Lowepro Slingshot AW300

[AustinTed]

I have the Lowepro Slingshot AW300 bag. Does anyone have any experience with this or a similar bag in the parks as far as fitting it on rides? It's not super big, but I'm not sure how it would fit on things like Space Mountain. Thanks

 

[NostalgicDad]

I have the Slingshot AW200. Although smaller I didn't really find it to be too cumbersome on rides.

 

[DisneySuiteFreak]

I have the Slingshot AW200. Although smaller I didn't really find it to be too cumbersome on rides.

NostalgicDad, how is it having it slung over just one shoulder? I was thinking of getting the 300, but what concerns me is the weight being born by just one side. Can you flip it around to the opposite shoulder if one side hurts too bad? Also, what gear were you carrying? Did it fit the camera and your flash?
Thanks...

 

[AustinTed]

NostalgicDad, how is it having it slung over just one shoulder? I was thinking of getting the 300, but what concerns me is the weight being born by just one side. Can you flip it around to the opposite shoulder if one side hurts too bad? Also, what gear were you carrying? Did it fit the camera and your flash?
Thanks...

I'm interested in how this is to carry all day too.

The main appeal for me of the AW300 over the AW200 is that the extra width allows you to carry the camera with a 70-200mm lens attached. It even fits if you use a teleconverter. It's plenty big for flash and multiple other lenses. Although personally, I don't think I would carry it around all day fully loaded. For example, extra batteries, the 70-200mm, and a flash aren't necessarily needed all the time. But it's nice to be able to take it all if you need to.

The bag is only designed to sling over one shoulder and can't be used on the other. However, it does have a waist strap for extra support that works well enough to lift most of the weight off the shoulder.

I looked into some of the normal shoulder bags and couldn't find one that was this space efficient. Most of the ones that could carry a 70-200mm were downright huge.

I'll know soon how well this all works in practice.

 

[KrazyPete]

I have an AW100. If I'm going to be picking it up and putting it down then I just toss it onto my left shoulder. I can't do that on the right side because of the angle of the strap (it hangs odd on that side). If I'm going to be carrying it a long time then I pull the strap over my head to the right shoulder (strap goes across my chest). It wears pretty comfortably this way and I can still pull it under my arm to get the camera out.

If you were to try to put it on backwards the camera access panel would be facing down when you pulled the bag around to the front.

 

[DVC Jen]

I also have the 200 and it wasn't an issue on the rides at all. As far as carrying it around all the time - well - DH did that.

OK OK I carried it a bit - but not nearly as much as he did. He never complained about it and when I did carry it - it seemed like the weight was pretty evenly distributed - didn't bother me.

At one point I had the 200, my tripod (in a carrying case) and two dSLR cameras hanging off me.

 

[Master Mason]

thats good, I am planning on getting a 200 for an in the parks walk around type bag, my mini trekker is just too heavy to carry all day long with all the gear in it. I am planning on trasporting in the Mini, and then just taking in the 200 what I think I will be using on that particular day. It is mostly as an accessory bag, but I did want it to be big enough for the camera as well for those rare times that I don't want the camera on my wrist

 

[Code]

I just got back a few days ago from 9 days carrying the 200 around the parks, it was GREAT GREAT GREAT. For most rides I slid it around front and kept it on. I'm not so sure about the 300, though. I have no gear that needs it but I did try it out at the store. It's as wide as any normal backpack so I think it would be too cumbersome to just slide it around front on rides, I think you'd have to take it off and keep it at your feet like a normal backpack.

 

[NostalgicDad]

Sorry, been away all weekend. Looks like everyone has answered the questions as I would. I do carry my D80 with 70-300VR attached and it fits fine. I typically carry one other lens as well as the SB-400 flash, several filters, and even got my small Nikon CoolPix P2 in the main compartment with no problem. Still plenty of room in the Top opening for batteries and anything else you can think of. In addition, the special memory card compartment as well as the other external compartment allows for plenty of smaller items. One feature that gets forgotten is the hidden built-in waterproof cover that is in a velcro enclosure accessed from the bottom. Weight distribution feels fine when worn properly.

 

[cryssi]

We have the 200, and DH carried it. It was pretty heave! LOL But we had the d200, 18-70, and 70-300, plus speedlight 800, so... He wore it with the belt strap, which helped take the weight off his back. Still, most of the time I had the camera around my neck so the bag wasn't too heavy walking around the parks...

