Need A Sling Bag

[wjlapier]

I have a small Fuji kit that will grow a little. I'm in need of a sling bag I can carry what I have--X-T2, 10-24, 35, 55-200--and eventually another body. I'd like to keep the lenses on the bodies and not change while out shooting. So, X-T2 with the 10-24 and maybe X-T1 with the 55-200. The X-T1 might change to a X-E3 or something else.

Any suggestions to a sling bag that would hold both cameras and lens mounted and have room for extra lens, macro ring, and batteries? I bought the F Stop Fitzroy but find it a little small for my needs.

 

[Rob-F]

Have you looked at Think Tank? I like mine because it looks more secure than others, in that it seems less likely to spill its contents (so, so good). I think mine is a medium; I believe either that or a large would work for you.

 

[wjlapier]

I'll check Think Tank soon. I was looking at the Red Label Artist & Artisan sling just now and found a video of it on YouTube. Looks like you can set it up for either shoulder which is nice. Chrome is another one I considered too.

 

[Godfrey]

My favorite sling bags for camera specific use are the Wotancraft Mini Rider and Easy Rider bags. They're beautifully made, top notch materials, and the designs are quite versatile. The harness can be adjusted through a good range, and they will make custom length harness straps if you need/prefer something out of the range that what is provided with the bag can manage. They can be arranged to sling in either direction.

The Mini Rider might be able to handle your kit; the Easy Rider will certainly be able to.

My second favorite sling bags for camera specific use are the Peak Design Everyday Sling bags. There are, I think, three sizes of them ... I have the older (series 1) 5L and 10L bags. Like most PD gear, they're well designed, sensibly featured, and do a great job; as well as reasonably priced. Again, the smaller sized bags might do the job, I'm sure the larger bags certainly will.

My other sling bag (and the one I use the most!) for more casual carry is a Patagonia Atom 8L sling bag. This is my most used carry for bicycle use and handles most all of my day to day necessities (ride snacks, camera, gloves, spare jersey, wallet, phone, etc etc etc.). Simple, well designed, pretty inexpensive ($60), well made... I'm always amazed at just how much gear I can jam into it. I doubt it would carry your full kit comfortably; it's more in tune with carrying a small selection for a day's shooting (small camera, two to three lenses) and you need to use wraps and such to pad your gear since it is not a padded bag. But it's very versatile for my needs and really does the number when I just want to throw a camera and some junk into a bag and dash off on the bicycle.

G

"There's always another cool bag out there..."

 

[Vince Lupo]

I second the Peak Design sling bags and they currently do come in three different sizes: 3L, 6L and 10L. I have a 6L and it holds my Hasselblad 907x/CFV II 50c with one lens attached, plus two additional lenses and a few small accessories. I think if you look on their website they show you what all can fit in each size.

I'm not a fan of the Peak Design Messenger bags but I think they did a good job with their slings.

 

[back alley]

domke f6 will hold that gear with ease...i carry 2 bodies with lenses attached and 2 smaller lenses in mine...not a sling though...

 

[wjlapier]

Wow, the Wontancraft sling bags are nice but expensive. The Think Tank ( Mindshift ) Photocross 13L might fit. Second camera is a X-T1--just finalized the purchase.

 

[besk]

I use a Ape Case bag as a sling bag. It is very light.. It holds my miniature Crown Graphic with holders, extra lens and accessories.

And it was very cheap.

 

[Godfrey]

Wow, the Wontancraft sling bags are nice but expensive. The Think Tank ( Mindshift ) Photocross 13L might fit. Second camera is a X-T1--just finalized the purchase.

Yes, they're fairly pricey. The quality and build are outstanding, service and support top notch, and the design is superb, so you're getting a good value for what they cost, but they're at the outer edge of what I'd pay for a high quality camera bag. I think I got the pair as the result of some special windfall that came my way a few years ago. 😀

The Peak Design Sling bags are much more modestly priced and are still very good quality and excellent design. The 5L model is what I've been using for my Leica CL kit (body, three lenses, neckstrap, spare battery, cards, etc) for at least a couple of years.

G

 

[hap]

I have a Think Tank Turnstyle sling. It holds (snugly) my Hasselblad 503cm, it's lens, and back, lens hood, and an extra back. there is still room for flatter accessories like notebook, smart phone etc.

If I bought another sling it would probably be a Peak Design, 5 or 6L.

 

[wjlapier]

Thought I would update. I went with the TT Mindshift Photocross 13 Sling. Perfect fit for me and for my small Fujifilm kit--X-T1, X-T2, 35/2, 10-24, and 55-200. Plenty room for my black X100 ( original ) if I really wanted to bring it. Both bodies have the lenses mounted. Something I was really looking for.

 

[twopointeight]

The Think Tank Turnstile, the mid-size one, is the best bag I have for working with muitple primes.

 

[Archiver]

I'm giving some though to the Thinktank Turnstyle, as I have their Urban Disguise bags and love their quality, but not their boxy bulk.

My dedicated work bag is the Incase Ari Marcopoulos signature sling, it's been with me for around nine years and I use it all year round. It is designed to fit a Canon 5D Mark II with lens, a Contax G2 with lens, and a Contax T3 in the padded pocket. It's pretty big, but the quality of materials, design and construction is tops. I can put in two mirrorless bodies with multiple lenses. Yesterday, it had the Panasonic G9 with Sigma 24-105 f4, two Panasonic zooms, Panasonic GH4 with Olympus 12mm f2, and various batteries, audio recorder, mics and filters.

It's not deep enough to hold a full frame DSLR with a longer zoom, like the Canon 70-200 f4 IS II, for example. But for a DSLR/mirrorless and M body or similar, it's perfect.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IA3a_5_SWzQ

 

[DwF]

Like I needed another bag....

Like I needed another bag....

....so this Think Tank Photocross 13 (Mindshift) was sitting on the "used" rack today at Kenmore Camera in ......Kenmore (that's Seattle).

With a couple small marks on the gray that blended in to the fabric just fine, this bag is like new but priced at a significantly reduced price. The bag seemed to keep its gaze on me like a pup at the pound. So I brought it home with Kenmore Camera's generous return policy, even with used gear allowing two weeks to return an item.

This is the bag that wjlapier our OP decided to settle on. I second his choice. I have resisted sling bags after checking them out, but this one is really nice, well thought out, and produced with no apparent shortcuts; the size seems just right for what I would want in a sling bag.

I love that it has two small belts stowed away inside that can be used to attach, to loops on the front of the bag, a small tripod or large folded sweatshirt (Bruce Gilden's latest "zine"?) for the field.

David