ALPAKA Flight Sling Review

The ALPAKA Flight Sling is phenomenally suited for travel and everyday use, featuring a design that helps maintain organization in a lightweight and slim form factor. One of the standout features of this product is its flexible and lightweight nature, which does not compromise its ability to hold all your daily or travel essentials. This pack also includes a detachable nylon strap, enhancing convenience and accessibility so you can use it as a tech or essentials pouch or sling when you arrive at your destination. This strap is equipped with a magnetic buckle for quick release, ensuring that your items are always within reach and accessible at a moment’s notice.

Despite its sleek and slim design, it can comfortably fit an iPad Mini and a Nintendo Switch, making it quite versatile. It comes in a minimal and timeless Black or a dark olive Green for those who prefer a bit of color. This combination of functionality and style makes the ALPAKA Flight Sling a top choice for those looking for a reliable and fashionable carry option.

External Components

The exterior is a somewhat rugged 200D ripstop nylon (available in Black and Green), and if you look closely, features a gridded pattern. The overall quality feels very well made, just like most of ALPAKA’s products, and it feels like it can certainly handle anything thrown at it. One of the most surprising elements of this sling is just how flat it is when empty. Its incredibly slim profile and super lightweight construction make it perfect for travel, hence the name “Flight Sling,” since you can compress it to a minimal footprint without sacrificing storage.

Another standout feature of this sling is its attention to detail when it comes to weatherproofing. In addition to the durable and protective ripstop nylon, both zippers feature weatherproof YKK AquaGuard zippers. While these zippers are somewhat quiet, we do not find them to be particularly “silent,” which is something to keep in mind if that is important to you. One small note is the design of the zippers. While the main compartment features a zipper at each end for easy access no matter what side of your body the bag rests on, the front pocket only includes one zipper.

The only exterior attachment points are on the back of the bag. They integrate with the included nylon strap to turn this bag from a pouch to a dedicated sling. The nylon strap feels soft and sturdy with a minimal form factor. We love that they included a magnetic buckle in the middle of the strap to allow for easier access on and off. While the buckle no longer sits in the middle of the strap after adjusting the length for bigger bodies, the G-clips used to attach the strap to the bag are easily adjustable no matter which side you wear it. We also appreciate the subtle design etched into the buckle itself because the little arrows help point out which way to slide the buckle for release.

Aside from that, the rest of the exterior bag is minimal, with no additional grab handles, attachment points, or obtrusive branding. The only branding on the outside of this pack is on the side as a small tab that features the brand’s name in all black. The only other branding is on a small tag inside the main compartment. This is always nice to see and appreciated since overt branding can often draw unwanted attention when traveling in more busy environments.

Fit Notes

The overall aesthetic is minimal and simplistic, with only the two visible pockets on the top. Those are more noticeable on the Green variant than on the Black model. Its slim and lightweight form factor makes it ideal for everyday essentials as it sits nicely against the body. Even when loaded with a wallet, an iPhone 15 Pro Max, keys, hand sanitizer, gum, and AirPods, it still feels comfortable and snug without sagging or compromising on its form factor, as other slings tend to do when they start to reach their limit.

Inside The Pack

One of the appeals of this bag is its minimal and straightforward carry capacity combined with its lightweight and slim form. The sling features three pockets for organization: a front pocket with ALPAKA’S integrated MOD Key Tether, a main compartment with extra organization, and a back slip-style pocket for quick and easy access.

We’ll switch things up and start with the slip pocket on the back. It sits in between the attachment points for the included strap, and while it does not offer any give or stretch, we find it to be perfect for a phone or wallet since it’s an easy location to get items in and out without messing with any zippers. It is also somewhat hidden for extra safety and security. However, keep in mind that the material of this pocket is the same 200D ripstop nylon that makes up the rest of the bag when considering what to place here. The fabric isn’t rough, but we are hesitant to put sensitive items like glasses in this pocket since it rests against the body in sling mode and lacks padding.

The front pocket offers no additional organization but includes the MOD Key Tether. While the leash is not particularly long or stretchy, it is super easy to use with its magnetic fastening system. We expected this magnetic buckle to function similarly to the magnetic buckle on the strap, but this one took a bit more fidgeting to get the hang of. It’s not too complex or anything like that, but just something to keep in mind. The front pocket is a nice dump site ideal for small items like keys, lip balm, and gum. We are hesitant to put anything sensitive like AirPods or a phone in this pocket since we also had keys here and want to avoid unnecessary scratches.

The main compartment provides a bit more organization. The dedicated tablet sleeve can fit up to an iPad mini, and there are also two slip pockets on the front of this compartment. These pockets don’t feature any kind of mesh lining or stretchiness but do provide a good amount of storage. We use the rest of the compartment for flat items like wallets or phones. The tablet sleeve offers a subtle felt-like material that is not the softest but should provide adequate protection for a tablet, e-reader, or similar electronics.

With small slings and everyday carry bags like the lululemon Everywhere Belt Bag (1L and 2L) and Mini Belt bag exploding onto the scene, comparing the ALPAKA Flight Sling to one of these feels appropriate, especially the larger, 2L, lululemon Everywhere Belt Bag. While they are both rated at having a 2L capacity, we found the ALPAKA Flight Sling to be slightly longer and more consistent with a tech pouch than the Belt Bag, even though they appear to have a similar height. We also found that despite their identical carrying capacity, the ALPAKA Flight Sling felt more comfortable and less cramped when we attempted to load them with the same gear. The lululemon Everywhere Belt Bag also features one zippered pocket that opens up fairly wide but does not seem to have any additional weatherproofing. Despite its limited color range, the overall build quality of the ALPAKA Flight Sling seems to be higher and has more useful and intuitive features.

The ALPAKA Flight Sling is an excellent choice for those seeking a compact, flexible, and stylish carry option for a variety of situations. Its light and slim design makes it supremely portable, while its versatile storage options can comfortably accommodate various gear. We love the attention to detail, durable materials, and weatherproof zippers, which enhance its longevity and reliability for daily use or travel. Compared to similar products, the ALPAKA Flight Sling stands out with its superior build quality and thoughtful features. Despite a few negligible points, it offers great value and performance, making it a highly recommended choice for everyday carry and travel essentials.