Canon 100-400 In A Lowe Pro Slingshot 200?

I've got an XSi and I've got 100-400 mounted to it. I've got a Slingshot 100 and I took all the padding out of it and I can just barely stuff my camera and lens into it. Naturally, I want to buy a bigger bag. I like my Slingshot 100 and was wondering if there was enough room in a 200 to fit my mounted 100-400? If not, what do you recommend? I'm trying to avoid getting a huge bag as I'm not buying any other big lenses anytime soon.

LowePro advertises the 300AW as the bag to get for a 70-200 f/2.8 lens. The 100-400 is slightly shorter but a little fatter, so that should be about right. I don't think the 200AW will fit.

My 20D+70-200 f/4 IS fits nicely with maybe an inch/3 cm to spare.

SS 200 AW with 40D+100-400, 30D+10-22 and a 17-55 loose, all with reversed hoods....

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My advice, get the SlingShot 300 and get it over with. You'll' grow into it. (fellow XSI owner) I caught the "bug" and in the last year bought 3 bags each getting progressively bigger. I do own the 200 but adding a flash,prime, etc..it got a little tight. Besides, I don't consider the 300 all that big compared to some of the bags out there. IMO.

It will fit in the 200. The 300 is considerably larger. I own both. Sling bags are just not comfortable when loaded down. However, the 300 has the waist belt which helps a lot.

me

i own a 100-400 and it fits in my 300 AW while mounted on my 40D...it fits but there really isnt any extra room(and the hood has to be reversed)...I cant see how it would fit mounted in one of their smaller bags.

40D with a 100-400 L mounted will fit much better in the SS 300AW.

Eagle i wrote in post #7592078
i own a 100-400 and it fits in my 300 AW while mounted on my 40D...it fits but there really isnt any extra room(and the hood has to be reversed)...I cant see how it would fit mounted in one of their smaller bags.

So you can't see the pictures in post #3? That's how it fits in one of the smaller bags - perfectly. What you see in the top picture is a Slingshot 200 AW with....

40D and mounted 100-400 with hood reversed;
30D and mounted 10-22 with hood reversed;
17-55 with hood reversed.

There is even room to leave a Kenko 1.4X teleconverter mounted between body and lens.

In the lower pictue I have moved the 100-400 to the upper compartment and I now have my 70-200/2.8IS mounted to my 40D, again with hood reversed.

I've used this configuration within the main compartment for 18 months and it suits me well. More usually, rather than jamming a large lens in the top compartment I will have one or two 580EX flash guns instead, with Omnibounce diffusers and spare batteries. There is room in the outer compartment for a 50/1.8, macro tubes, 1.4X teleconverter, cards and a lenspen.

The SS 200 AW will carry everything I need to shoot a wedding or tour NewZealand, photographing landscapes, people and wildlife. I have a larger bag - a Think Tank Airport Acceleration. It's a lovely bag but overly big and cumbersome for my day to day photographic needs. Trying to work out of a regular backpack is also a monstrous pain, especially if the ground is wet/muddy. I prefer something more compact and discreet on my back - no larger than necessary - and easy to work out of without needing a dry surface to rest it on. The Think Tank serves me well for storing surplus gear at home and transferring extra stuff (just in case) to the boot of the car, where I can go get it if I need to. Personally I think the SS 300 AW is a rather ungainly looking bag, and if you need to fill something that large you might be better off with a proper rucksack design, with two shoulder straps (and a waist belt). Just my 2c.

Allagash, if you are happy with the layout I use for the main compartment then I think the SS 200 AW will suit you well, with room to grow as and when.

p.s. I am now hovering over the "Buy" button on a Think Tank Skin Set and Pro Speed Belt so that I can locate my gear on my waist where it is more easily accessible for fast kit changes. Located at the waist, the belt system should also take the strain off my back and shoulders and be cooler to use in summer.

Tdodd, very well written, well stated, and while it may be a cliche, your pictures speak a thousand words.
The most telling part, however, of your post is "take the strain off my back and shoulders." You must be very strong, and I say that seriously. That is a lot of weight to put in a slingbag. I find myself constantly moving the strap for comfort on the 200 if loaded up.

Yes, the 300 is large, no doubt about it, but as far as ungainly, it's on the back so not really visible to the carrier. I've walked the crowded streets of Manhattan with it hundreds of times with no problem whatsoever.

I hear ya about backpacks and placing down on the ground, whether muddy or not. I don't like that.

As to belt systems, I have two of them, including the older version of the think tank, and I find them to be very cumbersome when walking around in the city. For a hike or even a wedding they are perfect, but to walk around with huge bulges off one's hips in the city is ungainly.

me

So it will fit in the 200, but can it be used as intended, i.e. quickdraw? The great thing about the slingshot series is that you can put your camera what you would consider horizontal in the pack, quickly slide it around your body, open one flap and pull the camera right out. The photos above don't look to me like it's very convenient to access either camera.

Like I said, I got the 300. To walk around with, I doubt I'd fill it with gear since it would be too heavy, but a big bag sparsely packed has advantages. You don't have to take one thing out to get to another.

MDJAK wrote in post #7594050
Tdodd, very well written, well stated, and while it may be a cliche, your pictures speak a thousand words.
The most telling part, however, of your post is "take the strain off my back and shoulders." You must be very strong, and I say that seriously. That is a lot of weight to put in a slingbag. I find myself constantly moving the strap for comfort on the 200 if loaded up.

