CARRY LOUNGE STAFF

Fri, Mar 22 - 6 Minute Read

Travel light with these pint-sized EDC slings.

Everyday carry bags come in all shapes and sizes: From fully-loaded backpacks, to briefcases, to messenger bags and slings.

There’s an EDC bag for every carry style — and if you’re looking to travel light, with just the essentials, then a small sling bag is the way to go.

Usually holding no more than four liters, these crossbody bags are perfectly sized to hold onto your wallet, phone, keys, and a handful of accessories, all without cluttering up your pants pockets.

For today’s breakdown of the best small sling bags for everyday carry purposes, we went hands-on with five different bags, including the newest addition to the NutSac family: The Speed Sling. Below, you’ll find technical specs as well as our impressions on each bag, with notes for where each one might be the best fit for your specific carry style.

The NutSac Speed Sling

We’ll kick things off for these product reviews with our most recent offering: The NutSac Speed Sling.

Speed Sling

Building on the success of our initial sling bag, we headed to the design tables to create an even more portable and quickly accessible crossbody bag.

Sticking with a tried-and-true combination of water-resistant waxed canvas, durable YKK zippers, and pull-up leather accents, it’s a small sling bag that combines the best of functionality and hard-wearing durability, all topped off with a rugged and attractive aesthetic.

Speed Sling

As with other NutSac bags, it features a molle panel for added utility — as well as an adjustable strap and a full-open design that makes it easy to search through. That’s all on top of an exceptionally durable made-in-the-USA construction, and a lifetime warranty.

Basically, if you’ve enjoyed the look and feel of other NutSac bags but want something smaller and more easily portable, the Speed Sling is the perfect choice.

Dimensions/Capacity: 10" x 6" x 2.5", 2.5L capacity
Materials: 18 oz waxed canvas
Notable features: Adjustable strap, quick access zippers, molle panel, exceptional durability
Best for: Buy-it-for-life enthusiasts
Country of origin: United States
Price: $159

Bellroy Venture Ready Sling

Bellroy’s Venture Ready Sling seems like an excellent choice for someone with a lot of smaller tech devices and accessories. Its high-tech design includes a magnetic clasp, padded phone sleeve, and a wide range of pockets split across three main compartments.

Water-resistant coated zippers combine with a water-resistant body to make the Venture Ready Sling even more suitable for carrying your most valuable tech in any weather. And an internal Apple Air Tag slip pocket further reinforces this, making it the obvious choice for a digital-savvy EDC style.

In short, this sling is lightweight, compact, and relatively affordable, all while offering excellent organizational and protective capacities for digital gear.

Dimensions/Capacity: 8.7” x 5.9” x 3.9”, 2.5L capacity
Materials: Water-resistant, recycled, synthetic fabric
Notable features: Magnetic clasp, padded phone sleeve, many storage compartments
Best for: Organizing small tech while on-the-go
Country of origin: China, India and the Philippines
Price: $89

Bellroy

NOMATIC Navigator Sling

NOMATIC seems to have a very specific aesthetic in mind with all of their gear — one that is modern, urban, stylish, and minimalist.

The Navigator Sling is no exception. It’s unique in the fact that its water-resistant 400D nylon construction is treated with a stiffener on the front side, giving it a sleek and apparent silhouette. There’s only a zippered panel in the back here, making for a rather closed-off exterior. Inside the bag though, you’ll find four elastic mesh pockets for organizing your essentials.

Price-wise, the Navigator Sling is quite a steal. Right at 50 dollars, it’s the most affordable sling in this review. So if you’re looking for a sleek and minimalist small bag for everyday carry, it’s an excellent choice.

Dimensions/Capacity: 10” x 6” x 2.5”, 1L to 3L capacity
Materials: Water resistant 400D nylon
Notable features: Hard shell front, minimalist storage
Best for: Lightweight, minimalist EDC
Country of origin: China and the Phillipines
Price: $50

Nomatic Sling

Andar The Indie Sling

Take just one look at Andar’s Indie Sling, and you’ll notice that it’s quite unique in comparison to other small slings. A fully leather construction and brass hardware give it a unique look and feel that some may find attractive — even at the cost of added weight in comparison to other small slings.

Overall, the design here is pretty straightforward and simple. There’s one small external zippered pocket in addition to the main zippered compartment, which features a few more storage spaces to organize your gear.

And while it’s heavier than most of the bags in this review, the main question is this: Are you looking more for a fashion-forward bag, or a durable and minimalist one? If fashion is more important, the Indie Sling might be a great choice for you.

Dimensions/Capacity: 8” x 5” x 2.5”, 1.6L capacity
Materials: Leather and brass
Notable features: Leather construction, minimalist design
Best for: Fashion-forward EDC
Country of origin: Made in Arizona
Price: $139

Indie Sling

Fjallraven Ulvo Hip Pack

Doubling as both a hip pack and a crossbody sling, Fjallraven’s Ulvo is the biggest sling in this review. With a 4 liter capacity, it’s brushing up against being a medium-sized sling bag — but its wear style puts it closer to a small sling bag.

There’s a lot of space in this pack relative to the other bags in this review, but not quite as many internal pockets for organizing your gear.

Mainly, this seems like a great pack to take on hiking trips. The added space gives enough room for a small water bottle and a few protein bars, while the silhouette remains small enough to stay out of your way as you enjoy the great outdoors.

Dimensions/Capacity: 14.6” x 5.91” x 4.72”, 4L capacity
Materials: 400D nylon, plastic hardware
Notable features: Hip/sling combo, large carry capacity
Best for: Outdoor and hiking EDC
Country of origin: China and South Korea
Price: $65

Ulvo Hip Pack

Why Go for A Small Sling Bag?

So why would someone choose a smaller sling bag, as opposed to the larger ones featured in our Seven Best Sling Bags for Everyday Carry article?

It mainly comes down to how long you’ll be out and about. For quick trips out of the house — running errands, say — a full-sized sling bag might feel bulky. You just don’t really need that much carrying capacity, but at the same time, it’s pretty uncomfortable carrying everything in your pants pockets.

Small sling bags offer a quick grab-and-go option for carrying your wallet, phone, and keys without having to go all the way to a larger bag. That makes them exceptionally convenient for short-distance travel, and something that we’ve really come to appreciate as an easy way to keep our EDC fully organized no matter where we go.