Best Bellroy Sling For Photography
In this blog I will cover the topic of what size sling to pick for photography. This blog is sponsored by Bellroy and all the slings I will be discussing are from this brand. I’ve worked with Bellroy for over a year, and even prior to this partnership, I’d spent hundreds of pounds over many years on their products. With that said, if you have a different brand sling, then the concept carries over. Finally, if you click on the title of each product, you will go to the official Bellroy website where you can browse and purchase. This doesn’t cost you any more money, and I get a tiny % commission on every sale. Between this and Bellroy sponsoring, it ensures this blog is kept free from those annoying ads that clog everything up.
Why a Sling?
The reason one might pick a sling is as follows:
Great for cities as it stays close to your body.
You can wear it tighter for security or looser for comfort.
Easy to swap gear since it sits right next to your arms.
Can be used as a mini table when changing lenses.
Smaller size encourages you to carry only what you need.
Doesn’t stand out as much.
Often allowed in places that ban backpacks.
Can double as a tech or accessory pouch inside a bigger bag when travelling.
No need to take it off when sitting down, making it more secure.
Good for keeping essentials like phone, wallet and keys out of your pockets.
Depending on the style, it can be worn with smart clothing.
No sweaty back in hot weather.
There are some downsides to using slings as mentioned below:
Uneven weight distribution. Unless you swap shoulders, it can cause neck tightness.
Only good for lighter loads; anything over 5kg becomes uncomfortable.
Limited in space and carrying capacity.
Not stable for some activities as it can swing around and get in the way.
Not All Sizes Are Created Equal
As you might be aware, the volume of slings and bags is measured in litres. The bigger the number, the more (in theory) the bag can carry. It’s important to mention that not all litres are created equal. A 10L Bellroy bag might be different to a 10L bag by another brand. While there are some differences in terms of carrying capacity and size, you can still get a good gauge of how much you can carry.
Venture Line
Bellroy has different lines of bags for different purposes. Some are more stylish while others, like the Venture line, are designed for durability and functionality. I personally only use the Venture line as for the travel I do, I prefer usability and durability. All the slings mentioned in this blog I own and use all the time.
This is the smallest bag and realistically it’s just an extension of your pockets. It can easily hold your wallet, phone, keys, and a small point-and-shoot such as a Ricoh GR or similar. If you’re good at Tetris, you can probably squeeze a small battery pack in there too. This is the ideal size if you just want empty pockets for comfort and security. Great for festivals, beach days, or even going for a run. It’s also very useful as a secure carry that you can wear under a bigger jacket. While I love mine, I don’t use it as much as usually I want to carry a few more things.
This is one of my most used slings and at this size, you have much more freedom. The sling will take everything the Hip Pack did, but now you can add a second video camera such as a DJI Pocket 3, or carry a bigger fixed-lens system such as the Fuji X100VI. If you’re willing to remove the lens for transport, you can even carry a bigger camera and lens separately. I use this sling most often when I’m shooting on my main Sony A7RV with a zoom, and keep a smaller 90mm prime in the sling along with all the other things I mentioned. This makes for a very minimal and practical setup.
The 6L is the most practical sling for most scenarios as it’s the right balance of size and capacity. It’s not so bulky that you know you’re wearing it, yet it can hold plenty of gear. I use this sling on two different occasions. The first is when I want to bring a larger point-and-shoot camera such as the Leica Q3, but not always be stuck wearing it around my neck. The same applies to my main camera, the A7RV, that this sling can easily swallow, assuming a smaller lens is used. The second use case is if I wear my main camera around my neck and need to bring extra bulky gear such as a microphone, small tripod, big fast prime for low light, umbrella, etc. Out of all the slings I use, I find myself using this one the most. This sling also doubles up as a great tech pouch for packing into my bag, and an essentials pouch for travel days.
The 9L is a bit of an odd size for me because while it’s physically bigger and has a bigger capacity, I found it to be more suitable for items not relating to camera gear. Due to the sheer volume, I found lenses or camera bodies tend to slide around inside which isn’t great if you want to avoid scratches and a bit of a mess. Design-wise it’s identical to the 6L, meaning you have one empty bucket with no real organisation other than some pockets. What I found this sling to be great for is activities such as going to the gym, hiking, beach days, or anything where you can fit softer and bulkier items. This sling will also fit an 11-inch iPad Pro, however, if you’re using it with a keyboard case, then it will be extremely tight. I would suggest this sling if you mostly have one fixed-lens camera, and want to carry other items such as a bottle, towel, extra jacket, etc.
Bellroy Venture 10L Camera Edition
This is the biggest and most practical sling for photographers or those who carry delicate gear that they don’t want rattling around in the bag. The biggest difference is the extra padding and movable dividers inside. This means this sling is very sturdy and tends to keep its shape more than the others. It still has a self-compressing mechanism, however it doesn’t compress as much as the others due to the extra padding. This sling is also big enough to take an 11-inch iPad Pro with a keyboard. I use this sling primarily as a packing cube inside my bigger bag, or anytime I am shooting with bigger lenses. This bag can easily take a full-frame mirrorless camera with 2–3 primes or one zoom and one prime. This will still leave ample room for accessories. If I’m going out for a big shoot and need to carry more gear, this is my go-to sling of choice.
My Most Used Slings
Which One Should You Choose?
As you can probably see, choosing the right size sling is very individual. I would argue that there is no such thing as a “right” size as it depends on what you plan to do that day. My suggestion is to have one bigger size and one smaller. If I had to only pick two slings, I would pick the 6L and the 10L. However, if you use smaller gear, then a 2.5L and a 6L / 9L might be all you’d ever need.
