Need new dad bag

[rob_s]

This smaller version looks like something I'd like to try, except that the buckle would definitely be a problem. The side to side orientation is my preference, vs slings that wind up upside down when rotated between chest and back position.

I'm looking for a sling bag just big enough to empty my pockets (wallet, phone, key fob, knife, POM) and add a few "want to haves" (TQ, flashlight, a few other IFAK items). Definitely no need for a tablet or water.

That was basically my original game plan as well. Pretty much needed a place to put phone, EDC Leatherman, wallet and keys when doing outdoorsy things like paddle boarding or beaching where pockets may be an issue and/or water was involved. Added the single-serving packs because I could, and the battery and cord…

But having the bag led me to using it more, carrying more, wishing I *Could* carry more, etc. we vacation a good bit and so having something I can carry a kindle and water bottle (or, rum & coke bottle ) down to the pool in has turned out to be a high demand for me.

I may well keep the smaller one and leave it in the RV or truck for those days when I meet the fam at the beach and wouldn’t otherwise have the slightly larger sling with me. I already keep rash guard, swim trunks, and slides in the truck for those same outings…

FWIW, it’s not as “larger” as I’d have thought, in practice.

ETA:
the Black Ember on my data chart is this one. If I was only wanting a pocket dump I would like.y choose this today
https://blackember.com/products/tks

There’s some cool features in this bag, like the poke through to hold your phone in the outer pocket and backup battery in the inner, and still be able to charge. The mesh bag on the interior is neat, as is the ability to stow the straps (a big wish list item for me that I don’t currently have with either Aer, although the new version of the City Sling, the City Sling 2, has that feature)

[RoyGBiv]

ETA:
the Black Ember on my data chart is this one. If I was only wanting a pocket dump I would like.y choose this today
https://blackember.com/products/tks

There’s some cool features in this bag, like the poke through to hold your phone in the outer pocket and backup battery in the inner, and still be able to charge. The mesh bag on the interior is neat, as is the ability to stow the straps (a big wish list item for me that I don’t currently have with either Aer, although the new version of the City Sling, the City Sling 2, has that feature)

That's been on my radar, but I'm leaning towards this smaller Heimplanet.... Amazon. Review: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E2PZyJHHOUs
1L vs the 2.5L TKS is a BIG difference... I may just need to buy one and see how I load/use it. Like my drawer of holsters

[rob_s]

Have had some opportunity to carry the new sling. Some pros, some cons. Wife is gonna be pissed, but I kinda feel like I need both

Packing the new bag is different. The way it’s stitched actually makes more room in the front pocket at the expense of the middle. Which isn’t a pro or a con just yet, but it’s different and takes some adjustment.

The uni-directional sling is good, although I could see being limited to just one shoulder being a challenge in the future.

Some good news on the storage front…

The slightly larger size allows me to get all my “care” shit into a sub-pouch which makes for easier finding of things and/or handing the smaller pouch off to someone else so they can find their own shit.

All this


Packs in here (minus the after bite, which fits, but creates too much bulk and rigidity to the overall bag)


And stows in this zippered compartment. Previously this stuff was all loose in this compartment, and in the similar compartment in the previous bag, but the larger size means there’s room for the clear zipper pouch in the new bag.



Other good news, the Kindle fits. I presume a mini iPad will, and (while not my jam) it seems like a Nintendo Switch would fit.


Once you compare the size of the kindle to the size of the bag, it would be odd if it DIDN’T fit

[nalesq]

That was basically my original game plan as well. Pretty much needed a place to put phone, EDC Leatherman, wallet and keys when doing outdoorsy things like paddle boarding or beaching where pockets may be an issue and/or water was involved. Added the single-serving packs because I could, and the battery and cord…

But having the bag led me to using it more, carrying more, wishing I *Could* carry more, etc. we vacation a good bit and so having something I can carry a kindle and water bottle (or, rum & coke bottle ) down to the pool in has turned out to be a high demand for me.

I may well keep the smaller one and leave it in the RV or truck for those days when I meet the fam at the beach and wouldn’t otherwise have the slightly larger sling with me. I already keep rash guard, swim trunks, and slides in the truck for those same outings…

FWIW, it’s not as “larger” as I’d have thought, in practice.

ETA:
the Black Ember on my data chart is this one. If I was only wanting a pocket dump I would like.y choose this today
https://blackember.com/products/tks

There’s some cool features in this bag, like the poke through to hold your phone in the outer pocket and backup battery in the inner, and still be able to charge. The mesh bag on the interior is neat, as is the ability to stow the straps (a big wish list item for me that I don’t currently have with either Aer, although the new version of the City Sling, the City Sling 2, has that feature)

Thanks to you I bought the Black Ember TKS, and though it was kind of expensive, I’m quite happy with it.

I’ve used a fanny type pack for many years whenever I wanted to be able to carry the stuff that would normally go in my pockets or on my belt, when I did not want crap in my pockets or on my belt. Or maybe didn’t have real pockets or a belt. Like when cycling or running long distances, or backpacking or hanging out at the pool or beach with my family or whatever.

I love the organization of the TKS and the clever way the strap can be quickly adjusted on the fly (though it took some time to figure that out). The adjustment is key to be able to run comfortably with it and still be able to access it easily, which I do on some longer runs. It also endured an unexpected downpour one evening, and kept all my stuff dry for miles.

