much the same set up, and found the fastpack to be a tight squeeze.
> 
> I went with the mountainsmith parallax
> 
> http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/673875-REG/Mountainsmith_10_81018R_01_Parallax_Pro_Backpack.html



Thanks for the info. I somehow like the idea of the side-entry compartment, maybe that's why I'm looking for a positive feedback in order to justify my purchase. On the other hand I like the weather cover that comes with the flipside...


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## neuroanatomist (Apr 19, 2012)

I have the Flipside 400 AW, it's a great pack. Actually, your current gear list would fit (tightly) in the Flipside 300, which I also have. In the Flipside 400 AW, I can fit a gripped body (5DII or 7D), two big white zooms (70-200/2.8, 100-400, 28-300) and 1-2 black lenses, or 1 big white zoom and 3-4 black lenses. 

For example, packed in my Flipside 400 AW for a trip to China last year were a gripped 5DII, 16-35mm f/2.8L II, 24-105mm f/4L IS, 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II, TSE-24mm f/3.5L II, 35mm f/1.4L, 430EX II, 1.4x II Extender, 77mm 500D Close-Up Lens, a PowerShot S95, and various filters, cleaning supplies, etc. When traveling by air, I load up the Flipside, then pack that into a Pelican Storm im2500 carryon hard case, in the event that I'm forced to check the luggage.

In the image below, everything except the 17" MacBook Pro and the CF tripod/head went into the Flipside 400AW, which then went into the Storm im2500.


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## mws (Apr 19, 2012)

I did like the side entry part of the fastpack. The Paralax is odd, in the fact that you upen it from the back side. Keeps everything secure though.


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## Heavyweight67 (Apr 19, 2012)

I have a Fastpack 250, it fits my gripped 7D+70-200 f2.8 ii, 430ex + assorted other stuff...in the top I add a 50 1.4 plus another either EF 24-105 or EF-S 17-55 2.8...it also accommodates my ASUS 15" laptop..on occasion I will strap a Manfrotto CF tripod to it, this is a little cumbersome as the Fastpack doesn't have tripod mounting/straps...

I rarely carry the Laptop, due to the weight and added cables/drives

I purchased this as a day pack, so sometimes I need to consider what I will be shooting/doing, before packing.

I think you really need to consider the size the 350 is large + the weight once fully loaded...do you really want to be carrying all your gear all day...

I also have the Computrekker AW, this fits everything but, there is no way I want to lug that around all day...

I think as time goes by and you add more gear you will need another form of storage,so it may either be better to go bigger first or buy a second later if you do move up to a 5Diii, you may choose to keep the 60D as a second body, space and weight then become an issue.


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## Teuchter (Apr 19, 2012)

Just spent a month travelling in Britain with the Flipside 400 with a gripped 5D2, 70/200 f4, 24/104, 16/35, 40 f1.4, tripod, head, filters, remote release, miscellaneous small stuff, and RIM Playbook. It all fit, was useable and there was enough space for a camera raincover, waterbottle, notepads etc..
Having said that, I am looking at replacing this with either a Flipside 500, or a Streetwalker Harddrive just so that I have room for my laptop and a couple of T/S lenses.
I also have a Fastpack and like the side access for city shooting, but there's no where near enough space for all this stuff.


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## Raddy (Apr 20, 2012)

Heavyweight67 said:


> I think you really need to consider the size the 350 is large + the weight once fully loaded...do you really want to be carrying all your gear all day...



Actually it would be a mixtures. In general I would like to have everything in the backpack for the trip, in case I'm on a plane, train or car. But I won't neccessarily need to have all my stuff with me on a photo tour. So this is why I was also looking for a medium sized backpack. Just for those occasions where I'm out shooting with some of my equipment, e.g. 1 body and maybe 2 lenses. But it would be nice to have the battery pack always attached and this is the huge problem with lots of smaller backpacks and I ended up with the mentioned ones after my research, as I expected the gripped body might barely fit.

Maybe I'll really have to get two different backpacks...


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## neuroanatomist (Apr 20, 2012)

Raddy said:


> Maybe I'll really have to get two different backpacks...



And so it begins. 

Soon, it starts looking like this:


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## amgc32 (Apr 21, 2012)

neuroanatomist said:


> I have the Flipside 400 AW, it's a great pack. Actually, your current gear list would fit (tightly) in the Flipside 300, which I also have. In the Flipside 400 AW, I can fit a gripped body (5DII or 7D), two big white zooms (70-200/2.8, 100-400, 28-300) and 1-2 black lenses, or 1 big white zoom and 3-4 black lenses.
> 
> For example, packed in my Flipside 400 AW for a trip to China last year were a gripped 5DII, 16-35mm f/2.8L II, 24-105mm f/4L IS, 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II, TSE-24mm f/3.5L II, 35mm f/1.4L, 430EX II, 1.4x II Extender, 77mm 500D Close-Up Lens, a PowerShot S95, and various filters, cleaning supplies, etc. When traveling by air, I load up the Flipside, then pack that into a Pelican Storm im2500 carryon hard case, in the event that I'm forced to check the luggage.
> 
> In the image below, everything except the 17" MacBook Pro and the CF tripod/head went into the Flipside 400AW, which then went into the Storm im2500.



What kind of tripod is that? and what ballhead are you using? I have a 5d3 w/ 24-105mm and soon a 70-200 f2.8 IS soon. Is it pretty sturdy? thanks I know its out of topic sorry.


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## neuroanatomist (Apr 21, 2012)

amgc32 said:


> What kind of tripod is that? and what ballhead are you using? I have a 5d3 w/ 24-105mm and soon a 70-200 f2.8 IS soon. Is it pretty sturdy? thanks I know its out of topic sorry.



