For those who missed out on the UniQlo bag that’s been discontinued, if you can get stuff from Korea, TopTen made one that’s very similar.

I've been using a Bagsmart tech organizer (https://a.co/d/00E7QQuifor) the last 4 years. I made a bunch of little changes to fit what I carry and it does well, but i recently changed from a Day Owl Backpack pro, which had a pouch that fit this perfectly, to a Rework Toshi v2 20L, and there is no great spot to really stow it anymore.

Here's the current setup.

1x3M USBC cable, 1x2M USBC cable, 3 way plug adapter, 65W charger, 25W charger (one for laptop/office, one for the hotel), 6" cable for external monitor, right angle plugs, bandaid, 5k power bank, mouse. The ethernet adapter and cable are really not needed, but I lost nearly an entire work day on a trip due to a wifi issue, so that's carried as a just in case. My headphones are kept separate so I can more easily access them on a plane or in an airport.

The mouse and battery pack don't really fit so I tend to leave those in other parts of my backpack but i'd like to fit them.

I think something shaped more like the evergoods cap2 would work well as it should sit in the bottom of my bag (around 9x4x4). A $75 price tag doesn't excite me, but it's not a deal breaker.

Any suggestions?

Finally after waiting quite a long time the ALPAKA Aura Sling Halloween bag has arrived. I love this bag just for the looks. I can’t wait for Halloween. So what do you think about it?

When I saw Bellroy had released some new colours for one of my favourite Slings, I just had to grab one. This is the new Canyon colour of the Bellroy Venture Ready 2.5L. Absolutely stunning!

I’m looking for a leather bag to use as a work bag. I’m using a black ember forge Sb as a work bag but I find myself needing a little bit more space.

My work stuff just needs a bigger bag.

So I’m looking for a nice leather bag with a little more space. 25-30L which brings it closer to weekender/duffle bag territory. However, I require a laptop compartment and/or some organization which duffles aren’t really built for.

Ideally to include:
- Laptop compartment
- organization
- looks good/clean.
- comes in black
- can be carried with a shoulder strap
- leather
- not crazy expensive (less than 1000usd)
- buy it for life quality if possible

I saw a Grams28 duffle bag that I kind of like but I don’t know anything about grams28 and I have no way of handling the bag in person to see if it’s worth the 700+ USD asking price is justified not to mention the hefty import fees if I order it shipped to my location.

Any recommendations is appreciated. Thanks.

First, sorry for the pic quality.
These are the bags I’ve bought or received over several years, some bought new, others picked up used.

As you can see, I’m more of a heritage guy -most of my bags are waxed canvas (Filson backpacks and original briefcase, Bradley Mountain) or leather (Satchel & Page backpack and Attaché briefcase). Lately, though, I’ve opened my mind to more technical brands, like Peak Design (Travel Backpack 30L, Everyday Sling 3L) and Aer (CPP2 in Ultra, Day Sling 4 in X-Pac)

The most expensive are the Carl Friedrik City Hopper in nubuck black leather (third row, third from left) and the Satchel & Page backpack in brown leather (first row, third from left). The cheapest is the Herschel Pop Quiz in Raven; love that bag by the way!

My favorite? The Filson Journeyman in tan (second row, second from left). It’s just an amazing bag: packs a ton, looks great in almost any occasion, and is really comfortable while staying completely practical.

My least favorite? The Filson Rucksack in otter green (second row, third from left). It looks incredible, gets the most compliments, and honestly, the leather straps aren't as uncomfortable as they seem. The real issue is that it has zero interior organization, no sleeves, no dividers, nothing. Putting a laptop or iPad in there with anything else makes you constantly paranoid. Another headache is access: you have to unbuckle two leather straps just to reach the main zipper. Again, it's built like a tank and looks gorgeous, but it's definitely the least practical bag in my collection.

The most practical is the Aer CPP2 in Ultra; that thing is light, comfortable as hell and has a million pockets. Too bad I don’t think it is office friendly -just too casual.

