Scant few fellas land on the perfect sling bag for males by actively searching for it. Who, pray inform, doesn’t know a man who crams all his knick-knacks, doohickeys, and thingamajigs into the overstuffed pockets of his pants, refusing, on precept, to port them round in a bag? Don’t be that man. As a substitute, permit us to introduce the way more fashionable solution to haul your gear proper now, an ergonomic different to the usual messenger that eschews the bulkiness of a backpack—and the flimsy-as-hell straps of a tote—in favor of sheer, unadulterated utility. We’re speaking, in fact, in regards to the sling bag—and should you lend us your ear (and a spare shoulder), you may be, too.
For anybody sufficiently old to bear in mind the ’90s (or younger sufficient to inherit its trauma), sling baggage, you would possibly recall, weren’t at all times cool. In 2024, although, there’s a complete gamut of them to discover: designer slings, finances slings, teched-out slings, outdoorsy slings, slings so safe they may (in all probability, we didn’t check this) survive the Oklahoma Drill with out budging an inch. So to free your pockets, we strapped in, received to trekking, and landed on probably the most wonderful sling bag for males—plus 14 different superlative choices.
The Greatest Sling Luggage for Males, In accordance with GQ
Greatest Sling Bag General: Carhartt Mono Sling Backpack
For those who’re searching for an inexpensive sling bag that does a little bit of all the pieces—and comes outfitted with sufficient storage to haul bulkier private objects—Carhartt’s is nigh-impossible to beat. For starters, it boasts a padded laptop computer pocket, which is at all times a pleasant perk, and the primary compartment is spacious sufficient to carry a digicam, a 6-pack, or a bunch of different doubtlessly obligatory objects that wouldn’t slot in a extra compact counterpart. It helps, in fact, that its exterior is produced from the kind of robust, water-repellent textile the primary identify in workwear is legendary for, and that mentioned exterior options a number of easy-to-reach storage pockets to maintain your gear on the prepared. Oh, and the padded strap has a nifty quick-release perform and a lil’ pocket for something you want direct entry to. Like we mentioned: nigh-impossible to beat.
Greatest Path-Prepared Sling Bag: Patagonia Atom 8L Sling Bag
While you’re on the path, “rummaging” shouldn’t be excessive in your record of designated actions—you need no matter you’ve lugging in to be simply accessible, moderately protected, and, above all else, simple to hold. Patagonia’s Atom sling checks all these packing containers with aplomb. It’s produced from a tricky, 100% recycled polyester that’s been handled with a water-repellent end, comes outfitted with an ergonomic strap that distributes weight throughout all the torso, and boasts pockets just about in all places you would think about placing a pocket—even on the outside of mentioned ergonomic strap. For those who’re searching for a sling bag that likes to the touch grass—or, heck, limestone—as a lot as you do, look no additional.
Greatest Commuter Sling Bag: Gramicci Cordura Sling Bag
One of many sling bag’s main promoting factors is how safe it’ll keep while you’re on the transfer—with a single strap, the best model can mimic the locked-in help of a backpack with double its carrying capability. For those who’ve received locations to be, that’s enormous—particularly should you’re making an attempt to keep up a low-profile. Of all of the sling baggage with that individual profit, Gramicci’s choice was our favourite: it comes outfitted with sufficient house to haul a laptop computer and the padding to guard it, however its profile is slim sufficient to squeeze onto a crowded practice or cover underneath an umbrella throughout a shock drizzle. The pockets are simply accessible, and when issues get particularly chaotic, the press-release sternum strap locks the entire shebang in for good.
Greatest Designer Sling Bag: Loewe Puzzle Edge Small Leather-based Belt Bag
Typically, you need your bag to be greater than sensible—you need it to be a flex in its personal proper. When that’s the case, you’ve two choices: massive logos or venerable designs, the kind that don’t require a splashy luxurious emblem to ID in a flash. The Loewe Puzzle Edge bag is the latter. Its distinct geometric form is achieved utilizing a number of monochromatic patches, offering each construction and sample, with out stealing the highlight completely from the remainder of your outfit. (Which suggests you possibly can put on it with just about all the pieces, regardless of its eye-watering price ticket.) Higher but, should you’re touring, that distinctive development is designed to break down into itself, packing right into a suitcase with loads of room for the actually vital stuff: mentioned outfits, clearly.
