Peak Design Outdoor Sling Bag Review

Built to withstand the elements, the Peak Design Outdoor range is made for both bold adventurers and everyday users alike.

Equally suited to strenuous explorations of your local shopping centre or casual trips through the wilderness, the Peak Design Outdoor Slings keep your essentials within easy reach.

Highly Recommended

Peak Design Outdoor Sling

Sleek, stylish and durable sling bags ideal for travel and day-to-day carry of small camera systems.

Check Current Price

As mentioned in my Peak Design Outdoor Backpack review, I’ve been a long-time Peak Design user with multiple backpacks, slings, and straps (the Everyday Backpack, Zip and Slide are some of my favorites). The Outdoor range has been something I’ve been very keen to explore.

I’ve been using the 2L Outdoor Sling and the 7L Outdoor Sling casually over the last few months, and even took them abroad on a recent trip to Vietnam.

So let’s jump on in and learn more! Will these be the right camera sling bags for you? Or will they miss the mark?

What is the Peak Design Outdoor Sling?

Peak Design Outdoor Sling Specs

The Peak Design Outdoor Slings are designed for adventure, but are just as ready for casual, everyday usage.

The Peak Design Outdoor Sling range consists of two sizes (and three colours): a handy little 2L size and a larger 7L size that’s compatible with the Peak Design X-Small Camera Cube.

Additionally, the 7L version is equipped with further capabilities over the smaller 2L sibling, including cargo straps along the base, an additional front pocket, an attachment point on the strap, and more compartments on the inside.

Design and Build Quality

Built to withstand the elements, be it dust or rain, the Outdoor Slings are unmistakably Peak Design.

Undeniably from Peak Design’s lineup, the Outdoor Slings are lightweight, versatile, and available in three distinct colours:

• Black, for users looking for a discreet option.
• Eclipse, a colour that makes a statement.
• Cloud, a stylish white and silver mix.

Designed with versatility in mind and built from durable materials, the Peak Design Outdoor Slings are the perfect grab-and-go bags.

Their slim, compact profile integrates seamlessly into the Peak Design Outdoor ecosystem, working effortlessly with either Outdoor Backpack in multiple ways.

Whilst there is commonality between the two, their differences allow them to also stand out nicely on their own.

Constructed from Terra Shell™ 210D ripstop nylon, this lightweight, abrasion-resistant, and weatherproof fabric is made from 100% recycled materials. It features a PU coating, a PFAS-free water-resistant treatment, and rugged #5 weatherproof UltraZips™ for added protection.

To keep the lightweight and overly slender profile, the Outdoor Slings only feature padding on the body side, whilst the outer shell is a soft material that wraps around the contents inside. In other words, the Outdoor Sling is only as bulky as the contents you carry.

Coming in at only 177g (0.39 lbs) and 335g (0.74 lbs), they’re small enough and light enough to throw in the bottom of a backpack or suitcase for later use on travels.

I used the 7L as a convenient snack, entertainment, and sundries pouch on the plane while leaving the Outdoor Backpack stowed away in the overhead compartment.

One thing to note: the white 2L Outdoor Sling appears to be slightly transparent along the front outer shell, showing the colour and shape of internal contents that are pressed up against the front.

Storage Capacity, Compartments & Organization

The 7L Peak Design Outdoor Sling can fit a helpful amount of gear for such a small bag. The last picture is without the X-Small Camera Cube.

The Peak Design Outdoor Sling range consists of two sizes: a small “waist pack-sized” 2L and a larger versatile 7L, with both featuring internal pockets and pouches for organising gear.

Within the 2L, you’ll find two soft mesh stretch pockets attached to a full-width stretch divider and a key hook clip.

But, whilst the 2L Outdoor Sling may not seem like the ideal photographic option, it is quite helpful when used in conjunction with a backpack, or to carry essentials close to your body on travels.

But in saying that, vloggers could make use of it, as it should easily hold small cameras such as the Sony ZV-E10 or Sony RX100 VII and a tabletop tripod. Pictured is a Sony a7III body (without a lens) and a small tripod as an example for sizing purposes.

The 2L sling may be small, but it is a nice size if you don’t require much, or if used as additional support to other bags. Pictured with a Sony a7III body for scale.

If you require a camera cube, the 7L Outdoor Sling would be your choice of the two, as it will fit the Peak Design X-Small Camera Cube. Do note though, there isn’t a way to secure the camera cube within the sling.

The 7L Outdoor Sling worked great on a day-to-day basis for me while traveling. It fit my Sony a7IV with Tamron 28-75mm f/2.8 easily along with other additional accessories and items.

I could even store a plastic water bottle inside with the camera (when not using the camera cube)!

Inside the 7L Outdoor Sling, you’ll find three stretch mesh pockets attached to an internal zipper pocket, which also contains four smaller stretch mesh pockets.

