Monos Metro Mini Crossbody Review

We love getting our hands on new crossbody bags and slings, especially when we’re taking a trip. However, many of our favorites definitely look more casual and don’t necessarily pair well with dresses, skirts, or nicer-looking travel pants. Of course, it’s the times you’re wearing clothing like that you most need a sling since designers haven’t gotten on board with the fact that every outfit needs a pocket. So, what do you do when you need a crossbody bag that looks as sleek and polished as your style? You pick one like the Monos Metro Mini Crossbody, which goes just as well with sundresses and slacks as with linen and denim.

We packed this bag for an eight-day trip to the Caribbean, where we needed to carry a phone, lip balm, a couple of cards, and a few other essentials around a Jamaican resort. How did it hold up? That’s what we’re about to share.

External Components

The Monos Metro Mini Crossbody is a single-hued vegan leather bag, which is to say that it’s made with a combination of PU and nylon, although it looks much more premium than the pleather pants we sported at the dance club in college. The matte finish gives it a leather look without the guilt, as well as more structure than a supersoft calfskin bag we recently tested. We’re also happy to say that it resisted picking up sunscreen stains in Jamaica, which is more than we can say for just about any other material we got our hands on. So, if you don’t want white streaks marring your bag (and why would you?), it’s a good small bag to pack for your next cruise or warm-weather vacation

We’re testing the Carbon Black, but you can also pick it up in Ivory, Saddle Tan, and Mahogany as of the time of this review. All have the simple Monos logo embossed into the bottom center of the bag to keep the minimalist vibe going.

It continues with the closure, a simple magnetic snap on the underside of the top flap. It works well, although connecting it can sometimes be tricky when the bag is fully packed. A few times, we had to try to lift the corner of the top flap and see the snap to ensure the female side of the snap lined up with the male portion before it clicked into place. It’s not often a problem, but it is something to remember, especially if you have more gear centered in the main compartment instead of an even level of items.

The harness system is also minimal. There’s no back panel padding or breathable mesh. Instead, there is simply one long strap that you can adjust to be longer or shorter by moving holes along the strap to align with two rivets, much like a belt. It takes some effort to push the holes onto the pegs the first time or two that you adjust it, but we’d rather have to use some effort than have the holes so large that the strap falls off the posts.

There are two loops of material to hold the excess strap, but you will have some extra left over. Since the material is so stiff, the excess sticks out, and it never laid completely flat during our testing period. While the top loop is fixed, the bottom strap-keeper loop can move, and we find that it tends to do so on its own, moving the end of the strap along with it depending on how you lay down or pick up the bag.

Fit Notes

This bag’s capacity is less than 1 liter, so it’s comfortable to carry however long you need to, mostly because you can’t pack much inside. Even if you fill it with rocks (though why would you?), there’s not enough space for too many stones to weigh you down. The strap is the same PU leather as the remainder of the bag, and we find it comfortable to wear, even on bare shoulders. You barely feel the bag is there, whether you wear it crossbody or over one shoulder. If you want our opinion, it’s much better worn as the name suggests—crossbody—because you’ll have to shorten the handle quite a bit and deal with a lot of leftover strap if you want to wear it on one shoulder. Plus, it’s so lightweight that you don’t begin to notice it slipping off a shoulder until it’s too late—or at least we didn’t.

As for looks, we really like the Metro Mini Crossbody’s minimalist style. It looks good with fairly dressy clothing and even blends in with a professional aesthetic if you have it in a matching or coordinating colorway as your suit. Since the strap is so long, it fits users tall and small with just a little adjustment, and the material is thick enough that you don’t feel anything banging up against you when you wear it.

Inside The Sling

Even though this is a tiny bag, it has one exterior compartment to cover. It’s a shallow slip pocket on the outside of the bag. Flat gear does best here since it can be hard to stick your hand all the way inside, especially when the interior of the crossbody is already full. However, we liked using it for gum, lip balm, or a slim battery bank like the Clutch Charger Pro. It’s also a good place to keep your phone or any tickets you need as you make your way through the airport to keep it within easy reach if you prefer, though you’ll have to choose between the battery bank and your phone because there’s not enough room for both.

There’s space inside the crossbody for whichever you don’t put in the exterior pocket, though. When you flip open the flap, you’ll find a pocket against the rear where you can stash your passport or slide your phone if you don’t need to carry international ID. On the front of this pocket are two card slots where you can slide a hotel key card and your ID or a few credit cards so you can leave your minimalist wallet behind. We have no issue sliding a few cards into each pocket, though you will have to rifle through to find the one you want. Two in each pocket seems to be the sweet spot; we can fit six total (three in each), but it’s a tight fit.

In front of this pocket, there’s still room for more small accessories, depending on what you want to carry. When at an all-inclusive resort, that meant hand sanitizer, tissues, lipstick, the daily schedule, and a waterproof phone case. It’s easy to overpack this slim bag, so you’ll have to pick and choose what’s most important to you and leave behind what you don’t need that day. Carrying less is part of this bag’s draw; if you’re looking for something to just hold the essentials without weighing you down, you don’t want the space to carry extraneous items you may or may not need. With the Monos Metro Mini Crossbody, you won’t have to put in the effort to cut down on what you carry. Once it’s full, you’re done!

However, we find it great for daily use, shopping, and exploring, no matter where you are. If you need to carry more, pair it with a daypack to have the bare necessities (phone, wallet, keys) by your side at all times. Yet if that’s all you need to carry and you lack the pockets to hold them, it’s a good travel companion to keep your hands free for more important things, like taking photos or enjoying cocktail hour.