This is a review of a Mountainsmith Sideline Bag. This is a new bag from Mountainsmith. It is a single strap backpack style (like the Lowepro Slingshot) camera bag, designed to be worn over the left shoulder. It can be swung under the right arm for access to the insides. I’ve used the bag for XC, DH and CX bike races where is seems I walk as far as the riders pedal.
I got this bag to replace a Lowepro Slingshot 300 (which is a fine bag in itself). The reason for the replacement is that I really wanted a bag that has the sling over the left side rather than the right side (like the Slingshot). I have a really messed-up right shoulder from gravity testing a bike and any bag straps resting on my right shoulder will rub on two tie-wraps on my collar-bone (highly unpleasant). This is the only sling type bag that I know of that is designed to use the left shoulder. The following are pictures of the bag
Here is the back compared to with a Lowepro Slingshot 200 for size and strap arraignment.
The bag is smaller than the Slingshot 300 and larger than the 200. It fits me fine (I’m 6” male and average build) and could easily use the bag when at my side. The strap adjusts a lot, so various heights should be ok, but personal reality checking is always a good idea. Women using this bag could have issues with the single strap.
The fit and finish of the bag is typical Mountainsmith quality. I have two other Mountainsmith bags and all are very high quality. All the zippers have pulls and all the seams are tight, very well made. There is a raincover hidden in the bottom. The strap has an enough padding to ease the load and does not slip. The bag comes with six vertical and two horizontal dividers with full length Velcro attachment strips, they stay where you put them. The complete inside of the bag is padded and covered in soft cloth. There is an outside side compartment that has a separate zippered access.
There does not seem to be a way to easily attach a tripod to the bag, which in this style of bag is a non-issue to me. There is attachment webbing on the back, but I see that more for strapping on unused jackets / sweatshirts. This is a day-use mobile pack, not a full on expedition bag.
I’ve found the sling type designs are really convenient. I’ve used the bag at two races where I needed to move around a lot and still have access to my equipment. I am always outdoors and do not want to put any bag on the ground / weeds / mud / poison oak for access when changing lens / batteries. I typically have a camera off my left shoulder so moving the bag from my back to my right side for access works fine. If you consistently carry the camera on your right side only, this could be an issue. There is a snap to help keep the side panel closed and equipment inside (good idea). The handle for the side panel zippers is easy to grip and opens both zippers together.
Once on (read further), the sling worked fine. The little plastic swivel allowed the back to swing over to my side very easily. The optional small waist strap on the other side is pretty much useless in my opinion. While it will help stabilize the bag on your back, it just got in my way and I stopped using it (no big deal). It does have a really nice elastic strap for keeping it coiled up (like somebody knew it was not going to be used).
The bag holds a lot of equipment. This is great, as once I’m away from the car and moving, it is real pain to go back for something. I can easily fit two 1D camera bodies with four lenses (17-40, 24-105, 70-200 and 300) and a flash in the main body of the bag. The largest (300mm f4) fits into the bottom with having to stretch the bag. The following is a photo of the fully loaded bag.
I typically do not carry all this in the bag at one time. I’ll have the top camera body, a lens and flash out of the bag for shooting and the rest in the bag. This lightens the load considerably. The side compartment holds extra camera and AA batteries. The other side has a mesh pocket with an elastic cord and tightened. This will hold a large water bottle, but remember to tighten the water bottle top when slinging the bag under your arm (or wear waterproof pants and shoes).
The bag will require some re-training (especially if right-hand dominant). The first time I tried to put it on, it was a comedy of errors. The bag ended up around my neck rather than my shoulder (something about old dogs and new tricks). I was glad it was not fully loaded. It takes about ten to twenty times to get right and I still need to think about it. While this is not a design problem, you need to be aware of this to keep the frustration level under control (or be left-handed ?). This is the only weakness of the bag and really is not a bag problem, more of an operator limitation. I found it funny that the picture in the Mountainsmith web site has the bag over the right shoulder of the wearer, not the correct left side.
I highly recommend this bag for day use where quality, mobility, protection and carrying capacity are important. The only real issues are the lack of a built-in tripod carrier (no personal need) and the retraining needed to put on correctly (good for a few laughs / swear words). This may be the sling bag for left-handed (or bad right shoulder) people.
Sorry for being long winded, but I really like the bag and would like others to know about it. As always, only you know what works for you and this is only my opinion (your mileage may vary).
Regards
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