You’ll find a helpful assortment of small pockets and compartments on the 7L Outdoor Sling. The phone pouch also has quite a decent amount of space if you use a larger device.

On the outside face is an additional zipper pocket that has the key hook clip attached inside, and 2 Cord Hook™ Gear Loops on the base that can be utilised for external carry, or used as compression straps to keep the Sling profile slim.

Between the back padding and the main compartment is a discreet magnetic phone pocket. Due to the width of the pocket opening, devices may need to be inserted on an angle. There is more width inside the pocket itself than the opening.

Protection and Security Features

The only padding on the Outdoor Slings is found on the back and shoulder strap. This keeps them comfortable, light and low profile, but doesn’t provide much in the way of camera protection.

Peak Design built the Outdoor Range with abrasion-resistant and weatherproof materials, ensuring the bags protect your gear and equipment during rain and wet conditions, such as overspray from a boat or waterfall.

The rugged #5 weatherproof UltraZips™ have strong pulls and don’t tend to snag, providing strength and durability, and reducing the chance of water ingress.

If you require padding to protect your camera, that can be had by utilising the X-Small Camera Cube within the 7L Outdoor Sling. Otherwise, the only padding is found on the body side of the slings, which is added for user comfort and not gear protection.

Unfortunately, there are no apparent security features that I could figure out on the Outdoor Slings, other than the potential for attaching a lock to the zipper pull rings. But if you’re aware of anything, or have ideas, leave a comment at the bottom of this article!

Accessibility and Ease of Use

Wear it on the back, side, or front. The Outdoor Sling is versatile and easily used in conjunction with the Outdoor Backpack using the Cord Hook™ Gear Loops (or any other backpack if used as a sling).

Sling bags are simple by design; essentially, they are large pouch-shaped objects with a single strap that secures them to your body.

Generally, this means they’re quite easy to use. Pull zipper, open bag. Pull strap to tighten, release clip to loosen.

The Peak Design Outdoor Slings are easy to adjust to suit your preferred carry style and position. Excess strap can be tucked away behind the back padding where the strap attaches to the bag. You’ll need to adjust the length by releasing the jagged clasp at the attachment point.

Being a sling bag, they can either be used across the front or back of your body, or even messenger bag style (i.e., loose and over the shoulder). Tightening the strap means they sit securely against your body and out of the way.

I found that when set up to my size, either Outdoor Sling can be easily shifted from back to front and remain upright, not tipping or spilling gear onto the street.

Comfort and Portability

Lightweight design with a decent layer of padding creates a comfortable wearing experience and an easy grab-it-and-go bag.

Neither heavy nor cumbersome, with a level of softness to build ensures they’re relatively comfortable from the get-go. The only layer of padding is on the body side of the Outdoor Sling bag.

The adjustable shoulder strap has a long padded section that can either wrap around your shoulder or press up against your body, making sure the weight of the bag doesn’t cause the strap to dig into you from the contact point.

They sit firmly upon your body when in use and they’re rather easy to remove when you wish to. Depending on how you like them fitted, they don’t tend to stick out much from your body, nor get in the way.

At no point did I have either bag shift or jump up and down while running, nor did I have any trouble moving them around to the front in order to access my gear.

The small capacity of either bag also means they never tended to get heavy (subjective), and as such, the straps never felt like they were digging in, nor felt uncomfortable throughout the hours of use on each day abroad.

Perhaps the only qualm I have with the Outdoor Sling is how easily the quick-release clasp can be released. Sometimes while grabbing the strap to move or remove the Sling from my body, I’d grab the clasp and it’d release. If I didn’t have a firm grip, it could have slid from my hand!

Versatility and Travel-Friendliness

The Peak Design Outdoor Slings retain a slim profile, allowing you to easily pack them in your duffel or suitcase for use at your destination. Battery for scale.

The Peak Design Outdoor Range has been designed to be versatile and travel-friendly. For example, the thin and unstructured design of the Outdoor Sling means they can be easily packed into a larger bag or suitcase for use later (i.e., flying/traveling to your destination).

I used the 7L Outdoor Sling as an essentials pouch on my chest while using the 25L Outdoor Backpack for my heavier gear (laptop, camera, etc). This meant I could leave the Sling under the seat and stow away the backpack, keeping legroom clear and essentials close.

The 2L Outdoor Sling was used to hold passports and my wife’s smaller items while placed in the seat pouch in front of her.

Using the Outdoor Backpack along with the Outdoor Sling provides a rather versatile option for travel. On days when you need more items, you can grab the backpack and use the sling on your chest, while on lighter days, just grab the sling and go.

Alternatives to the Peak Design Outdoor Sling

A key difference between the Outdoor Sling and Everyday Sling is the lack of padding, providing a thinner profile. The Outdoor Sling will only get as bulky as the contents, while the Everyday Sling holds a firm structure.

