The best travel camera bag
Are you looking for a new and handy camera bag to travel with? Have you tried various camera bags to fit your DSLR or other photographic gear? Is it difficult to find stylish and comfortable at the same time? After carrying around my DSLR in various camera bags for years, I have finally found the best travel camera bag for travellers and I just love it.
I have been using the Lowepro Passport Sling Bag for a few years now on all my travels all over the world and I can easily say that I have found the best camera bag for travel.
Sitting on the Piazza del Campo in Siena Italy
Lowepro Passport Sling Bag – The best travel camera bag
Photography has always been very important to me in order to document my travels. I take a lot of photos of the places I visit. Over the years I have collected a wide range of photographic gear and accessories. My ultimate purchase was when I decided to buy a DSLR and since then photography has become more than just taking photos. It has become an art for me, to play with the settings depending on the light, so that I can highlight the item I want to photograph.
City trip in Rome Italy
Needless to say, I need a good bag to carry around my collection of camera gear.
When I look for a travel camera bag I have a small list of criteria to start off with that I am not prepared to negotiate about:
- I need to have easy and quick access to my camera gear
- It should not look like an obvious and traditional camera bag
- It needs to fit some other items so I can also use it as a travel handbag at the same time
- Budget friendly
The Lowepro Passport Sling Bag ticks all the right boxes for me. I even got more than what I originally wanted when I bought this sling camera bag.
Visiting Paris by night with my sling bag
Why the Lowepro Passport Sling Bag is the best camera bag for travel
I have used this Lowepro Passport Sling bag for a few years now, after I bought my DSLR camera. The camera travel bag has joined me in my travels to various continents, from North America, to Africa and Europe. I don’t want to repeat myself, but I absolutely love this camera bag. Did I tell you I really like this travel camera sling bag? Let me give you my reasons why the Passport Sling Bag is the perfect camera bag, not only for female travellers but for any travel photographer:
- It is a handbag style camera bag which gives me easy and quick access to my gear. I was initially looking to buy a camera backpack, which can be more comfortable to wear, if you are carrying heavy photographic gear. I am not. I figured in the end that this was only useful when you go hiking/trekking. What I was actually looking for was a general use camera bag, mainly for city trips. Access to your gear in a backpack can be more time consuming, since you often have to take it off your back. With this handbag style camera bag you can reach your camera, or spare battery or memory card by just opening the zipper and without having to take the bag off your shoulders.
- It does not have the traditional look of a camera bag. You all know these typical square, rectangular camera bags, usually with the logo of the camera brand stitched visibly on it. This sling bag looks more like a normal travel handbag. Nobody would think there is a DSLR camera in this sling handbag. It keeps thieves and pickpockets at bay, depending on where you travel of course. I feel much more relaxed with this sling bag than with a traditional camera bag, especially when I travel alone. That’s why the Lowepro Passport Sling Bag is a perfect camera bag for solo female travelers.
- The design of the bag is timeless and suitable for all types of clothes. You can wear the bag with a dress, winter jacket, on the beach or with shorts. It is also suitable for all types of occasions. If you are going for dinner in a nice restaurant and you want to take your camera gear, or while on a city trip and you have no time to return to your hotel, you don’t have to carry a bulky backpack with you. This is just a neutral slightly larger handbag. Nobody will notice there is a multitude of lenses with your heavy DSLR or other camera in it.
- There is enough space to fit a camera, various lenses and other photo gear and to carry your cell phone, wallet, a small travel guide book and even a small bottle of water. It is possible to expand the bag by a zip making the bag and storage space larger or smaller. I can tell you, this is so handy.
The photographic gear I use in my bag
- I wanted a bag that I could fold when not in use. For example, when I take a plane (which I take a lot) my carry-on luggage is a laptop backpack. I can fit my camera gear in this backpack. The Passport Sling Bag can just be folded or rolled up and is easy to store away in the carry-on backpack or my checked luggage.
- It has protective padding and it comes with a removable camera box insert. This is extremely handy as I use this removable box to store my DSLR camera in my laptop bag without having to buy another camera insert, since my laptop bag is not foreseen for carrying a camera and lenses and has no additional protection.
- It has a long strap with extra padding at the shoulder making it very comfortable to carry around, since some lenses can be really heavy.
- As I already mentioned, the bag has a timeless design, but even better it has a unisex design. This bag comes in various colours and can easily be used by men or women who love photography.
The photographic gear I use in my bag with the removable camera insert
Rocky Mountains in Canada
What do I carry in my Lowerpro Passport Sling Bag?
As I have already mentioned, the Lowepro Passport Sling Bag is really spacious and fits a lot of camera gear. The bag has a large central compartment, which can be extended by means of a zipper in front of the bag. In the central part, there is a removable camera insert which stays in its place by means of Velcro. It has some exterior open pockets which are perfect to fit a travel guide book, a tablet, a map or a bottle of water, or all of the above for that matter. The inside also has a few little pouches to fit extra batteries, memory cards and cell phones.
Reunion Island
Pamplemousse Gardens in Mauritius
What camera accessories do I carry in my camera bag?
