Sling bag for basic lightweight prepping equipment

Mathieu - November 18, 2022

AdviceGear

Hi guys,

First things first, I am new to prepping and do find this website very useful and by far the most elaborated and well-structured on the topic. Thank you for making prepping easier for people like me. Having said that, I have travelled the world for 6 months with a single bag pack (I will come back on that) and I used to travel a lot for my work; a bit less nowadays. All this to say that I am use to travels and backpacking.

Now comes the interesting bit. The way I see things, my wife and I will keep our least compact and heaviest prepping hardware ready to take off, at home (most of the time) in our backpacks. I have a Kajka 65 – Fjallraven and she takes the Abisko Friluft 45 (both are Fjallraven – have a look at these, they are more mountain types backpack but worth considering for prepping). I had the 65 L Kajka for my 6 months travel and it never disappointed me nor let me down.

For our lightest gear, I would like to invest in one or two sling bags. This is not in line with The Prepared recommendations but we would not use these sling bags for long walks and travel. The idea is to have our lightest gear with us most of the time, to get used to it and try it when possible. We do a lot of offroad driving short walks to discover areas, look for mushrooms, etc. and a sling bag would be perfect to be able to quickly access knife, multitool, the equipment to make fire, water, etc. not shelter and night orientated but really day basic equipment and the gear we want to try to get to know how to use it when we really do not have other choice but to use them.

In terms of sling bag there is a variety of choice and, from what I could see, there is no real good article on the net comparing them against each other’s. I liked the idea of the messenger bag or the satchel near the hip but I think that will not work in the long term. Hence, the sling bag on the back with a secondary strap to maintain it in place (I think this is important). In terms of volume, I do not want nor need much. Again the idea is day trip with light and compact equipment. at the moment I am looking into the following bags and would appreciate any thoughts or guidance:

– Plan B from Hazard 4; it looks good; maybe a bit too big (visual at least).

– Paladin / SOTech Go Sling Bag; I liked this one a lot initially but got to understand that the main compartment is really not what I am looking for.

– Crosshatch Sling Pack from First Tactical; I like this one a lot but understood that the people were disappointed when receiving it, expecting higher grade/quality/finish.

– Sitka Maxpedition; this is also one of my favorite.

– Vanquest Javelin Sling, 2nd Gen; probably my favorite one at the moment.

As I said, I am new to prepping, gearing up gradually and following all the good advice I can get. I like spending time outside, best in the nature. So from all angles, prepping makes sense to me and I want to keep it fun and enjoyable.

Thank you all for reading me and looking forward to your feedbacks.

Cheers, Mathieu

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Welcome to the site! We are so glad you are here 🙂

I edited your post and added hyperlinks to each of the packs you mentioned to give others an easy way to click and see what bags you are talking about. Hope you don’t mind. Could you please click all those links and double check I linked to the correct bags you are talking about?

It’s just my personal preference, but from the ones you mentioned, the Crosshatch sling pack is the style I would lean to more. Right now I have a cheap and not very good tactical bag for my EDC and am wanting to move away from that style and layout. I don’t like the bulky external pocket look anymore and the Crosshatch seems to look more like a traditional pack. But you mentioned people disappointed with the quality and you are used to using your super reliable Fjallravens, so I would not get the Crosshatch and go with something that is going to last.

 

Thanks for your feedback. The links reflect the products I have in mind. Two details, for the paladin, there is version with 3 pouches on top of the main compartment which is the one I was looking at; with respect to the Vanquest I am looking at the 2nd generation.

As the matter of fact I really leaned towards the crosshatch but then realized it may also be a little big larger than the others (19L) compared to a bit less for the others. But the difference is not much with the Vanquest which I am tempted to purchase, 18L. I found second hand, almost new around 100 EUR.

Thanks again for the feedback. Very helpful. 

 

I recently recommended a 511 sling bag for my aunt. Much lower signature than the other bags, I handled it for a few minutes, but the stitching and materials all seemed solid. She’s still using it at the moment and it seemed to work just fine.

I think the larger one would easily fit a couple of 32oz size bottles, or even a ultralight tent or tarp, while still having good interior organization for stuff. They have Velcro molle on one side that would let you have modularity with extra pouches for more fun.

