Peak Design Sling or Think Tank Turnstyle camera bag?

Looking for a new camera bag for my EM10 Mark II plus up to three lenses, some filters and the usual batteries and odds and ends etc. Most of my photography is landscape and so that can entail some long walks. I would like a camera bag that I can wear either on its own during shorter walks (so the sling design) and that I can also wear with my rucksack (for the bad weather clothes, walking stuff, drinks, food etc.) for full day long hikes in the mountains. To date I have put lenses and the other bits in my rucksack alongside the walking stuff but then have to keep taking the rucksack off when I want to change lenses, filters etc.

After some looking I am down to two options. The Peak Design 5l Sling and the Think Tank TurnStyle 5l V2 – I am in the UK and can get both these here. I don’t want to go bigger than 5 litres as the whole rationale for the EM10 Mark II was a light weight system for landscapes and it fits this brief perfectly for me. I don’t use Pro lenses, just M.Zuiko zooms/Premium to keep weight and bulk down and I don’t need to carry a tablet/laptop with me either when out walking – I do all the PP when I get back.

Does anyone have any experience of these two bag options and any preferences? Particularly from a hill walking / hiking perspective where I would also need to use the bag alongside a traditional rucksack on some occasions so would need to change the camera bag from being worn as a sling (when I don’t have the rucksack on) to waist/hip or some other way (when I have a rucksack on).

Any other thoughts etc. would also be welcomed.

wharfhouse said:

Looking for a new camera bag for my EM10 Mark II plus up to three lenses, some filters and the usual batteries and odds and ends etc. Most of my photography is landscape and so that can entail some long walks. I would like a camera bag that I can wear either on its own during shorter walks (so the sling design) and that I can also wear with my rucksack (for the bad weather clothes, walking stuff, drinks, food etc.) for full day long hikes in the mountains. To date I have put lenses and the other bits in my rucksack alongside the walking stuff but then have to keep taking the rucksack off when I want to change lenses, filters etc.

After some looking I am down to two options. The Peak Design 5l Sling and the Think Tank TurnStyle 5l V2 – I am in the UK and can get both these here. I don’t want to go bigger than 5 litres as the whole rationale for the EM10 Mark II was a light weight system for landscapes and it fits this brief perfectly for me. I don’t use Pro lenses, just M.Zuiko zooms/Premium to keep weight and bulk down and I don’t need to carry a tablet/laptop with me either when out walking – I do all the PP when I get back.

Does anyone have any experience of these two bag options and any preferences? Particularly from a hill walking / hiking perspective where I would also need to use the bag alongside a traditional rucksack on some occasions so would need to change the camera bag from being worn as a sling (when I don’t have the rucksack on) to waist/hip or some other way (when I have a rucksack on).

Any other thoughts etc. would also be welcomed.

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I have both the 5 & 10L PD slings. Besides the very nice slim design, I like that they can be used as both a sling or shoulder bag, which is how I often use them.

if you can, I would suggest you you personally try them. Having them to try different orientations, I find, is important. For example, on the 10L, I load 2 G9’s across (not along) the length of the bag. Slightly snug, but fits and allows add’l room for lenses and flash.

I have the PD 5 liter sling and I cannot recommend it highly enough. This is, by far, the nicest most well thought out bag that I have ever owned. Stupid as this may sound, I end up taking my camera kit with me more, because the bag is just so nice to use. My usual kit is a Lumix GM5 with some assortment of the 12-32mm, 35-100mm, PL 15mm and Panny 42.5mm. I can fit all that easily within the bag . I also shoot film and can easily transform the bag to carry my Pentax LX and 2-3 lenses, or throw my film point and shoot in with my digital kit (which is what mostly happens) as well. The weather resistant (not proof!) design, the "lockable" zippers and the dedicated small space to attach a PD clip is all bonus!

I closely looked at the ThinkTank turnstyle series but felt that the design and layout of the PD was much more useful (I love most of PD's stuff, however, and could probably be called a fanboy). I do have a MindShift Gear (owned by ThinkTank) backpack, which I do love.

