As you might have seen from my post about my favorite camera gear, I’ve been shooting photos for well over 20 years. I’ve tried out a wide variety of camera bags and backpacks, never finding one that quite fit my needs (which have changed over the years as well). I recently purchased the Lowepro Passport Sling III and quickly found it to be the best camera bag for travel.
When searching for a new camera bag, I had a very short list of criteria: I wanted a sling bag for easy access to my gear, I wanted it to properly distribute the weight (so my back didn’t hurt), it needed to be a great travel daypack (so I didn’t need a purse), and it couldn’t stick out as an obvious camera bag (for security purposes). I looked through Amazon’s website and cross-referenced their reviews with those on B&H and Lowepro sites and finally settled on the Lowepro Passport Sling III. It seemed to tick all the boxes and I knew Amazon had a super-easy return policy if I didn’t like it for some strange reason.
The Best Camera Bag – Lowepro Passport Sling III
Storage Capacity
Needless to say, I love this bag, or I wouldn’t be writing this review (right?!?!),. I know the description states that it is for compact DSLRs, but I had zero issues zipping it up after adding my Canon EOS 7D with my Canon EF 24-105mm IS USM lens attached. I tried the bag on after adding the camera + lens and found the bag to be super light and comfortable. Seeing that there was SO MUCH room left in the bag, I was curious to see just how much I could cram in it haha.
I did a 1/2 day hike in the Myakka River State Park in Central Florida and loaded up my bag to truly give it a good test. I’ll admit, the bag was a little heavy after adding a 23oz bottle of water, a full bottle of bug spray, wallet, bandaids, sunscreen, hand wipes, tissues, medicine, and a few other things.
I think the main culprit was the big ole bottle of water, but the bag was still manageable. I’m not sure if it’d be perfectly comfortable on an 8-10hr day out at that weight. I’d have to do one of the following: 1. attach a bottle of water to a carabiner, 2. bring a smaller bottle with me (most likely to happen), or 3. take my camera out and wear it around my neck for the majority of the day (not as desirable an option). Option #2 is a perfectly acceptable compromise!
An Ode to the Passport Sling III
Back to why I think the Passport Sling III is the best camera bag for travel. If my SCOTTeVEST post didn’t make it completely obvious, I love pockets. The Passport Sling III has a ton of them – plenty of places to store your bits and bobs for your camera with plenty of room leftover to store your practical needs for a day out (phone, wallet, sunblock, etc). The bag is made of high-quality, water-resistant materials, and the bag doesn’t jump out and scream camera bag – I really don’t want to make myself any more of a target than I already am! The Passport Sling III really does meet all my requirements and then some.
All in all, I’m super happy with my purchase of the Lowepro Passport Sling III and highly recommend it to other photographers and travelers. It definitely ticks all the boxes and is the best camera bag for me!
Although this post is not sponsored, it does contain affiliate links. If you click these links and subsequently make a purchase, I may receive a commission. As always, all opinions are my own!
I love that it’s a sling bag, which is convenient when I need to get both of my hands free (e.g. hiking, biking).
Me too! I like the storage capacity of a backpack, but the slingbag is super convenient! I like to have easy access to my stuff and there’s less of a chance of hurting my back if I’m not taking too much or constantly moving a backpack on and off my back!
Great review Lindsay. I’ve been looking for a camera bag that will double up that I can use for my bridge camera or DSLR – It’s unlikely I’d carry both with me. However, when I go on a hike, I also need to take lots of other gear like you said but rather than stuff everything I need in the camera bag, how do you think it would work with a backpack and the Lowepro sling camera bag? Maximum weight in the camera bag would probably be about 1.5kg.
Hi Fiona, thanks very much for reaching out! I think you’d have no problems with the weight at all. The bag is a bit bigger than it looks, so it might feel a teeny bit awkward carrying both around, but it might not! I think I’d have no problem doing both if I needed to. You’d probably need to fiddle with the length of the shoulder strap to find one that’s to your liking. I’m actually heading off traveling for the next 4 weeks and I’m looking forward to putting the bag to the test again. One of the things I like most is the removable section that holds the camera. I can actually pull that part out and put it in my carry-on bag, and then leave the camera bag flat if need be. Please let me know if you have any other questions 🙂
This post is like you are writing about out photo gadgets. I have been writing/raving about our Lowepro sling bag for quite awhile. It has been with us through many different countries and travels. We love how convenient and nondescript it is for a camera bag. And we also have a GoPro Hero 4 and the Canon D7, which I bought for my wife a couple of years ago. GoPro goes with us on every trip with water, and Canon on just about every trip with great views
Wow! That’s awesome 🙂 Great to find a likeminded photographer 🙂