The Best Travel Camera Bag? My Real-World Peak Design Everyday Sling 10L Review
When you're a professional photographer, it's easy to overpack your camera gear.
For a wedding, I have no problem bringing multiple camera bodies, several lenses, flashes and everything else I might need. But a family holiday is completely different.
When I'm travelling with my wife and kids, I don't want photography to become the entire purpose of the trip. I want to enjoy the experience with my family, while still having a camera available to capture those moments that disappear far too quickly.
That was the problem I was trying to solve before our 2026 trip to England and Spain.
I already had camera bags
The funny thing is that I already owned several camera bags.
My Lowepro Nova 200 AW II is my main working camera bag, and I absolutely love it. It holds everything I need for professional work and has become a dependable part of my wedding photography kit.
I also had a smaller Canon EOS-branded camera bag that I'd previously taken to England.
The problem was the branding.
Walking around with a bag that clearly says “Canon EOS” isn't necessarily something I wanted to do as a tourist. When you're carrying thousands of dollars' worth of photography equipment, I'd rather not advertise that fact to everyone around me.
I also wanted something that was easier to access than my existing small bag and comfortable enough to wear while walking around all day.
My family holiday camera kit
I wasn't taking my entire professional photography setup. My main camera was a Canon R5 without the battery grip. Removing the grip made the camera noticeably smaller and more travel-friendly.
My lenses were:
- RF 15-35mm f/2.8 L
- RF 35mm f/1.4 VCM
- RF 85mm f/1.4 VCM
I also brought a Godox V860III flash with a MagMod dome and gels because I also wanted to record some family videos and content for the channel, I brought my small shotgun microphone and deadcat, along with my Insta360 X4 and selfie stick.
And because this was actually a family holiday, there were also two Nintendo Switch consoles coming along for the kids.
The Think Tank International V2 rolling case was going to handle the majority of my equipment while travelling by plane. The smaller shoulder/sling bag was going to be my everyday walking-around bag.
Finding the right travel bag
I headed to Henry's Camera to see what I could find.
I looked at Lowepro options because I already know and like their bags, but many of them had the same basic problem: they looked like camera bags.
What I really wanted was something that could carry an R5 and one or two lenses while looking more like a normal everyday bag.
After trying different options, I ended up looking at the Peak Design Everyday Sling.
I initially tried the smaller 6L version, but ultimately chose the **10L version** in blue.
The blue colour also helped it blend in more with normal clothing rather than looking like an obvious piece of black camera equipment.
Why the Peak Design Everyday Sling worked
One of the things I immediately liked was the access.
Unlike my old Canon bag, I didn't have to deal with a large flap that was awkward to open while the bag was hanging at my side.
The Peak Design opens easily and gives you good access to the main compartment.
It also has configurable dividers that allow you to create separate compartments for your camera and lenses.
The bag is also designed to be weather resistant, which was important for travelling.
Testing it in England and Spain
The real test came after I bought it.
I took the bag to London, Madrid, several zoos and Harry Potter World.
One day in Madrid I kept things particularly simple: my Canon R5 with the RF 15-35mm f/2.8 L mounted.
I also carried my audio equipment, ND filters, sunglasses, eye drops and even managed to fit a lightweight waterproof jacket inside.
That was exactly what I'd wanted from this bag.
I didn't need to carry my entire camera collection. I could take one camera, one lens and the things I actually needed for the day.
A small security feature I really liked
One of my favourite features turned out to be something very simple.
The bag has a small loop on the side that allows you to tuck both zippers into it.
When the bag is behind you on public transportation, this makes it considerably more difficult for someone to simply unzip the bag without you noticing.
I also kept an AirTag inside the laptop compartment for an additional bit of reassurance.
I already use AirTags with my professional equipment, so adding one to my travel bag made sense.
It's surprisingly comfortable
After walking around with it for extended periods, I was impressed with how comfortable the bag was.
It didn't constantly swing around or bang against my body as I walked.
I also liked that the strap could be tucked into the bag when travelling on an airplane. With the strap stored away, the bag became more compact and was easier to manage when sitting in front of me.
A few things I didn't love
It isn't perfect.
One small annoyance was that the zipper-security loop only exists on one side. I normally carry my bag on my left side, but for travelling I had to switch it to my right side to take advantage of the zipper loop.
That's certainly not a deal breaker, but it would have been nice to have the same feature on both sides.
I also noticed that one of the strap sections started slipping into its holder after about two weeks. I caught it before it became a problem and adjusted it, but it's something I'll keep an eye on.
The weather resistance also wasn't really tested during this trip. England was unusually dry and we didn't encounter the sort of heavy rain that would have put the bag through a serious weather test.
Would I buy it again?
Yes. After two weeks of actually using the bag, I was very happy with it.
More importantly, it solved the original problem I had. I felt much more comfortable carrying it around unfamiliar public places than I would have felt carrying my large Lowepro working bag or an obviously branded Canon camera bag.
At one point, another family photographer even thought the bag was a diaper bag.
When I pulled out the camera equipment and showed her that it was actually a camera bag, she was impressed.
That's probably the best compliment the bag could get for what I wanted it to do.
It doesn't scream “camera bag.” It simply looks like a normal everyday sling and that's exactly what I wanted for travelling with my family.
Final thoughts
The Peak Design Everyday Sling 10L wasn't purchased because I needed another camera bag.
I bought it because I needed a **travel bag that happened to protect my camera equipment**.
For a family holiday, I don't need my entire professional photography kit with me. I need something that lets me take an R5, a lens or two, some accessories and a few personal items while keeping everything comfortable, protected and relatively discreet.
After using it throughout England and Spain, I'd happily buy it again.
For my particular style of family travel photography, it turned out to be a great fit.