I doubt you would be disappointed with the PD 5L for your kit.

--
Tony A.

wharfhouse said:

Looking for a new camera bag for my EM10 Mark II plus up to three lenses, some filters and the usual batteries and odds and ends etc. Most of my photography is landscape and so that can entail some long walks. I would like a camera bag that I can wear either on its own during shorter walks (so the sling design) and that I can also wear with my rucksack (for the bad weather clothes, walking stuff, drinks, food etc.) for full day long hikes in the mountains. To date I have put lenses and the other bits in my rucksack alongside the walking stuff but then have to keep taking the rucksack off when I want to change lenses, filters etc.

After some looking I am down to two options. The Peak Design 5l Sling and the Think Tank TurnStyle 5l V2 – I am in the UK and can get both these here. I don’t want to go bigger than 5 litres as the whole rationale for the EM10 Mark II was a light weight system for landscapes and it fits this brief perfectly for me. I don’t use Pro lenses, just M.Zuiko zooms/Premium to keep weight and bulk down and I don’t need to carry a tablet/laptop with me either when out walking – I do all the PP when I get back.

Does anyone have any experience of these two bag options and any preferences? Particularly from a hill walking / hiking perspective where I would also need to use the bag alongside a traditional rucksack on some occasions so would need to change the camera bag from being worn as a sling (when I don’t have the rucksack on) to waist/hip or some other way (when I have a rucksack on).

Any other thoughts etc. would also be welcomed.

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The Turnstyle bags are my favorite bags. I have a 10 and 20. I really wouldn't buy a 5 though. You will never notice the difference between carrying a 5 or a 10. The 5 is really small. You may want to carry something else besides the camera gear and you'll appreciate the space. The only real complaint I have is that there is nowhere to carry a water bottle in an outside pocket.

The Mindshift bags which I believe are owned by TT solve this problem.

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1340658-REG/mindshift_gear_420_photocross_10_carbon_grey.html

If I were to buy a bag now, it would be that one.

--
Jonathan

jwilliams said:

The Turnstyle bags are my favorite bags. I have a 10 and 20. I really wouldn't buy a 5 though. You will never notice the difference between carrying a 5 or a 10. The 5 is really small. You may want to carry something else besides the camera gear and you'll appreciate the space. The only real complaint I have is that there is nowhere to carry a water bottle in an outside pocket.

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I have a Turnstyle 10 as well and would make the same statement: don't buy a 5, it will be too small. My 10 *just* fits an EM5.2 with battery grip and Panny 12-35 f/2.8 attached, plus pack the Panny 35-100 f/2.8 plus something else (flash, 3rd large lens or 4th very small lens stacked on top).

Your EM10 with small primes and zooms should be able to fit a TS5 but without room for much else. For the extra space for snacks and stuff, go with the 10.

jwilliams said:

The Turnstyle bags are my favorite bags. I have a 10 and 20. I really wouldn't buy a 5 though. You will never notice the difference between carrying a 5 or a 10. The 5 is really small. You may want to carry something else besides the camera gear and you'll appreciate the space. The only real complaint I have is that there is nowhere to carry a water bottle in an outside pocket.

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I agree. I had the 10 and 20. I found even the 10 to be a bit too snug for my gear (I had an EM5.2 with some 2.8 zooms). For you, the 10 would probably be a more comfy choice than the 5. I don't know if the v2 of the Turnstyle does this, but I loved the way the v1 could turn into a waist pack. Made it great for using with a small to medium sized backpack. I also found the built-in rain hood for these bags to be useful for rain but also for dusty conditions or when traveling in congested areas where I wanted a bit of additional protection against wandering hands.

I have no knowledge of Peak Design, but I currently own all three Think Tank Turnstyles. I bought the 20 first, and I use it a lot. Then I bought the 5, thinking it would be good when I don't want to carry so much. However, it is too small for my G9. So I picked up a used 10 off of eBay. I plan to sell the 5.

