Review: Peak Design Everyday Sling
Peak Design’s compact shoulder bag, the Everyday Sling, has undergone a refresh, bringing a new refined design, colourways, and sizes.
The now-superseded Peak Design Sling 5L has been a part of my travel photography kit for quite some time. This compact companion to my camera backpack has been a great addition for those times when I want to take a smaller kit or when visiting locations that don’t allow backpacks.
And, with borders now open, I finally had the opportunity to put the new Everyday Sling (In a fetching Midnight blue) through its paces during a three-week trip through Italy.
The bag
The Peak Design Everyday Sling is now available in three sizes - 3L, 6L and 10L. They come in a variety of colours, Black, Ash and Midnight which is an exclusive colour to the 6L bag, which will set you back around $200.
If Mary Poppins had a camera bag it would be the 6L version as despite its compact size, I was seemingly able to fit an endless amount of equipment in it. The main compartment of the bag comes with two origami-inspired FlexFold dividers and two internal pockets on either side, which I found perfect for holding my tabletop tripod and wrist strap.
Accessible through the main compartment is a sleeve that fits up to an 11” tablet. In addition, there is a zipped compartment which features four internal pockets which I used to store and organise SD cards and batteries. And finally, at the very front of the bag is a slim pocket which I found was best suited to thinner accessories like a remote or lens cloth.
What can you carry?
I was able to pack my full-frame Sony a7RIV with 24-70mm f/2.8 GM II lens attached, a Sony 16-35mm f/2.8 GM lens, a tabletop tripod, remote and a few accessories without having to play Tetris with the internal dividers.
An issue I had with the older 5L version was its capacity was tight at times, and I found that I would often reach the limit of the bag's storage. Whilst a 1L increase might not sound like much, Peak Design has cleverly designed the bag so that the additional capacity can be better utilised whilst still retaining its compact form factor.
Exterior
The feature that really turned this bag from one I’d use casually to one that I would pick first for sunset and sunrise shoots was the addition of the external carry straps at the bottom of the bag.
These removable straps enable you to carry around a travel-sized tripod, beach towel or just about anything that you can strap to it. And if 6L isn’t enough capacity for you, you can add a Peak Design Capture Clip to the built-in side straps which will enable you to bring along another camera and lens - very smart.
With all of this additional storage capacity, it’s important to have a strap that is going to be comfortable carrying all of that equipment. The strap design has been overhauled with better padding, and Peak Design has also included its Quick Adjuster hardware which I’m a fan of from their Slide camera straps.
Finally, the Everyday Sling is constructed with durable and 100% recycled post-consumer materials. I believe you can learn a lot about a company’s belief in their products by their warranty policy. Peak Design’s lifetime warranty and commitment to repair or replace is a testament that you can buy with confidence.
The Wrap-Up
- Design – 5 Stars
- Features – 5 Stars
- Build Quality – 5 Stars
- Value for Money – 4 stars
Final Word
The Peak Design Everyday Sling 6L is a well-built and highly versatile camera bag that punches well beyond its size capacity. For something as simple as a compact shoulder bag, Peak Design has still been able to make meaningful improvements that have greatly increased the functionality and usability of this bag.
These changes have enabled me to use the 6L Sling far more regularly than its predecessor, and in scenarios where I would have traditionally required a backpack.