1733 Waste Pouch Review

One of the best things about the day after Thanksgiving is the leftover food. This is where creativity shines, and everyone tries their hand at making the most out of half-eaten holiday turkeys and salads. Admittedly, most of them turn out to be sandwiches with slight variations, but all of them are unique in their own way. And yes, you can apply that logic with bags as well.

Who’s applying that logic? 1733, a company that’s been making bags out of their humble studio with just a team of three. Sometimes they work with other domestic factories (that’s in the US), so they can keep up with demand. For the most part, though, they make bags in small volumes, which highlights their products’ handmade nature.

Case in point is their Waste Pouch, and nope, that’s not a typo. It’s named as such because the fabric used for it are leftovers from their other bags (and with that, the intro now makes more sense). The Waste Pouch is just like a post-Thanksgiving sandwich: a bit scrappy, but in a good and endearing way. Unfortunately, it’s going to take more than a tug on the heartstrings to win us over. So let’s see if the Waste Pouch has more going for it.

External Components

The sample we have has an all-black exterior that uses X-Pac X11 fabric. We’ll spare you a lengthy explanation of what exactly X-Pac fabric is. At its core, X-Pac is a multi-layer fabric with a nylon out layer, X-PLY reinforcement in the middle, and a polyester film at the back. Some types will have more layers or different materials, but they all home in on one key characteristic: water resistance. Oh, and a diamond pattern outlining the fabric because of the X-PLY.

Indeed, the Waste Pouch we have fends off water like a champ, but this doesn’t mean it’s waterproof. Check out how toothy the zippers are. The gaps in the teeth can still let water in, so we wouldn’t throw this in the pool if given a chance (granted, we wouldn’t throw any bag in a pool, but you get the point).

A good side effect of having X-Pac fabric on a bag is good structure, courtesy of having all those layers. So for a pouch that’s not even one liter in capacity, the Waste Pouch feels rather robust in hand, if a bit crunchy in terms of texture. That said, two holes have developed at the base. We’re not quite sure how it happened, but both holes seem to line up, so whatever pierced this sample went through twice. Fortunately, these punctures are tiny, and they haven’t deteriorated further to compromise the Waste Pouch’s integrity.

Now all of that said, your mileage may still vary as not all Waste Pouches are created equal. In fact, if you go to their website right now, as you’re reading this review, the available Waste Pouches listed may not have the same materials as the one we have. At the time of writing, we’ve seen different versions of X-Pac fabric used, such as X11 and V21RS, but there could be more. On the plus side, you have variety in terms of colorway selection.

As you can see, the accompanying strap on the Waste Pouch isn’t anything fancy. It’s a simple nylon strap with a quick-release buckle and a strap keeper. Our only real issue with it is how loose the strap keeper is. It’s loose enough that we need to place it on the stitching to keep it in place. However, that also means having it right next to the tip of the slack. So whenever we make any adjustment to the strap’s length, there’s a high chance of the strap keeper letting go of the slack.

Fortunately, strap adjustments are usually a set-it-and-forget-it kind of thing. That is unless you’re frequently switching between thick and thin clothing, and you have to make constant adjustments throughout the day or week.

Fit Notes

The Waste Pouch sits very relaxedly against the body because of the way the straps are mounted, sticking out diagonally from the corners. Couple this with the Waste Pouch’s low-profile design, and you have a minimalist sling that stays mostly out of the way and is easy to carry despite its very minimal strap.

The downside is that the Waste Pouch doesn’t feel very comfortable when you wear it more tightly like you would the Aer Day Sling 2. The ideal style is to wear it crossbody or on one side, but that’s good enough for us in terms of comfort. The Waste Pouch isn’t really the kind of sling we’d take on a hardcore trek that necessitates a tight fit for the sake of weight balance. No, the Waste Pouch is more at home on casual strolls in a city or a neighborhood.

The only consideration you’ll want to make is where you want the quick-release buckle to be. Having the Waste Pouch on your right will place it behind you while having it on your left puts it in front. To each their own, but we recommend placing the Waste Pouch where your dominant hand is for the sake of convenience.

While you can wear it as a waist pack (you know, as the name suggests), we don’t find it particularly preferable to do so. In terms of comfort, it still wears closely to the body as it does as a sling, minus the convenience. Having to do and undo it like a belt each time is a bit of a hassle, which is why we tend to shy away from waist-pack-style carrying most of the time.

Inside The Sling

Something we skipped about the external features is the zipper pulls. Yep, they’re quite long, even for such chunky zippers. The good news is that they’re simply knotted paracord pulls, which you can undo and cut as needed. In fact, you can just remove them altogether if you really find them distracting.

Anyway, the front pocket’s zippered opening (which doesn’t come with a paracord pull) is oriented diagonally. More than just an aesthetic choice, this makes access to the pocket’s floor easier while preserving a lot of its volume when you have it open. An iPhone 13 fits, but it takes some shimmying to get it under the pocket’s upper lip.

There’s no additional organization inside, but that’s okay since further compartmentalization of an already small pocket will just make it feel cramped. Remember, this is a sub-one-liter sling, so you don’t have much volume to work with. In any case, there’s enough space for other everyday carry items besides your phone, such as keys, cash, cards, and other smaller accessories.

The main compartment is more of the same. It opens up horseshoe-style, with the zippers going about halfway down the sides in a crescent shape. It’s a relatively wide opening for a small sling like the Waste Pouch, so we’re not too concerned that the interior is one huge dump pocket.

Well, not a total dump pocket. There is a divider pocket at the back to provide some organization inside. It’s very minimal and not quite enough if you’re hoping to use the Waste Pouch as a part-time organizer for your tech accessories. However, like the front pocket, it’s perfectly fine for everyday carry items like a mid-size battery bank, a packed wallet, and some snacks. There’s a flat enough floor that you can easily arrange gear without feeling like they’re funneling into a pit. Plus, the interior isn’t pitch black, so that’s a nice win for interior visibility.

The repurposed nature of the Waste Pouch doesn’t really get in the way of it being a good sling. The build quality seems to hold up pretty well, apart from those inexplicable punctures. While the layout and organization are simple, it’s very serviceable if you’re just looking for a simple two-compartment day sling. It’s simple, cobbled together, but manages to hit the spot, like that post-Thanksgiving sandwich we were mumbling about earlier.