I shoot with the DSLR EOS Canon Rebel T4i (or Canon 650D). This DSLR is a few years old, but it is still really good. A newer model comparable with my camera would be the DSLR EOS Canon Rebel T5i (or Canon 700D) and the Canon Rebel T6i (or Canon 750D). I use the following lenses: A Tamron 18-270mm, which is a great all round lens if you need landscape as well as zoom photography without having to change lenses. My Canon lenses are a prime lens 50mm, which is great for street photography and portraits and is very budget friendly, a wide angle lens 15-85mm, and a zoom lens 70-300 mm, which is great for when going on a safari.
Further accessories that fit in the bag are a lens pen, a lens cleaner, SD memory cards, spare batteries, UV filter, lens pouches and a lens cleaner air blower.
The Lowepro Passport Sling Bag is very durable. As I said before, this bag has joined me on my travels to Canada, various European countries and the African bush. In Africa, in countries like Namibia there is a lot of fine dust in the air and it gets very fast into your camera if you don’t protect it well. I have travelled many times to Namibia with this bag and so far it has protected my camera and lenses really well. We have been driving around on 4×4 tracks and in Overland safari trucks on the bumpy African road and the padding in the bag worked really well to protect my gear.
I decided to purchase the blue colour, but the bag comes in various other colours. There are currently also various models. There is the older model Lowepro Passport Sling DSLR, the Passport Sling II and the Passport Sling III. The different between the last 2 models is the size. Depending on how large your camera is and how much extra stuff you would like to fit in the bag, you can make your choice between the larger or slightly smaller one.
This post is by no means sponsored. I have bought and paid for the Lowepro Passport Sling bag with my own money. I wrote this review because I really like the bag and I simply wanted to share my real experiences of products I like, use and paid for myself. I have added affiliate links in the text above. So If you like the bag or other accessories, feel free to click on any of the Amazon links to buy the products. These links will give us some commission when you make a sale with NO extra expense for you. This will help us to maintain our website and continue sharing our travel experiences with you.
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Bags with padded compartments like that are definitely worth it. I tend to prefer spreading the weight with a backpack style when I’m out and about all day. My laptop bag is over the shoulder and I can’t bring myself to carry it around too much. Anyway, it’s not easy to find the right gear for travel, so it’s great that you found a bag that works for you!
Best camera bag indeed! Carrying mine for last couple of years.
I was looking for a smaller bag recently and this one looks quite useful. Will definitely consider to buy it. Thanks for the great article – great writing style.
This is such an awesome bag!!!!! I don’t have one for my cameras and am always scared it’ll get scratched in my backpack so I’ll definitely be looking into this brand. Love the bright blue color too!
It really is, I am so happy with this bag. I carry it around just anywhere, not just when I am travelling, but also when I walk in the city and feel like taking my camera. I was initially looking for a more neutral colour, but I am glad I choose the blue one. The bag is definitely recommendable.
I see in many of the pictures you carry the Passport with the tall side in front. Is there an advantage to carrying it this way?
Hi Rick, there is an advantage. The camera is placed in the smaller part of the bag and the tall part is where you can store other items, like wallet, sunglasses,…And having the taller part to the front gives you better and easier access to the more frequently used items. Furthermore, the ergonomics of the bags feels better for me with the taller part to the front.
Hi Sabine, Thanks for your insights on carrying the bag with the tall portion in front. I also noticed it puts the plastic adjustment buckle to the rear where it does not rub on your arm/body as much! Good tip!
Thanks! I hope you will enjoy the camera bag as much as I do. And I have been using it for many years now 🙂
Hi, after receiving the Passport, I was not impressed with the padded insert that came with the case, so I immediately upgraded to the Kattee DSLR SLR Camera Insert.
This insert made the Passport so much better than it even was! It also more than doubled the padded capacity and it is simply a more robust and useful design. I highly recommend this affordable combination! Think I created the idea travel bag!
Hi Rick, it is such a great idea to upgrade to another insert. It really looks like a nice one. I actually never thought of getting another insert. I will surely have a look at it. Thanks for the tip!
Sabine, You will be so glad you did! It greatly expanded the capacity and functionality of an already great bag! I have photos if you want them.
Hi Rick, yes please, you can send me some photos. I’d love to see the functionality of it 🙂
I’m curious if you’re still using this bag or one like it (the over the shoulder variety)? I’ve been struggling with the best way to carry my camera gear. I’ve been using the peak design clip for hikes (which I love), but I want to branch out with getting more lenses and will need something to keep the ever expanding amount of gear I have safe and easy to carry.
I still use this sling bag every time I go out with my camera. I have not found a better alternative so far 🙂 However, I usually don’t use the sling bag when going on hikes since I don’t like hiking with a bag over only 1 shoulder. I do use it all the time for random walks and city tours. I usually take my camera with 2 lenses, a guide book and random items like wallet, sunglasses and a small water bottle. And it all fits quite comfortably inside. I also love that it looks like a normal handbag and not a camera bag.
I’m glad to hear it’s still working out for you. I willing to give it a shot. Thank you 🙂