Review: Lowepro Slingshot 200 AW (202 AW) – The Perfect Camera Bag?

Keeping with the previous Daydull product reviews, I would like to review this camera bag which I have been using to carry around my mid-level DSLR camera and lenses for the past couple of years. The real highlight to these reviews, I believe, is that I’m probably just like you – on a limited budget and looking for the perfect solution to tote around my DSLR body and a few lenses. What I’m NOT is a professional reviewer who gets paid to reviews dozens of products a day, and therefore never really gets a chance to get to know a product.

As always, to support these reviews, if you decide to make a purchase from Amazon (any purchase, not necessarily just this product), consider first clicking on our referral link.  This will not affect your purchase in any way. Here is the link: Lowepro Slingshot 200 AW

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On to the Review of the Lowepro Slingshot 202 AW

The Lowepro Slingshot 200 AW is a mid-sized sling-style camera bag. As a sling style bag, it is easy to carry in that the single strap goes across your body like a satchel-bag. The amazing part about this feature, when applied to a camera bag, is that you can slide the bag from your back to your chest without removing it. This means you can swap lenses, grab filters, pull out your camera body, etc–all without setting down your bag. And, since the strap is carried across your body, you wont get the sore back from carrying a bag on just one shoulder. Trust me, this is an issue when carrying anything but a light point and shoot bag.

The Lowepro Slingshot 200 /202 AW Camera Bag

Comfort of Lowepro Slingshot 202 AW

As mentioned above, the one strap across the body provides for excellent weight distribution so you will avoid back pain. There is also a second strap with a quick snap connector to keep the bag from sliding around if you are doing some vigorous hiking. However, this has never really been an issue in regular use.

The single main strap is very well padded and wont dig into your skin or chafe. The size can be easily adjusted on the go with a standard backpack style adjustment.

Capacity / Size / Storage of Lowepro Slingshot 202 AW

The reason I picked the Slingshot Model 200, rather than the 100 (smaller) or the 300 (larger) is that the 200 offers the perfect size and capacity for most users. Unless you are a high-end professional (and likely even not then), the 200 has the perfect capacity. It will easily carry your SLR body and 3-4 lenses plus 1-2 accessories in the main compartment. This is the desired capacity for most users, as you will want your camera body, a wide angle lens, a telephoto lens, and then you have room for 1-2 specialty lenses and accessories.

The bag itself is slightly smaller than what you would think a normal sized backpack would be. It isn’t small enough to look like a bag intended for women and it isn’t too large that it would ever get in your way. The Slingshot 100 AW does feel too small, and men may feel awkward when carrying it. The Slingshot 300 AW is quite large and becomes cumbersome. You feel as if you are carrying a big hiking pack with you. Most people would not need all the storage any way.

The main compartment has adjustable dividers to make room for whatever sizes of lenses or equipment you may need. These dividers use velcro, but they are high quality and do not move out of place without you purposefully trying ot move them.

For the other compartments, I store my cables, memory cards, the camera manual, a full-size “rocket blower”, filters, lens cloths and lens tissues, pencil and paper, and other miscellaneous things. Again I want to reiterate this size 200 AW seems to be perfectly designed for everything the regular DSLR user needs.

The interior. Comfortably fits your camera body, 3-4 lenses, and more, without being cumbersome.

Quality of Lowepro Slingshot 202 AW

Quality is often an instinctual feel. When you pick up and use a product, does it feel like it will last, does it feel like it is made with quality materials? For the Lowepro Slingshot, the answer is yes. It feels like a quality product. The nylon-type fabric is durable, the stitching is solid and in 2 years of regular use it looks and feels brand new. The zippers zip smoothly without ever jamming and the snaps are solid and won’t easily break off. The big itself has a nice solid weight to it but definitely does not feel heavy. The compartments and pockets are placed with plenty of thought and I have found them extremely convenient.

Miscellaneous

One bonus is the all-weather cover that can be pulled out of the bottom of the bag and wrapped around to protect your gear in the rain. This is a feature rarely seen and can be extremely convenient.

Conclusion

As mentioned many times so far, I really can’t stress enough that this seems like the perfect bag for the average DSLR user. Unless you are a demanding professional, needing to carry multiple camera bodies and many lenses with you in one bag, you’ll fit everything you need in this bag. Its well thought out design and sling feature make using it much more convenient and easy than you would expect out of a camera bag.

Pros:

• “Sling” style bag for easy access without removing the bag from your shoulders
• Perfect size for most users, easily fitting a camera body + 2-4 lenses and misc other things
• Adjustable dividers fit any size lens or accessory
• Well padded, both from drops and for carrying comfort
• Rarely seen all-weather cover hidden in bag

Cons:

• Price – simpler camera bags with lesser designs, less comfort, etc, can easily be half the price
• Get a smaller bag if you only plan to have 1 lens + body. Most users want at least 2 lenses however.

Final recommendation: Look no further if you are the average DSLR user with an SLR camera body and 2-4 lenses. The perfect size, convenience, well-thought out design, great padding, high quality, and bonus all-weather cover make this the best choice unless you are pinching pennies. This can usually be found for around $80 and is well worth it.

I hope this review helps! Again, if you decide to purchase, please use us as you referral to purchase from Amazon. If you have any questions, please post them below in the comments section and I’d be happy to answer them with personal knowledge of this bag.

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