Peak Design Everyday Sling 5L Review

I tend to consider myself a bit of a traveler and a rather casual photographer. I’m always on the move, flying off in to the sunset, and always with my camera in hand.

I also quite like bags and I appreciate functional storage solutions. Having the ability to be able to pack items well and fit everything efficiently is something I value. I also like long walks on the beach and puppy dogs with big brown eyes.

Since I’m always on the move and with my camera in tow, having a bag that has the right capacity for the right time is important to me. But also having the right balance of space, bulk, padding, and security is important too.

Peak Design have been on my radar for a while now, and already having the 20L Everyday Backpack, Field Pouch, and Slide Strap in my collection, I have to say I’m very conscious of the level of quality produced by Peak Design. The 20L Everyday Backpack is, in essence, my every day backpack.

But the truth is, as much as I love that bag, I don’t always need to carry one of that size and capacity. Certainly not for the simpler days out or for the smaller day to day walks around town.

So, enter the Peak Design Everyday Sling 5L. The most recent and welcome addition to my collection.

Peak Design Sling 5L | Build and Design

Let me start off by throwing some of the specs of the at you:

Capacity: 5 Litres

Outer Dimensions: 12.2″ (31cm) x 7.48″ (19cm) x 4.33″ (11cm)

Inner Dimensions: 10.5″ (26.67cm) x 4″ (10.16cm) x 7″ (17.78cm)

Max Tablet Capacity: 24 cm (9.4”) x 18.5 cm (7.3”) x 1.5 cm (0.6”)

Weight: 0.5kg (1.2 lbs)

Warranty: Guaranteed for life

 

I’ve had this bag for a couple of months now and I’ve found myself using it more and more.

Backpacks have usually been more my thing, and I’ve found a lot of messenger or sling bags feel lacking in certain degrees. Whether it’s the shoulder strap, quality of materials, bulky design, or the lack of storage solutions for smaller items.

I feel that the Everyday Sling is a perfect balance of all of the above. It’s not a bulky or an over padded build. It feels purposefully designed – and it fits that so wonderfully.

I’m a smaller framed guy, so often messenger and larger style sling bags (such as the Everyday Sling 10L version) can look and feel too bulky on me.

According to the website, it’s made from “400D weatherproof nylon canvas with DWR impregnation and dual poly surface coating”. Which, in Tommy terminology means “it’s super tough and your gear is safe from the elements”.

It feels tight and secure and doesn’t feel as though it would rip if it got caught on a branch or dragged across rocks while adventuring. Nor does it feel as though it would degrade if it was constantly exposed to the elements either.

The hardware is made from anodised aluminium and stainless steel, the zippers are smooth and don’t ever snag.

The build quality on the Everyday Sling is top-notch.The attachment points for the strap feel strong and give a sense of being over engineered, which is great, because it doesn’t feel as though they’d ever tear or give way.

Even so, if it starts to give signs of breakage, Peak Design offer a lifetime guarantee on their products.

The materials inside the bag are soft to touch and it feels padded enough to not have to worry about your gear inside.

As an additional benefit, it’s not overly padded to create an unnecessarily bulky bag.

Storage Options – is 5 Litres Enough?

Peak Design supply you with two of their unique “FlexFold” dividers to position however you desire and create the arrangement you need.

Most of the time I use just one with my Sony A7iii, or both if I am using the bag to transport my Mavic Pro.

You’ll easily be able to fit a mirrorless camera and 1-2 lenses, spare batteries, filters, and a variety of other smaller accessories in the Peak Design 5L Sling, despite it being only 5 litres in overall capacity.

A full size DSLR such as my Canon 5D MKiii will fit, but depending on the lens attached you may not fit anything else inside the main compartment – check out the Peak Design Everyday Sling 6L Review for something slightly bigger.

If you’re a DJI drone flyer you’ll easily fit a Mavic Pro with 2 batteries, controller, and a pack of ND filters. Same deal with the Spark.

I find this is the perfect bag for use with my Mavic Pro, it fits everything I need very nicely – except the chargers.

Inside the Sling bag is a zipper pocket that runs the length of the lid which is good for smaller accessories you want to keep in order.

Within that very same compartment is a number of smaller pockets to sort out items like memory cards and cables. It’s like pocket-ception! Pockets within pockets!

The main compartment also contains two inner soft pockets, which will either squish out of the way if you don’t need them, or they’ll help hold accessories such as batteries in place.

There is a front pocket with an easy access zipper that is handy for anything you need quick access to, such as your phone, batteries, lens filters, or even just your house keys.

It runs most of the length of the front and you’ll be surprised how much you can fit in it.

What also surprised me was that there’s a tablet pocket inside the Peak Design 5L Sling as well! It’s large enough to fit an iPad Mini or the smaller Samsung Galaxy Tablets.

Do note, however, that it’s not large enough to fit tablets exceeding 24cm x 18.5cm x 1.5cm (if you have a protective case on your tablet, consider that in the sizing limitations too).

Overall, it’s quite a functional design, really allowing you to make the most out of such a small bag. This bag could however, do with a bottle holder! :p

Usability

The zippers are easy to operate and locate as they have small handy straps attached to them, also allowing for one handed access to the main compartment. They never get snagged or buried within the linings. There’s no need to put down anything when you want to pack away your camera.

The Sling also opens nice and wide to easily be able to access your gear. No fussing about in small spaces.

The strap itself is very comfortable and really easy to adjust the length to your needs. You can even alter the strap position to attach the bag around your waist, if you need it to stick more securely to your body when you’re cycling, for example, or whenever you don’t want the bag sliding around to your front.

The Peak Design Everyday Sling 5L feels nicely balanced on my shoulder and its rigidity gives me a lot of confidence in opening it without spilling all of my gear on to the ground while walking.

If you have one of the Peak Design Capture Clips, they can also be attached to the side of the bag easily as well – it’s great they’ve factored all of this together!

[Related: Peak Design Capture Clip Review]

Peak Design Everyday Sling 5L Discount & Code

Peak Design Sling 5L Review | Conclusion

This slimmed-down 5 Litre version of the Peak Design Sling has very quickly become a firm favourite. It’s traveled with me both interstate and overseas multiple times, and will continue to travel with me. The balance between functionality and small, yet practical size is spot on.

I’m not the kind of photographer who likes to carry a lot of things with me on a day-to-day basis. I like to only bring what I’ll need with me.

If, for example, I’m just headed out running errands or venturing out with my wife and friends, I like to carry the Everyday Sling and nothing else.

I can fit my Sony A7iii with my Samyang 35mm f/1.4 lens, spare batteries, and an assortment of other little things I may need during that day.

The Sling is available in 3 colours – matte black, ash and sage – I opted for the black version since it’s most versatile, and blends in as a stealthy way to carry expensive camera gear.

And hey, now when I ask my wife to hold my bag for me, she doesn’t complain about the size or weight! Definitely 10 bonus points for that :-)