I always love it when Lowepro announces a new line of bags. They always add something new while building upon the time-tested and proven features and quality that makes Lowepro so popular with so many of us. Their new StreamLine series of bags is no exception, and the StreamLine Sling comes in at under $50.
When it comes to carrying my camera gear, I tend to choose a light backpack more often than not. Increasingly, I find a sling to be a terrific way to carry “just enough” gear when out and about for the day. We’ve looked at a few different sling bags from Lowepro; all are impressive and do the job quite well. Still, most are fairly serious looking bags and carry a price that, while not high, certainly is not inexpensive. The StreamLine Sling has a more casual look, and it carries a sub $50 price. That makes it a rather compelling offering in my opinion and, having used it for the past week or so, I’m quite impressed.
- Multi-device design offers dedicated storage for 10″ tablet, smartphone, camera (mirrorless/CSC up to compact DSLR such as Canon EOS Rebel SL1) and personal items
- Side-zip compartment provides quick access to camera by rotating sling to front
- Tall, stretch-mesh pocket (offers convenient access to a water bottle or other personal item)
Don’t let the low price of this bag for you – this isn’t a cheap bag — it’s simply an inexpensive one. The bag is light and, while it doesn’t have a tremendous amount of padding and protection, it isn’t designed for that. The material used in its construction is thin yet sturdy, adding to the bag’s light weight. When I began using it, I quickly realized that the company certainly didn’t skimp on design when putting this together.
Since it is a sling bag, it has a single shoulder strap as well as a grab handle. The grab handle is a ribbon of material that won’t be ideal for carrying the bag as a briefcase, but is plenty good enough to grab it while on the go.
The shoulder strap has just enough padding and it said class, while plastic, looks and feels sturdy enough. I did appreciate two specific details – the extra padded material that ensures the buckle doesn’t rub against you wearing, and the small plastic Doohickey I point out in the video that keeps the most part of the web material from flopping around. That’s something every bag ought to have!
A zipper toward the top of the bag opens to reveal a pocket that is ideal for a few small items.
An open pocket with elastic material on the side will work perfectly well for a water bottle, cylindrical speaker or other small items that don’t need to be kept behind a super.
Along the side there is a long zippered pocket that opens to reveal the tablet compartment. Large enough for a full-size iPad, it also works perfectly well for my iPad mini. No, this isn’t a bag you’ll want to use if you need to carry a laptop.
A zipper along the top portion opens to reveal the main storage compartment. At first it didn’t seem large enough for even the small amount of year. I then realized that this pocket actually extends to the bottom of the bag, since the camera department only takes up one half to two-thirds of the lower portion. This interior space actually provides a nice snug extra area bottom portion of the bag or something like a pair of headphones. I was glad to see the company didn’t waste space by making the camera compartment run the entire width of the bag, and instead they opted to let this back portion become extra storage for the main compartment. Smart.
The opening for the camera compartment is along the side of the sling. Inside is just enough room for a small wireless camera and either an additional lens for a flash. One divider is included, and it can be moved to create the right fit for your particular gear.
Where this bag comes in especially handy is in its ability to wear the sling on your back and then flip it to your front. This place is the zipper camera compartment right in front of you. Flip the bag to the front, grab your gear, close the camera compartment, flip the bag back around, and you are good to go. That means grabbing your camera gear doesn’t have to slow you down for even a second. I like that.
Fits:
- 10? tablet
- Smartphone & personal items
- Camera (CSC up to compact DSLR such as Canon EOS Rebel SL1)
If you carry a ton of camera gear or need a bag that offers a huge amount of padding protection, this will not be the bag for you. If, on the other hand, you want a bag that is light, has enough space for your essentials including a camera, lenses and tablet, and you want a bag that is inexpensive, then you are going to love this bag. As I noted, I used this bag for the past week or so, and it has served me exceptionally well. You can learn more order yours here.
MSRP: $49.99
What I Like: Light, inexpensive; Well-designed with a good amount of thought given to how someone might want to use it; Holds just enough without being cavernous or allowing you to overstuff it
What Needs Improvement: Minimal padding and protection for your gear; Feels lighter than most low pro bags which may lead some to consider it cheap rather inexpensive
Source: Manufacturer supplied review sample