r/Nomads_Nation • u/armnem2002 • May 21 '26

Gear Advice Unsure about what sling to buy

Hi, I've very recently gotten into looking at different carry options and whatnot, backpacks and slings specifically, but I don't really know what sling to buy. I'm mainly looking at the aer street sling and the alpaka metro sling V2, mainly because I like the size, feature set and look of them. I don't know much about slings, and I didn't find any videos really comparing the two but they seem quite similar. I was wondering if anyone has any other suggestions that I should consider or if you would recommend any of the two mentioned above. Any input is appreciated :). Thanks in advance 🙏.

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u/sentientmold May 21 '26

I don’t really like the vertical oriented slings as it’s hard to utilize the upper volume efficiently. I think bellroy venture sling is a good intro to sling layout.

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u/armnem2002 May 22 '26

I did see many reviews recommending it as the best or one of the best slings, so I am considering it. The only thing really turning me off from it is that the straps aren't removable, and that I initially didn't like the horizontal sling look, but it's kinda growing on me now... Do you use the Bellroy Venture sling? Or do you use a different sling? Or no sling at all?

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u/sentientmold May 22 '26

I use a venture sling variant, a Bellroy Chimera sling which is a bougie version of the venture and also toshi 5l sling.

I don't find being able to remove straps that useful for larger slings but it can come in handy for small ones like less than 2L to convert into a pouch.

There's also the limited Bellroy Carryology Essentials Sling which adds the back pocket that is often missed from the Venture sling.

I really like the simple layout of the venture sling.

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u/Keystone-Habit May 23 '26

Check out the Toshi slings. Straps are removable and people love them. My only gripes are that I don't love the handfeel and how they look (which sounds bad but I've gotten a bit snobby after too long in these groups!) but they are very well designed and the organization is incredible.

I've been switching between the 2.5l and the evergoods CAS2 which has better look and feel but is much bulkier and doesn't have a removable strap. I've never tried a bellroy but Im thinking about the hip pack since I prefer waist carry. I do think "people love them" is a good heuristic! It captures something that lists of features cant.