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Serious sling bag advice needed —
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Aug 1, 2021 15:43:15   #
Greer Loc: SOUTH GEORGIA
 
Wanting a sling bag for tossing into vehicle for trips, both planned and unexpected, around city and countryside. Must be padded and comfortable; nothing to stiff. I have a D850 with 24-70mm 2.8 attached. Will also be carrying 70-200mm or instead of 70-200, one or two other smaller lenses. Wanting adequate protection of gear. Extra pockets for wireless flash, etc. Will pay for quality, but nothing excessive. Yes, I do want a sling bag. Serious suggestions only. Thank you all in advance.

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Aug 1, 2021 15:44:38   #
PixelStan77 Loc: Vermont/Chicago
 
Greer wrote:
Wanting a sling bag for tossing into vehicle for trips, both planned and unexpected, around city and countryside. Must be padded and comfortable; nothing to stiff. I have a D850 with 24-70mm 2.8 attached. Will also be carrying 70-200mm 2,8 and 2 other lenses aong, so it must protect gear. Extra pockets for wireless flash, etc. Will pay for quality, but nothing excessive. Yes, I do want a sling bag. Serious suggestions only. Thank you all in advance.


Look at Think Tank. Great quality

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Aug 1, 2021 15:46:41   #
Greer Loc: SOUTH GEORGIA
 
PixelStan77 wrote:
Look at Think Tank. Great quality


I will. Thanks. Any particular model?

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Aug 1, 2021 15:51:23   #
gchapell
 
Going to be on the heavy and large side with all that gear. Maybe consider a backpack style?
Just an opinion from a sling bag user with much less equipment.
-g

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Aug 1, 2021 15:54:37   #
Greer Loc: SOUTH GEORGIA
 
gchapell wrote:
Going to be on the heavy and large side with all that gear. Maybe consider a backpack style?
Just an opinion from a sling bag user with much less equipment.
-g


You’re right. I’d say D850 with 24-70 and 70-200 with wireless flash. Or 24-70 and one (possibly two) other lenses.

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Aug 1, 2021 16:27:12   #
Orphoto Loc: Oregon
 
Just know that heavy sling bags are much harder on shoulders than a backpack. Try before you buy if possible.

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Aug 1, 2021 16:44:56   #
Elliern Loc: Myrtle Beach, SC
 
Greer wrote:
Wanting a sling bag for tossing into vehicle for trips, both planned and unexpected, around city and countryside. Must be padded and comfortable; nothing to stiff. I have a D850 with 24-70mm 2.8 attached. Will also be carrying 70-200mm 2,8 and 2 other lenses aong, so it must protect gear. Extra pockets for wireless flash, etc. Will pay for quality, but nothing excessive. Yes, I do want a sling bag. Serious suggestions only. Thank you all in advance.


I have a Lowenpro sling bag. I think it’s a smaller passport model, but it doesn’t say. It’s really pretty lightweight. The inside is bright green colored so easy to see everything. It is expandable which makes it easier for longer trips with 2-3 lenses and camera. But like that I can make it smaller for quick run to the beach or marsh. It also has pockets all the way around for maps, brochures, etc. plus places for extra batteries and sd cards in the strap and inside the bag.
I removed a couple of the Velcro inserts and padded the bottom with them. Still had enough dividers for camera and lenses. I keep one lens on the camera at all times so gives even more room. I recently used it for a DSLR with short lens attached plus a bridge camera with long zoom. And still had room with it unzipped for another lens if I wanted. I bought mine a few years ago at Best Buy when on sale. I love it. Carried it all around London and surrounding areas while on vacation. Only had one camera and two lenses at that time. Now for around town have room for Nikon d7500 with short lens plus Tamron 100-400 lens OR a Nikon P950. But not room for the big Tamron plus the P950. The larger one may fit it all.
I also sprayed the bottom with strong water repellent because if I set it on wet ground at the beach or marsh while shooting it adds protection.
When I bought mine, I brought my DSLR and long lens with me to BB. I wanted to be sure everything would fit and I could still carry it comfortably. Oh, the strap is padded which helps it stay put. Just my experience.

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Aug 1, 2021 16:52:55   #
DirtFarmer Loc: Escaped from the NYC area, back to MA
 
I've been using a Think Tank sling bag for about a decade. It holds 2 bodies, 2 or 3 lenses, and all the other junk (CPL, spare cards & batteries, lens cloth, speedlight). You can sling it on your back like a back pack or move it around front where it sits flat in front of you. The top opens for access and you can use it as a brace for elbows when shooting. Pockets hold paperwork and/or a laptop.

I don't recall the model but I don't think that model is made now. Hopefully there's something similar. They made 3 sizes and I chose the middle size. Probably weighs 20 lb loaded with all the stuff I carry.

I frequently used it in front with the lid open. I could swap bodies (with different lenses) quickly.

