Love this sling. I use mine as a desk caddy at work. I put pens, high lighters, chapstick, multiple small little books, stethoscope, AirPods, snacks, ect. Great review as always Mountain!
Aww thank you so much for the kind words! And your load out sounds awesome - I never thought about how doctors might carry stethoscopes around when they’re not draped around their necks hahaha 😂
Yes - I hadn’t heard of this brand until this sling, but I really like what they’ve done here - as I briefly mentioned in my video this sling has gone to find a place in my EDC sling rotation alongside some offerings from other much larger brands. It was an unexpected surprise from a small team and I am excited to see what they come up with next!
@@TheMountainborn Haha! No, the setup does give a nice touch, but we are all here for your in depth and detailed thoughts. Actually you are the person that inspired me to do my own bags review videos.
I would like to see them add a sleek carry handle on the top/back for v.2. Seems like a conspicuous oversight and probably a deal breaker for me. Very handy for when the bag has some heavy camera gear.
Yes - I noticed there was an absence of a carrying handle on this sling. For me in the end I didn’t end up missing it too much since I don’t tend to use carry handles on slings in this general size range but I understand how it would help when picking up the bag when loaded up with something heavy (camera is a great example). If they ever did a more camera-specific version of this sling (perhaps with a bit more padding, slightly more robust shoulder strap, carry handle as you mentioned and a few other small tweaks) it would be super interesting to see how that would work out!
@@TheMountainborn Thanks, I'd love to see them do a camera-focused version of this bag! Say 5L or 6L, with more padding on the bottom, add a top carry handle/ strap, make a more comfortable padded main strap. Not even sure it needs velcro dividers, but that would be ideal. There is a gap in the market for a really well made, smaller bag tailored for a single camera and one or two lenses. The Peak Design 3L and 6L slings are too stiff and bulbous for me. I love your sling reviews, especially when you show FF mirrorless cameras packed with larger lenses. Subscribed!
I hear you on the dearth of good decently compact and SOFTER slings for a mirrorless body and 1-2 lenses! I have such a love hate relationship with Peak Design because while I admire that they have a certain design vision (and kudos to them for basically kickstarting (no pun intended) a huge chunk of the modern everyday layperson wave of interest in camera + edc bags) all their bags have incredibly poor capacity to size/weight ratios, are ridiculously stiff and over padded and ironically in my opinion are quite frictionful and hard to use for small EDC items when they have a camera in them. And yet I find myself begrudgingly reaching for them when going out with just a camera and 1-2 lenses because (to your point) there’s very little else out there in this segment (it also baffles me how the traditional bag manufacturers like Lowepro/ThinkTank/Manfrotto etc. keep trying to tackle this crossover small EDC/camera bag sling space but their releases are just so weirdly out of touch it reminds me of the first few years of ICE manufacturers trying to tackle EVs and it was just like they weren’t mentally equipped for the paradigm shift and kept trying to design them like old ICE cars but just worse in every way) ANYWAY. All of which is to say, I feel your pain. FWIW, have you ever looked at the Bellroy Venture Sling 10L Camera bag? (Don’t let the nominal 10L size rating fool you, it’s not that big). It has some of its own flaws but I find this pretty useful and tend to reach for it when I go out with my Hasselblad kit. I also sometimes rock the ThinkTank Photo Presspass 10 albeit with some mods - I removed the padded insert and attach the foam dividers directly to the sidewalls of the bag for lighter weight and more capacity with less superfluous nonsense and also I cut off the waist belt because I will never wear this as a fanny pack). It’s not the best option in the game, but I have used this camera to also haul my Hasselblad + two chunky medium format zooms across British Columbia photographing autumn leaves etc. and I am glad I went with that rather than the Peak Design option. Anyway, sharing since I feel your pain about the gap in this market segment! And thank you so much for the sub my friend! I think there must be a non-trivial overlap of people with FF cameras/larger lenses and those who are into carry goods like backpacks and slings but relatively few bag reviewers tend to talk much about how cameras carry in many EDC bags. I shall slowly lead the charge to change this :)
@@TheMountainborn I really appreciate your detailed thoughts and suggestions re. smaller softer camera bags. Believe it or not, the bag I just bought for my new Nikon Zf and 1-2 lenses for shorter, casual walks is the BAGSMART Camera Bag, SLR DSLR Canvas Crossbody Camera Case, Compact Camera Shoulder Bag, from Amazon--$32, or much less on sale. It is just about the right size, has pleasing softer, nylon material, has two movable velcro lens dividers (I only use one and lay on flat for more padding. The main downside is it lacks any outside zip pockets, and the strap has a fixed angled position and cannot be removed or quickly adjusted--but it does have a decent sliding pad. But this is a pretty satisfactory bag as a starter kit (and I'm fairly sure more pleasing to wear and use than the Peak Designs), and an incredible value. I'd get a kick out of seeing your full-on review of this, given how disappointing the smaller camera sling choices are. The Bellroy 10L is on my radar but extremely expensive for what it is, and may be a bit too large for a smaller walkaround kit, at least to start. I might want to to add this later, but I think I would prefer a smaller camera backpack like the Tenba Fulton 16L, for more lenses and heavier loads, augmented by a small belt bag, to reduce unbalanced shoulder and back strain--I am over 65.
