SlingShot 300 AW

I bought this to lug my gear around on a short foreign birding trip.I hoped the sling design would allow me access to my camera without faffing around. The bag/ zip is too noisy to allow this.To make matters worse when fully loaded, the uneven distribution of weight started to give me back ache after a few days of using this.I accept it was loaded to the hilt,I was out in the field for 16+ hours and climbing a horrible Mountain (Makiling) but I don't recall a standard '2 strap backback' design ever doing this to me.
Having bought this 6 months ago, I find myself looking for another bag.
Probably fine if used in short bursts and not loaded up fully.If I'm not going to load it, I'd rather have a smaller bag!

I tried this on in the shop but found the one strap too uncomfortable - too close to my neck, so I wouldn't advise buying over the internet without trying unless you know you like this particular type of design. Instead I bought the conventional two strap Flipside 300, and am very happy with the design. Looking forward to putting it to the test shortly

I bought this bag for combined use as a carry on when flying and as a daypack/camera bag when out and about. It carried my limited amount of camera equipment, plus 10x40 binos and camcorder. There was also room for water bottle, guide etc. When walking the single strap can start to become slightly uncomfortable, but tightening the waistbelt will take the weight off the shoulders
When slung around to the front it can act as a useful arm rest when taking pictures. One slight issue is that the optimum positioning on the back, is too tight when slung to the front ie t' a bit close to your chin.

Overall, highly recommended

I have the 200 model as the 300 offered too much space for additional gear and I did not want the weight to hassle with,,

I carry my E3 with the 12-60mm mounted as well as my 50-200mm and 150mm and 35mm macro,, total weight of the bag on my back is right at 14 pounds which is very managable,,

the quality of the bag is very good,, the internal spacers could use more velcro surface for greater adjustments,,

all my past bags were shoulder straps and it took a tad to get use to this arrangement which I now prefer,,

I looked at the 300 and decided that it was just a bit too large for me. I went for the 200 which takes the key elements of my kit Canon 40D, with 28-135 attached and 50 mm Prime. When I can afford the big prime I may have to think again, but if I was going for more capacity I would not choose a slingshot.

I like to travel as light as possible and the 200 suits me just fine. I do think that you need to visit a store and try these things as I did - it helps to make up your mind on what is a very personal decision.

From my experience this bag is just too big for the single strap design
I "packed" mine with 30D, 400 5.6, + couple of smaller lenses
The dody+ 400mm just about fitted in but the weight across one side of my neck caused me numbness in my shoulder and arm!
The obvious solution was not to pack so much in ... I sold it on eBay and went back to my (tatty) mini trekker!

This is and excellent bag. I also have the AW 100 for every day,single use and a AW 300 with the birding camera and lenses in it. It was one of the only sling bags I could find that you can keep a large lens attached to the camera (in my case ad Olympus E-510 and a sigma 135-400 with tripod collar and plate) with plenty of room to spare and the camera safely padded in the bag. It is not a long distance hiking bag but for short distances and the average birding walk +- 4 km its great. I do not like backpack for these situations. Also being a bit rotund one is inclined to look like the Hunchback of Notre Dame with a backpack.

good bag, i have the 200 and ok for my needs. the brocure add shows the sling over one shoulder and worn like this you cannot sling it around. you have to wear it over your head making it hot and uncomfortable although easy to get at. trying doing it when your kitted out for a cold wet day in the hills and your better off going back to the good old back pack with it all stuffed in safely.

(Price paid 99 UKP)

The Lowepro SlingShot 300 AW is described by Lowe thusly:

Perfect for photojournalists, the SlingShot 300 AW uses a unique sling design to go from carry mode to ready mode in just seconds. Carried comfortably on the back, it easily rotates to the front so you can get to your camera quickly. The SlingShot 300 AW holds an Pro SLR with zoom lens attached 5-6 extra lenses, cables and accessories and has a full access lid to make loading it a snap. This feature-rich bag also includes a built-in memory card pouch, micro fiber LCD cloth and two generous organizer pockets. Its certain to surprise even the most demanding photojournalists.