 

[AustinTed]

I just returned from WDW and used the Lowepro Slingshot AW300 while I was there. It is a big bag, but worked out much better than I expected. I didn't have any problem fitting it on the rides - in most cases it just went on the floor by my feet. Two notable exceptions are Soaring and Mission Space. On Soaring, not much of a bag is going to fit in the little basket under the seat. In this case I just left it on the floor in front of me and the cast members moved it to the side where I picked it up when the ride was over. On Mission Space I was able to fit it in the baggage container, but it was a major cram-a-thon to get it in there. I'm not sure if they allow the bag to ride on the floor on this ride as an alternative.

For background, the main motivation for this sort of bag is to fit a DSLR with a 70-200mm lens attached - it even fits this with a teleconverter fitted. As an alternative I tried a smaller bag and carried the 70-200mm separately and quickly learned the error of this when it began to rain. It's much easier to shove the camera + lens into the AW300 instantly rather than running for cover and then trying to disassemble the camera so it can be put into separate the bags. Being able to stow the gear without disassembly is also important if your family follows the Pirates Code - fall behind get left behind.

The AW300 has a weather proof cover that can be pulled out to cover the bag. I got to try this out several times - in one case we got hit with a major downpour during Illuminations that was so bad that things got knocked over by the wind. The camera stayed dry though.

The AW300 is a big bag and I don't recommend that it be loaded down with everything you own if you are going to be in the parks for the whole day. Rather, it is better to just take what you need. Nevertheless, my shoulder did get a bit sore by the end of the day, but the waist strap will take a lot of weight off the shoulder if used.

On days when I didn't take my big lens, I used that spot in the bag for a water bottle. There is also plenty of room for a hat, sunglasses, and a rain poncho. On some days, while the bag was big, it was quite light.

In case anyone is wondering about the motivation for carrying a 70-200mm, it was mostly for Animal Kingdom, although it did come in handy at some of the live performances too. Fun to use, but not something to carry all the time. A good superzoom lens and a light fast prime should be sufficient to cover most situations.

 

[Thumper_ehhhhh]

I dont know about the 300 I have the 200 I just swing it around the front of me. I don't use the waist belt either. Just the crossover strap.

 

[MarkBarbieri]

Anyone use the Lowepro S&F vest/harness? I figure that it will make me look like a candidate for king of the nerds, but it looks pretty functional.

 

[disphoto]

I have the 300. It is a big bag. But as stated, great for keeping the 70-200 attached to the camera. I am taking it in October, mainly for AK. I have a backpack that works for the body with a 28-135 attached. That is my main lens for park shots.

 

[karrierock]

We have the 200 and we loved it! DH carried it with DD3 on his shoulders and did alright. The best feature was the built in rain jacket thing. It kept everything from getting wet. We added a lens holder on the side to hold DD sippy cup. And had enough room to store some cheap rain ponchos, small First aid kit, camcorder, a thing of wipes, little battery operated fans, one extra lens. On the rides DH just swung it around to the front. It worked great for us!

 

[karrierock]

We have the 200 and we loved it! DH carried it with DD3 on his shoulders and did alright. The best feature was the built in rain jacket thing. It kept everything from getting wet. We added a lens holder on the side to hold DD sippy cup. And had enough room to store some cheap rain ponchos, small First aid kit, camcorder, a thing of wipes, little battery operated fans, one extra lens. On the rides DH just swung it around to the front. It worked great for us!

 

[PoohJen]

Anyone use the Lowepro S&F vest/harness? I figure that it will make me look like a candidate for king of the nerds, but it looks pretty functional.

True Mark; if you run wearing that, I'll vote for you!

"You don't vote for kings!" oops, sorry, wrong thread.

 

[Suburbanmom]

I carry the Lowepro Slingshot 200 and think it's a great bag. I used it for our marathon day at Disneyland and California Adventure this month and carried all my equipmnet (D50, 18-55mm, 28-75mm, 50mm and 75-300mm; assorted filters and batteries). It fit at my feet on Splash Mountain, BTMR, Space Moutain, and in the basket on Soarin'. At first I wasn't sure I liked the bag since I'm only 5'5" tall, but after lugging it all over Disneyland and several football games and cross-country meets, I'm sold. I think the bag is perfect.