Great review ! I just received this bag last week , and definitely this is my favorite bag !! Can you please if possible let us know the brand is carabiner you have your car fab attached to ? Thanks
Yay!!! I'm so glad you like the bag - it's an awesome sling and has a firm spot on my EDC sling rotation these days. Regarding the carabiner - the one that I have my keys/car fob attached to is the James Brand Mehlville Carabiner → thejamesbrand.com/products/the-mehlville The one that I have attached to the outside of the bag at the start of the video (so the side loops on the bag, not the car keys) is a small hero clip → www.gearaid.com/products/heroclip-small Let me know if you have any other questions!
@@XeroxMeNow - Good eye! The one I have on the outside of the bag (attached to the side loop of the bag) is indeed a Hero Clip (in the small size). The one I have my keys/car fob attached to is the James Brand Mehlville carabiner.
This reminds me a lot of the Pakt 5L sling in terms of layout and volume, but has better distribution of volume along the vertical axis which is definitely a downside of the Pakt. Do you think a Ricoh GR-sized camera would fit well in one of the stretch mesh pockets (and be easy enough to retrieve/stash with one hand)? Also is it possible to carry this sling asymmetrically by anchoring the strap to one of the side loops? I'm really looking forward to see what else rework put out in future!
Great questions! I’m traveling at the moment testing out another bag and don’t have the sling with me but will check both of those things when I get back in a couple of days!
Hi Rzon! Yes it can - I show this a few different times in the review (or just skip to the end of the loadout section where I show my usual EDC productivity loadout in this sling with an 11” iPad Pro w/ keyboard cover.). The main thing to note is that it has to go in the main compartment as it sadly doesn’t fit in the device sleeve but I still think it works decently well and importantly leaves all the other pockets in that area in a usable state.
oh I could ask you a thousand questions I could go on I do love my slings. This sling is very intriguing and Im very very tempted to purchase it. However I have a bellroy lite sling 7L which I love but I have bigger items that I would like to carry altogether and the bellroy lite 7L sling just will not work for my bigger items. so Im thinking about getting the 9L venture sling but I have some concerned about that as well. Im doing a ton of research of bags right now and looking at 10L or 12L messenger bags but its not going great I don't want a messenger bag that looks like a briefcase. Im probably the only person in the world that does not carry and tablets or laptops. So my bag does not need to include those items yahoo. Looking at the AER bag day sling 3 max but Im not sure. Much harder to find bigger slings which probably to most people are not very practical. I do think this is bag checks a lot of boxes that most slings in this range don't come close to so it is very appealing. But having already a 7L sling I just don't know if it would be too similar and Im really looking for a different bag then the one I have. Slings are great I love them for daily errands they are amazing. great in-depth review really enjoyed it.
I feel you. I do wish that the tablet fit inside of the device sleeve instead of needing to go in the main compartment but I’m glad it still fits and more importantly still leaves all of the other pockets in that area in a usable state. I did share some feedback to the Rework Gear team after this review went live and they mentioned they’re aware that there is some demand for a larger version of this sling that can fit an iPad Pro or other similar tablet in the device sleeve so fingers crossed that this may come out some day!
Hi, May i know how's the strap like? because i keep reading complaints on forum regarding their straps which says that it is too rough & digging into the skin of their neck after wearing it quite some time, they had to change it to different brand of straps to be able to wear the sling comfortably. Thanks!
