Quote Originally Posted by Geoff


I finally decided on a Mountainsmith Parallax bag ...because it was deep enough to hold a gripped 50D with two white zooms, a couple black lenses. In addition it had a sleeve for a laptop on those rare occasions where every thing has to go along. So far, I've been pleased. It's a bit bigger than the Low Flipside 400...


Nice looking bag! It does look quite a bit bigger than the Flipside 400 (18x11x15" vs. 18x10x12"). Personally, I explicitly didn't want a laptop pocket, since I don't ever plan to carry one along with most of my gear and I wouldn't want the extra bulk every day as a trade-off against the slim chance of needing to carry a laptop, too.


Incidentally, in my Flipside 400, I carry a gripped 7D (which is a bit taller than a gripped 50D), two white zooms (100-400mm, 70-200mm f/2.8 IS MkII) and 4 black lenses (10-22mm, 17-55mm f/2.8, 85mm f/1.8, 100mm L Macro) all with hoods, plus a 1.4x Extender II and a 430EX II. The various filters (CPL, NDs), cleaning supplies, etc., go in the front pocket. I also like that it comes in something other than boring black.


Quote Originally Posted by erno james
I'll check out the Lowepro lineup and other brands mentioned above.

Erno, if you have a local camera shop nearby, bring your gear and try a couple of bags in person. Finding one that fits comfortably is the most important consideration if you'll be hiking with it. Above, I recommended the Flipside 300 based on your amount of gear. But in the Lowepro lineup you might want to also look at the Flipside 400, or the Rover AW II or Primus AW backpacks. All three of those have well-padded, frame-pack-style supportive hip belts (the Flipside 300 does not have much padding or support). The Flipside packs are intended only for camera gear, the Rover and Primus are two-compartment bags with one compartment for camera gear, the other for whatever else you need to carry (food, outerwear, etc.) and may be a better choice for a day hike.


Good luck with your choice!


--John