Bellroy Venture 6L Sling Review: A Game Changer

Filling the middle ground between your pockets and a backpack, the Bellroy Venture 6L sling is an everyday carry that just works for so many people. As a travel photographer, this is a game changer and I’m here to share my thoughts in my Bellroy Venture 6L sling review.

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After years of routinely taking my Brevite camera backpack with me on every trip out, whether on a day out with the family or a photo walk around a new city, and 9 times out of 10 a backpack is overkill for those scenarios. As a photographer, I resorted to simply carrying my Fujifilm X-T5 with one lens with a neck strap and being done with it.

It wasn’t until I was introduced to Bellroy, quite possibly my new favourite brand from Melbourne, that I realised I was doing it all wrong and there were other options available that would solve problems that I knew I had and even some that I didn’t! Enter the Bellroy Venture sling; a middle ground between carrying my stuff in my pockets with my camera loose round my neck and my backpack most likely full of additional lenses I didn’t actually need. Of course, for longer trips I would still take a backpack but a sling was something that I saw continuing with me on my journey.

For those that haven’t yet discovered the wonderful Bellroy, let me give you a brief introduction. Bellroy are an Australian brand offering carry solutions to almost everything you will need from ‘work to play, near and far’. From wallets and passport covers to duffel bags, backpacks and tote bags. Everything and anything you need to carry with you, wherever you may be going, Bellroy offers something for you in an aesthetically beautiful and sustainable package (Bellroy are a certified B Corp company). Not only that, their design and organisational features are levels ahead. Bellroy just make daily life, packing and travelling a joy; insofar as they are able to!

The Venture Slings offered by Bellroy are certainly one of the most popular sling bags on the market at the moment. These slings are here to come with you on your adventures, wherever they may take you even if they’re closer to home or on the other side of the world. There are four options available in the Venture series ranging from tiny to pretty big: 2.5L / 6L / 9L / 10L Camera Edition

Out of all those different options, I purchased the Venture 6L sling which is perfect for me; not too big, not too small. There are other options available too including in Bellroy’s new Lite design for those looking for something as light as a feather.

Before we move on, if you’re after a great travel backpack and somewhere to organise all of your technology and cables, have a look at my curated travel set over on Bellroy (which includes a good discount!)

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BELLROY VENTURE 6L SLING

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DESIGN & AESTHETICS

First things first, Bellroy products just look the part. I’m a sucker for great looking products and Bellroy just nails it each and every time. The Bellroy Venture 6L sling is made from 100% recycled fabric that’s water resistant. This immediately feels like a premium product.

The strap is comfortable and the metal buckles are quite enjoyable to use, no fiddling around at all, they just work. I can’t comment yet on durability but I can only imagine judging from my first impressions that this is a product that will journey with me for years to come.

FEATURES

If we get up close with the sling, you’ll find two storage areas; the main area is a large open space accessible via waterproof reversible zips with two side pockets, two smaller pockets on the back inside and a pouch for your sunglasses. As you’ll see later, the two side pockets can fit camera lenses in (certainly those from Fujifilm at least) and the smaller pockets are handy for storing spare batteries or your passport.

The front pocket is, again, accessible via a waterproof zip and is just about large enough to fit your phone and keys on a little leash.

MY EXPERIENCE AS A PHOTOGRAPHER

As you will have guessed by the photos, I went with the Midnight Black edition primarily as I like to keep things minimalist, sleek and don’t want to draw any unnecessary attention to anything I’m carrying. Whether black actually does that I’m not sure but it feels right for me.

My first experience with the Bellroy Venture 6L sling was on a press trip to Madeira with Jet2Holidays and, whilst I used my backpack during the days so I could carry my lenses, the sling came out for evenings which included a meal out. I was able to fit the Fujifilm X-T5 camera in with the 35mm f/1.4 lens attached and the 16mm f/1.4 in one of the side pockets as well as my phone and wallet.

That’s honestly insane and a game changer in terms of my photography moving forward. I’ve been long after something that means I don’t have to carry a backpack and this sling allows me to store my camera when needed plus a lens (maybe even two if I used some of the smaller Fujifilm f/2 lenses). I can’t wait to really put this sling through its paces on more of my travels!

OVERALL THOUGHTS

This is probably my favourite piece of gear that I’ve added to my collection in recent years. It’s extremely practical for ordinary days out with the family and really comes into its own when used as a camera bag. I can’t imagine going anywhere without it now; it’s the perfect carry solution for pretty much all situations and allows me to transition between all aspects of my life seamlessly knowing everything I need is where I need it to be.

If you like the sound of the Bellroy Venture 6L Sling, please consider purchasing it through my affiliate link below. It won’t cost you anything extra whatsoever but in doing so I’ll make a small commission which will help keep this blog running.

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