First Words
When it came time for me to pick the perfect bag for my photo-kit, I did what I always do. I researched. Like MAD. It’s a disease I have, I can’t buy anything without hitting Google first. My kit bag was no exception.  So this article aims to share my findings and experiences with the Lowe Pro Slingshot 200AW that I picked out. If you don’t want to read this, I will make it easy for you. Go buy it. I got mine here, its a great price.
To kick things off, I will just say that Lowe Pro makes some fantastic bags, and if the Slingshot 200 is not for you, check out some of the other lines they offer. The Sling Shot is of the “sling bag†category, and this is something that was important to me because I wanted the quick access to the inners of the bag when walking around, WITHOUT having to take the pack off and set it down. I chose the 200 because the size was right for my kit with some room to grow. They also offer a 100, 300 and 400, 400 being the largest. The “AW†stands for All Weather. The AW models have a tuck away rain coat that can pull out to cover the pack if your caught in the rain. I have used it twice. Glad it was there for sure.
The Pockets
The bag consists of three main compartment/pockets.   The top area is a simple zip open with spandex net in the back of it. I use that for lens caps, clips etc.  I use the main pocket to hold a flash or even things like a small water bottle, anything miscellaneous that I might need for a shoot.
The main compartment, and really the star of the show is a side entry zip open. I say side entry because if your wearing the pack on your back, the zipper is on the side. The magic is that when you sling the pack around to your front, the pocket is now on the top and easily accessible from your chest. Work out of the bag, swap lenses etc, and then zip and sling back onto your back.
The interior of the bag has moveable/customizable Velcro inserts that can be arranged to fit whatever mix of lenses and camera bodies you want. I personally have two lenses and my Nikon D80 with a third attached lens in this bag. I can also fit a small DVD Camcorder, and my battery charger if I need it. On the inside of the flap is a little area to keep SD cards or lens filters. There is also a soft cloth that can lay over the camera screen to protect it from scratches, but I typically keep it tucked in away in its little netted pouch. 
On the front of the bag, there is a flat zipper pouch, useful for more SD cards, cords, markers, extra DVD discs for a video camera, business cards…whatever.
The “Sling†in SlingShot
The real “function†of this bag is the sling strap. The main strap is nice and comfortable. I carried this bag LOADED all through Italy for 10 days. Many times the bag was on my back for hours at a time, and it was always comfortable. The sling action is easy and within seconds you can have the bag in front of you, camera out and shooting.    The back of the bag, has a really good amount of padding and helps to make the bag very comfortable to wear, one downside was that it tended to soak up the sweat off my back so it would be a bit damp when I got back from a trip. Not a deal breaker by any means. There is also a secondary strap that can be tucked away or pulled out, which attaches to the main strap and provides more of a “backpack†type stability. I have only used that on a few occasions, but when I did it was nice.
One last feature worth mentioning is the leather loops on the bag. They are meant to work with a proprietary system of attachable cases and bags for lenses or point and shoot cameras, even water bottles, that LowePro offers.  there are one on each side of the bag, on on the main strap, and two on the front of the bag, which I actually use to strap in my ultra portable and AWESOME Manfrotto 785B tripod. Here are some additional pictures.
From left to right: Bag with the Manfrotto tripod attached, all weather cover tucked away, all weather cover fully wrapped.
Final Reccomendation:Â Get one
I have been very very pleased with this bag over the last year. It’s held up well, it goes everywhere I go and it functions well in any circumstance. Outside of a small bag just to carry the camera with attached lens when I need to pack light, I never need any other bag than this. Hope this review was helpful, thanks for reading.
Matt
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I’ve used the 200AW for a couple of years. While its a good bag, the one shoulder strap design means that with a few lenses on board it can start to put a real strain in the right shoulder. More seriously, the zips do not seem to be of a very high quality. Both of the zips on mine are very temperamental, and often come apart of their own accord, causing kit to fall out. I wouldn’t buy another one.
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