BellroyVenture Ready Sling 2.5L, Unisex Crossbody Bag, Water-resistant Materials, Perfect for Travel

I'm new to the sling bag world, and am old enough to remember the less than stellar fanny packs of childhood. Needless to say, I've been apprehensible and self-conscious about them.But, I also hate carrying stuff in my pockets all of the time and also like to bring my camera with me places so it was time to find a small bag so that I didn't have to bring my bigger camera bags with me.After doing as much research and video watching as I could stomach I settled on trying this bellroy sling. Here's how it shakes out:It's definitely more expensive than it needs to be. It's nice, don't get me wrong, but I can't say that I feel that the price totally makes sense to me.It's nice and slim, easy and comfy to wear, but also has plenty of space for my needs. I typically only carry a wallet, phone, keys and chapstick (and a camera) and I've got plenty of space in this bag to comfortably use.The strap is plenty long, and the buckle design actually is pretty dang cool. I was worried about it coming undone and dropping the bag, but it's been very secure thus far (knock on wood).There are multiple zippered pockets with different sections, so you can keep your stuff organized and easily accessible.If you're looking for a small yet roomy and usable bag and aren't worried about the higher price of this one I would actually recommend this one - especially if you carry a small camera like an x100v, Ricoh, etc and want something to carry it in!

I use this pouch for theme park essentials and it's pretty much perfect. It's big enough to carry everything I need without being uncomfortable or bulky, has enough compartments and dividers to keep things organized without wasting space, and looks good. The magnetic latch is super easy to disconnect when you want but also won't come apart accidentally or if simply pulled on. The material is tough, water resistant, and lightweight.A little pricey but is a great example of "buy once, cry once"; the quality of the materials and assembly means it should still look and work great when others have already fallen apart.

Very nice item and the size is what I expected. The zippers a bit too hard to open and close and the sling strap can be uncomfortable if one is wearing a T-shirt because it digs into the skin. I am looking to add some padding that will slide along the strap.

Listing the pros and cons1) great sling. Just great2) storage size is just right for my use not too big not too small.3) it carry’s my essentials for work and for when I travel. iPhone max, wallet, AirPods, hand sanitiser & passport. It could do more but I don’t push it.4) sleek looking and keeps a low profile.5) solid zippers6) Low maintenance I have not washed it and the bag looks great. No fading and no random stains or spots.7) good amount of organisation8) I like the magnetic clip for quick removal but it’s locks solid when in place (my experience so far)Cons1) need to wash the outside only there are some very specific instructions. Never tried them but I should.Summary.I am very happy with my purchase. I have been using this daily for 7 months or more.

UPDATE: 9/3/2025 - I've tried other smaller slings since wring this review to try to get to a "perfect" one, figuring I'm kind of wasting space the extra space I'm not using. I always end up coming back to this one, and I've finally settled with it. This is the "goldilocks" sling for me. Because of this, I decided to order the new DeepOcean color for an upcoming trip, and more importantly because I heard they updated the strap to a coarser material that doesn't slide as much (I use it a lot on walks and this is really the one small thing I would change on it).And they did! It's an interesting roughish ribbed material that seems like it does indeed slide less. But they also changed a couple other small things that may be of interest which compelled me to write this review. So if you are a prospective buyer of the DeepOcean, Fog, Safari, and potentially the Black one: the glasses pouch in the main pocket seems like it holds closer to the inside of the sling rather than kind of flopping around, the magnet on the buckle seems much tighter, the zipper pulls sit floppy on the bag rather than rigidly pointing out like the original, and the metal loops that the bag uses in its compression are subtly different (slimmer?). Overall feels like a good upgrade, but obviously I will still be using both!ORIGINAL REVIEW - I've looked at many a sling, and have always resisted this one because of the advertised 2.5L capacity when all I really need is a pocket reliever, and a 1L sling was already very close to what I wanted (it was just VERY packed out for my tastes, so I figured I needed 1.5 max). Finally after many misses I gave in to the Venture Ready Sling and I'm SO glad I did. This thing is perfect. I was worried about the sewn in strap, but the built-in compression makes total sense and it's super comfy with lots of room to expand. It packs a lot if needed, but stays about as small as possible and I love it for that. The color in the product images is also very accurate, which is surprisingly rare, it looks amazing in dark "Nightsky" blue. Barring it being a bit expensive, I wouldn't recommend anything else for anyone in the same situation.