Minaal Crossbody 2.0 Bag Review

Upon first glance, the Minaal Crossbody 2.0 Bag doesn’t appear to have much going on. However, in testing other gear from Minaal, we’re amped to see what’s hiding in plain site and curious to find out how this crossbody sling works for travel and everyday carry purposes. Let’s dive in!

External Components

The primary pack material on the Crossbody 2.0 is Minaal’s custom Picton fabric, which is 600D recycled polyester from plastic bottles. It’s durable, looks sleek, and offers fair water resistance. There isn’t anything special about this stuff; however, it gets the job done.

The zippers are from YKK, which is the best brand for zippers we’ve come across. We have a few sizes here, which is a testament to how well YKK zippers work in different situations.

The buckle on the strap is magnetic and made by Woojin. It is snappy, easy to use, and has a thin profile, which doesn’t get in the way as much.

Overall, the exterior of this pack is very minimalistic. This is helpful when trying to blend in, which will be a pro for some travelers. Plus, with details like YKK zippers and Woojin hardware, it’ll last a long time.

There’s no logo on the front or sides of the sling, either, which adds to the minimalism. Travelers who don’t like branding will like that, but we do feel like it’s missing something. That might just be us getting used to loud logos and branding; however, we’re here for this change of pace.

Fit Notes

The back panel has a Minaal logo and is well-padded. There’s a fine mesh over the padding, which is comfortable and adds breathability. There isn’t much structure here; however, we found it a comfy carry, even after a long day of exploring a new city. It’s much less stressful than lugging your daypack or travel backpack around all day, but you’ll lose features like a pocket for your travel water bottle and extra space to stow a tech pouch and other goodies.

The shoulder strap is pretty wide, which helps spread out the weight of the gear you load inside the bag. There’s no padding or aeration, which may deter some travelers, but we’ve found it to be mostly comfortable.

The magnetic buckle we mentioned earlier is in the center of the strap, making it more challenging to wear on your front side with a backpack. As a standalone sling, it does well; however, if you want to double up on your next trip, the back panel of your travel backpack might push the buckle into your back uncomfortably.

The sling has hip huggers, a small piece of material between the strap and the sling’s body. These prevent awkward pinching and bunching of the strap, and this iteration is one of the best we’ve seen. The material is mesh and stretches, which adds comfort. This is particularly useful if you’re moving quickly, taking a hike, or using it while cycling.

Inside The Sling

The Minaal Crossbody 2.0 Bag has two secret pockets on the sides of the back panel. They’re quite small, which is odd to us. You can stow cash, a pack of gum, and other small items here; however, that’s it. You can’t fit your wallet, phone, or passport. It’ll be handy if you are bringing a lot of cash or like to have a stash of different gum flavors while sampling onions in China. However, otherwise, we’re left wishing one of them was larger.

The main compartment is simple but effective. There isn’t much depth here, so you can’t fit larger items, but thin gear like a tablet or book fits inside.

A zippered pocket on the back wall is solid for locking gear down that you don’t want bouncing around the main compartment. This is a solid place to stow a passport, wallet, or other travel documents you want to keep safe. This pocket sits on the back panel, so we wouldn’t recommend using anything but flat gear here, as it can affect comfort.

There are three mesh pockets here, too. Two of them are small, and one is medium-sized. These are essential for locking down smaller tech, like headphones, a battery bank, and charging cables. Gear can pop out of here if the going gets rough, but we haven’t experienced that in testing.

The rest of the space is wide-open real estate. As mentioned earlier, you can stow a book or tablet here but place smaller things here, too. Think of an amalgamation of snacks, tech, everyday carry gear, and pamphlets from the various places you visit on your day wandering around Venice by dark alleys and murky canals.

Overall, we don’t think that the Minaal Crossbody 2.0 Bag is anything mind-blowing; however, because of that specifically, we like it for travel. It isn’t going to get people staring at your bag, so you can keep a low profile and move from location to location without any fuss. It’ll work for long walks, hikes, cycling, and everyday carry. The buckle placement may deter some travelers, but the thin profile buckle does okay in most situations.

Sometimes, just fine will work just fine.