Velocity 9 vs Slingshot 300 vs Adventure 9

can you please post some pictures with the tripod mounted on the tamrac adventure 9??
I'm considering buying ine, but i need to know how the tripod gets carried. (I know there are straps, but i never seen an image of one with those attached).
Thanks alot

**Update to the Adventure 9 and the Slingshot 300**
I just came back from a 3 week trip in Italy. The gear that I brought is as follows:

20D with grip
70-200L IS 2.8 w/hood
16-35L 2.8
24-70L 2.8 w/hood
Rocket Blower
5 CF cards
580EX with Omini Bounce
Newton bracket Di100FR2
2 extra BP511 batteries
8 AA batteries in Delkin cases
12" G4 iBook
Hoodman HoodLoupe
2 Canon Battery chargers

For the plane I decided to take the Adventure 9 as carry-on to carry all the gear that I wanted to bring and the Slingshot was in my check in luggage. In the Adventure 9 I was able to carry all the gear listed above as well as 2 magazines where the laptop was hiding and random candy in the side pockets.

After I got to Italy the Adventure 9 became my daybag for clothing, battery chargers, iBook, plug adapters and toiletries after I removed all the dividers. I decided to go with the Slingshot exclusively when I roamed around because of pickpockets (yes, I was a victim) and it seemed to be smaller and faster to get lenses when I needed to change lenses. Keep in mind that I did not carry the iBook, flash and flash accessories with me on my daily roam just because the bag got way too heavy for an 8-11 hour trek on foot.

Overall the Slingshot was excellent. When I went out shooting I was able to store the 70-200 attached to the 20D with hood reversed in the middle and the 24-70 with hood not reversed on one side and the 16-35 in the zippered compartment on the top (see original pics that I posted). All my money and credit cards were in the compartment where the CF cards were stored and my ID was with the 16-35 in one of the mesh zippered compartments.

When the camera was around my neck with 24-70 I was able to store the 70-200 with the hood NOT reversed where the camera usually stays so it was ready to shoot and the empty compartment had a bottled drink wrapped in a paper towel (for condensation) and it kept my drinks cool! I was also able to use the Slingshot as a quasi-tripod when I wanted to shoot scenes that I wanted to merge later on as well as some low light shots.

The big advantage was that fact that I was able to walk and change lenses quickly. This is a big advantage especially in a crowd or if your bus/boat is about to leave and you need a smaller lens to move around!

I tried walking around with the Adventure 9 for 2 days and felt that it was a little more comfortable, but getting lenses in/out and making sure that my compartments were still zipped proved to be a wee bit of a hassle. It was also not as small for large crowds and i tend to bump more people with it.

For me the Slingshot seemed more comfortable worn on the front than on my back. Seemed that the weight and the padding was more stable. When climbing long flights of stairs and long walking treks I slung it to my back and used the waist straps to make it more stable.

Between the two I would definitely say that the Slingshot was the winner when it comes to being versatile and portability. It's comfort factor is average depending how much weight is in the bag and how it is slung. It still had a lot of room to put small souvenirs as well as maps. I hope that this helps for people looking for a travel bag!

After looking for a pack for awhile I bought both the Velocity 9 and the Slingshot 200, so I thought I'd add some thoughts to this thread for those who are looking for info on the two.

The Slingshot 200 held for me:
-30D mounted (on any lens here - 17-55 with hood in position, 70-200 reversed)
- EF-S 17-55 f/2.8 IS
- Canon EF 70-200mm f/4 L
- Canon EF 100mm f/2.8 Macro
- 580 EX II
- 1.4x Extender
- CP Filter
- Random stuff: CF cards, cleaning stuff, flashlight, snacks, map, gps receiver, ETen M600 PDA, Sansa, etc.

The Slingshot has proven far more useful for me than the Tamrac, which I will be selling soon. I really used the Tamrac only once: For overseas travel where I was bringing a lot more stuff including a laptop (which fits in a special pocket in the tamrac) on carry-on. Other than that it has only served to store my gear when not in use. To access stuff in the Tamrac when you're out and about, you have to take it off completely and lay it down on the straps. This is extremely inconvenient when compared to the Slingshot, where you don't even have to stop moving when switching lenses. Although after hours with that gear the slingshot is less comfortable than the Tamrac, I'm far more likely to use my different lenses when I have the Slingshot on, which is more important to me.

Now that I have Canon's 100-400 lens, I am looking for a larger replacement, and I believe I may just go for the 300 AW. The 100-400 will fit into the 200AW mounted, but only perpendicular to the normal way you would put things in, making it difficult to store other lenses, and it's a very tight fit -- not recommended.

SoundsGood wrote in post #2734921
I looked at one of these in a store, but couldn't figure out how to put it on (let alone figure out how to "swing it" around). Are there any tricks I should know about? I wouldn't mind trying it again.

Haha I had a lot of trouble figuring it out at first too. I felt really stupid staring at the pack in the store trying to figure out the seemingly simple procedure of getting a strap around me... My girlfriend had a good laugh though :P

Triptoph wrote in post #4449791
The Slingshot 200 held for me:
-30D mounted (on any lens here - 17-55 with hood in position, 70-200 reversed)
- EF-S 17-55 f/2.8 IS
- Canon EF 70-200mm f/4 L
- Canon EF 100mm f/2.8 Macro
- 580 EX II
- 1.4x Extender
- CP Filter
- Random stuff: CF cards, cleaning stuff, flashlight, snacks, map, gps receiver, ETen M600 PDA, Sansa, etc.

