Packing It In – Lowepro Passport Sling III

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A follow-up to a post from January this year when I wrote about a lightweight sling bag I’d picked up for general purpose use!

The Billingham Hadley Pro and Sirui MyStory 13 has taken turns out of the country now and are capable of carrying loads of equipment and protect it well, but neither are collapsible – which means a substantial amount of space needs to be set aside to bring them out of the country. Besides the fact that I can cramp a lot of stuff into the Passport Sling III, it has one other distinctive advantage that sets it apart from my other two messenger bags. I can flatten the bag for storage means it can easily fit into my luggage case when I travel. It can also fit a Surface Pro-sized hybrid laptop too, though you’ll want your laptop inserted into a slim case for protection as the Sling III does not offer nearly the same level of padded protection as my other two messenger bags do.

The Sling III has been brought out on two trips now this year: Maldives, and to Japan, and will accompany me for the next two trips: a five day work trip to Shanghai, and our fifteen day family vacation in Japan. I also use it on weekend outings. Given the fairly rough and tumble use I’ve put this bag through now for ten months, the bag is still holding up reasonably well, though some of the threads along the seams have also gradually coming loose.

Just for demonstration in this post, here’s the stuff I’ll be cramping into the Sling III:

  1. Sony A7 III mounted with  Sony FE 24-105mm f4.0
  2. Tamron SP 70-200MM F/2.8 DI VC USD + Sigma MC-11
  3. Sony FE 16-35mm f4
  4. iPad Pro 11 with Smart Keyboard Folio
  5. DJI Osmo Pocket/accessories and padded case
  6. Canon G7X Mark II
  7. Godox TT685s
  8. Godox TT350s
From left to right; Top row: Tamron SP 70-200MM F/2.8 DI VC USD + Sigma MC-11, Sony FE 16-35mm f4.0, Godox TT685s, Godox TT350s, Sony A73 with Sony FE 24-105mm f4.0, iPad Pro 11/Smart Keyboard Folio. Bottom row: DJI Pocket Osmo with case.

Basically, the Passport Sling III can fit less stuff before it looks like it’s bursting at the seams, at least when compared to my last test with the MyStory 13 where I also squeezed in a Microsoft Surface Pro.

This is as much as the Passport Sling III can carry. The Tamron is on the left side of the bag, alongside the Godox TT685s – both are partially covered by the zipper bag flap. The Canon G7X II is in the bag’s side pocket on the right edge.

Clearly, the Passport Sling III can carry a ton of items. But I don’t recommend cramming this much stuff in it, as I’m not sure how long the stitching at the bag’s base can hold up against this much weight. Even more serious to note is that outside the main compartment padded insert that I’ve used in this demonstration, the rest of the equipment are essentially unprotected: it’s basically just a few layers of synthetic fabric between my expensive lenses and any hard object it might come in contact with. So, when I’m carrying a long and heavy lens like the Tamron 70-200mm f2.8 in this bag, it goes into its own padded case.

Still, on a day to day use when I’m traveling anyway, the Passport Sling will typically just carry the Sony A73 with the 24-105mm, one or two more pocket cameras – e.g. the Insta360 One X and/or the DJI Osmo Pocket, either the iPad Pro 11 or the Mini, a Powerbank, and a 500ml water bottle. That’s way more comfortable to cart around than all of the above in this demo case. And besides, there just isn’t that many options for collapsible sling bags capable of carrying a decent amount of gear anyway. So, this bag’s a keeper and I see myself using it until it wears out.