Bellroy Venture Sling 10L Camera Edition - The Best Minimal Camera Bag?

24 Jan

Over recent years, photographers from all walks of life (myself included) have been leaning towards a much smaller, minimal carry. Up until recently, I always carried a big backpack with me, even if my gear for the day consisted of just one camera body and one lens. A few months ago, I decided to change that and grabbed this highly rated, fully padded camera sling from Bellroy, offering a favorable alternative to boxy camera bags. After putting it through its paces, here are a few of my thoughts, and do I think this bag is worth the price tag?

Initial thoughts

Upon unboxing the Venture Camera Sling, I was a little nervous. Mainly because nobody wants to spend over £150 on an extremely small bag if it's low quality, and also because Bellroy isn't a camera company by default. From the get-go, however, I knew we were talking about a premium design here. You can feel to the touch how much protection this would offer if you were to drop or bump the bag (I'm not inviting you to chuck it off a multi-story car park, of course!), but I definitely felt instantly comfortable putting my gear inside and heading off for a long day of photography. On the inside of the bag, it has a catchy phrase stating it's designed to go with you for "years to come" – and I genuinely do believe it will last a long long time.

The main draw of this bag being the "camera edition" is the adjustable padded dividers that can fit a variety of camera/lens setups. They are permanently attached inside the bag, however you can push them both completely away to utilise the full space of the bag, or alternatively move one of the dividers to the side, giving you a bigger space and smaller space side by side. I’ve typically kept the dividers in place but its nice to know I can use it as a none camera bag by pushing them to the side if I need.

Can it carry my 16-70000mm lens?

For the "yeah but what can I actually fit in it?" people – the other day I headed out for a morning of photography (and to film a video for YouTube), which generally means I'll have more gear than when I go out to take snaps only. With one divider tucked away to the side, giving me the big and small compartment option, here's a list of what I comfortably carried in the bag.

- Sony A7IV + Zeiss 16-35mm attached in the bigger divided side
- Sony A7Cii and 50mm 1.8 attached in the smaller divided side
- 2 Spare batteries
- Memory card case full of backup cards
- The DJI Mic inside its rechargeable case including wires
- DJI Action 3
- Black pro mist filter
- Tripod strapped under the bag

Compartments

I had room for a little more too, but I will say I don't think this bag is particularly designed or aimed at people wanting to carry loads, and that's kind of the point of a sling, right? – Ergonomically, it's easier to grab your bits and bobs when you have less in the bag, but in case you're worried about how much it can carry, the above list may help you figure it out and its nothing to scoff at when you do need to add a few more bits and bobs inside the sling.

The front zip pocket has different compartments allowing your items to have their own space if you're worried about things getting scratched, and as a little extra, it also has a key clip.

The main compartment (that one with the dividers I keep banging on about) also has small stretch slip pockets at each end. I find these fit SD card cases and a filter or two really well, and again, it gives you that extra bit of separation. The internal zip pocket is small but also has a few nice dividers.

Zippy things

A really nice feature of the Venture Sling I am yet to see on another camera sling (I’m sure it exists somewhere) is that the main compartment (with the camera dividers again) has a zipper either side and they work in both directions, so no matter which side you grab the bag from you can unzip the entire compartment which is super wide and easy to spot your gear from. Alternatively if you know your camera is in one side of the bag, you can leave one half open and the other closed, allowing for quick access to your camera if you’re grabbing it and putting it back in quick succession.

Hows it in the rain?

It's VERY worth noting that this sling bag is water-resistant, but not completely waterproof. If you are out for hours in the pouring rain, it will more than likely start to let damp soak through into the bag. You could, of course, grab a rain cover from somewhere (a lot of camera backpacks have these built in and hidden away) and stuff one into one of the compartments if that's something you're worried about.

Being a photographer who would never spend too long in the pouring rain, this doesn't bother me, and I've never needed a completely waterproof bag in the past.

Comfort is key

One of the main reasons I wanted a small sling, apart from being fond of carrying less gear, is how they feel on your back. I may only be in my early 30s, but I've had my fair share of back pain due to long hours walking with a heavy bag and, even worse, longer hours sitting at a desk. The longest I've carried the Venture Sling around for so far is 6 hours, and despite the bag being almost at capacity throughout those 6 hours, it was really comfortable.

I'm in no way qualified to talk about which bags are better for back pain, but I guess it goes without saying that if you want to carry less and want to make sure you don't pointlessly overpack, telling yourself you're taking a sling bag out and that's that, could be the answer to reducing some of that pain if you're a struggler/overpacker like me. Not to mention the fact that you can "sling" the sling around to the front to access your gear instead of putting it down on the floor over and over again, which adds up to less strain.

The padded shoulder strap adds to the comfort rating, and it's great that it's not fixed; you can slide it along the strap to fit your body where ever feels best.

What about my tripod?

The camera edition comes complete with detachable tripod carry straps with integrated anchor loops, so you can strap a tripod under the bag if you wish. I've done this on occasion, but I normally carry my tripod in my hand because it's going up and down all over the place, and theres not much point in it being strapped away for me. If you have a very, very small tripod akin to a GorillaPod, then you will have no problem fitting this in the main compartment lying across the dividers on top of your other gear.

I personally detach the tripod carry straps and use the integrated loops to hang a water bottle if I know I need my trusty Chilly's bottle on a longer walk.

That all important price tag

To conclude, yes, I do think the Bellroy Venture 10L Camera Edition is worth the price tag, more than actually. I'm sure there are many options out there on the internet that offer a much lower price point, but as I preach all too often, when you purchase an item that either houses, looks after, or protects your much more expensive camera gear (and your health, in this case, your back), I would much rather pay a premium for something I know is going to last and do the job correctly. This saves you from potentially having to spend more in the long run replacing items over and over again.

Although I had no hands-on experience with this sling bag prior to owning it, I was well-informed and had received recommendations from other photographers singing its praises. Therefore, hopefully, this post helps more "lighter carry" photographers make better-informed purchases too.

Plus it looks pretty cool and understated too, which is always a pro.

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