Some see more use than others. For example, I thought I would use the Timbuk2 messenger bag (the orange one) more frequently, but I try to rotate through all of them.
I’m obviously quite happy with my collection. At this point, the only bag I feel I may buy in the future is the Aer Go Pack 2 to use for city errands while traveling, but it's obviously not a necessity by any means.

I've been carrying slings in the 2-10L range for a while and keep noticing the same thing: the front pocket is supposed to be the fastest access point on the bag, but I only ever use it standing still.

Trying to work out whether that's me or the bags. Two modes I've observed:

- Rotate to chest, two hands. Works on every sling I've owned. Reliable — but you stop walking.
- Reach the front pocket without rotating. Works on maybe one of them, and only because the opening sits where my hand naturally falls.

Three things that seem to matter, roughly in order:

1. Closure position relative to where your hand falls,not closure type. A magnet in the wrong place is no better than a zipper.
   
2. Whether the pocket has structure. Soft-fronted pockets collapse and you end up digging with two hands anyway.
   
3. Ride height. If the bag sits high on the back, the pocket is out of reach regardless of how the closure works.

Where I think I'm probably wrong: I haven't owned enough slings with side-mounted openings to know if that's actually better or just different.

Questions for anyone carrying a sling daily:

- Do you use the front pocket while walking, or only when stopped?
- Anyone switched from a zipper-front to a magnetic-front and noticed your habits change?
- If your front pocket is dead space, what ended up living there instead?

Full disclosure: I'm designing a sling myself, so I'm definitely biased here — that's actually why I'm asking.

almost same built quality with Goruck Gr1 21L and GR2 34L.

So…I’m considering the Toshi 25 over for a large edc/light travel pack. It was between that and the Aer TP4 28.

It looks like they’re now sold out of the ballistic and only have the xpac.

I love that curry colour but I’ve always just stuck with ballistic for my bags. Is it worth getting the xpac or waiting for a restock (if there is one?) don’t know why I’m nervous about xpac but it seems too technical for my needs.

(I should also add an edit: Aer seems to do a much better job of keeping their prices low(ish) for Canadians. Even though the sticker price is cheaper on the Toshi 25, and Aer has more expensive shipping, the duties are such that an Aer 28L is cheaper to get here than a Toshi 25).

Our company is looking to put together a new hire kit which includes a backpack, t-shirt, water bottle, etc. and I was looking for recommendations.

We’re a remote, e-commerce company with staff around the world. There’s not much travel so a laptop compartment isn’t a requirement. We skew a bit female but want a bag that’s gender neutral. Budget for the backpack would be around $100 - $150.

Right now we’re leaning to the Topo Designs Rover Pack Classic and let the new hire pick one of like 3 or 4 colors: https://topodesigns.com/products/rover-pack-classic-black-neutral

But are there any other bags we should consider?

Thanks!

I got it at TJ Maxx around 2016-2018 and used it for all of college. I really love the texture. If it had water bottle pockets It’d be perfect. I’m pretty sure it’s a map of Seattle on the inside, but I’m not sure. Any help would be appreciated.

New to this sub, which is shocking because I'm a gear head and have tons of great bags.

This might be a hot take, but my favorite all around bag for years has been my TropicFeel Nest. Sure, it has some issues (lack of shoulder padding mainly, and small bottle external pocket) but the size, the way it opens all the way, kangaroo pouch, minimalist internal organizational features (I pack a Gravel bathroom bag and cable organizer when I travel), waterproof hidden internal pocket, and mesh webbing on the back make it my favorite all around EDC backpack / flight personal item. Truly so insanely versatile.

