ALPAKA Go Sling Mini V2 Review

Just because the original ALPAKA Go Sling Mini was good doesn’t mean it couldn’t be improved—and so they did. The brand overtly added some handy features, such as a top handle, new fabrics, and YKK zippers. Less obvious is the upsize from the original’s four liters of capacity to five. Regardless, this is a large sling to carry daily, so we’re looking at how that translates to the packing experience and how roomy it feels inside.

Additionally, we have a bone to pick with the large FIDLOCK buckle carried over from the original. So, without further ado, let’s check out the ALPAKA Go Sling Mini V2—yes, they’re keeping the name, too.

External Components

ALPAKA didn’t make any drastic changes to how the Go Sling Mini looks; honestly, they didn’t really have to. The original was a pretty slick-looking, understated sling, and we liked it that way. Take a closer look at the fabric, though, and you’ll see where they made a significant change. Those with the original will notice this is no longer Kodra HT fabric. Instead, ALPAKA opted for a 300-denier Axoflux fabric. It’s technically a lighter fabric than the 500-denier Kodra before it, though both fabrics feel just as tough and have fared just as well throughout our usage and testing. Interestingly, the Axoflux fabric seems more resilient to pet hair, so it should look cleaner longer if you spend a lot of time around cats and dogs.

At the time of writing, an X-Pac VX21 version is also available. It looks very striking due to the underlying cross-ply, which gives it that diamond pattern. While it’s the one to go for if you’re into that look, we think it’s a bit overkill in terms of durability. X-Pac’s waterproofing and thickness sound great, but the Axoflux fabric is more than enough for daily carrying within the city.

One of the main criticisms against the original Go Sling Mini was its jingly zippers. For our part, we never really noticed, and our real issue was that the zipper was stiff. Still, ALPAKA deemed it necessary to equip this version with YKK AquaGuard zippers with Hypalon-like pulls, which are noticeably less jingly and, more importantly, smoother to zip. For what it’s worth, we also feel having YKK zippers, a reliable, well-known brand, bodes well for this sling’s longevity.

Also new is the top carry handle. It’s also somewhat easy to miss because it blends so well at the top, but it’s definitely there. It’s useful when you just need to carry the sling from table to table or room to room without simply clutching it. It almost makes us wish that the main strap was removable so we could use it as a pouch with a handle. Sadly, that’s not the case.

On a related note, HUB-compatible loops on either side cleverly overflow from the main strap. HUB accessories are ALPAKA’s way of adding extra features to their gear, which include keychains, card holders, and small pouches that attach via magnetic clips. That said, there’s nothing proprietary about these loops, so you can hang whatever accessory you want on them, like simple carabiners and souvenir keychains.

The main strap is largely a carry-over from the original version. It’s still the slick-feeling, wide strap with a central magnetic FIDLOCK buckle. The buckle looks chunky, and it feels that way, too. You pull a small latch to disengage it, revealing a small triangular notch that locks each half in place. The magnet is pretty strong, so despite the mechanism’s relative intricacies, it’s quite secure and doesn’t randomly detach while you’re carrying the sling.

It’s worth noting that ALPAKA offers a Magnetic Stabilizer Strap that attaches to the D-ring below the sling’s back panel and onto the main strap. We can see that being useful for those who carry their slings while riding a bike, for example. It’s a separate purchase, though; thankfully, it’s not necessary for a comfortable carrying experience when simply walking down the street and taking strolls.

Fit Notes

Since this is a rather beefy 5-liter sling, it sits flush against the body, with gravity doing its thing to pull the sling’s mass tightly. Most of our concerns lie with the strap’s large, distracting FIDLOCK buckle. With the Go Sling Mini V2 slung on the back, we can feel the stiff buckle on the chest. When we move the sling to the front, the buckle is hard to reach anyway, despite the relative intuitiveness of the FIDLOCK’s latch. Worse, when wearing a travel backpack, the buckle gets pressed uncomfortably against us. If you want to see the antithesis to a buckle like this, we find the Bellroy Venture Sling 9L’s quick-release buckle to be very low-profile, out of the way, and functionally similar to a more typical side-release buckle.

Bulky magnetic buckles aside, though, the strap is well-proportioned to the Go Sling Mini V2’s large size. They didn’t go overboard by stuffing the strap with padding and other materials, something more apt for a messenger-sized bag. Instead, there’s just enough width to distribute the sling’s full weight on the shoulder. Plus, the material is slick enough to not feel abrasive against soft clothing or even bare skin.

Also worth noting is that the strap’s adjusters are very tight, which sounds good since it won’t slide randomly out of adjustment. However, it’s also hard to lengthen or shorten the strap while you’re wearing the sling. You must take it off and feed the strap through the adjusters until you’ve dialed in the best fit for you. Silver lining: there are built-in strap keepers to tidy up the slack once you’re done.

Inside The Sling

Like many slings, the Go Sling Mini V2 has a rear pocket. And like most slings with a rear pocket, it’s mostly ideal for storing flat items like a smartphone, minimalist wallet, and small travel documents (tickets, passports, etc.). There’s simply not enough horizontal depth for irregularly shaped gear, so we feel them bump against us while wearing the sling when we try to wedge them in. Additionally, since the sling’s heft makes it rest firmly against you, taking your smartphone out of this pocket is sometimes tricky, so just be aware of that.

The front compartment has more room and internal pockets for organizing gear. There are two liner pockets at the back and a key leash hanging from the top in the middle. This key leash is ALPAKA’s MOD Key Tether, which is fancy speak for a magnetically detachable clip for your keys. Marketing lingo aside, we actually like it since it lets us conveniently unlock doors without tugging on the leash to reach locks and doorknobs.

The liner pockets are relatively shallow, so we store mostly small gear inside them, like an AirPods case, lip balm, and maybe coins. The front area is open for storing anything you can fit, though the MOD Key Tether takes up most of it. Unfortunately, though there seems to be plenty of space to go around, thanks to the gusseted corners, it takes some strategizing to fit both your keys and whatever else you’re putting alongside it. Otherwise, it’s easy to make the sling’s front side look rather lumpy—lots of room, but pack smartly.

Interestingly, we noticed that ALPAKA specs the Go Sling Mini V2 at one liter more capacity than the original, which had four (that’s a total of five for those who hate math). On the other hand, once we open the main compartment, the interior still looks somewhat shallow. It’s a bit tricky reconciling the fact that this is a big sling with the reality that it gets easily cramped. In practice, it simply means we need to pack our gear neatly, side by side if we want them to fit and be easy to access at the same time. Because if we don’t, it’s too easy for items to pile over each other, making the whole interior a tough mess to untangle—quite literally, in some cases.

In terms of organization, the Go Sling Mini V2’s interior is kept simple, with two liner pockets at the front to handle small gear. These pockets are also wide enough for chunkier items like the Anker Nano II charging adapter or a small wallet like the Bellroy Card Pocket. From our testing, flat gear packs well in these pockets—and inside this main compartment, in general—since the space is fairly narrow and you don’t want items blocking each other, as mentioned earlier.

Last but certainly not least is the divider pocket at the back. ALPAKA explicitly says that an iPad mini or Nintendo Switch can fit, arguably its main draw. The pocket has padding that feels reassuringly substantial, with a plastic insert at the rim for reinforcement. The side effect of having that reinforcement is that when you pry the main compartment open, it causes the divider to bow out, obscuring a large portion of the interior.