Lowepro’s Passport Sling is what I’ll be taking on our holiday travels abroad this week. This DSLR camera bag is meant to work as either an equipment or everyday bag. There’s enough padded space to accommodate a DSLR body with an attached lens, plus either an extra lens or a flash unit.
I’ve been packing various combinations into the Passport Sling and found that my Nikon D90 (with a 35mm prime attached) plus the Nikon SB-700 speedlight works best.
Once I took off my camera strap, I was able to find the perfect solution to really grabbing the camera on the go. The photo below shows the camera with a 35mm prime lens placed into the bag in a side orientation. Unzipping the bag brought my hand right to the D90′s grip.
The bag can also store extras such as a battery charger or everyday essentials. I was able to get away with carrying three items: the camera body with attached prime, an 18-200mm lens, and in the additional area, the speedlight in the square Nikon carrier bag that came with it.
Side pockets will store small maps or guidebooks, and there’s a front section for a water bottle, point and shoot camera, or small umbrella. A small velcro flap inside stores a memory card.
Two interior side velcro closure pouches are perfect for batteries.
Size, quality, and feature-wise, it compares favourably with BUILT’s Cargo Camera bag (though the two are sweet bags for different reasons).
A great feature of this bag is its ability to collapse down and fit inside your suitcase or carry-on.
The padded shoulder strap is both comfortable and adjustable, and the excess strap tucks neatly into the pocket below.
As well, the cam buckle closes firmly, maintaining the strap’s length without creeping. Lowepro’s attention to detail includes a small square non-slip patch in the centre of the shoulder strap to help keep the strap in place on your shoulder.
This is a smartly-designed bag that will even expand (suitcase-style) in front to store up to 30% more stuff.
What I like best about the bag is that it doesn’t look like a typical camera bag – important when taking on the road and into high traffic tourist spots.
I’ll be taking this bag around long after our travels, as it’s both easy to wear and fits a variety of everyday needs.
The Passport Sling is available in Black (with green interior), Sky Blue, and Mica. There’s a lifetime warranty with Lowepro’s products as well.
The Passport Sling’s dimensions
Interior camera compartment: 4.1″ (10.5 cm) wide, 7.5″ (19 cm) deep, and 7.5″ (19 cm) high
Fully expanded interior (excluding camera compartment): 5.1″ (13 cm) wide, 6.3″ (16 cm) deep, and 15″ (38 cm) high
Weight: 1.1 lbs. (0.5 kg)
It’s available around town (I’ve seen it at London Drugs) for $50 CDN.
Pros
Doesn’t look like a camera bag
Collapses down to store inside luggage
Comfortable to wear
Strong 600d Polyester Polymesh outer fabric (interior contains 210DNylon Brushed Tricot Velcro)
Great for travel, with space for guidebooks, water bottle, small umbrella, souvenirs
Good quality bag for price point
Cons
Inside padded area could be a tad larger to hold larger lens without being too packed in (maybe a future version in “large”?)
Disclosure note for review: I was sent the Passport Sling for the purpose of writing this review: cmply.2