Yes - I saw a few people on Reddit had the same complaints. I did not experience any discomfort like that however I also was testing this bag in the autumn/winter so wasn’t really wearing the strap against bare skin or with only a light t-shirt. I did not have any issue with the strap digging into my neck however I also used accessory stabilizer strap (which is sold separately) when using the sling when moving actively (like riding a bike etc) so that may have been why - if the bag is loaded out heavily and used when moving actively with no stabilizer strap I could see how it might possibly rub against the neck. So basically, I did not experience this during several months of testing but that’s not to say it might not happen to some people. That said, as I mentioned in my video, the strap is fairly simple/straightforward and sometimes felt insufficient (load carriage-wise) when the sling was loaded out with heavier things - this was the larger problem (so to speak - it’s more of an edge case thing) that I experienced with the strap rather than outright discomfort due to the face of the strap
When you say the Alpaka Pro Sling, do you mean the Go Sling Pro? (I’m not familiar with any sling by Alpaka just labeled the Pro sling so wanted to confirm) I’m not sure who the specific manufacturer of each bag is but I believe that Alpaka Gear is manufactured in China while Rework Gear is manufactured in Vietnam (based on what is listed on each of their websites respectively - I haven’t asked each brand directly however)
Great question - I’m a big believer in the philosophy of “The right tool for the right job.” So in this case, if I am carrying an iPad Pro, the right tool between those three is generally the Aer Day Sling 3 Max (venture doesn’t fit it, Toshi fits it but the Aer carries it better and in the main device pouch). If I will be active and want something more high/tight or have a bunch of smaller things that benefit from lots of small organization, then usually I’d be reaching for the Bellroy. If I am carrying something chunky or want something that can flex comfortably between different situations (or need external lash points like for jacket) then the Toshi sling is a solid choice. All three of the ones you mention are in my current EDC sling rotation for the reasons listed above so I couldn’t really pick just one…. Frequency wise I would say probably the Bellroy Venture 6L (Carryology Chimera edition) probably gets the most time by a small margin (except when carrying tablet) but they’re all great slings and you should pick one based on your intended use case.
Love this sling. I use mine as a desk caddy at work. I put pens, high lighters, chapstick, multiple small little books, stethoscope, AirPods, snacks, ect. Great review as always Mountain!
Aww thank you so much for the kind words! And your load out sounds awesome - I never thought about how doctors might carry stethoscopes around when they’re not draped around their necks hahaha 😂
I love how muxh attention this sling is getting - I love mine
Yes - I hadn’t heard of this brand until this sling, but I really like what they’ve done here - as I briefly mentioned in my video this sling has gone to find a place in my EDC sling rotation alongside some offerings from other much larger brands. It was an unexpected surprise from a small team and I am excited to see what they come up with next!
The new background looks Clean !
Thank you so much! Yes, it's been a bit of a battle, but am slowly getting things set up the way I wished it were almost a year ago! 😂
@@TheMountainborn Haha! No, the setup does give a nice touch, but we are all here for your in depth and detailed thoughts.
Actually you are the person that inspired me to do my own bags review videos.
I would like to see them add a sleek carry handle on the top/back for v.2. Seems like a conspicuous oversight and probably a deal breaker for me. Very handy for when the bag has some heavy camera gear.
Yes - I noticed there was an absence of a carrying handle on this sling. For me in the end I didn’t end up missing it too much since I don’t tend to use carry handles on slings in this general size range but I understand how it would help when picking up the bag when loaded up with something heavy (camera is a great example). If they ever did a more camera-specific version of this sling (perhaps with a bit more padding, slightly more robust shoulder strap, carry handle as you mentioned and a few other small tweaks) it would be super interesting to see how that would work out!
@@TheMountainborn Thanks, I'd love to see them do a camera-focused version of this bag! Say 5L or 6L, with more padding on the bottom, add a top carry handle/ strap, make a more comfortable padded main strap. Not even sure it needs velcro dividers, but that would be ideal. There is a gap in the market for a really well made, smaller bag tailored for a single camera and one or two lenses. The Peak Design 3L and 6L slings are too stiff and bulbous for me. I love your sling reviews, especially when you show FF mirrorless cameras packed with larger lenses. Subscribed!
