REI Co-op  Trailmade Hydration Sling

I received a free sample in exchange for this review. Light and practical, this REI Trailmade sling definitely serves its purpose of being a sling bag for a water bottle or other smaller objects. It is comfortable despite not being that being that much padded. The basic construction is solid and a full water bottle is felt very secure once fastened. Coming from Osprey Aeode sling, the REI Trailmade is less structured, and therefore more prone to deformation when oversized things are stuffed inside , but it is just as comfortable if not more so. I’ve stuffed winter bike gloves and other daily essentials, after the exterior mounted bottles are in , and is still comfortable to carry annd easier to use. It also has an added benefit of being a comfortable waist pack if crossbody carry is not your thing, but just need to get used to the heavier bottle tilting and sagging one way. Tightening can reduce the bounce but will not change the sagging. The same can be said for one sided shoulder carry . Unlike messenger bags, this sling will again tilt and swivel to the heavier side, especially when the water bottle is fitted. See my photo for details. For daily crossbody carry, this is excellent. Definitely recommend!

I received these products for free from the REI Trailblazers sampling program in exchange for my honest review. Great bag. Loved it for urban exploring. Fit all essentials and there was space for small purchases. I was able to store my phone, wallet, sunscreen, some snacks, and still have room. I like there’s a small pouch on the strap I could store my keys. Beware though as the pouch doesn’t not have a zipper or other type of closure. The main pouch is one large pocket with a sewn in mesh pocket. There is a key strap and another Velcro strap to help keep keys or your wallet accessible. Nice touch including a reusable water bottle. It’s BPA free and made from recyclable materials. It’s too small for a mountain hike.

I received these products for free from the REI Trailblazers sampling program in exchange for my honest review. To be honest - I wasn’t certain if I would find a good use case for this sling as I have a nice, small day pack that usually would only be packed with about the same amount of contents. Surprisingly, I found the REI Trailmade Hydration Sling a lot more convenient and more often used. While it might sound minimal, the sling makes accessing the bag and its contents way easier by just swinging it around on your body. While there’s a time and a place for a day pack or waist bag, there’s been a gap - especially for men - in the “I’m just putting things in my pockets and leaving the rest in the car” and “why do I need my day pack”. This is where that bag fills the need. Surprisingly I found out the REI sling holds A LOT more than I expected - so I pushed it to see how much I could (comfortably) fill: a travel kindle, travel tissues, some snacks (almond butter and fig bars), a headlamp, dog water bowl (attached to zipper), dog carry out sling (in case of dog injury), a poncho, a customized essentials human + dog first aid kit, and a couple of EpiPens. It also has room for a water reservoir, but a 750 ml HydraPak bottle that comes with the bag, and has a spot on the outside for it to buckle in. The one big thing that I didn’t like was there is no internal pocket for anything, aside from where on the water bladder would be placed. It does have a key hook within the bag. For me - this bag balances the lines between a short hike and a day out bag, and where I think it could serve the most purpose. If you’re someone who likes to go on a short hike and meet up with friends at the end for beverages or go by a coffee shop and read a book (leave the hard cover at home), this is the perfect size bag.

This is a great bag! It is big enough to fit daily essentials but still comfortable to wear even when fully loaded. I especially like the front pocket which is perfect to fit a light jacket when it isn't used for a water bottle. It is also very useful that the connnection strap for that pocket is very versitile. It can hold any water bottle or a jacket equally easily. The strap is also really nice. A phone fits comfortably in the pocket and it is asjustable enough to comfortably fit me, my husband and my 7 year old.

I really enjoyed this product. It held my binoculars and a camera and an extra lens when I went on a hike. I also had a full water bottle. Anytime I wanted to switch lenses it was easy to rotate the bag to the side and access the zipper to reach my second lens. When rotatoed the bag acted like a small table which was reassuring for me. The bag, however, does not sit over a large chest/breast well. I was constantly readjusting the bag. I wore it tight, I wore it lose. I’ve never had great success with sling bags in general.

I’ve been wanting a sling bag that could hold a decent size water bottle without having to sacrifice on storage space all while not being too big. It felt a bit like looking for a unicorn but this bag meets all of those points. Plenty of storage space and I love that the water bottle storage is on the front of the bag with a strap to secure the bottle in place. Genius! You can even use a small water reservoir instead of a bottle if you want, which would be nice for longer hikes.

The sling is handy and keeps a water bottle and sunglasses very handy on short hikes or days out. Took some fiddling with the straps to find a good way for it to lay across my bad with the pad in the right spot over my shoulder. It has been really handy when I know I'll need to bring a few snacks and couple other small things with my water and want the smallest bag that can comfortably hold all of that.

On hikes, the strap allows you to have phone and sunglasses very easily accessible. My husband and I always hike together, so having the water in the back was not a big deal. The water bottle itself is actually really durable; I dropped it and it still holds water fine. There's a large clip buckle along the strap that, with a pinch, allows you to free yourself quickly. The main compartment is large enough to fit an entire hoodie (rolled very tightly). The bag's wide top handle came in handy while on the train so that we could hook it on the knob between seats. If the handle wasn't as wide, that wouldn't have worked out. While in an urban setting, we didn't feel comfortable wearing the sling with the strap in front, allowing pick pocketers to pick from behind, so we wore it backwards, with the main compartment in front. This worked out great! It was easy to access the water bottle while waiting for the subway, store papers and other documents without taking the sling off, very convenient.

Practical/functional, well-made, and attractive. The green camo pattern I purchased is excellent. The included water bottle is very nice but my old pet Nalgene fits too. The way the bottle fastens on and is carried is one of the most secure yet convenient systems I have encountered. The fully adjustable strap and the dual zipper setup makes it possible to use this bag fully as a Lefty or as a Righty! I'm a Lefty and I say WOW! No more compromising with strap-zipper setups that don't fully adjust. Plus, the bag and padded strap are well-balanced, which means they stay where you put them even when the bag is fully loaded. REI, PLEASE DO NOT DISCONTINUE THIS BAG!

I needed a sling to carry basic items water on shorter hikes. I had tried on at both REI and different stores maybe 5-6 variations but couldn’t find one that sat right on my shoulder and back. THIS IS ADJUSTABLE ON BOTH THE TOP AND BOTTOM, aka if you’re short the phone/sunglasses pouch won’t be flapping at your hip but actually supported mid-back and mid-chest for a comfortable fit. Bonus: it came with a water bottle.