Continue the search for the perfect sling for airplane travel, EDC gear, tech gear, etc. Compare the Bellroy Lite Sling Mini to the Alpaka Elements Tech Case.
I just bought the Alpaka Tech case MAX. It is great, the extra space works great for a small mirroless camera and 2 phones, medication, battery pack, cables, multi-tool. Snacks, Flashlight, swiss army knife. I love it. sling is so comfortable.
Great video, I have the alpaka element tech case max, and love the accordion style compartment and orange inner lining. The main issue I have with it though is that has a tech pouch first and sling bag second design and leaves a bit to be desired when using it as a sling. It is relatively thick as a sling, doesn't have any swivel to make the strap contour and distribute the weight more evenly onto the body.
Good points, it all depends on individual uses cases and tastes. I love things that fill more than one function, so maybe that's why it appeals to me so much.
I love multi-functional products as well, just needs to be well implemented. If they could add the expandable side gusset to the element tech case and also a 360 swivel, it'll check most of my boxes for an edc sling :)@@NolanOfConsequence
Hey Nolan! I really enjoyed your video man! Oh and I loved your previous one too. And, hey, just between you and me... the music was lovely. 😊 Now as for your comparison, I dug it, Nolan! I actually just purchased the Alpaka Elements Tech Case yesterday and feel I may have found my perfect bag. I have bags from Aer, Bellroy, Nutsac, and Tomtoc. They are all amazing slings but each one was missing something. The Bellroy is a very cool bag with a great build but it is pretty barebones I think. Currently my personal fave is the Nutsac ''Man Bag Damnit". Yeah, that's the name of it. Haha! Where it lacks in organization it makes up for in build quality and comfort. It felt more like a small satchel. I get the same vibes with the Elements Tech Bag, though the Alpeka bag have WAY better organization options. However the bag that came closest to 'perfect' in my opinion is the Aer Day Sling 3. My only issue is I'm no fan of the magnetic strap. I've had it come loose on me several times though to be clear it was totally my fault whenever it happened. I get the appeal of a magnetic connector, it's just not my thing. I think getting the Elements Max bag will be the natural upgrade for you, Nolan. Though I'm no fan of the magnetic strap, I do love the Aer Day Sling 3 and went on to buy the Day Sling 3 Max shortly after. I still have those bags and will use them from time to time, I just have to remember to be careful when manipulating the bag so not to knock that blasted magnetic clasp. 😅 If I end up liking the Elements Tech Bag as much as I think I will, I'll surely pick up the Max version as well. Sorry for the super long post.
Thanks for the feedback, really appreciate it! I was about to try Aer, that was my next brand. But I do really like the Alpaka Tech Case. I tried the Max but didn't feel it added enough space for me, plus they put a weird magnetic clasp half-pocket-clasp in the middle of it that serves no purpose for me and just takes up space. Otherwise it's an awesome bag. My current "perfect" sling is the Pakt Anywhere 5L Sling. I have a video on it coming soon, but need to push one or two others out first, so I can keep these all straight in the order I discovered and tried them:) Thanks for watching!
Have you tried the Tomtoc sling? You can get their X-Pac material one with orange lining like the Alpaka ones or any color besides the black that has the gray interior lining. Also super budget friendly.
I have not tried Tomtoc yet, but it's ony list. I think I ruled it out at the time because they don't list dimensions like "4L" on their site, so it's hard to know which to order. But I may be remembering wrong.
While not as sleek: the 5.11 2-banger came in clutch for me. Also, larger, the Tom bihn Pilot works great! (& sits upright so it leaves more foot space).
@@NolanOfConsequence lol, me too. I'm a big fan. Except for some problems with the straps, I can say that their products set the standard for a good sling.
