(Note: I originally wrote this piece when I was using a smaller cropped sensor Canon DSLR. I’ve left much of the write-up as it was originally, but I have added/adapted to reflect additional experience with this product with my full-frame Canon 5D.)

Finding the right bag to carry photo gear is very difficult for me, and I hear I’m not alone. In general, my needs fall into three categories:

1. Small bags and pouches that can hold individual pieces of gear. For example, I carry my camera in a small chest-mount bag when I backpack.
2. Large backpack that can handle major amounts of photo gear, a tripod, and additional equipment for hiking and/or travelling. (As I write this, I’m still looking…)
3. A bag that will hold all the gear I need but which provides easy access without the need to remove the bag.

I think I have finally found the answer in the third category in the Lowepro Slingshot 200 AW. This bag rides over one shoulder like a backpack with only one strap, which allows it to slide forward into a position at my side or in front of me where I can access my gear without taking the pack off. (For me at least, this maneuver requires a quick tug to loosen the strap since I pull it relatively tight while carrying the pack on my back.)

A large zipper flap provides access to the main portion of the bag. Attachment straps keep it from accidentally opening too far and spilling equipment on the ground. When theese are undone and the pack removed, it opens twice as wide to provide even better access. Removing this pack is easier than removing a regular backpack since there is only one strap and it can easily be loosened. A lighter secondary strap can be unstowed and attached across your chest to provide a bit more stability and security when desired

(The following is from the original post, written when I was using this bag to carry a lightweight setup based around a cropped sensor camera. Though it is now dated, I’m leaving it here since it may be useful to some photographers using similar gear.) The bag easily handles my 350D with a 17-40mm lens attached, my 70-200 f4, and my 50mm f1.4 – all with the hoods – plus my 17-85mm EF-S, and still have a bit of room left over. I’m quite certain that I could replace the 350D with something like a 20D or 5D and still fit everything in. My tripod is the only thing that won’t fit in or on this bag, so I carry it in a separate bag over my other shoulder.

My primary camera these days is a Canon 5D, and my default lens is most often the EF 24-105mm f/4 L IS. With the hood reversed this combination will fit into the main compartment in the lens down position, with enough space on either side for my EF 17-40mm f/4 L (with hood removed) and EF 70-200mm f/4 L (hood reversed) – a snug fit but entirely workable. I can add my 50mm prime below the UWA lens, but here things start to get a bit tight. But, keeping in mind that I have larger bags for those times when I really want to bring everything along, the Slingshot is perfect for carrying “just enough gear” and being able to travel a bit faster and lighter.

A good sized upper pocket can carry some additional “stuff.” For example you could fit an additional lens or an external flash in this pocket. I often use it for “odds and ends,” including lens/sensor cleaning supplies, wallet, cell phone, iPod, and so forth. (When I fly and pack a set of tripod legs in my checked luggage I use this upper pocket to carry my ballhead.) An additional smaller pocket on the back of the pack is handy for items like memory cards, batteries, filters, and business cards.

I have no major complaints about this bag. However, I could wish that the main compartment provided just a little more flexibility for carrying extra lenses. A few more velcro attachment points would do the trick.

The waterproof cover is pretty useful, at least in light rain. The pack is short enough (just barely!) so that I can wear a fanny pack from The North Face below it. This lets me carry a couple water bottles, some extra clothes, and some food for hiking. Alternatively, I attach a Lowepro accessory water bottle carrier to one of the attachment points on the side of the Slingshot and forego the fanny pack.

Update 8/26/08: Lowepro produces a variety of Slingshot bags. For some time smaller Slingshot 100 AW and the larger Slingshot 300 AW have been available, and recently the Slingshot 350 AW was introduced – the latter bag appears to be even a bit larger and to provide space for carrying a laptop, which should make it quite useful for folks flying with camera gear.

G Dan Mitchell Photography
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