Anyways, I'm looking for something that's more suited to commuting in a crowded city. Thinking cross body because of accessibility on the subway, similar size to the Nest (16L), and because I want to avoid my back getting so sweaty. Sometimes I bike, sometimes I walk. I'll probably be packing:

1. 14 inch laptop
2. massive water bottle (bonus points if the water bottle pocket fits a Takeya 40 oz)
3. cable organizer
4. glasses case
5. sometimes an extra layer (I usually strap this externally on the Nest in the mesh webbing)

Anything people would recommend? I tried the Timbuk2 Classic Messenger Bag size large, but it's too big and unwieldy. The size small looks too small, so might try a medium, but wanted to ask the group. AI was pretty unhelpful in this search. Also thinking a small duffel with a laptop sleeve might be solid. I have a King Kong Core 35 (best gym bag of all time IMO) and it's awesome, but a little too big, and pretty stiff construction. I think something softer but still with a structured laptop sleeve would be great for what I'm after.

Thanks!

I’m looking for a 4-5L sling, mainly so that if I carry a 250-500ml water bottle, there’s still decent room left for other things.

I’ve looked at the rework toshi sling 5L, but I think it’s a little too busy with the compression straps as well as the QAP.

Aer day sling sadly is either too small at 2.5L or too big at the max version.

Bellroy and alpaka slings for me are too shiny with their PU coated zippers. I personally don’t prefer PU coated zippers but it’s a bit hard to find a sling without one.

My main options I’m looking at is the aer pro sling. It’s not talked about much, but it has no PU coated zippers however the strap is quite thin and there’s no front pocket.

I’m also looking at peak design outdoor sling which seems solid all around.

Does anyone know of slings I might like in this capacity range?

I think I’m ready to pull the trigger on this backpack but I just wanted to ask what color this bag actually looks like? In the product photos it looks like a grey which is what I prefer. But the name is green so I’m wondering if it looks different in person. Can current owners chime in? Thanks!

You can probably tell from the title, I’d like to know if the 9L has a longer strap than the 10l. Bought the 10l ages ago but used it maybe four times as I found the strap too short for a ‘cuddly’ guy like me. I’m 18.5stones, 48”chest.
Due to the lack of length it sits on my back but I’d prefer to carry it on my side.
As I don’t have any of my’ bigger gear’ anymore anyway I may just sell it.
Anybody used both these and can offer any info?

Looking for a vertical teardrop sling, external bottle holder, slightly more space than the Crossbody but maybe not as big as the DSPTCH... I like the phone pouch integrated into the strap on the Alpaka...

Can anyone find some information about this bag? Tried reverse searching but not much luck

I’m looking for a new backpack and hope someone here can point me in the right direction.

My current bag is the Aevor Trip Pack, and I’m very happy with it. I want to stick with the same concept: a rolltop backpack that also has a zipper so I can open it completely, like a suitcase with around 25L.

I use the bag almost every day. It’s my onebag for travel, but I also take it grocery shopping and to the gym. Because it gets so much use, quality is my top priority. I’m looking for premium materials, high-end zippers and hardware, and a build that will hold up to daily use for many years.

Recently I tried on the Haize Project Rolltop 25L, and it was almost perfect. I love the look, which reminds me of a technical touring or alpine pack, and the form factor feels compact and clean. The only thing missing is a clamshell opening. If it had that, it would basically be my perfect bag.

Most classic onebag backpacks feel too bulky and boxy to me. I’d much prefer something slimmer with a more technical, outdoor-inspired design.

So my question is: Do you know a backpack that is similar to the Haize Rolltop in look and size, is extremely well made, has a rolltop and opens fully via a zipper?

Thanks in advance for any suggestions!

11” iPad
DBrand kill switch
And my EDC.
On the Toshi everything fits and is easy to access with the exception of the iPad, which takes a bit more effort.
On the DAY 4 max plenty of room to spare.

Hey all. I live in Texas and currently trying to find a place to make a custom bag. I deliver as my job and make a good living doing so but these delivery bags are aweful. Like I've been doing this 2 years and i go through one every 3 months and sometimes sooner. The bag rips, the zipper fails, the seams on the velcro come undone. And I spend 100$ per bag. I'm losing enough money on it I've decided screw it and just trying to get one custom. I got a decent budget ready for it (2k) and just trying to find one. It would be an unusual bag so send me as many recommendations as possible since I know some will say no.