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Aug 1, 2021 20:56:09   #
PixelStan77 Loc: Vermont/Chicago
 
Greer wrote:
I will. Thanks. Any particular model?


On Monday call think tank and tell them you want to get a sling back. Tell them the equipment you will be using. Thay then can suggest a model.
1-866-558-4465) Extension 1 - Toll Free (USA only)

Hours: Mon - Fri 8:30 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. PST

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Aug 2, 2021 07:29:07   #
billnikon Loc: Pennsylvania/Ohio/Florida/Maui/Oregon/Vermont
 
Greer wrote:
Wanting a sling bag for tossing into vehicle for trips, both planned and unexpected, around city and countryside. Must be padded and comfortable; nothing to stiff. I have a D850 with 24-70mm 2.8 attached. Will also be carrying 70-200mm or instead of 70-200, one or two other smaller lenses. Wanting adequate protection of gear. Extra pockets for wireless flash, etc. Will pay for quality, but nothing excessive. Yes, I do want a sling bag. Serious suggestions only. Thank you all in advance.


That is a lot of equipment for a sling bag. That is a lot of weight for one shoulder. I would strongly suggest a back pack for all of that.
I use the sling bag Tenba 10 L, but again, it will handle the D850, the 24-70 and the 70-200. Maybe another lens but that would be pushing it. But for me, weight is an issue.
https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1408191-REG/tenba_636_424_solstice_sling_bag_10l.html?sts=pi&pim=Y

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Aug 2, 2021 07:55:04   #
TerryVS
 
Greer wrote:
Wanting a sling bag for tossing into vehicle for trips, both planned and unexpected, around city and countryside. Must be padded and comfortable; nothing to stiff. I have a D850 with 24-70mm 2.8 attached. Will also be carrying 70-200mm or instead of 70-200, one or two other smaller lenses. Wanting adequate protection of gear. Extra pockets for wireless flash, etc. Will pay for quality, but nothing excessive. Yes, I do want a sling bag. Serious suggestions only. Thank you all in advance.


I've been a Hazard 4 Photo Recon: https://hazard4.com/bags/photo-recon.html

I've got about 3 years of use and still looks great. It's meant to be a top loader but that's not how I use it. I side load a D750 with a 15-30mm lens. A D500 in a wrap goes on same compartment. Using the molle I hung a Maxpedition large padded water bottle holder off one side. This is big enough for my Nikon 300mm PF or 70-200 with the shade on. In the top I have a flash, action camera, batteries etc. There's a separate top compartment for filters. There's two side pockets that hold spare batteries, cards some cleaning stuff etc.

It appears you want a go bag type pack. I haven't carried this as a pack much but it goes to work with me every night (I'm a TV photojournalist). It also frequently gets thrown into a fire engine or other emergency apperatus (volunteer firefighter). Never had an issue and has held up great. It's also well enough padded I don't worry about the gear.

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Aug 2, 2021 08:33:07   #
banjoboy Loc: Austin, TX
 
I moved from a smaller sling to a Lowepro Fastpack 250 AW II which combines a backpack with a sling. Two straps for easier carry bit still can be swung down to access the equipment section. It worked really well on its first trip last month. You might want to check it out.

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Aug 2, 2021 09:01:57   #
Gene51 Loc: Yonkers, NY, now in LSD (LowerSlowerDelaware)
 
Greer wrote:
Wanting a sling bag for tossing into vehicle for trips, both planned and unexpected, around city and countryside. Must be padded and comfortable; nothing to stiff. I have a D850 with 24-70mm 2.8 attached. Will also be carrying 70-200mm or instead of 70-200, one or two other smaller lenses. Wanting adequate protection of gear. Extra pockets for wireless flash, etc. Will pay for quality, but nothing excessive. Yes, I do want a sling bag. Serious suggestions only. Thank you all in advance.


The best advice I can offer is to visit a camera store and try them out for yourself. Your body shape and size, tolerance to loads, desired comfort level, budget etc is very individual - what works for me probably won't work for you, and vice versa. You seem to want quality but at a budget price. I am pretty sure that higher quality/feature set will cost more than a basic bag.

I am not a fan of sling packs - I own two. The main reason is that you are relying on a single plastic buckle to protect your gear. If you make a mistake and not buckle it securely, crash-thud, tinkle, tinkle. If the buckle fails, crash-thud, tinkle, tinkle. I've had a buckle failure and it would have cost me over $800 to repair the camera and two lenses, were it not for insurance.

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Aug 2, 2021 10:01:32   #
farwest Loc: Utah
 
Orphoto wrote:
Just know that heavy sling bags are much harder on shoulders than a backpack. Try before you buy if possible.


I use a Lowe Slingshot 200 AW which is a nice bag for a short time. Your shoulder and back will let you know if you use it to long.

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Aug 2, 2021 11:30:01   #
dhk
 
Peak design.
Whatever of the sizes you select

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