Linking though rescue essentials because the 511 website isn’t working well, but should be easy enough to find

https://www.rescue-essentials.com/5-11-lv10-sling-pack-2-0-10l/

They also have a smaller version

https://www.rescue-essentials.com/5-11-lv6-waist-pack-3l-2-0/

I personally really enjoy the VERTX bag I have, EDC 2.0, and I would also recommend checking their sling bags. I have a code somewhere that was like 15 percent off that I’ll have to find and double check if it works, but everyone is doing sales at the moment. Vertx is a bit more expensive but I’ve spent more on less organized bags *coughGORUCKcough* and I think they’re worth what to pay. Also solid stitching, loop interiors. Some molle, good zippers and all.

https://vertx.com/concealed-carry-bags-and-packs/bag-type/sling-bags

I think you’d have to keep in mind not to go too large with a sling bag. Only one shoulder is carrying the weight and if it’s made for only one side carry, it’ll be much less comfortable and you’ll carry it less.

Upside of less MOLLE caked bags is you can use them in day to day and not look suspicious or edgy.

 

Hi, thanks a lot for your response.

True, I forgot to put the 5.11 ones which I looked at first in effect. I do like them but find the Vanquest (for example) of better finishing and overall quality. Having said that the format of the 5.11 is really interesting. As you said, you do not want to overload these sling bags. They are not made to carry loads for hours.

I just checked Goruk but could not find a sling go bag in their catalog. It does look like high quality packs though. A little bit like Fjallraven. 

The Vertx is definitely interesting. I will have a more thorough look into it. 

I have to admit that it will be little bit of trial and error. I will probably take the Vanquest, see how it feels, how I use it and then maybe change my mind. I can get it second hand, almost new for a decent price so worth the try. I may take a messenger bag for my wife then we can try both styles of bags see which ones we prefer and why. 

 

I mostly meant goruck as a quality bag but not exactly optimized for storage while also being significantly more expensive than other options.

Another option could be fanny/waist packs, those can be slung on a shoulder or just the waist, and a military surplus belt and butt pack kit could be had for much cheaper to get you figuring out what direction to go in.

Mountainsmith has nice waist bags, though you seem set on a vanquest.

I would also suggest just grabbing a handful of video reviews to make sure there isn’t some glaring design choices that would impact how you use it.

 

Funny I did looked at, and kind of liked, the Mountainsmith day lumbar pack. But indeed I think I am sort of settled on the Vanquest but it is good to see that others have or are looking at sling bags too.

I will look again the video of the Vanquest. The biggest compartment can be modular like camera type bag. Not sure if/how that will benefit the items I will want to put in it.

I will make another post a couple of weeks from now when I have most of my gear and start using this pack the way I have thought about it. 

 

“For our lightest gear, I would like to invest in one or two sling bags. This is not in line with The Prepared recommendations but we would not use these sling bags for long walks and travel. The idea is to have our lightest gear with us most of the time…”

Welcome to ThePrepared, Mathieu!

You’ve probably noticed that no one’s screaming about heresy. The idea of carrying a lighter kit on a daily basis is actually pretty common here. Search for “everyday carry (EDC)” in the beginner checklist for details.

https://theprepared.com/prepping-basics/guides/emergency-preparedness-checklist-prepping-beginners/#edcghb

Like you, I’ve chosen a sling as part of my everyday carry. You can see details of my kit here. I’m happy with my sling but couldn’t say how it compares with the other options you listed.

 

Thanks. That makes a lot of sense. I will have a look for EDC more thoroughly. My main focus is on the sling bags. Good to hear that it is not a heresy indeed. 

 

Oooh, this is what I carry my EDC in instead of a purse! I have a small, leather crossbody bag that’s maybe 2″ x 5″ x 8″? One small pocket and two attachment points on the outside. It’s pretty small but holds a robust EDC, Leatherman, extra battery, and all. No links to a bag, sadly. It was a gift from my father who has “a leather guy,” so… no spec sheet. 

You might be comfortable with a heavier load, but if you’re trying not to stand out to others (and/or have structurally unstable collarbones), a smaller and less MOLLEd bag is nice. The crossbody stays out of the way when you’re walking or biking but allows easy hand access even while walking if you adjust it right. It lies pretty flat, so it doesn’t make maneuvering much harder. The leather is really durable, too. It’s been seven years of rough use and still going strong. You might need all the space those bags you linked will give you, but you can fit a solid EDC into much less if you want to. Heck, I’ve even seen decent ones in just pocket organizers. 

Welcome to the forum!!

 

Sling bags, like any other tactical product, come in a variety of colors, shapes, sizes, materials, etc. Knowing where and how you plan to use them can make your purchase easier. However, there are three main factors that you should also consider: budget, quality, size.