If you’re anything like me, you’re in a constant search for the perfect gear bag.  I continue to believe that the perfect bag is out there somewhere and that someday I might find it.  My most recent review, the Lowepro Freeline Camera Backpack 350 AW.  I’ll tell what I loved, what I didn’t like, and why it ultimately wasn’t for me.

PROS

This is a (mostly) well-designed bag and seems to have a nice quality look and feel to it.  Lowepro took a more modern design approach with this bag from their traditional Protactic series– a line of bags for the truly hardcore photographers with tactical stylizing and functionality.  The Freeline, on the other hand, features a sleek look available in both Black and Heather Gray.  There are a number of quality metal G hooks on the exterior of the bag and lots of quality weather resistant zippers.  The bag features side access pockets for the camera gear which makes it possible to access the gear without setting the bag down.

There are a number of well-thought out features on the Freeline.  I love the handles on the sides of the back and in the center of the bag.  They are perfectly sturdy to the support the weight of the bag when grabbing it quickly to carry or reach a side pocket is necessary.

Now the storage.  This isn’t a huge bag.  You won’t be able to fit all your lens in here.  Maybe a DSLR body and 3 lens total plus the other gear essential in the pack like chargers, gorilla pod, memory cards, etc.  I won’t knock the bag for it’s size.  Bags come in many sizes for a reason.  But I will say that the modular design of the main storage compartment does take up quite a bit of space.  On the plus side, it does add nice protection to your gear inside of an already padded enclosure.  There is also a pocket on the back side of the bag with enough space for a laptop and ipad.  I was able to fit my Surface Book 2, which is a thicker laptop because of its hinge, without issue.  There is a removable gear compartment at the bottom for keeping things like cables or lens filters.  It zips up and easily slides in an out from either side pocket.  The bag also comes with a rain cover if you find yourself caught in anything heavier than a drizzle.

CONS

As with any backpack, there are always going to things that just aren’t quite right.  I mean, after all, we are all different.  I’ve never personally used the Everyday bag from Peak Design.  They are similarly designed, but one thing I did notice was that the side access pockets on the Freeline zip the other way from the Peak Design (towards the back instead of towards the front).  This isn’t a problem when the bag is sitting on a table or on the ground, but when you’re trying to get into the bag while holding it, the backpack straps get in the way of the zippers on the side pockets.  As I also mentioned before, the modular system, while removable, does take up valuable space inside the bag and adds some weight as well.

I also opted for the Heather Gray version of the Freeline because I loved the way it looked in pictures online.  However, when I unboxed it, I was immedately unimpressed with how it looked in person.  I was expecting more of a North Face jacket style heather gray (if you’ve seen a North Face gray recently, you’ll know that their grays are modern and sleek).  Instead, I found that Freeline looked more like a printed texture.  The material feels quality enough, but the look was a turn off for me.

Who it’s for

Despite its shortcomings, I still think this is a very well-designed bag.  The clever pockets, straps, G hooks and quality of materials make this a great bag for day trips.  This would be for someone looking for a smaller bag to carry a camera body and one or two lenses plus some essential gear for the day.  One thing to remember is that you’ll never have access to all your gear at once.  If you need quick access to all your lenses because you do a lot of lens swapping, this may not be a good fit.  If you like side access and you’re looking for a modern looking bag to carry your gear around the city, then have a look at the Freeline 350.  I’d probably steer people away from the heather gray, though.

At the end of the day, this bag wasn’t for me and I returned it.  The search continues.  Do you have a camera bag you love?  Tell me about it in the comments below.