My take on the weight thing is that while I may store my stuff as depicted, in a "ready to go" configuration, so that I have everything I need in the bag, I will usually remove one or both cameras, with lenses, fairly soon after getting to where I'm going. I would not advise this kind of bag for a ten mile hike to get to a shooting location.

Typical example - I'm off to the zoo for the day. I load up at home with....

50D + 100-400 in main compartment
40D + 70-200 in main compartment
17-55 in top compartment
580EX in jacket or cargo pants
1.4X teleconverter anywhere it fits

I carry the bag to the car, drive to the zoo, grab one of the cameras and put it round my neck and off I go. Now I can stash a lightweight rain jacket in the half empty main compartment and the weight in the bag is really not too bad.

If I'm wandering round on vacation I might have my wide angle out for some architecture and scenery. Once again the bag is not so heavy. When I stop for lunch I can pop the camera away again and rest the bag between my feet at the table, and hopefully it won't get in the way of the feet of my companions. The compact size makes it easy to deal with in a crowded place and I can easily keep a close eye on it.

For a wedding, again the bag is convenient simply to leave the house with. Once I get to the venue out come both cameras, each with an attached lens, and perhaps a flash. I can keep my additional lenses in the bag, with me at all times. The weight is a non issue.

So, yes, I would not go hiking with a fully loaded SS 200, but it is a perfect size for moving stuff around and not ending up with excess bulk when I get to where I'm going. YMMV

BTW, Kata, Tamrac and Tenba all do sling style bags and there are videos on YouTube....

http://www.youtube.com …9ww1cSeSw&featu​re=related

http://www.youtube.com …S6LmVMrCw&featu​re=related

http://www.youtube.com​/watch?v=nu5BcQgYO2U

vondo wrote in post #7594098
So it will fit in the 200, but can it be used as intended, i.e. quickdraw?

How quick do you want it to be? Old school style you are limited to quick drawing one body and lens, and anything else requires some degree of faffing about. It's no different with my setup....

http://www.youtube.com​/watch?v=1tOfWHWcUrA Is 12 seconds OK?

With my arrangement I maximise space utilisation in a compact bag while maintaining the Slingshot benefits. At the end of the day it's all about personal choice. Do whatever makes you feel happy. I am merely providing an answer to the original enquiry. For Allagash, who has limited kit at the moment and no immediate plans to add to it, the 200 would be a great choice - IMHO.

If I need to get to the camera at the "back" of the bag it can be done. As this is a self-portrait I didn't have a hand free to demonstrate retrieval of the camera at the rear, but I'm sure you get the idea....

tdodd wrote in post #7593252
So you can't see the pictures in post #3? That's how it fits in one of the smaller bags - perfectly. What you see in the top picture is a Slingshot 200 AW with....

40D and mounted 100-400 with hood reversed;
30D and mounted 10-22 with hood reversed;
17-55 with hood reversed.

There is even room to leave a Kenko 1.4X teleconverter mounted between body and lens.

In the lower pictue I have moved the 100-400 to the upper compartment and I now have my 70-200/2.8IS mounted to my 40D, again with hood reversed.

I've used this configuration within the main compartment for 18 months and it suits me well. More usually, rather than jamming a large lens in the top compartment I will have one or two 580EX flash guns instead, with Omnibounce diffusers and spare batteries. There is room in the outer compartment for a 50/1.8, macro tubes, 1.4X teleconverter, cards and a lenspen.

The SS 200 AW will carry everything I need to shoot a wedding or tour NewZealand, photographing landscapes, people and wildlife. I have a larger bag - a Think Tank Airport Acceleration. It's a lovely bag but overly big and cumbersome for my day to day photographic needs. Trying to work out of a regular backpack is also a monstrous pain, especially if the ground is wet/muddy. I prefer something more compact and discreet on my back - no larger than necessary - and easy to work out of without needing a dry surface to rest it on. The Think Tank serves me well for storing surplus gear at home and transferring extra stuff (just in case) to the boot of the car, where I can go get it if I need to. Personally I think the SS 300 AW is a rather ungainly looking bag, and if you need to fill something that large you might be better off with a proper rucksack design, with two shoulder straps (and a waist belt). Just my 2c.

Allagash, if you are happy with the layout I use for the main compartment then I think the SS 200 AW will suit you well, with room to grow as and when.

p.s. I am now hovering over the "Buy" button on a Think Tank Skin Set and Pro Speed Belt so that I can locate my gear on my waist where it is more easily accessible for fast kit changes. Located at the waist, the belt system should also take the strain off my back and shoulders and be cooler to use in summer.

to be fair in pic 1 I didnt even notice the L in there but I guess that doesnt matter...what did jump out at me was the next pic which had the 100-400 unmounted...and as was said loading it that way does defeat the "quickdraw" on the compartment that the bag is designed for...so I will say I was wrong and I guess it will fit in a smaller bag...but my guess is that if the OP is looking at this bag it is because it is a sling that has that "quickdraw" capability.

MDJAK wrote in post #7591547
It will fit in the 200. The 300 is considerably larger. I own both. Sling bags are just not comfortable when loaded down. However, the 300 has the waist belt which helps a lot.

me

Surely if you don't encourage loading an SS200....and the SS300 can fit even more....then you would have to discourage getting an SS300 if the SS200 will fit the kit (and the SS200 also has a waist strap).

^But it sucks compared to the 300. Still, none are great. Get a faspack or the Kata. I'm getting the Kata 3n1