It’s also just the right size to hold everything I want comfortably in a bag like this, which for me at most would be a phone, small flashlight, extra battery, keys, ID, a bit of money, boo-boo kit, OC spray, and a little gun.

In fact, the TKS is just barely long enough for the little gun to be a Beretta 21A with a Silencerco Warlock attached, if desired!

Finally, I like how the strap can be completely tucked out of the way. Thus it can easily either be stored nicely within or attached to the belt or strap of a larger bag, for consolidated travel.

My only minor criticisms are that I wish it came in some colors other than just black, and maybe the strap could be a bit wider.


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[rob_s]

Thanks to you I bought the Black Ember TKS, and though it was kind of expensive, I’m quite happy with it.

That’s awesome!

And… sorry!

I’ve used a fanny type pack for many years whenever I wanted to be able to carry the stuff that would normally go in my pockets or on my belt, when I did not want crap in my pockets or on my belt. Or maybe didn’t have real pockets or a belt.

That’s basically where this all started for me. I think I had met the family to go paddle boarding after work, changed in the car into board shorts, with the intention of going to dinner at a restaurant within walking distance and wound up with my phone, wallet, and keys in my hand or some awkward pocket most of the time. All I wanted was a “pocket dump” for those three items.

Once down the rabbit hole, it started occurring to me that I could carry other shit too, then wound up with the bag a lot more often than I thought I would, found myself wants to stuff other shit in there when it was all I had, etc. to the point that now I kinda want an even smaller mini bag for the original purpose.

I wonder if this is the same progression that leads moms to having those giant purses?

One thing I did pick up that I’ve now put in my briefcase, backpack, and man purse is the BeeGreen Tote Bags -Reusable-Shopping-Bags Gift Bags with Pocket Ripstop 50LBS 5 Pack. A little larger than I thought from the pictures, and I have t deployed one yet, but my thinking is that having a big dump bad might keep me in a smaller EDC bag.

[peterb]

No-hands small folding bag options:

https://www.apidura.com/shop/packable-musette/

https://www.apidura.com/shop/packable-backpack/

Of course at some point you’d need a bigger bag to carry your bigger bag…. ;-)

[nalesq]

Once down the rabbit hole, it started occurring to me that I could carry other shit too, then wound up with the bag a lot more often than I thought I would, found myself wants to stuff other shit in there when it was all I had, etc. to the point that now I kinda want an even smaller mini bag for the original purpose.

I wonder if this is the same progression that leads moms to having those giant purses?

Yeah, I have suffered from the same temptation. Right now I’m telling myself that the TKS is as big as I should get with something like this.


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[Maple Syrup Actual]

Here's a question that may fit in this thread...does such a thing exist as a low-profile sling bag, that's primarily intended to be carried in the front, like on your chest, I mean?

I'm often carrying my kid around on my shoulders these days and a bag I could access without a ton of setting down and picking up, or even without sliding the bag around on my body, might be nice to have.

I have a Hill People Gear kit bag which physically would be perfect but that seems...crazy looking for in town.

But I'm not sure if it's even really possible to keep a bag on your chest without a harness. Anyway I figured someone in here might have seen or experiemented with an option like that.

[RoyGBiv]

Here's a question that may fit in this thread...does such a thing exist as a low-profile sling bag, that's primarily intended to be carried in the front, like on your chest, I mean?

I'm often carrying my kid around on my shoulders these days and a bag I could access without a ton of setting down and picking up, or even without sliding the bag around on my body, might be nice to have.

I have a Hill People Gear kit bag which physically would be perfect but that seems...crazy looking for in town.

But I'm not sure if it's even really possible to keep a bag on your chest without a harness. Anyway I figured someone in here might have seen or experiemented with an option like that.

FWIW, I've had several people comment positively on my Hill People chest bag, "That looks very convenient" sorta remarks. Very positive for rambling about town. Mine is RED! Because hiding it isn't happening. Unfortunately, getting it on and off is nothing like the convenience of a sling. It's the only thing I don't love about it.

[Blades]

Here's a question that may fit in this thread...does such a thing exist as a low-profile sling bag, that's primarily intended to be carried in the front, like on your chest, I mean?

I'm often carrying my kid around on my shoulders these days and a bag I could access without a ton of setting down and picking up, or even without sliding the bag around on my body, might be nice to have.

I have a Hill People Gear kit bag which physically would be perfect but that seems...crazy looking for in town.

But I'm not sure if it's even really possible to keep a bag on your chest without a harness. Anyway I figured someone in here might have seen or experiemented with an option like that.

How big of a bag are you considering?
I saw these Merrell sling bags and almost ordered one for a small sling bag. It's 8L(about 490 cubic inches)so maybe too big for what you want.

I've looked at a dyneema fanny packs/pouches on Etsy. Lightweight, and casual looking. I think this is the one I looked at before. I was going to contact them and see if they had heard of the D3 Traveller from SDR Traveller. It is dual shelled; from their website: "The D3 is made of two layers of SDRT Grade Dyneema® (enough to make two duffels) with one layer suspended inside the other. This adds protection; structural support; and maintains a relaxed finish even when fully packed. Visibly overstuffed luggage draws unwanted eyes." If I could get a small fanny pack/sling bag that is dual shelled, so when it's full, it doesn't look full, I might actually use it. Because, no matter what bag I carry, I always pack it full.
If I ever wear out my HSGI bag I use for travel and have an extra $560.00, I'll get a D3 Traveller.