Manfrotto 190CXPRO4 tripod legs with a Manfrotto 488RC2 head. It supports a gripped body and 70-200/2.8 or 100-400 just fine. A few months ago, I replaced the 488RC2 head with a Manfrotto 468MG head with a Wimberley C-12 clamp, and I now use Arca-Swiss type plates on cameras and lenses - the RC2 plate/clamp has a little bit of play (quite secure, but not absolutely tight like an AS-type clamp.


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## amgc32 (Apr 29, 2012)

Thanks! the 468 is a little of my price range what do you think about the 054 Magnesium ballheads?


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## D_Rochat (Apr 29, 2012)

Have you considered the Lowepro Vertex 300 AW Backpack? I've found that I'm not going to be happy with just one bag, so I have a Thinktank Urban Disguise 40 shoulder bag as my smaller everyday bag and the Lowepro Vertex 300 as the carry everything bag. I just went for a good hike today with it and packed a gripped body, 24-70, 70-200 2.8, 055xprob with 498RC2, cleaning kits, multi tools, flash and accessories, flash light, a bunch of filters, water and had tons of room for more. It's built like a rucksack and you barely feel any weight at all. I got the 300 because it takes 17" laptops, but they have smaller versions. It's also on for $100 cheaper than anywhere else 
here. I got a really good deal on my tripod and head from them as well and it's free shipping if you're in Canada. It's worth taking a look.


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## Wiki Tango (Apr 29, 2012)

Hi Raddy,

I own a Flipside 400 AW and put in the following

- gripped 7D + 24-105L
- EF 50mm f/1.4
- EF-S 60mm f/2.8
- EF 85mm f/1.8
- EF 70-300mm
- Tokina 12-24
- 580II Speedlite

on the side 2 x 1L water
in the pocket some useful stuff like tissues, a lens brush etc.
and on top you can put a jacket or so.

I have to say that I do not love to carry these 10kg around all day long...

looks like this: 
http://www.ipernity.com/doc/canon/5387278


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## Camerajah (Apr 29, 2012)

The sad truth is that you will be owning more than one camera bag,its just the way it is,I would say get the Fastpack 350 and it hold all the lens you have shown plus my 7D cw grip or one of my 1D series camera but the 70-200 f2.8L is mounted on camera with lens hood reversed and the lens hood for the 16-35 is in the top compartment inside its lens pouch.
Its the pack that I use the most despite having a larger (Compu Trekker Plus AW)backpack and shoulder bags,the 350 have a low profile look to it as well as ways to hide and tuk away the access zippers and the waistbelt,once you hide the zippers under the top flap its not easy for a someone to access the zippers in a flash.


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## lukaszb (Apr 29, 2012)

I have the flipside 400AW. I bought it for a trip to yellowstone few years ago and it has served me very well since. You can put two bodies in there with short zoom and one small prime attached (Canon 5dMKII +24-105mm L, and Canon 5DMKII + 50MM f1.4) should fit and on the side you can still put more lenses. On one side I usually have 70-200MKII and on the other I have 35mm prime, another 50, some extension tubes, 100mm macro, and sigma 15mm fisheye. . In the front pocket I also have two flashes. This backpack can take a lot, plus it features a rain cover which is nice. The only drawback is that it's heavy once you put all of that, but now it serves me well during weddings.


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## RC (Apr 29, 2012)

Plus 1 for Lowepro in general, I continued to be impressed with their bags--they might have the best "affordable" bags on the market. Can't specifically speak for the Flipside 400, but I do have the 300 and for the occasion its a perfect bag and well constructed.



Camerajah said:


> The sad truth is that you will be owning more than one camera bag,its just the way it is...



So true! I'm a firm believer in buying the right bag for the job and not a one-size-fits-all bag. Your bag needs to be comfortable, efficient and streamlined. So far I have a couple of backpacks (large and medium), top loader with optional add-on lens cases, and a couple of shoulder bags. The only bag which holds all my gear (at least for today) is my large backpack. Each bag was purchased for a fairly specific use.


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## Raddy (Apr 29, 2012)

Camerajah said:


> The sad truth is that you will be owning more than one camera bag,its just the way it is,I would say get the Fastpack 350 and it hold all the lens you have shown plus my 7D cw grip or one of my 1D series camera but the 70-200 f2.8L is mounted on camera with lens hood reversed and the lens hood for the 16-35 is in the top compartment inside its lens pouch.
> Its the pack that I use the most despite having a larger (Compu Trekker Plus AW)backpack and shoulder bags,the 350 have a low profile look to it as well as ways to hide and tuk away the access zippers and the waistbelt,once you hide the zippers under the top flap its not easy for a someone to access the zippers in a flash.



This is exactly what I finally got. The Fastpack 350 arrived yesterday. The gripped body with the attached 70-200 fits precisely. And there is still space for the 50mm 1.4, the 16-35, my flash and an additional lens (upcoming 24-105). I do like the laptop compartment very much. For now it's quite perfect to have the whole equipment in one backpack when travelling. The top compartment is also really nice. 
I did realize though that this won't be my last backpack or bag. There will be situations I simply won't need all my gear and therefore a smaller backpack would be quite nice, e.g fitting my body plus 2 lenses only.

@all: Thanks for sharing your experiences...


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## Zo0m (Apr 29, 2012)

I have the Lowepro Flipside 400 AW. In it, i can comfortably fit my 5D Mark 2 w/grip together with three 24-105 size lenses and two 70-200 size lenses. As well as an olympus EP-2 and 3 lenses for that camera. It is also possible to fit a 13 macbook pro if you use the chase jarvis hack on the bag.


I am very happy with the bag as it is very comfortable compared to some other bags I own. The only times I wouldn't consider wearing it would be situations with warm weather and high humidity...


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