The Outdoor Sling range offered by Peak Design has been stripped of a lot of padding and additional materials in order to keep the weight and profile down. Should you require some further structure and padding in your sling, without the use of a camera cube, take a look at the Everyday line of slings.

The 3L Everyday Sling and 6L Everyday Sling feature similar internal pockets and pouches, but with the additional structure and padding I mentioned. The materials differ as well, blending into a more conservative or stylish manner suited for city life, but capable of travel and enduring elements.

All with Peak Design’s lifetime warranty.

There are a multitude of ‘travel sling’ bags out there from other brands such as Aer, Alpaka and Bellroy, but I cannot really speak to them from personal experience. The internet in general seems to speak positively of them, but I’ll leave that research to you, should they pique your interest.

Be sure to compare warranty, build quality, materials, and overall durability before making a decision. A cheaper choice is not always a better choice when traveling, as a failure can become expensive.

Price and Value for Money

At the time of writing this, the Peak Design 7L Outdoor Sling retails for around US$89.95 (or $125 with X-Small Camera Cube), while the smaller 2L Outdoor Sling is sitting at US$59.95.

Comparably, the 6L Everyday Sling is US$129 and the 3L comes in at US$99.

But really, I don’t find that pricing too out there when considering the versatility of either sling for travel purposes, especially if you like to travel light, use them in conjunction with other bags, or simply wish to conveniently pack them for later use (they really don’t take up much space when flattened).

While I might not use either Outdoor Sling that often, having them available and ready to go on any holiday is very useful. Especially when I may not want to carry a near-empty backpack with me on lighter occasions (7L Outdoor Sling), need that “extra pocket” (2L Outdoor Sling), or need something extra when the backpack is overflowing (either of them)!

FAQs

The 7L Outdoor Sling worn on the front, along with the 25L Outdoor Backpack.

What other ways can I use the Outdoor Slings with the rest of the Peak Design Outdoor Range?

The shoulder straps can be removed from the Outdoor Slings, while the cord hooks provided with the Outdoor Backpacks can be attached, turning the Slings into external carry pouches. These can be secured between the shoulder straps (across your chest), to the base of the backpack, or across the front of the backpack.

The shoulder straps are also thin enough that they can go between the backpack and your body, too, should you wish to carry them across the front of your body (as I did).

What purpose does a small 2L Sling Bag serve?

Well, consider it like an extra pocket. Or perhaps you have particular items you wish to keep on your person in a more discreet manner, such as hidden under a coat or jacket. Maybe you don’t trust your pockets to hold items while you’re moving around a lot, climbing lots of steps, or traversing uneven surfaces where a slip may cause items to spill out. Perhaps there are individuals around with sticky fingers looking to liberate your phone or wallet from a pocket. Maybe you use a small camera but don’t need a large bag to carry it, or don’t like the style of small camera holsters or typical camera pouches.

Do I need the X-Small Camera Cube in order to carry my camera in the 7L Outdoor Sling?

Short answer, no. Long answer, it’s up to you and how you wish to support your camera equipment within the sling. The camera cube will allow you to partition the cube as you need—e.g., separate your camera body from extra lenses, items, and equipment. It’ll also provide structure and additional padding to the sling, therefore securing your gear in place and providing padding for safety.

While in Vietnam, I didn’t always use the camera cube. My camera body and lens combo meant that it was a very, very tight fit in the camera cube. Therefore, I found it easier to just drop the camera in the sling without it (see Storage section for photo). Accessories were tucked away in the pockets provided. But, for further context, my camera spent more time in my hand than in the sling itself. It was only when I felt a certain level of unease about having my camera out, or when entering stores/restaurants or vehicles, that I put it in.

Peak Design Outdoor Sling Review | Conclusion

The Peak Design Outdoor range has been a welcome addition to my ever-growing carry collection.

I get that the Outdoor Range has had mixed reviews online. Many think they’re neither this, nor that. But to me? These bags have served us well on the many adventures my family and I have taken so far.

The 25L Outdoor Backpack is still my go-to backpack (travel and commuting) since receiving it. It’ll continue to join me moving forward, unless something else comes along that happens to serve slightly better. But the light weight and versatility are huge factors as to why they’re my choice.

I’ll be keeping the 7L Outdoor Sling as a travel companion for future adventures, whether that’s in the capacity of “I’ll flatten it in the suitcase for later” or “it’s an essential part of my carry-on kit”.

It’s also been a great “grab and go” bag on the odd occasion when I only need my camera and a couple of other items.

The 2L Outdoor Sling was part of my wife’s travel kit for her essentials, but has since been claimed by my daughter, because she wants a bag like mine. It fits her, albeit loosely, but will grow with her.

Highly Recommended

Peak Design Outdoor Sling

Sleek, stylish and durable sling bags ideal for travel and day-to-day carry of small camera systems.

Check Current Price