New EDC Sling Bag

[Grant Lamontagne]

Since my hands are full these days with the crutches I decided to get myself a small sling bag to carry things around as I need them.  I was looking for something inexpensive as I already have a couple of sling bags, but they are packed away, and I'm honestly not sure how much use I would get out of it once I can walk again.  Since Mountain Equipment Co Op was easy enough to get to (not far off the bus route that stops in front of my house) I started looking there and found this one:

http://www.mec.ca/product/5032-791/mec-right-hand-pod-sling-pack-unisex/?q=sling%2Bbag

The price was right, even if I did spend a few dollars more for the black one instead of taking the pretty pink one. 

I've only had it 24 hours or so now, but it seems to do a decent enough job of carrying my keys, wallet, tablet etc, although the design must be really old as the phone pocket is not likely to allow any smartphones to fit in it.  It is definitely made with a peanut style phone in mind, but that's ok because it's the perfect size for a large multitool, and the black MTO Surge will probably find a home in there.

I also didn't like the plan black zipper pulls so I replaced them with some glow in the dark ones I bought a while back on eBay.  I have replaced all the zipper pulls on all my bags with them, and as I tend to do a lot of work in the dark, I prefer them greatly.

The bag has two separate zippered compartments in the main body- one smaller compartment with a few pockets inside it, and one larger compartment with double zippers and is wide open. 

The inner pockets in the small compartment include one with a zippered opening, one held shut with Velcro and a pen slot.  Inside the zippered pocket is a clip for hooking keys or something on.  I have attached my trusty Victorinox Compact there, although I don't know if that will be permanent since it means I have to open a lot of stuff to get to it.

The large compartment is more than large enough to fit my 8" tablet- in fact it also fits in the small compartment, although it's pretty tight with the Otterbox Defender case on it.

I wish there were a few more organization pockets inside of this one, and maybe a seperate quick access velcro type pouch on the outside, but overall I am really not complaining about this one.  At the price point it was at I think it is well worth the money, particularly if you save $10 and get the pink or teal colored one.

I also wish there were more external storage solutions for this one- it does have a water bottle pocket that I haven't tried out yet, but no space to strap, clip or hang anything else to it, although I'm sure some people prefer the smooth, clean lines of a bag like this over other bags that have things hanging off them everywhere.

I may also see about replacing one or more of the small buckles with ones that I have that have a whistle integrated into them.  I have never used the whistle for anything, but it seems like something that would be better to have than to not.

I have a Maxpedition sling bag and a Swiss Gear camera sling bag, and while those were both somewhat pricier I can see this one still getting a fair bit of use since it's smaller than the Maxpedition (more convenient) and not quite as divided up as the Swiss Gear bag. 

So far I am liking this one, but as with anything else, time will tell.  MEC branded stuff is usually pretty high quality, so I will be surprised if it doesn't last.

Def

[Steinar]

I always find bag reviews interesting. 

[Grant Lamontagne]

I'm glad you enjoyed it.

I wasn't a fan of sling bags for the longest time, despite rarely ever using backpacks, and the rare times I did I only carried them on one shoulder anyway.  I always preferred shoulder bags like my Maxpedition Tactical Operator, which I have been using for years, or the Direct Action Messenger Bag I reviewed a little while ago.  Unfortunately they aren't much good to me in my current situation since they would get in the way of my crutches.

This would be an idea small bag for a short hike or for daily use.  It's not big so it won't carry all the things you would want for a camping trip, but for a few hours in the woods or just carrying phone, tablet, chargers, flashlight, pen, notebook, wallet, keys, SAK, multitool, knife and some other things it is just about perfect.  And, with the secondary cross strap it seems to hold on pretty well, even with my body swinging like a pendulum on crutches.

Def

[Steinar]

Yeah, I was pretty skeptical to sling bags myself, but after thinking about it a lot I ended up getting a RedOxx Rock Hopper since I was really happy about some other stuff from them. It's been my default bag for going to work in summer for several years now. In general I'm a big fan of RedOxx. Proper, no-frills stuff which doesn't waste space with organizing features I never use much of anyway.

[Grant Lamontagne]

I'll have to check them out.  I've been looking at sling bags on and off for a while, and much more frequently recently.

Def

[Weasel]

Since getting my maxpedition Sitka last year I haven't carried any other bag since , it's with me every day and Is just the perfect size. Plus I too rarely  carried a backpack with both straps so sling bags suit me better


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[Grant Lamontagne]

I love my Sitka.  I use it a lot when kayaking or doing other stuff in the woods.  I just wish it hadn't been packed away as I could have really used it when I was on crutches.

Still, it gave me a good excuse to go out and get the sling bag from MEC which I also like very much.

Def

[WoodsDuck]

Looks like a nice bag. I really dig the blue one.
I'm not ready to trade in my Lunada though. It's too perfect for my needs. I did just think of a couple people who might could use one for a gift though