I have a 3 week tour all over Europe coming up in October. I want to pack a sling bag in my main carry on pack to use as my day pack.

The REI close to me has the Patagonia ultralight black hole sling and the Atom 8L sling.

The black hole packs into itself and weighs a little more than 3oz less than the Atom, but the Atom is made of a more durable material and seems like it has a more comfortable strap.

I'll mainly be just carrying my tablet, a jacket, snacks and water bottle in the sling. Maybe my wallet too, but I'm not sure since I have heard of pick pocketers being in some of the areas we are going, but idk if it is safer in my front pocket or a back across my chest.

I didn't know if anyone had any input on one or both of these 2 slings. Input on them is greatly appreciated! Of there are any other sling bags that people recommend, that is also welcome!

Thanks!

Thoughts on the little 8L Patagonia Atom or Ultralight Black Hole Slings as that second little carry-on piece to keep things at hand on plane/train if your main bag is in the overhead?

I know this is one-bag but it seems most people take something little as a secondary bag. What is everyone else using?

Hi all. Im very interested in the patagonia atom sling however im an over the left shoulder wearer and ( correct me if im wrong) the atom does not have the ability to choose which shoulder it goes over. Looking for any alternatives that can be worn over the left. Ideally would have some sort of exterior lashing or shock cord option.

Thanks!

I have been using this bag for a few years now and I really love it. It folds into itself so you can pack it away very small - it has a very surprising capacity, I can carry pretty much everything I'd need for the day in it (wallet, phone, keys, water bottle, jacket & hat, glasses, reading book, portable charger, snack - I have filled it with this amount of stuff many times), or for example you can fit two wine bottles into the large pocket ;) - I find it very comfortable - it has a load of uselful and well thought out features such as the phone pocket on the front of the shoulder strap the ket clip in the valuables pocket and the small strap on the shoulder strap for carrying/hanging the bag. So far the bag has kept it's quality very well and is undamaged from loads of use, additionally it is covered by Patagonias guarantee meaning they will try to help fix any repairs that need doing to the product during its life.

Hi all. Not sure if I'm in the right place... I'm looking to bring a sling with me on a trip as a complement to a carry-on backpack. I'm debating between the Patagonia Atom Sling 8L or something more like the Aer Tech Sling 2. Here's the general set of requirements informing my decision rn...

• I want something that is comfy to wear front and back and easy to swing around

• I want something that isn't too big but can hold a water bottle, a rain shell or a packable puff jacket, along with keys / wallet / phone / etc. (all that typical pocket stuff)

• I want something that can be useful even when I'm not travelling (i.e. at home), which for me often means carrying my 13" Macbook Air, a mouse, a portable charger and some charging cables, and a notepad / pen.

  • And on this point, specifically, I can see something that can transport a MBA being useful while travelling too, because if I'm bringing that laptop in my larger carry-on backpack, I will likely want something smaller / more lightweight to bring to a local coffeeshop or something if I'm doing a bit of work on my travels. Put another way, I don't want to always carry all my clothes / large backpack to go to a coffee shop and do a bit of work.

The main issues I have getting in my way deciding are as follows:

• The Atom 8L sling only fits an iPad, not an MBA.

  • I have a 2017 10.5" iPad but the keyboard for it no longer works, which means I would have to buy a new keyboard for it (~ $90 to $200 CAD).

  • And if we can be honest, an iPad is not a proper computing device. Yes, I can login to GitHub codespaces in Safari and do a bit of coding from there, etc. But the whole experience is just not as productive as when I'm using MacOS on my M1 MBA. (note : coding is just one example, and is not likely something I'll be doing much of when travelling for fun, but is something I do for a living and would do a lot of in my own city in addition to a bit while travelling.)

  • HOWEVER, from what I have read and can tell, the Atom 8L is really quite awesome as a day-to-day travel sling with its attach points on the back for an umbrella, etc. and phone holder in the shoulder strap. Looks like you can fit a fair amount in there that might be useful when going about your day.

• The Aer Tech Sling 2 fits an MBA, but is quite slim and also a fair bit larger in width / length.

  • The trade-off with this sling is that I can fit my MBA and some of my related accessories but I might not be able to fit a water bottle (even a small one) and something like a packable rain shell or puff jacket. I don't know for sure but it looks tight. So if I'm travelling around the city it's less functional as a little travel bag.

There is part of me that thinks I could get away with an Atom and an iPad for vacation travel, and I could still bring my laptop in my main backpack, but I wouldn't have a bag to bring it out to a cafe or something when I go out into the city other than my larger carry-on backpack. Further, when I get home from my trip the Atom wouldn't be as useful day-to-day, since I almost always have my laptop with me.

Similarly, there is part of me that thinks the Aer Tech Sling 2 is a happy medium of carrying a computer and not being otherwise big, but then may be less useful while just out exploring a city all day when travelling because I can't shove an extra layer or water bottle or attach an umbrella or something to it due to its slim profile and lack of attach points. I also wonder if it would be a little too large to wear in the front with my backpack on my back when I'm moving within the airport or to / from destinations. The shape of the Atom seems a bit better for this.

I'm wondering if anyone has experience with either of these slings, or two-bagging more generally, who could provide some advice on how best to decide?

• How do / would you all choose?

• Are my assumptions about the Atom or Aer Tech Sling 2 wrong?

• Is the Aer in particular manageable with a backpack on or too big for that? Could I fit my laptop and some charging stuff, and also a sweater and maybe a water bottle?

• Are there other slings I should be looking at?

Note: I've looked at some other slings, such as the Aer Travel Sling 2 and it looks really big to the point that it would be unmanageable to wear in addition to a backpack when I'm moving to / from destinations. To be clear, I'm not trying to bring a second backpack or something of similar stature... I just want something that can take a little bit for daily excursions away from a hotel / home base, but include some kind of computing device (preferably the MBA I already own).

I really like this bag. I think it was $50 with shipping and tax, on sale. I love the fake Cotopaxi colors, and the entire bag feels sturdy and solid. My only real complaint is that my Remarkable 2 tablet (pictured) just barely fits. I have to kind of work it into the main sleeve. And my Pixel 6a just barely fits into the phone sleeve on the sling strap. Of course, this tight fit keeps me from overloading myself with crap I don't need to bring along. I'd like to find a version of this bag that has the same fun color scheme, was 10 percent bigger, equally durable but only 50 bucks.