I hear you on the dearth of good decently compact and SOFTER slings for a mirrorless body and 1-2 lenses! I have such a love hate relationship with Peak Design because while I admire that they have a certain design vision (and kudos to them for basically kickstarting (no pun intended) a huge chunk of the modern everyday layperson wave of interest in camera + edc bags) all their bags have incredibly poor capacity to size/weight ratios, are ridiculously stiff and over padded and ironically in my opinion are quite frictionful and hard to use for small EDC items when they have a camera in them. And yet I find myself begrudgingly reaching for them when going out with just a camera and 1-2 lenses because (to your point) there’s very little else out there in this segment (it also baffles me how the traditional bag manufacturers like Lowepro/ThinkTank/Manfrotto etc. keep trying to tackle this crossover small EDC/camera bag sling space but their releases are just so weirdly out of touch it reminds me of the first few years of ICE manufacturers trying to tackle EVs and it was just like they weren’t mentally equipped for the paradigm shift and kept trying to design them like old ICE cars but just worse in every way)
ANYWAY. All of which is to say, I feel your pain. FWIW, have you ever looked at the Bellroy Venture Sling 10L Camera bag? (Don’t let the nominal 10L size rating fool you, it’s not that big). It has some of its own flaws but I find this pretty useful and tend to reach for it when I go out with my Hasselblad kit. I also sometimes rock the ThinkTank Photo Presspass 10 albeit with some mods - I removed the padded insert and attach the foam dividers directly to the sidewalls of the bag for lighter weight and more capacity with less superfluous nonsense and also I cut off the waist belt because I will never wear this as a fanny pack). It’s not the best option in the game, but I have used this camera to also haul my Hasselblad + two chunky medium format zooms across British Columbia photographing autumn leaves etc. and I am glad I went with that rather than the Peak Design option. Anyway, sharing since I feel your pain about the gap in this market segment!
And thank you so much for the sub my friend! I think there must be a non-trivial overlap of people with FF cameras/larger lenses and those who are into carry goods like backpacks and slings but relatively few bag reviewers tend to talk much about how cameras carry in many EDC bags. I shall slowly lead the charge to change this :)
@@TheMountainborn I really appreciate your detailed thoughts and suggestions re. smaller softer camera bags. Believe it or not, the bag I just bought for my new Nikon Zf and 1-2 lenses for shorter, casual walks is the BAGSMART Camera Bag, SLR DSLR Canvas Crossbody Camera Case, Compact Camera Shoulder Bag, from Amazon--$32, or much less on sale. It is just about the right size, has pleasing softer, nylon material, has two movable velcro lens dividers (I only use one and lay on flat for more padding. The main downside is it lacks any outside zip pockets, and the strap has a fixed angled position and cannot be removed or quickly adjusted--but it does have a decent sliding pad. But this is a pretty satisfactory bag as a starter kit (and I'm fairly sure more pleasing to wear and use than the Peak Designs), and an incredible value. I'd get a kick out of seeing your full-on review of this, given how disappointing the smaller camera sling choices are. The Bellroy 10L is on my radar but extremely expensive for what it is, and may be a bit too large for a smaller walkaround kit, at least to start. I might want to to add this later, but I think I would prefer a smaller camera backpack like the Tenba Fulton 16L, for more lenses and heavier loads, augmented by a small belt bag, to reduce unbalanced shoulder and back strain--I am over 65.
Great review ! I just received this bag last week , and definitely this is my favorite bag !! Can you please if possible let us know the brand is carabiner you have your car fab attached to ? Thanks
Looks like a heroclip to me
Yay!!! I'm so glad you like the bag - it's an awesome sling and has a firm spot on my EDC sling rotation these days. Regarding the carabiner - the one that I have my keys/car fob attached to is the James Brand Mehlville Carabiner → thejamesbrand.com/products/the-mehlville
The one that I have attached to the outside of the bag at the start of the video (so the side loops on the bag, not the car keys) is a small hero clip → www.gearaid.com/products/heroclip-small
Let me know if you have any other questions!
@@XeroxMeNow - Good eye! The one I have on the outside of the bag (attached to the side loop of the bag) is indeed a Hero Clip (in the small size). The one I have my keys/car fob attached to is the James Brand Mehlville carabiner.
This reminds me a lot of the Pakt 5L sling in terms of layout and volume, but has better distribution of volume along the vertical axis which is definitely a downside of the Pakt. Do you think a Ricoh GR-sized camera would fit well in one of the stretch mesh pockets (and be easy enough to retrieve/stash with one hand)? Also is it possible to carry this sling asymmetrically by anchoring the strap to one of the side loops? I'm really looking forward to see what else rework put out in future!
Great questions! I’m traveling at the moment testing out another bag and don’t have the sling with me but will check both of those things when I get back in a couple of days!
Can it fit an 11 inch IPad Pro? 🤪
Hi Rzon! Yes it can - I show this a few different times in the review (or just skip to the end of the loadout section where I show my usual EDC productivity loadout in this sling with an 11” iPad Pro w/ keyboard cover.). The main thing to note is that it has to go in the main compartment as it sadly doesn’t fit in the device sleeve but I still think it works decently well and importantly leaves all the other pockets in that area in a usable state.
