
Camera bags: we all love them, and many of us own more than one. Over the years, I’ve owned dozens of bags, and I can justify buying just about all of them. I’ve owned canvas bags, leather bags, and ballistic bags, each of which has its merits. Although I will always love the look, feel, and durability of leather and heavy canvas, I’ve also come to realize leather and canvas bags are, by nature, heavy before you even pack anything in them.
With that in mind, I started looking for lighter-weight alternatives and what I ultimately chose has since become my daily commuter bag: the Lowepro Passport Sling Camera Bag.
Lowepro Passport Slings are available in two sizes: the Lowepro Passport Camera Sling and the slightly larger Lowepro Passport Camera Sling III. Both weigh a smidgen more than a pound. The basic Sling, which is designed to carry a camera, 1 to 2 smaller lenses, and assorted accessories, is available in Black or Mica. The Sling III, which is slightly larger and designed to carry a mirrorless camera or DSLR with 2 lenses and accessories, is available in Black or Gray and Orange.
Both versions feature 600-denier polyester Polymesh exteriors with 210-denier nylon brushed-Tricot interiors. Other features include interior and exterior pockets and a separate slot for storing an iPad or similar tablet. To protect your camera, the bag contains a removable padded insert.
When additional interior space is needed, you can expand the width of the bag by about 30% by simply unzipping it from the side. Equally neat is that when they’re empty, you can fold them up for easy storage. Lowepro Passport Sling Bags also hold up well against wet weather. Even after getting caught in a downpour, the contents of my bag were dry as toast.
Weight aside, something I particularly like about Lowepro Passport Sling bags is their narrow profile—they hug your body, making it easier to slink your way through crowds, and they don’t look like camera bags.
The shoulder straps are easily adjusted to facilitate comfortable shoulder or sling-style carrying arrangements. A sliding shoulder pad is included but, if you’re like me, you’ll want to swap it out for my favorite shoulder pad, the Domke FA-031 U.S. Post Office Shoulder Pad, which I gush about in a separate Things We Love article.
I currently own both sizes of this wonderful camera bag and, depending on the nature of my day, I invariably have one of the two bags hanging off my shoulder when I leave home in the morning.
Do you have a camera bag to which you feel a special attachment? Drop us a line, below, and tell us about it.
The “Things We Love” series articles are written by B&H Photo Video Pro Audio staff to talk about products and items that we love. Opinions expressed in the articles are those of the writers and do not represent product endorsements from B&H Photo Video Pro Audio.
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