The rucksack style of camera bag is often favoured for reasons of comfort, security and its ability to disguise itself as an everyday rucksack that isn’t brimming with expensive equipment.  In terms of giving its wearer quick access to the bag contents however, it tends to lag far behind its shoulder bag counterparts as most traditional backpacks require the wearer to take it off before being able to get into the bag.

With a Lowepro Slingshot 300 AW or one of its siblings, this isn’t the case (or rather the bag).

The SlingShot 300 AW is the largest of the SlingShot family and it’s probably just as well because it’s not a small bag by any means.  Able to carry a ‘professional’ camera body (or a camera body with a grip) as well 3 to 4 lenses, accessories and other non-photographic kit, the 300 model is probably the most capacious bag you’d want to carry with a single shoulder strap.  Saying that, I’ve seen some more traditional shoulder sling bags (think Billingham) that are probably just as sizeable.

Some of the features of the bag include:

• Interior Dimensions Inner Dimensions: 11.8W x 6.5D x 11.8H in / 30 x 16.5 x 30 cm
• Separate compartment for accessories or non-photographic paraphernalia
• Single padded shoulder strap and a padded waist belt
• Built-in rain hood
• SlipLock loops for add-ons
• Small compartment on front of the bag for accessories
• Built-in memory card pouches

Now, there are plenty of bags that can carry just as much as the SlingShot 300, but the main unique selling proposition of this bag is the way in which it can be swung from the wearers back, under the left arm and then sit just under chest level.  With the side access panel then facing up at the wearer, there’s no longer any need to take the bag off before getting access to your equipment.

From this position, the bag also provides an excellent support to rest elbows on.

The video below demonstrates just how the bag rotation process works.

Having a side access panel as opposed to the more traditional front opening, I feel, makes it more difficult for someone to remove the contents from the rucksack without the wearers knowledge.  With potentially thousands of pounds worth of equipment, my preference is to keep it in sight or at least feel confident about where it should be and for me this is a great feature that offers such reassurance.  The contemporary single shoulder strap design also helps to make the bag look less like a camera bag and therefore is less likely to attract unwanted attention.

There are two clips that, when fastened, restrict how far the side panel can open.  As well as being an additional security feature, these help prevent your equipment from spilling out onto the floor should you be in a hurry and over enthusiastically unzip the panel.

Whilst the bag is perfectly comfortable in use, it can become uncomfortable when laden due to the single shoulder strap.  Extended periods of use may well need to be broken up, but with lighter loads it’s much less of an issue. It is possible to carry the bag across the other shoulder instead, but this is not what the bag was designed to do, feels slightly awkward and you lose the ability to swing the bag to get at your equipment.

To protect your equipment, there’s plenty of padding in the lower compartment which can be customised thanks to the dividers being attached to the sides of the bag by Velcro.  I was able to carry my Canon EF 70-200 f/4 IS lens mounted onto my Canon EOS 40D together with additional lenses and flashgun without any problems.

Protection from rain is provided with a built-in rain cover which stows neatly away when not in use.

For those wanting to carry a tripod with them, there are SlipLock loops on the front of the bag positioned to allow one to be slotted through vertically.  Now, the bag is quite deep and with a tripod carried in this manner you really need to be careful you don’t hit people with it as you turn.

Conclusion

There is a lot to like about this bag and for those photographers who want to be able to switch from ‘carry mode’ to ‘shoot mode’ in as little time as possible this is a great choice.  The bag is constructed using high quality materials and feels like it’s built to last .  There’s plenty of room for a variety of photographic equipment and should hold enough to last through an entire day of shooting if not longer.

The sling design is both its killer feature and Achilles Heel. For photographers likely to be carrying heavy equipment for an extended periods of more than a few hours at a time then the single shoulder strap could become uncomfortable.

For everyone else or for shorter periods of use, the Lowepro SlingShot 300 AW is a high quality, spacious portable storage solution that should serve its purpose very well.

Pros:

• Offers super fast access to camera with mounted lens.
• Modern one-shoulder sling design.
• Padded waist strap helps spread the carrying load.
• Capacious.
• High quality construction.
• External tripod loops.
• Built-in rain cover.

Cons:

• Single shoulder strap design could become uncomfortable when carrying a heavy load for a few hours.

Photographs of the Lowepro SlingShot 300 AW in use