Camera Sling Bag by Kewl Systems – Padded Camera Messenger Bag – Compact Black Camera Backpack

THIS SHOULD BE A 5-STAR BAG - please keep reading.I've loved this bag since the moment it arrived (10 weeks ago). It's spacious, comfortable and designed with an eye towards utility and comfort.I'm using a Pentax K-50 and switch between an 18-135 and a 55-300. The main compartment can easily accommodate the camera with either lens and there's ample room to carry the other lens in the side pouch. I also carry a Galaxy s6 in the smartphone pocket and often pack a water bottle. Various other items (kleenex, pens, power bars, spare batteries, etc) all fit into the other pockets.While cotton shirts sometimes bunch under the bag (easily adjusted), hiking/jogging exercise shirts (high polyester) is very comfortable and sits well. Since I've only worn the bag in the summer, I haven't tested it with a jacket.The padding has kept my camera safe when the bag was dropped on the trail (onto rocks, of course). Overall, I've been EXCEEDINGLY pleased with this bag! It's become an essential part of my kit.A few cons/suggestions for future development:1. The water bottle pouch is too shallow and narrow to easily accommodate some bottles. Several times, I've had bottles fall out of the pouch while I've been extracting other items. A slight redesign (or personal hack) would address this.2. The zippers to the main compartment do not always slide easily around the corners of the opening. This is a pity - a heavier zipper would add to the the bag's functionality as well as give it the sense of being a bit more rugged.But here's the biggie...3. After 10 weeks of moderate usage (mostly hiking in the woods), the stitching has come lose in two places on the bag. It looks like the material itself has frayed. I'm really devastated - this bag has already come with me on many adventures and proven its worth.It's certainly possible that I received a defective item - I haven't seen these issues in other reviews. I just sent an email to the vendor (through their website) and will update when I hear back.As stated above, the bag deserves 5 stars; I'm hoping that this is an isolated problem and that customer support is as good as one might hope.Cheers!UPDATE: 9/5 (same day)After sending a message to Kewl Systems, they responded within a few hours - impressive! Even better, they authorized a new bag to be shipped to me, free of charge. They very politely requested pics of the bag's failure points to assist in their QC process (which I sent on).Given this development, I've upped my review to 4 stars. Here's hoping that all goes well from here! More to come.

Had been using the Case Logic SLRC-205 to carry my 'light' camera kit for years. Longed for a convenient way to carry a small water bottle and just a little more room somewhere on the bag. The Kewl Systems bag seemed to be the answer to my needs. Eagerly loaded my Nikon D7100 with attached 18-140mm lens, 70-300mm with 1.4 converter in side pocket, extra battery and small battery charger, polarizer, lens pen and cloth, 4 spare SD cards and my bottle of water and I was ready to go. Found all the weight caused left shoulder & neck ache from strap pressing down then the worst thing imaginable happened. Buckle on strap let loose and the bag fell completely off! This bag is pretty with its bright contrasty colors and it a great design in concept but not a bag I can use reliably on the trail.Pros: Designers made needed improvements to an established product design (Case Logic SLRC-205)Cons: Bright colors are great at the zoo or the beach but not appreciated when photographing wildlife in the field; The strap for carrying the increased weight of a water bottle and possibly a tripod is very inadequate. The strap needs to be wider to distribute the weight better and it needs much better padding; There is no waist to chest strap on this bag like there is on the SLRC-205. This strap is necessary to secure the bag tightly against ones back when cycling/climbing. This second strap also serves as a back up system should the main strap/buckle let go as mine did. Did not like the large stick on logo on the bag; it may be great advertising for the manufacturer but just plain tacky to me; Case Logic put bright colors on the inside of the bag to make small accessories very visible, Kewl put them on the outside to make their product very visible

This is a good product. I bought this for a trip to Athens, Greece, and it arrived the day before we left so I didn't have any time to learn how to use it before we left. It took a little while to figure it out, but well worth it. Fortunately, Kewl does follow up with several emails that include attachments for using it, which is helpful. I would say that the materials and construction are of good quality and it is comfortable to carry, including in the hot and humid Athens weather. While wearing it, you pull it back and forth to access the various compartments. It also folds flat when empty, which enabled me to pack it into our suitcase. I carried the camera equipment in my daypack with our other electronics while in flight.I bought this to carry a Nikon D3100 DSLR with a separate telephoto lens and several filters, for which it worked well. It also has compartments for other purposes such as sunglasses, a water bottle, tripod, etc. The water bottle compartment is short. it holds the bottom third of the bottle and has a strap that you need to wrap around the upper portion of the bottle, which is a little awkward. Still, this is much better than the daypack I had been using before or carrying the camera from my neck all day.My only issue is adjusting the length of the shoulder strap. The email attachment Kewl initially sends instructs you to gather up the excess portion of the strap, fold it back and forth in 1.5 inch segments so you are stack it up. Then, wrap a separate Velcro strap that is attached to the main strap around the excess portion you stacked up to hold it in place. However, my first few attempts pulled loose after walking around for a few hours so I had to do it over again. This could be the result of being a new user.Overall I would recommend this product.