My first impression of the Lowepro Classified 160 AW bag was that it's incredibly lightweight. It almost felt like the large box it shipped in was empty.
THE MAIN COMPARTMENT: It's not accessed under the big flap on the front -- it's reached by opening a zipper on the top, near the wearer's body. That zipper opens very wide, even out onto little wing tips to allow easy, full access to the contents. The interior is light grey, well-padded, soft and fuzzy, with many padded dividers which have velcro strips on the sides. The bag comes configured for a DSLR and a few good-sized lenses. One divider has a soft cloth flap attached to a thin pocket which looks good for holding filters. The dividers are all removable, and those velcro strips can attach to anywhere on the fuzzy compartment sides, making for a very flexible space, or allowing the bag to collapse flat for storage.
ADDITIONAL FEATURES:
* Another strap connects to the shoulder strap to wrap around the body to the opposite bottom corner of the bag, holding the bag close in case of fast or extreme movement. (Note: setting up the strap is a little confusing at first. Detach the shoulder strap, run it through the loop on the side of the auxiliary strap that doesn't look like it can attach to anything, and re-hook the shoulder strap. Then extend the auxiliary strap, run it around your body like a belt, and attach the other end to the loop on the bottom of the bag. Which side that will be depends on which way you wear the bag. Once it's adjusted, you can quickly get the strap off and on using the buckle.)
* A light-grey all-weather covering, to keep off heavy rain, wind-blown dust, or extreme sun heat. It's tucked into a velcro pouch in the back, and remains connected when stretched over the of the bag. There are slits in the cover for the shoulder strap.
* The shoulder strap itself is, of course, adjustable, and the pad on it has a rubberized textured bottom, to prevent slippage. On the top, there's a little leather tab, to catch anything else you might have on your shoulder. The padding is so sturdy that it just lays flat until the bag is loaded up with gear. Makes trying on the empty bag kind of awkward.
* A zipper allows the main compartment to expand another inch or so wide.
* There is a nice, removable tri-fold wallet for memory cards, with six individual spots which can fit up to compact-flash size. The wallet connects to a strap for easy access.
* There are several additional pockets in the front under the flap, and in the back with a zipper. The front has a clear spot for an ID, and pen holders. One of the front pockets fit my netbook (an Acer Aspire One with the extended battery) like it was made for it.
WORKMANSHIP: This bag is clearly meant for long, hard use -- I'll update this review once I've had a chance to test it better. So far, everything looks incredibly sturdy. The outside appears to be thick, textured nylon. Anything that would get a *lot* of wear is thick leather -- the handle, the sides of the opening where the zippers run into, the zipper pulls, the tips of the dividers in the main compartment. In fact, the bag is so sturdy, it feels like I need to break it in. It's still a little stiff.
I have had other products in lesser Lowepro lines, and they've held up beautifully. I imagine this one will do so even better.
APPEARANCE: One intention of this "Confidential" line is to look less like a camera bag. At first glance it looks like a large-ish vertical messenger bag, in plain matte black, with a few leather accents. On closer inspection, though, the Lowepro logo and the quality details give a good hint of what you're likely to have in there. But, just walking through a city or an airport, it shouldn't be obvious.
CONCLUSION: I'd like to think of some negatives, but I can't! If you have a DSLR, lenses and equipment that you need to carry around with you, access quickly, and take good care of, this bag is an ideal solution.