@@TheMountainbornI was trying to be funny. I watched the whole thing and hearing that it can fit the iPad was stuck in my head.
@@rzon ahhhh hahaha gotcha! 😂 Sorry I misunderstood!!!
oh I could ask you a thousand questions I could go on I do love my slings. This sling is very intriguing and Im very very tempted to purchase it. However I have a bellroy lite sling 7L which I love but I have bigger items that I would like to carry altogether and the bellroy lite 7L sling just will not work for my bigger items. so Im thinking about getting the 9L venture sling but I have some concerned about that as well. Im doing a ton of research of bags right now and looking at 10L or 12L messenger bags but its not going great I don't want a messenger bag that looks like a briefcase. Im probably the only person in the world that does not carry and tablets or laptops. So my bag does not need to include those items yahoo. Looking at the AER bag day sling 3 max but Im not sure. Much harder to find bigger slings which probably to most people are not very practical. I do think this is bag checks a lot of boxes that most slings in this range don't come close to so it is very appealing. But having already a 7L sling I just don't know if it would be too similar and Im really looking for a different bag then the one I have. Slings are great I love them for daily errands they are amazing. great in-depth review really enjoyed it.
gives me aer pro sling vibes but slightly larger and better organization
+1 - that is a great way to describe it!
As an 11” iPad Pro owner, this bag feels about 2cm too narrow.
I feel you. I do wish that the tablet fit inside of the device sleeve instead of needing to go in the main compartment but I’m glad it still fits and more importantly still leaves all of the other pockets in that area in a usable state. I did share some feedback to the Rework Gear team after this review went live and they mentioned they’re aware that there is some demand for a larger version of this sling that can fit an iPad Pro or other similar tablet in the device sleeve so fingers crossed that this may come out some day!
Hi, May i know how's the strap like? because i keep reading complaints on forum regarding their straps which says that it is too rough & digging into the skin of their neck after wearing it quite some time, they had to change it to different brand of straps to be able to wear the sling comfortably. Thanks!
Yes - I saw a few people on Reddit had the same complaints. I did not experience any discomfort like that however I also was testing this bag in the autumn/winter so wasn’t really wearing the strap against bare skin or with only a light t-shirt. I did not have any issue with the strap digging into my neck however I also used accessory stabilizer strap (which is sold separately) when using the sling when moving actively (like riding a bike etc) so that may have been why - if the bag is loaded out heavily and used when moving actively with no stabilizer strap I could see how it might possibly rub against the neck.
So basically, I did not experience this during several months of testing but that’s not to say it might not happen to some people. That said, as I mentioned in my video, the strap is fairly simple/straightforward and sometimes felt insufficient (load carriage-wise) when the sling was loaded out with heavier things - this was the larger problem (so to speak - it’s more of an edge case thing) that I experienced with the strap rather than outright discomfort due to the face of the strap
do they have the same manufacturer as alpaka? that looks similar to the pro sling
When you say the Alpaka Pro Sling, do you mean the Go Sling Pro? (I’m not familiar with any sling by Alpaka just labeled the Pro sling so wanted to confirm)
I’m not sure who the specific manufacturer of each bag is but I believe that Alpaka Gear is manufactured in China while Rework Gear is manufactured in Vietnam (based on what is listed on each of their websites respectively - I haven’t asked each brand directly however)
Toshi 5L, Air Day Sling 3 Max or Bellroy Venture 6L - which is your favorite?
Great question - I’m a big believer in the philosophy of “The right tool for the right job.” So in this case, if I am carrying an iPad Pro, the right tool between those three is generally the Aer Day Sling 3 Max (venture doesn’t fit it, Toshi fits it but the Aer carries it better and in the main device pouch). If I will be active and want something more high/tight or have a bunch of smaller things that benefit from lots of small organization, then usually I’d be reaching for the Bellroy. If I am carrying something chunky or want something that can flex comfortably between different situations (or need external lash points like for jacket) then the Toshi sling is a solid choice.
All three of the ones you mention are in my current EDC sling rotation for the reasons listed above so I couldn’t really pick just one…. Frequency wise I would say probably the Bellroy Venture 6L (Carryology Chimera edition) probably gets the most time by a small margin (except when carrying tablet) but they’re all great slings and you should pick one based on your intended use case.
+1000 on the day sling 3 max ultra, why don’t they make it 😢
I KNOWWWWWWWW!!!!