Long Term Review: Hex Ranger DSLR Sling V2
In Arctic Camo
Sometimes, I’ll need a bag suitable for a short day trip. Maybe I’m at camp looking to bring only 1-2 lenses on a short hike, or maybe I’ll be moving around from location to location in a busy city and want to keep my hands free. Maybe I’m bringing out the smaller cameras, or just need something smaller to serve as a personal item for extra camera gear on flights.
Enter: the camera sling.
The camera sling market has always been relatively healthy - We’ve always had the giants like Lowepro, Billingham, and Domke, and numerous more options today. Not to mention, traditional fashion/bag manufacturers like Crumpler or Filson often make camera-oriented variants of their slings or messenger bags, whereas the same can’t be said as often as the camera backpack. That still hasn’t been adopted by mainstream clothing companies, but at least there are plenty of options on that front now.
This is the Ranger DSLR Sling V2 in Arctic Camo, by Hex.
I purchased it on sale in 2022. It retailed for $99 USD, and the price has stayed the same since. This sling has seen the Arctic circle, been underneath glaciers, deep in lava caves, and into swamps around the world, and has been the occasional side companion to my camera backpack for the last two years.
Physical specifications as listed by Hex:
Dimensions: 14.5"L x 7.25"W x 4.75"H / 36.8 x 18.4 x 12 cm
Weight: 1.3lbs/590g
Capacity: 8L
Materials: Cordura, YKK Metal Zips
My Measurements (weighed on a non-scientific food scale):
Weight: 1.31lbs/594g (Without dividers)
Weight: 1.42lbs/643g (With dividers)
The Length is 14.5in/36.8cm near the opening, but tapers slightly inwards to 14in/35.6cm at the base.
The height listed by Hex is actually the BASE of the bag, and not its actual height, which is about 6-7in/15.2-17.8cm
The main panel access panel is 6in/15.2cm wide
Let’s go right into the pros and cons.
Pros:
Rainfly included
And there’s a stash pouch with a Velcro tab specifically for it
Sony 200-600 with plenty of room to spare
8L, but holds a staggering amount.
It can comfortably fit my Sony 200-600mm lens with tons of room to spare in the front for all my other camera accessories. I have done full days with a camera + lens around my neck and the 200-600 in the bag.
It can also fit a 70-200 and another lens vertically, or a smaller lens horizontally.
Sony 12-24, Sony 70-200 Comes with a shoulder strap pad
Has plenty of accessory straps and grab handles on all sides, including bottom carry straps for a tripod.
All of its included features are extremely well thought-out and extremely usable, especially the nifty hidden side pockets along the strap.
An Airtag inside the hidden side pocket Fantastic interior organization
Large faux-fur pockets for a tablet and phone each.
Large mesh pocket on inner lid of access panel
2x Large inner pockets, 3x medium mesh pockets, space for stuff in front of those pockets.
Key clip that is the appropriate length for the size of the pocket
Cons:
Overall low quality
While this does indeed come with Cordura, not all Cordura is waterproof or even water resistant. Hex does not list exactly what kind of Cordura is on this bag, but having dragged this bag around the world and through all sorts of climates, I can guarantee that it is not water resistant.
In rain, this bag performs no better than any other old bag - meaning things inside WILL get wet.
The buckle on the shoulder strap, while extremely appreciated, does not speak “quality” to me. It feels extremely cheap and I avoid using it as I fear that may cause it to lose its effectiveness faster.
The straps all around the bag, again while extremely appreciated, lack buckles for easy attachment and are also extremely flimsy.
The stitching on the bag is also not great, with many parts of it fraying and loosening after years of use
Dismal Structural Design
Most camera bags are built with a solid internal membrane sandwiched between foam, that is then sandwiched by cloth to hold it together. The cloth is then used to construct the camera cube or even the backpack itself.
This bag has a single thing layer of foam, with no internal membrane. While yes, there technically is padding throughout the bag, the amount is so small that the entire bag can be easily balled up with one hand.
It is no more protection than putting your camera in any other regular sling bag.
Issues with dividers due to flimsy nature of the bag
The Ranger is easily crushed with the weight of my hand, even with the dividers installed Dismal Dividers
While these dividers do contain a solid inner membrane between the foam, the two halves of the dividers are extremely floppy.
This is further amplified by the bag’s inherent lack of structural integrity.
As the bag is unable to hold its shape, the internal compartment is constantly changing shape, causing the velcro on the dividers to constantly come loose
Conclusion:
I want to love this bag. I really do. Its internal organization is so well thought out, the size, position, and arrangement of the compartments is great. It looks slim and compact while being able to hold a ton of stuff. Unfortunately, light weight is not a selling point when it comes at the expense of my camera’s protection.
Too many times I’ve been navigating a narrow slot canyon, a tight cave passage, turned my back to a tree, or even just set my bag down on a table and heard the thunk of my camera/lens against the object. Carrying my gear in this bag always meant being extremely careful and aware of how I was moving and setting my bag down - adding to the long list of things to be alert for when photographing the outdoors. While the list of pros are significantly longer than the cons with this bag, for me, the cons just weigh too heavily.
That said, even though I was taking extra precaution, I’m still a clumsy guy and it DID safely carry all my camera gear in it around the world, so take that for what you will.
I’ll sadly be taking this bag to a new owner.
If there were to be a V3 of this bag, it desperately needs aqua guard zips, a stiffer internal membrane, and overall better, more water resistant materials.