Camera Sling Bag - Sam's Club $31 - YMMV

[Mac]

Camara Sling Bag

If you are serious about photography and want to take your gear with you for an outing, a sling style backpack is very handy. Name brands (Lowepro, Tamrac, etc.) with the same set of features will start at $75.

This no-name bag was selling for $40 and has been reduced down to $31 which makes it an outstanding deal. I almost picked one up a couple of weeks ago for $40 but delayed. When I finally decided to buy, I was pleasantly surprised to find my procrastination saved me $9. It was a good deal at $40 but is a bargain at $31.

Check first to see if in stock at your local SC.

 

[gard]

Hi,

Does it have padded compartments to keep bare lenses?

I am guessing this bag does not have back-pack style straps, is that right?

Thanks,
gard

 

[pdo]

just check and it's $24 at my local Sam's Club but I don't have membership though.

 

[Mac]

Originally posted by: gard
Hi,

Does it have padded compartments to keep bare lenses?

The main compartmenent is padded on all sides and has padded adjustable dividers (velcro tabs) so that you can configure for your gear.

The main compartment is doubled zippered so that when you sling it, the top is facing up. All the compartments have either webbed pockets or organizers for filters, batteries, memory cards. There is plenty of space for a couple of extra lenses and flash.


I am guessing this bag does not have back-pack style straps, is that right?

The single carrying strap is well padded, as is the back of the pack that rests against your back. This is a sling style so that you can rotate the pack over your shoulder to quickly access the different compartments. There is additional small strap that attaches to the sling that is used to stablilize the bag and help prevent it from shifting around.

One nice feature is that it has water resistant nylon cover tucked into the bottom of the pack. If needed, it can be pulled out and encases the entire pack to help protect your gear from moisture. It has elastic around the edges so it stretches / hooks over the pack securely.

 

[bjamm2]

$39 at my sams.

 

[ivan2]

it does seem very small in the picture and there's no sizing information.

 

[Mac]

It is not a huge bag. My use would be for a prolonged day hike or perhaps a shoot when I will need more than one lens and perhaps flash.

Don't have it in front of me now but would estimate the outside dimensions to be around 12" wide, 19" or so height and 7" deep.

The inside dimensions of the main compartment is probably jus over 10"-11" square, 6" deep. It is large enough to hold my Nikon D300 with 70-300/VR zoom, another smaller lens, and perhaps flash.

The upper compartment is well padded and large enough to hold a good size zoom or a couple of flash units and some small accessories (batteries, filters, media, etc.).

There is another zippered pouch that sits on top of the main compartment to hold other accessories. It is padded also but not to the same degree as the other compartments.

The one feature it doesn't have is an easy way to strap a tripod/monopod. That may defeat the purpose of a sling bag though as the idea is that you can carry the camera in the bag and quickly access it without having to remove the bag. The main compartment is double zippered so that when you slide the bag around in front of you, the opening is now pointing up.

It seems to be fairly well thought out. The only thing I am not crazy about is the interior of the main compartment is not completely felted, thus you don't have complete freedom to arrange the dividers (which have velcroed strips). It would probably be more space efficient to dismount the lens and place a cap over the body but I prefer to have a lens mounted at all times. Also, don't like the idea of having to remove the cap and expose the sensor to possible dust everytime I go into the bag. I can work around it.

It is not a perfect or pro piece of gear...but it doesn't cost $100+ either. Still, it is a lot of bag for the money.

 

[gard]

Hi Mac,

Thanks for your detailed response. This looks like something I could use. I have been using an old camcorder bag. It is okay for space and safety but the shoulder strap is a pain. I was thinking a back pack would free the hands completely, but from what you describe, this sling bag might do the trick.

gard

 

[Tpware]

26 at ours. It's a definate copy/ripoff of the Lowepro SlingShot 100 or 200 AW, which I own. It's alittle sloppy compared to Lowepro, but perhaps alittle more volume. Maybe its a more direct copy of the AW 200 than the 100. It even has the clips to prevent the zippers being opened too far when side loading. If this were close to the cost of the Slingshot, I'd choose the Slingshot. But at 1/3 the price if the Slingshot, I'd buy this without hesitation. Not sure if it would last like the Lowepro but again, at this price it's hard to complain. I'm buying a couple, probably one as a gift and another for a back up at work. Only bummer is they were all *dirty*.

 

[swtethan]

I had the slingshot 200 from lowepro, good bag but very small, fit a cam body with grip, and a sizeable lens, but dont expect it holding a large zoom.

 

[SignalSoldier]

Lowepro FTW! Slingshot 300 all day all week all month all year it worth the money

 

[swtethan]

noooo if youre carrying a lot of gear... flipside 400

its $180 but it IS worth every penny

it opens in the back so you wont have to worry about people opening up your bag in a crowd

 

[ivan2]

i tried that flipside and it's indeed a great bag for it's purpose, so is that high end tamrac with waterproof coating zippers, but boy they are ugly as sin. i went with a kata 3 in 1 instead.

 

[slashbinslashbash]

Hmmm I have been wanting to try a sling bag, although this one may be too small for my purposes. I have a Crumpler 7 Million Dollar Home and it fits everything I need, but it does get pretty heavy on the shoulder. I also have a Kata R103 which is great and carries a ton, but it's a traditional backpack so you have to take it off to access anything, which gets to be a hassle. A sling bag seems like a good compromise but they're all fairly small. I guess if I want a comfortable solution that will carry a ton of gear and have it all accessible, I will need to get all nerded out with something like a Think Tank belt system. But maybe I will swing by Sam's Club to check this sling bag out.