This was actually a great review…there is definitely something wrong with Bellroys “L” (liters) measurements. I love the bags but I am yet to find one that actually works for me! I bought the 9L and the 10L at once to try them and see which one worked for me because I wanted to be able to take my iPad 11” if I needed to…right away the 10L was a no since its divided inside with more of cameras-driven thinking…the 9L is awesome with nice organization but one there are a few things inside, there is no room for the iPad…so I took those back and ended up getting the Aer Day Sling 3 Max, everything fits, designated iPad pocket, nice organization! Still hunted by how much I liked the Bellroy though, I recently got the Ready Sling 2.5L…I don’t get the LITERS thing!! I got it just to have a Bellroy for the run, car keys, home keys, cellphone and a wallet..maybe my sunglasses…2.5L and it is a tight fit!! I have a minimalist wallet. So I ordered the Alpaka Elements Tech Mini…anxiously waiting to see if works better than the Ready Sling! I believe I have exhausted my options with Bellroy, which is sad because I love the colors, the materials, the straps…but there is something definitely wrong with the sizes, liters or whatever!!
I got the combo of the venture sling 6l (prob more like 5) and wandrd tech bag medium. I had the alpaka tech mini but it was too thin for my stuff, the wandrd solves that, same footprint as mini but just fits more. The venture has a thicker strap so it's way more comfy with weight than a tech bag with a slim strap. It can also swallow a water bottle or umbrella or even a packable rain jacket no problem. Between the two it covers my small and large needs for EDC. I may get that alpaka tech regular size as it's bigger than the wandrd but smaller and more organized than the venture, and it can fit an ipad mini, laptop power brick, big power bank, etc. for travel. But I'll wait until they release it in coyote brown or grey.
Get 20% off Alpaka Gear using this link: alpakagear.com/a/rewards/r/GmxlqYqD, and find your Akeeni XSTO wallet at akeeni.com?sca_ref=3283970.w1qeFw0aJX&sca_source=TH-cam
How does Bellroy keep getting away with overstating the volume of their bags? Unlike yourself, I think too many youtube reviewers are complicit in that they let this important deception go unchallenged. Bellroy literally lies about the size of every single bag they sell. It's like they hope by overstating the size that people mistakenly purchase the bag and simply keep it due to the hassles of returning. Not an honorable or honest business model.
I just bought the Alpaka Tech case MAX. It is great, the extra space works great for a small mirroless camera and 2 phones, medication, battery pack, cables, multi-tool. Snacks, Flashlight, swiss army knife. I love it. sling is so comfortable.
Great to hear! Alpaka's slings are so nice, for sure.
Great video, I have the alpaka element tech case max, and love the accordion style compartment and orange inner lining.
The main issue I have with it though is that has a tech pouch first and sling bag second design and leaves a bit to be desired when using it as a sling. It is relatively thick as a sling, doesn't have any swivel to make the strap contour and distribute the weight more evenly onto the body.
Good points, it all depends on individual uses cases and tastes. I love things that fill more than one function, so maybe that's why it appeals to me so much.
I love multi-functional products as well, just needs to be well implemented. If they could add the expandable side gusset to the element tech case and also a 360 swivel, it'll check most of my boxes for an edc sling :)@@NolanOfConsequence
Hey Nolan! I really enjoyed your video man! Oh and I loved your previous one too. And, hey, just between you and me... the music was lovely. 😊 Now as for your comparison, I dug it, Nolan! I actually just purchased the Alpaka Elements Tech Case yesterday and feel I may have found my perfect bag. I have bags from Aer, Bellroy, Nutsac, and Tomtoc. They are all amazing slings but each one was missing something. The Bellroy is a very cool bag with a great build but it is pretty barebones I think.
Currently my personal fave is the Nutsac ''Man Bag Damnit". Yeah, that's the name of it. Haha! Where it lacks in organization it makes up for in build quality and comfort. It felt more like a small satchel. I get the same vibes with the Elements Tech Bag, though the Alpeka bag have WAY better organization options. However the bag that came closest to 'perfect' in my opinion is the Aer Day Sling 3. My only issue is I'm no fan of the magnetic strap. I've had it come loose on me several times though to be clear it was totally my fault whenever it happened. I get the appeal of a magnetic connector, it's just not my thing.
I think getting the Elements Max bag will be the natural upgrade for you, Nolan. Though I'm no fan of the magnetic strap, I do love the Aer Day Sling 3 and went on to buy the Day Sling 3 Max shortly after. I still have those bags and will use them from time to time, I just have to remember to be careful when manipulating the bag so not to knock that blasted magnetic clasp. 😅 If I end up liking the Elements Tech Bag as much as I think I will, I'll surely pick up the Max version as well. Sorry for the super long post.
