I'm a Sling Bag Guy Now

I’ve had my eye on sling bags for a few years. I’ve been mostly a backpack guy, especially for work. I didn’t always like the locker system at my job, and just having a backpack with the things I want with me was a nice thing to have. Things I’d carry with me would include a laptop or larger iPad, chargers, cables, keys, medications, and a drink container or two.

The thing about having this much portable space is you tend to take advantage of it. More and more, I’ve wanted to travel as light yet conveniently as possible. This is where sling bags come in. Since they’re smaller, they force me to carry what I absolutely need over carrying what I might need. The result is a lighter package that doesn’t hurt my back when I have to carry it around for some time.

I set out in search of a sling a couple of weeks ago. There’s a nice little shop in Omaha called The Simple Man (support local businesses!) that’s full of EDC items, like wallets, knives, and so on. Immediately, the second I walked in the door, I had a Bellroy Lite Sling staring right back at me. This was obviously fate, so it’s the one I bought.

I really like this bag. It’s simple, but it’s enough. The main pocket is fairly good-sized. My daily work carry is a collapsible grocery bag, my iPad mini, and two plastic sandwich bags with my daily meds like headache and sinus meds. Inside the main pocket is a small pocket that’s big enough for my Apple power bank, a Lightning to USB-C cable, and an AirTag. Also in the main pocket is a pouch, which is big enough for some earbuds. Then there’s an outside pocket which I just use for keys. Any of this can be interchanged for different situations, which makes me think about what it is I actually need.

Outside of weight, one of the main advantages of using a sling bag is reachability. Most backpacks are awkward if you ever try to swing them around to the front of your body. With a sling, moving it around to the front puts it at a height that’s easy for reachability and vision, so if you need quick access to keys, for example, it’s an easy transition.

This is just scratching the surface of the advantages of a sling bag over a backpack. For me, it’s about having what I need and nothing I don’t. It makes me conscious of what I need. I also find myself far less sweaty with one on compared to a backpack. Now, I just wonder what took me so long.