On the face of it, this is an accurate summary of the qualities of this bag, but there is a bit more to it than that

The Good
Its obvious that the SlingShot 300 comes from a company that has years of experience in designing and making excellent camera bags.

There is more than enough room in the central section of the 300 to carry a Canon 30D with grip attached, fitted to a Canon 100-400mm IS and Kenko 1.4x TC.

I can also carry my spare 30D body, 50mm lens, Leica 832 bins, 2 batteries, loads of CF cards, Giotto Rocket blower, Photochute portable hard drive and lens cleaning cloths in the main section.

Theres an organiser pocket on the front of the bag which typically holds wallet and mp3 player with loads of room to spare.

At the top of the bag there is a further storage area which will hold a water bottle, energy bars, sunglasses, baseball cap and other odds and sods.

Pretty clear then, that it can carry a lot of gear I havent yet filled it up in use.

The attention to detail is excellent. For example, when a camera is placed in the bag, a built-in microfibre cloth protects the LCD a very nice touch.

The big thing about the SlingShots though, is the way they are designed to allow for rapid access to the camera. The asymmetric strap goes over one shoulder only, and allows the bag to swing from back to front in a second.

Cleverly, this changes the orientation of the bag so that the main compartment faces upwards allowing full access to the camera simply by opening the zip a few inches.

It all works perfectly, and is a very intelligent design.

The AW in the name indicates that there is an All Weather (ie waterproof) cover, and that does its job without fuss.

There is also a padded hip belt which does a very good job of spreading the load if youre faced with a full bag and a long hike.

Build quality is faultless.

For me though, the best thing by far is that not having straps which go over each shoulder, I dont have the problem of the straps digging in when I raise the camera to my eye.

I cant imagine Im alone here: good camera hand-holding technique demands that you tuck your elbows tight into your torso, and this causes the thick and pretty solid straps on other camera bags to dig into the armpits/chest.

This is uncomfortable (Ive actually ended up with bruises after a long day) and presumably by pressing hard on nerves it actually causes a tremor in my arms, which is a bad thing for sharp shots.

The Slingshot eliminates the problem at a stroke, and to me this advantage is in itself enough to make the bag worth buying.

What about the downsides, then?

The not so good
Clearly, this is a cleverly designed, well made bag. But it is perhaps a victim of its own cleverness.

The SlingShot 300 was introduced purely because other bags in the series (the 100 and 200) were popular but too small for some folk. The 300 satisfies that design brief, but therein is the biggest problem.

A bigger bag means a heavier bag, and the weight of the entire bag and its load is placed on a single strap which crosses the front of the body from right shoulder to left waist. This can and does cause a noticeable restriction on breathing, which can be pretty unwelcome if youve some walking to do.

The cross-body strap also has the effect of trapping body heat in your clothing its a bit like having a belt cinched up across the top of your jacket, making ventilation a problem.

The third issue and again it relates to the strap arrangement is that you really need to make sure youre wearing clothing that the bag and strap can slide across easily: try to use a heavily loaded bag over say, a fleece, and youll be tied up in knots of your own clothing in no time as the fleece gets dragged around with the bag.

Even given these caveats I rather like this bag, but using it does warrant a bit of forethought if you want to get the best out of it and be comfortable while youre using it.

Ive found that the ideal thing to wear with the SlingShot 300 is a Buffalo pertex windshirt (or similar).

The pertex is very slippy, so theres no dragging of your clothing, and the Buffalos full length pit zips ensure tons of ventilation so you wont overheat.

This doesnt help with the weight of course, but the solution to that is pretty obvious really - put less in the bag!

To be fair though, as long as you can keep comfortable and cool by wearing the right kind of clothing, the SlingShot does a very good job, all told.