Osprey Europe Unisex Daylite Sling

Product Information

Initially developed for military body armor, ballistic nylon is strong…and possibly a bit overkill on a sling bag. While we love that you won’t have to worry about the exterior of your bag falling apart on you, it does weigh more than other fabrics and feels stiff against the body. Still, it’s a great choice thanks to its exceptional resistance to pilling and water. Plus, it won’t do any damage to your clothing as it rubs against it.

Lefties make up only 10% of the population and thus can be ignored by companies who’d rather reach the majority of consumers (sorry, lefties. The truth hurts). In our years of testing gear, we’ve come to realize that organization is one of those things that’s very personal. Some people like bags with large, empty compartments while others are offended when there’s not a spot for each one of their fancy pens. There’s also a loop near the top of the shoulder strap, which you can hang on a hook or use for attaching accessories. We’ve had success attaching a travel water bottle with a carabiner. While you can fit a water bottle inside the sling, it’ll take up a lot of space, so it’s nice to carry it externally. We would’ve loved to end this guide with “all that said, the best sling bag for travel is…” because, let’s be real, that would save us all a lot of time and effort. Unfortunately, there is no such thing as the best sling bag for travel. There is only the best sling bag for you. So, let’s review how you can choose a sling bag you’ll fall in love with. To make things extra easy, we’ve broken it up into three steps: 1. Decide Why You Want a Sling BagBy the time you finish reading this guide, you’ll be a sling expert with all the knowledge necessary to find the best sling bag for you—or your mom, your friend, your dog, etc. The Short Answer: The 17 Best Sling Bags for Travel, EDC, and Beyond This version of Daylite only works when worn from the right shoulder. It’s a bit of a hassle if you’re right-handed. But! Osprey now has an ambidextrous upgrade, which would be more convenient.

Keep your essentials within reach. Stay lightweight and handsfree while going about your day with Osprey Daylite Shoulder Sling. Earplugs (every plane has at least one crying baby, even if it’s your own; it’s like a law of physics or something) In this guide, we’re going to walk you through how to choose the best sling bag for your situation, which means diving into all of the different aspects and explaining what works best for a variety of situations. We’re also going to provide some specific sling bag recommendations based on months of testing. Before I tell you what I thought about those features here are the rest of the specs from Osprey. Spec Sheet* Cost Remember, there’s no one sling bag to rule them all, there’s just the best sling bag for you. So we highly suggest reading our complete guide to figure out your best fit (your future favorite one might not have made this list). Video Overview: 10 Sling Bags For Every Occasion | Should You Travel With One?While Louis Vuitton and Prada sling bags fall under the fashion category, you don’t have to break the bank here (unless you want to, of course). Fashion sling bags are designed to impress with sleek zippers, unique straps, or other sophisticated design elements. Sometimes, although not always, this trendiness comes at a price—and that price is lower durability. That’s fine if your use-case is pretty low-impact, but if you’re planning to use your sling bag time and again while traveling the world, you may want to opt for another style. From one of the most famous brands in the outdoor industry, Daylite has a six-liter capacity. It’s enough to accommodate small must-haves like your phone, wallet, hand sanitizer, and water bottle. Being the thorough gear testers that we are, we decided to test as many of those claims as possible. We’ve taken the Daylite Sling to beaches, trails, shopping districts, and grocery stores (one of which was similar enough to a farmers’ market) and would’ve taken it to school if we were students. We plan to hit even more locales as we continue testing, perhaps an amusement park or two. Osprey Daylite Sling | It’s a nice size for carrying your daily essentials. The only other issue I had was that it didn’t come with a hydration system so I had to take up some of the room with a water bottle. This is a very first world problem complaint I know. I am not sure if they could make a bladder that would fit but that would be kind of nice. Video Review of the Osprey Daylite Sling

Osprey advertises the Daylite Sling as ideal for most occasions—school, grocery shopping, farmers’ markets, festivals, beaches, hikes, and so on. The Osprey name is also printed on the ubiquitous molded plastic loop zipper pulls. They attach with thin cords to the YKK zippers, which are slightly stiff yet work well. And when faced with the choice between a zipper that comes undone too easily and one that requires a little effort to open, we’ll choose the stiffer zipper every time to keep our gear safe. Osprey Daylite Sling | Molded plastic zipper pulls are easy to grasp. The magic of ripstop nylon is all in its name. Due to its magical properties—AKA, the extra fibers that are sewn into its square weave—ripstop nylon prevents punctures from spreading into full-on rips. Moreover, like plain old nylon, ripstop has a high strength-to-weight ratio, meaning it’s lightweight but still remarkably strong—a significant asset for a sling bag. Plus, it’s currently used in ejector seat parachutes for fighter pilots(!), and if it’s good enough for fighter pilots, it’s good enough for us. While there are some sling bags out there that are seriously tactical (think Apocalypse ready), others just look tactical. While the former is probably better suited for outdoorsy things, the latter can be great for travel. Usually made of high-quality stuff, these bags are ready for whatever you throw at them. Overall, you can load up your essentials for your hike or commute to work using Osprey Daylite Shoulder Sling with six liters. The internal organization and construction were the primary selling points for us. And we also love how the main compartment is spacious and can fit more than we expected.These lefty-inclusive sling bags have straps that can be anchored on either side of the bag, allowing you to wear it across whichever shoulder you’d like. That way, if you’re left-handed, you can wear it on your left shoulder, so when you “sling” the bag forward, your left hand is ready to work the zippers.

While this isn’t a comprehensive list of all of the fabrics you’ll run into while shopping (sorry sailcloth and polypropylene) a majority of sling bags will be made with one or multiple of the materials mentioned above. But the material itself isn’t the be-all, end-all. Besides keeping you trendy, sling bags are awesome because they’re convenient. That convenience becomes obsolete if it’s uncomfortable, hard to access, or doesn’t properly fit your use-case. Here are some things to keep in mind when you’re considering investing in your soon-to-be favorite new accessory. Straps Crossbody sling bags are the reason some people say sling bags are purses for men who are embarrassed to say they own a purse. It has a similar aesthetic to a purse, but with a longer strap and smaller body. They tend to have a more vertical orientation as well. We think crossbody slings work well for travel, although since they don’t sit as close to the body as other sling bags, may not feel as secure in a bustling metropolis or busy market.That’s not the only hardware on the new Daylite Sling, though. There’s now also a large swivel hook with a gatekeeper clip, allowing you to change the side where you connect the strap. There’s no visible branding on this clip, but we don’t care—it works well, and, unlike the original Daylite Sling, it allows us to switch which shoulder carries the bag. At least for the time being, sling bags are “in.” You’ll find them in pretty much every high street store, and even luxury brands like Louis Vuitton are selling them. We don’t know about you, but we love it when fashion and convenience merge. Other Use-Cases for Sling Bags Include: Now that you know what a sling bag is, let’s talk about why one will change your life (or, at the very least, make carrying stuff easier). Sling Bags Are Perfect for Your In-Flight Essentials Most sling bags fall into the travel/outdoors/EDC realm, but some have dared to be different. These specialist sling bags to work for very specific use cases (hence the whole “specialist” thing). We’ll briefly run through these sling bags here, so you’re not caught off-guard if you ever encounter one in the wild. Secure Sling Bags While the Osprey brand logo remains in the same place on the update as it was on the original, there’s now “Daylite” printed in all-caps at the bottom of the front, as well, so you know what bag you’re recommending when you get a compliment on the forest trail.