» Adorama Slinger Bag, Single Strap Backpack / Shoulder Bag, Black.

Adorama Slinger Bag, Single Strap Backpack / Shoulder Bag, Black. Reviews

Customer Rating:
Summary: Great idea, poor execution
Comment: I bought this sling bag based on the fact that it was designed in consultation with Herbert Keppler, a Popular Photography columnist (the article can be found on the website). As Keppler stepped through the design process with the Adorama people, I found myself agreeing with all the suggestions he made.

Good design = good product, right? Not necessarily. Execution can spoil the party.

Don't get me wrong--it's not that the quality of the bag is bad. It isn't; the bag is of decent quality. It's just that the details were not so well thought out when actually manufacturing the bag.

For instance, the side pockets on the bag are too small to hold any kind of water bottle that I've ever seen. The waist belt on the bag sits so low (as also pointed out by blueforest) that the bag tips forward when only the belt is worn. You have to use both belt and shoulder strap even when you intend to put most of the weight on your waist.

The sling bag design means that the weight is unevenly distributed across your shoulders. If worn only by the sling (shoulder) strap, the bag predictably bounces around when (say) hiking. Not a shortcoming peculiar to this bag (common to all shoulder/sling bags), but something to keep in mind.

The waist belt is an approximately 1.5-2" thick nylon strap. If you hang a pouch (specialized ones are available from Adorama) with a water bottle or lens from the belt, it crumples up and sags. Not a major issue, but definitely an irritant.

The sling design of the bag is definitely a good thing, but the top flap should have opened away from the body, not towards it.

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Customer Rating:
Summary: over-stated and not very functional
Comment: I bought this bag because of the advertised capability to be used either as shoulder bag or a waist pack. It doesn't wear well either way. The belt for the waist pack is close to the bottom of the bag, so it feels like the bag is going to topple over when wearing in this position. When you wear it as a shoulder bag and you swing the bag to the front to retrieve your gear, the bag is tilted to the outside because of extra wide shoulder belt on the back side of the bag. Would you like to place your camera in an un-even bag? Plus, I don't see how it could be worn as a backpack. I am keeping the bag only to avoid the hassle of returning it to Adorama, wish I didn't buy it in the first place. This was supposedly designed by a professional photographer.....

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