That handsome looking bag pictured above the is the Lowepro Classified Sling 180 AW. It is, as the name implies, a sling style bag (ie, you wear it like a backpack but then swing it around so the bag is on your belly to work with the gear, then sling it back out of the way.) The Classified series is Lowepro’s answer to ThinkTank’s Urban Disguise series, and is meant to fill a market for photographers who need high quality, roomy bags that don’t look like the stereotypical camera bag or have clearly visible logos (logos being, apparently, what makes crooks think “Man, I should steal that.”) To that end, the Classified Sling 180 AW maintains a narrow, nondescript profile, with the logo subtly pressed into some classy leather accents. The AW means “All Weather,” and like many of Lowepro’s bags this sucker has an integrated seam-sealed rain cover you can pull out to keep your precious gear dry even if caught unawares.
I’ve been trying one of these out for a couple weeks so I could get you some thoughts on it. I’ve used only shoulder bags since I got into this field, so I wanted to give this new and increasingly popular form factor a go. I went with the 180 over its larger brother, the 220, because I like to keep my bag down as tight as possible because I tend to bike around with these, and the smaller the bag the better. I also started with it with a more compact system (Olympus E-3), and am ending with a much chunkier kit (Nikon D700). So, what do I think? Well, let’s get to that.
Two of the big players in camera carrying solutions are Tamrac and Lowepro. I own a few pieces from each company, but need to get one of the newer sling style bags soon. 
Lowepro has a similar product line the Slingshot AW also available in several sizes and capacities. Again for my meager needs I would recommend the Slingshot 200 AW, pictured here as well. Lowepro AW bags have a Velcro enclosure and inside is a deploy-able rain shield that can cover the entire outfit when needed (AW stands for all weather and has nothing to do with root beer). Lowepro Slingshot bags also have a smaller “day pack” style area that can hold whatever your heart desires (that fits within the confines of that enclosure).
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