I love outdoor gear. My ‘office’ is crowded with bikes, skis, soft-shell jackets, etc…but really, when I look at it all, I’m pleased that all of it gets used. Very little of it collects dust. So as much as I would enjoy contributing to our ailing economy by buying even more stuff, I’d much rather prefer buying gear that works well in all types of environments and will actually last more then a year. I’m not sure why it is than, but I seem to be having a hard time finding a camera bag I really like. There are literally hundreds of camera bags on the market, so why is this such a challenge?
Lowepro Slingshot 200
The problem: I’m often outside, in the elements: snow, rain, mud, sand, salt-water (and sometimes the sun.) Furthermore, I’m typically on skis, a bike, in a sea kayak, while photographing. The result is, I typically don’t have a warm, dry car to escape to, or somewhere I can load up my photography gear, including a tripod, camera, lenses, towels, etc etc. Matter of fact, most of the time I only carry my digital Canon Rebel XT with a 17-85 IS lens, polarizer, some batteries and memory cards. The tripod typically stays home (although this may change as I just ordered an Ultrapod, a tiny tripod that will be coming with me to SE Asia in a couple weeks.) This is why I was looking forward to receiving the new Lowepro Slingshot 200 camera bag this past Christmas. It appeared to offer a utilitarian combination of space for cameras, lenses, etc, but was small enough to mountain bike with, skate ski with, go backcountry skiing with, even act as a combo backpack/camera bag if needed for day trips.
Has it been a satisfying experience? Mostly. It’s worked great (most of the time) for a 2-3 hr skate ski, when I usually only carry the camera, polarizer filter plus some food and water. I can’t really use it for backcountry skiing, an activity that requires too much avalanche gear, extra clothing, food and water for an eight hour adventure. (For these trips I strap on a small TLZ-1 Lowepro bag that hangs from my chest.) The Slingshot does do well in these adverse conditions though. The bag repels water (and snow) well. Not sure how it would hold up in a downpour, but I think it would be fine, for a short while (the zippers aren’t sealed, so water would surely leak through these eventually.)
I am having some issues mountain biking with it, as I found out last weekend on a short ride outside Seattle.
Lowepro Slingshot 200 - just ok for mountain biking
The whole idea behind all Lowepro Slingshots is that you can access your camera quickly, without having to remove it, by undoing a single buckle and sliding it around your waist. And yes, it does work. The problem I have, and I will try to retrofit this, are the two existing straps don’t provide a tight enough fit if you’re actively moving around, be it on skis or while riding a mountain bike for example. What it needs is a waist strap.
Also, the bag doesn’t have any additional straps to carry a tripod, an obvious oversight in my opinion. It does contain a two small separate sections for all those little accessories and the inside will easily fit a DLSR and a few lenses (but probably not a big zoom.) I’ve never really been happy with Lowepro zippers…they just don’t seem to last very long.
Not sure why, but I always end up with Lowepro camera bags. If you’ve used another bag or have some recommendations for something similar that may be better for outdoor use, please let me know.
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]]>I will admit I’m a bit of a brat when it comes to my idea of what an ‘adventure’ is. Despite living in one of the most beautiful cities in the world, and having the mighty Pacific ocean on one side, towering mountains on the other and pristine lakes in between, I often find myself reaching for distance peaks I cannot see, day-dreaming about mountain bike trails and epic bike tours I’ve only read about. Unfortunately, reaching these far-off destinations has become a bit more financially straining with a gas-guzzling pickup. So, as I’m forced to entertain myself and look locally for activities (and work with the fiancee on having one car), I’m slowly beginning to appreciate that an adventure doesn’t have to mean a month-long solo bike tour in Chile (although…) but instead it can be as simple as dropping the sea kayak in the water for a paddle in Puget Sound, or joining up with a group of friends for a nearby mountain biking ride.
So I stopped my whining, calculated my carbon footprint (ok, maybe not) for a local paddle and mountain bike ride versus driving out to central Washington and basked in the glory of a Seattle summer weekend.
First up, a circumnavigation paddle of Blake Island. With the put-in less than a mile from our house here in West Seattle, my goal was visible before I even started. While the island sits only a couple miles off-shore, you have to pass a busy shipping lane in the process, but that only adds to the adventure! Every time I slide the sea kayak into the water and push away from the beach, I ask myself why I don’t do more paddling. It’s such a unique way of seeing the lay of the land (or water) that few get to experience.
The next day Jeannine and I had planned a hike up Mt Si, something neither of us had ever done despite living in Seattle for over eight years. Instead we opted to join a group of folks who were heading down to mountain bike the Sun Top trail. Only 90 minutes away from Seattle, the trail sits in a web of spectacular mountain biking not too far from the Crystal Mountain ski area. Many of the trails offer stunning views of The Mountain, or Mt Rainier. Fortunately for us, it was one of those truly perfect northwest summer days. Crystal clear sky, perfect temps…and of course an awesome ride.
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