Scant few fellas land on the perfect sling bag for males by actively on the lookout 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, enable us to introduce the way more trendy strategy 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 in the event you lend us your ear (and a spare shoulder), you can be, too.
For anybody sufficiently old to bear in mind the ’90s (or younger sufficient to inherit its trauma), sling baggage, you may recall, weren’t at all times cool. In 2024, although, there’s an entire gamut of them to discover: designer slings, funds slings, teched-out slings, outdoorsy slings, slings so safe they may (most likely, we didn’t check this) survive the Oklahoma Drill with out budging an inch. So to free your pockets, we strapped in, bought to trekking, and landed on essentially the most glorious sling bag for males—plus 14 different superlative choices.
The Finest Sling Luggage for Males, In keeping with GQ
Finest Sling Bag Total: Carhartt Mono Sling Backpack
If you happen to’re on the lookout for an inexpensive sling bag that does a little bit of every thing—and comes outfitted with sufficient storage to haul bulkier private gadgets—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 principle compartment is spacious sufficient to carry a digicam, a 6-pack, or a bunch of different doubtlessly obligatory gadgets 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 title in workwear is legendary for, and that stated 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 stated: nigh-impossible to beat.
Finest Path-Prepared Sling Bag: Patagonia Atom 8L Sling Bag
While you’re on the path, “rummaging” shouldn’t be excessive in your listing of designated actions—you need no matter you’ve lugging in to be simply accessible, fairly protected, and, above all else, straightforward 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 the whole torso, and boasts pockets just about in every single place you would think about placing a pocket—even on the outside of stated ergonomic strap. If you happen to’re on the lookout for a sling bag that likes to the touch grass—or, heck, limestone—as a lot as you do, look no additional.
Finest Commuter Sling Bag: Gramicci Cordura Sling Bag
One of many sling bag’s major promoting factors is how safe it’ll keep if you’re on the transfer—with a single strap, the precise model can mimic the locked-in help of a backpack with double its carrying capability. If you happen to’ve bought locations to be, that’s enormous—particularly in the event you’re attempting to keep up a low-profile. Of all of the sling baggage with that specific 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 beneath 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.
Finest 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 might have two choices: massive logos or venerable designs, the sort 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 solely from the remainder of your outfit. (Which implies you may put on it with just about every thing, regardless of its eye-watering price ticket.) Higher but, in the event you’re touring, that distinctive building is designed to break down into itself, packing right into a suitcase with loads of room for the actually necessary stuff: stated outfits, clearly.
Finest 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 first rate 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 best way closed, making it a fairly unimpeachable tote different for lazy packers. What extra, actually, are you able to ask for?
Finest Heirloom-Grade Sling Bag: Kapital Heavy Canvas Transit Snufkin Bag
If you happen to’re questioning why you’d purchase a linen sling bag, effectively, 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 cloth at your individual peril, although: you already realize it’s ludicrously breezy, but it surely’s loopy robust and dries rapidly, too. Which is why we had 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 listing: the dye is subtly uneven, which lends it the look of a classic grail recent out of the field. The adjustable strap is sweet, too, however the true star of the present is the large storage capability, which may 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 bit 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 Trip Webbing-Trimmed Shell Belt Bag
Lemaire Medium Smooth Croissant Bag
Engineered Clothes x DSPTCH Unit Vertical Pouch
What to search for in an ideal sling bag
Sling baggage are available in an entire bunch of shapes, sizes, supplies, and capabilities, so we got down to discover baggage throughout that spectrum. Whereas it makes little sense to check a sling bag designed for the outside to at least one produced from supple leather-based—completely different strokes for various of us—baggage are additionally baggage, so we needed to make sure that transitive requirements had been established, focusing primarily high quality of supplies and building, carrying capabilities, and the way good it performs the job it was made to do. With that in thoughts, listed here are a number of necessary issues to look out for:
Supposed 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, other than 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 moderately how effectively they do what they promise to do. In different phrases, we didn’t go to the crag with a flowery leather-based bag to check out its dexterity within the wilderness, as a result of that’s not what a flowery leather-based bag is supposed to do. As a substitute we graded it on how effectively 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 can be greatest fitted to the duty.
Measurement. That “L” you see stands for liters, which is the usual metric for carrying capability. The extra liters that might theoretically slot in your bag—don’t dump liquid inside, there’s no must examine math—the extra you may haul. Measurement denotations like Small/Medium/Giant gives you an concept of what the mannequin seems to be like relative to different fashions, but it surely received’t provide you with an ideal 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.