I agree with the other comments, that the 10 is a better choice for MFT than the 5. The 10 doesn't seem that much bigger on the outside, but the 5 is just a bit too cramped on the inside.

I'm a big fan of these bags. Very comfortable, well designed, and well-built. The stowaway built-in rain cover is a nice touch.

I like the Peak Design Sling because it's comfortable, modular, and faster to switch cameras, and mount to tripod.

I'd like to thank all the above for their thoughts on the bags which are very helpful. I had thought the Turnstyle 5l looked a little small in the videos and so your thoughts have confirmed that and so would now consider the 10l. The PD 5l Sling does look that bit more roomier in comparison.

I will have a further look at these two and make a final decision from there. Thanks again for the help.

After a due consideration and looking at the bags further I went for the Peak Design 5l Everyday Sling.

I’ve just packed all the gear into this I would want when out hiking and I am very pleased at what I can fit into such a small package – this really fits the bill for what I want for my lightweight hiking kit that I can take anywhere up into the mountains without worrying about bulk or weight but have all the essentials to hand for most types of shots, and I can have this while wearing a normal rucksack for long walks that can now be dedicated to my walking gear, food, drinks etc. and I don’t need to keep taking on and off to get to my photo kit.

In case anyone else is considering what size bag to get I have the following nicely packed into mine:

• EM-10 Mark II with Olympus 3.5-5.6 EZ pancake lens (could put any of the primes on it instead though) and ECG-3 grip
• Olympus 9-18 4.0-5.6 with lens hood attached
• Olympus 40-150mm 4.0-5.6 R (there is space for a slightly bigger lens where I have this)
• Cokin A Series filter set (various grads and ND) in a Cokin zip pouch (the camera sits on top of this filter pouch in the centre section)
• Cokin filter holder and lens adapter rings
• 3x Hoya polarising filters for above lenses protected with metal filter stacks (I will now be adding a 10 stop ND for long exposures along with some step-up rings and find the stack system very good for space saving and ease of storage) – these all sit under the 9-18 lens at the moment using the flex fold divider but could also slot in elsewhere if I wanted another small prime lens in there
• Manfrotto PIXI Mini Tripod (for long exposures)
• 2x spare batteries and spare SD card
• Various other odds and ends incl. Lens Pen, cleaning solution, cloths, rain hood, Swiss Army Knife

Just weighed it all and including the bag it comes to just 2.4 kg – once over my shoulder hardly feels like anything and very easy to swing the bag around and get to all the kit without anything dropping out.

With a bit more organising I could fit another small prime in under the 9-18 – something like the Olympus 25mm 1.8 which I am now considering buying. There is still the pocket free for a tablet, but I think it might be a bit of push to get one in as well – I don’t want to carry a tablet when out and about though so it’s not a problem for me.

I am very pleased to say that this bag delivers on everything I was looking for and I am now looking forward to getting out on some more hikes.

Fine choice. Enjoy!

I've hesitated between those exact same two. I was leaning heavily towards the Turnstyle, in good part because I could get a big discount on it. I went to try them both in store and while the Turnstyle was nice, as soon as I saw the PD 5L sling, I right away knew that was the one I wanted. Much easier access to lenses and the camera, very strong build, nice compartments, more rigid structure that allows me to use the bag as a "base" to change lenses, etc.

Great, great choice, you won't regret it!

Yes - pretty close to my thoughts - based on feedback here and looking into it further the PD 5l seems to have more usable space (because of the shape) than the TT - I think to get the same amount of kit in the TT I would have needed the 10l version as others commented. Both nice bags and I to'd and fro'd for quite a while between them.

I use a Thinktank Turnstyle10 with an EM1x12-40 +75-300 + 9-18/17f1.8(3 pockets)and can sling it to the side on my hip when wearing a small backback. With your smaller gear and a TT 5 you shouldn't have much difficulty. I started out with the PD leash but found it banged around too much; although I do use the older version of the PD cuff and just hand carry the camera a lot when out shooting. The EM1 balances nicely from 2 fingers and the wrist strap gives me peace of mind.