Greatest Pared-Down Sling Bag: Baggu Medium Nylon Crescent Bag
Typically, in fact, you simply want a bag that carries a bunch of stuff and appears midway respectable doing it—nothing extra, nothing much less. That’s the place Baggu’s completely streamlined sling is available in. It’s crafted from a hardy recycled nylon, boasts an endlessly-useful adjustable crossbody strap, and zippers all the way in which closed, making it a reasonably unimpeachable tote different for lazy packers. What extra, actually, are you able to ask for?
Greatest Heirloom-Grade Sling Bag: Kapital Heavy Canvas Transit Snufkin Bag
For those who’re questioning why you’d purchase a linen sling bag, properly, uh, truthful sufficient—linen doesn’t precisely scream ‘BAG’, and your gear isn’t prone to warmth stroke the identical method your physique is. Underestimate our favourite flaxy material at your individual peril, although: you already comprehend it’s ludicrously breezy, nevertheless it’s loopy robust and dries shortly, too. Which is why we have been particularly amped to see Kapital’s Snufkin bag—already an all-time riff on the silhouette—hit the cabinets in a new-and-improved linen type, simply in time for August. Aesthetics alone would warrant its inclusion on this record: the dye is subtly uneven, which lends it the look of a classic grail contemporary out of the field. The adjustable strap is good, too, however the actual star of the present is the large storage capability, which will be zipped, rolled, and/or affixed with leather-based straps relying on the context. Don’t let its rarified Japanese origin idiot you, both: a chunk like this solely will get higher with critical put on.
Extra Sling Luggage We Love
Klättermusen Algir Organizer Bag
Osprey Daylite Water-Repellent Sling Backpack
Grasp-Piece Circus Sling Bag
Kavu Remix Rope Bag
Dries Van Noten Bombe Leather-based Sling Bag
Arc’teryx Granville Crossbody Bag
Porter-Yoshida & Co. POTR Experience Webbing-Trimmed Shell Belt Bag
Lemaire Medium Gentle Croissant Bag
Engineered Clothes x DSPTCH Unit Vertical Pouch
What to search for in a terrific sling bag
Sling baggage are available in a complete bunch of shapes, sizes, supplies, and capabilities, so we got down to discover baggage throughout that spectrum. Whereas it makes little sense to match a sling bag designed for the outside to 1 produced from supple leather-based—totally different strokes for various of us—baggage are additionally baggage, so we wished to make sure that transitive requirements have been established, focusing primarily high quality of supplies and development, carrying capabilities, and the way good it performs the job it was made to do. With that in thoughts, listed below are just a few vital issues to look out for:
Meant perform. What are you primarily going to be utilizing the bag for? Supplies, design options and {hardware} decisions all dictate what the bag was made to do, apart from carry stuff, which many can do. As a result of baggage are made to do various things, we didn’t make it in regards to the vary of perform, however fairly how properly they do what they promise to do. In different phrases, we didn’t go to the crag with a elaborate leather-based bag to check out its dexterity within the wilderness, as a result of that’s not what a elaborate leather-based bag is supposed to do. As a substitute we graded it on how properly it did fancy leather-based bag issues, and the identical goes for these on the opposite finish of the spectrum—if utilizing it on a hike or a commute and wish it to be robust, an artificial could be finest suited to the duty.
Dimension. That “L” you see stands for liters, which is the usual metric for carrying capability. The extra liters that would theoretically slot in your bag—don’t dump liquid inside, there’s no have to verify math—the extra you possibly can haul. Dimension denotations like Small/Medium/Massive offers you an thought of what the mannequin seems to be like relative to different fashions, nevertheless it received’t provide you with a terrific understanding of how a lot you would truly slot in your new bag. For the sake of versatility, we leaned a bit extra on these within the center—baggage want to hold stuff, as we famous earlier.
