REI Co-op  Ruckpack Sling

I bought this to use for hikes with our dog on forest land near home. It’s perfect to store my phone, keys a water bottle and an assortment of other items needed for hike between 1-3 hours. There are plentiful options for different pockets to use, and the pack sits comfortably and is easy to access on the go. This isn’t a backpack, and I didn’t want a backpack for dog hikes, so this provides the ideal option to travel light while having the essentials at my disposal. I haven’t used the extra strap and don’t foresee a need for that. If I can keep this pack clean it may become a go-to carry on for air travel, but that would be a bonus benefit.

I enjoy the versatility of this pack. I use it as depicted and also as a front pack across the chest. I use it for the gym, travel, and day hikes. For the gym it’s nice because the material is water resistant for shower items (I put soap, etc in ziplocks within). Perfect for travel, for weekend trips/flights it fits everything I need plus my noise canceling headphones and handheld console in the back pocket (Switch). For hiking, if I’m carrying my larger water bottle, it’s good to fit bug spray/sunscreen, first aid, sunglasses, small towel and other items. I believe it could easily fit a small water bottle as well. Overall, solid pack and more versatile than the smaller shoulder/fanny packs out there but obviously bulkier.

It just feels like it’s the perfect size for my specific and routine usage. The sling itself is thin, but that’s fine because I don’t overload the bag, which is a wild thing to do with a sling of this size. The extra strap for stabilizing is fine, but I don’t plan to use it unless I’m rushing around or on an outdoor hike. It’s a “nice to have”. I use this primarily for social outings and day trips in an urban setting during the winter: fleece blanket rolled up and tied on the bottom for using at outdoor brewery seating, front small pocket with hand warmers, keys, and chapstick, and inside pocket with kindle, external battery pack, pens, small notepad, and a pack of cards. I keep it simple.

I cannot recommend this bag enough! I did a lot of research to try to find the perfect sling and actually stumbled upon this unexpectedly in the REI store. I was looking for something versatile with organized pockets and also a comfortable enough sling strap. I love that this can be used on both shoulders And the organization is better than larger. NAME brands have. This fits my iPad, it fits a Kindle, if it’s a small water bottle, everything you might need. I work in the events world and can carry my iPad and my large walkie-talkie and tape measures with ease. I also use it for hikes with my dog and it holds everything we need and sits comfortably on my shoulder. If you need a high functioning sling bag, this is for you!

I was really disappointed in this bag. The materials are really flimsy - I don’t really trust it to be durable. And the bag was really uncomfortable fully loaded - the straps don’t articulate all that well, and the strap is thin. It also couldn’t hold as much as a 7L bag as it’s pretty narrow. It does have good pockets - I really appreciate the secure zippered internal pocket - the external attachment points are a nice touch. I think with higher quality materials and a better strap it’d be a winner of a bag. But until then, it was a very easy return.

I bought this product to have it as a backpack like product for traveling in a smaller size for day drips specifically to pack for my camera gear and other daily essentials. I am quite irritated because the picture show that there are not two but three main supports making it seem as if it’s a backpack like structure however, I cannot, for the life of me, figure out how to do this and there is no guidance on the product review or description how this is to be done. There are only models wearing it, which I feel REI should spend less doing such a thing and spend more investing into telling valuable customers what they’re buying before they go out on journeys in which we depend on what we would hope should be trusted Products

This is a handy pack that is sort of based off of Peak Design’s 7L sling but with more structure. You can only use it on one shoulder unless you either don’t use the stability strap or take the time to remove and readjust the strap and buckle. It would be a much better bag if you could easily adjust the straps to go on either shoulder. The placement of the shoulder pad nearest the bag is not adjustable, so you can really only wear the bag one way for long periods of time. The bag is relatively comfortable, but the design could be improved on.

This is NOT 7 Liters! Doing the math works out to 4.5L, at most. That being said, it's an excellent design, competitive with just about anything else. I BARELY fit my 10" Samsung tablet in the padded sleeve, with no cover. The stabilizer strap is reversible, but somewhat confusing to switch. Main compartment has 4 useful pockets; 1 is zippered. No interior pockets on the front compartment, which would've been an excellent admin pocket, with some pen sleeves. Biggest disappointment is the size.

I am having trouble figuring out the way the strap is to go. There was also an additional strap inside the purse which made no sense at all. I am taking the purse over to my daughter's to see if she can figure it out.

Handy small bag. Used for city walking. Large enough to carry essentials such as water and spare jacket. Comfortable fit. Plenty of organizational pockets.