Thanks for the feedback, really appreciate it! I was about to try Aer, that was my next brand. But I do really like the Alpaka Tech Case. I tried the Max but didn't feel it added enough space for me, plus they put a weird magnetic clasp half-pocket-clasp in the middle of it that serves no purpose for me and just takes up space. Otherwise it's an awesome bag. My current "perfect" sling is the Pakt Anywhere 5L Sling. I have a video on it coming soon, but need to push one or two others out first, so I can keep these all straight in the order I discovered and tried them:) Thanks for watching!
Have you tried the Tomtoc sling? You can get their X-Pac material one with orange lining like the Alpaka ones or any color besides the black that has the gray interior lining. Also super budget friendly.
I have not tried Tomtoc yet, but it's ony list. I think I ruled it out at the time because they don't list dimensions like "4L" on their site, so it's hard to know which to order. But I may be remembering wrong.
While not as sleek: the 5.11 2-banger came in clutch for me. Also, larger, the Tom bihn Pilot works great! (& sits upright so it leaves more foot space).
Great suggestions, I'll have to check those out!
i have alpaka mini and tech, they are top notch slings
Yup, I couldn't agree more. Only problem is they make too many great bags, so I want to buy them all!
@@NolanOfConsequence lol, me too. I'm a big fan. Except for some problems with the straps, I can say that their products set the standard for a good sling.
This was actually a great review…there is definitely something wrong with Bellroys “L” (liters) measurements. I love the bags but I am yet to find one that actually works for me! I bought the 9L and the 10L at once to try them and see which one worked for me because I wanted to be able to take my iPad 11” if I needed to…right away the 10L was a no since its divided inside with more of cameras-driven thinking…the 9L is awesome with nice organization but one there are a few things inside, there is no room for the iPad…so I took those back and ended up getting the Aer Day Sling 3 Max, everything fits, designated iPad pocket, nice organization! Still hunted by how much I liked the Bellroy though, I recently got the Ready Sling 2.5L…I don’t get the LITERS thing!! I got it just to have a Bellroy for the run, car keys, home keys, cellphone and a wallet..maybe my sunglasses…2.5L and it is a tight fit!! I have a minimalist wallet. So I ordered the Alpaka Elements Tech Mini…anxiously waiting to see if works better than the Ready Sling! I believe I have exhausted my options with Bellroy, which is sad because I love the colors, the materials, the straps…but there is something definitely wrong with the sizes, liters or whatever!!
Thanks for sharing, and I agree, "haunted" is a good descriptor. I'm still drawn to Bellroy even after trying 3 of their bags and returning them:)
@@NolanOfConsequence Same here! :(
Should've gone for the light color😉👍
Maybe so, maybe so. To each their own. Thanks for watching.
I got the combo of the venture sling 6l (prob more like 5) and wandrd tech bag medium. I had the alpaka tech mini but it was too thin for my stuff, the wandrd solves that, same footprint as mini but just fits more. The venture has a thicker strap so it's way more comfy with weight than a tech bag with a slim strap. It can also swallow a water bottle or umbrella or even a packable rain jacket no problem. Between the two it covers my small and large needs for EDC. I may get that alpaka tech regular size as it's bigger than the wandrd but smaller and more organized than the venture, and it can fit an ipad mini, laptop power brick, big power bank, etc. for travel. But I'll wait until they release it in coyote brown or grey.
Very nice! I need to check out the wandrd options.
Belroy is misleading with their sizes :( (I’ve learned). However, that aside, the lite models are cool.
Definitely. I have a video coming Thursday comparing the Bellroy Venture and Lite slings.
Get 20% off Alpaka Gear using this link: alpakagear.com/a/rewards/r/GmxlqYqD, and find your Akeeni XSTO wallet at akeeni.com?sca_ref=3283970.w1qeFw0aJX&sca_source=TH-cam
How does Bellroy keep getting away with overstating the volume of their bags? Unlike yourself, I think too many youtube reviewers are complicit in that they let this important deception go unchallenged. Bellroy literally lies about the size of every single bag they sell. It's like they hope by overstating the size that people mistakenly purchase the bag and simply keep it due to the hassles of returning. Not an honorable or honest business model.
Yeah, it's tough when there's no industry standard.