Next time you see somebody carrying a camera backpack or any backpack and unless it's a super heavy pro trekking model, chances are you'll notice something. Most people carry them by one strap. It's possible that people don't like being constricted by both straps or feel more secure if they can keep a hand on it. Or maybe they just think it looks cool. Anyway, bag manufacturers are catching on and most big ranges now have an "asymmetric strap shoulder bag". That's a rucksack with one strap to you and me.
There are some great benefits to this design though. If the bag's built right then you can slide it round your body and access all your gear without ever taking it off. That's a huge benefit if you're worried about security or simply if the ground is wet or muddy and you don't want to put your kit on the floor.
One of the first of these asymmetric bags to market was the LowePro Slingshot. This comes in two different sizes called the 100AW and the 200AW. The 200 holds an SLR with "mid range zoom" and a bunch of other stuff. These are pretty cool bags because your gear sits sideways in the pack. When you swivel it round your body it's all the right way up and special zips prevent the whole thing coming undone and dumping your gear on the ground. See the pic below if you ddn't follow any of that.
Well, now there's a third. With their customary flair for innovative product names this is called, err, the Slingshot 300 AW. As you'd guess that makes it bigger than a 200. The promo pictures show what looks very much like a Nikon D2X with 70 - 200 VR zoom attached and a bunch of other lenses in the bag. I'm always slightly sceptical of these pictures - generally they have picked the exact lenses that pack nicely to show the maximum possible kit. Real world capacity is generally a bit less but a bag that can take a 70 - 200 on the camera and be accessible would be a good thing in my book. There's also a showerproof cover and lots of straps to hang more Lowepro gear from.
Expect it to hit a shop near you in March for a shade under £100.