Would a 30D with grip and a lens attached plus the rest of your gear fit in the 200? This is really just adding the grip to what you have listed. I use my grip most of the time and the rest of my gear is similar to yours.

Yes, there's definitely enough room for the grip as well in the 200AW

I have, beside some others, the slingshot and the velocity. The slingshot carries more equipment but I like the velocity more. During a hot summerday 2 years ago I was shooting pictures the whole day. The velocity was easy to carry and not I didn't sweat at my back. This year, using the slingshot for a 3 hrs shooting under hot weather conditions, my back was soaking wet. So each of these bags has advantages, even the weather can influence your decision, what bag to take.

I have the Slingshot 300 AW. The strap on the bottom is not for fastening accessory pouches (but it could be used for that)--it is a grab handle for you pull the bag around you. When configuring this bag, first put your gripped body with the 70-200 attached, hood reversed, with or without a 1.4x T-con, laying in the center. Next, configure the padding so you get 3 compartments on the upper side of the bottom compartment. Then configure the remaining pads so you get a large, hidden compartment on the bottom of the pack closest to your back, with a shelf on top of it (away from your back). This layout allows for my 580EX flash to sit "on the shelf" and be accessible only by opening the bag in sling position. I can also put any lens smaller than my 70-200 f/2.8 into the hidden compartment, yet easily access it, swap lenses, and store my 70-200 in that "hidden" compartment. As for the 3 padded spots above the camera (when pack is on my back), I store my 1.4x and 2x T-cons stacked in one, my 30mm f/1.4 in the middle one, and my flash battery pack in another. I can pull the flash pack cord out of the pack, leaving the battery pack inside and still use it. I can still access the 30mm without removing the pack. I need to take it off to get at the t-cons however. My Epson P-2000 lives in the upper compartment along with flash diffusers and spare camera batteries and/or flash batteries. Chargers will also fit, but I usually pack only what I need for the day--I prefer the minimalist approach, rather than bringing everything I have with me--less time spent fiddling means more time for shooting. One thing the SS300AW needs are some loops for fastening a monopod to located on the left side of the pack when worn on your back. When pulling the pack around your body to access the camera, the monopod would then be on the bottom (if this makes sense) and then also be accessable with out taking off the pack. I have been thinking about adding some for quite some time--maybe a winter project. Adding additional lens pouches to the two accessory straps on the pocket flaps creates a huge and awkward pack. I have been securing my monopod to these with small Velcro straps and it works OK, but you can't access the pockets very easily. Nice bag though and I like mine and am happy with it, but it does scream "camera inside" so I often travel light with just my 40D and 18-200 OS, flash, and sometimes 30mm in my CC Filson medium field bag (messenger type waxed canvas and bridle leather).

Just an update to this thread re. the Tamrac Velocity 9 sling bag - it's now the 9x, with some nice little design improvements. The most notable of these is that the top now opens away from you when you've slung the bag around front, so overall access is easier, and access to little stuff in the zipper pouch on top is way easier.

I carry a load in this bag:

In the middle:
1Ds MkII with 24-105, hood mounted, ready to shoot.
Under that, with a little divider on top, Canon 2x & 1.4 Convertors, 25mm and 12mm extension tube all connected together. Once the camera is out of the bag, these may go where the camera was if I'm using them.

On one side:
Canon 70-200 IS or Canon 100-400 IS, with hood reversed. Once the camera is out of the bag, the hood goes on for quick lens changes.

On the other side:
Canon 16-35 with the hood mounted ready for use.
Underneath that with a divider on top, Canon 15mm fisheye and sometimes a Sigman 8m fisheye. With the camera out of the bag, either of these might go where the camera was if they're in use.

Sometimes I'll expand on this and use the accessory straps on either side. One may hold a flash or water bottle in a pouch. If i'm carrying a tripod, I'll slip one leg through the accessory strap on the other side so my hands are free when it's not in use.

The slingshot 300 looks like an interesting alternative to this, as both the shoulder and hip straps look more substantial, which are the only issue I have with the Velocity. Does anyone know how it handles a tripod?

Paul Wasserman

The Slingshot really does not have a specific place for a tripod, but I don't think that it was meant to take one.

Does anyone know if the Slingshot 300AW can hold a Canon 100-400mm+XSi attached?

Can't give you an answer to that I'm afraid, but I can tell you that after a bit of walking around with that combination your back will start to complain when using the slingshot series. Especially if you're planning on loading it with other things. I have a 200 AW, which fits a 30D + 17-55 IS attached, and a 100-400 detached beside it.

I have the Slingshot 200 AW and can last a few hours but that is about it. I'm selling mine because I can't get my 70-200 f2.8L IS in it. I was actually looking at the Velocity 9 (or even 10) because it will hold a gripped body with the 70-200 attached. Does anyone walk around with this configuration?

My 40D with 100-400 L IS attached fits in my Tamrac Velocity 9X.
The 70-200 also will fit as these lenses are the same length.

Nick - because it is considered a 'sling' bag can you throw the strap over your shoulder and carry it like a shoulder bag? I couldn't do this with the slingshot. The way the strap was angled when mounted it wouldn't allow for this (at least comfortably).

Jacobredphoto wrote in post #7843475
Does anyone know if the Slingshot 300AW can hold a Canon 100-400mm+XSi attached?

Yes, it will hold the 100-400 on a Canon 50D no problem leaving the six compartments on each side. I can also squeeze in the 400 f5.6 but being a tiny bit long it distorts the bag slightly.