tomtoc Wander-T26 Daily Sling 5.5L Review

We’ve come to know and love tomtoc for making high-quality gear at a low price point. Some of their packs aren’t as cheap as others, and this is one of those cases. Whereas it still comes in much lower than sling brands like Aer and Bellroy, we’re curious if it makes sense to go for a mid-range sling from a budget-friendly brand. Let’s find out!

External Components

The primary pack material here is 1680D nylon. It’s durable, looks sleek, and has a solid structure that doesn’t need to be completely full to hold its shape. If we’re honest, you could have told us this was CORDURA®, and we might have believed you. If you compare it to 1680D CORDURA®, it might not have as much heft, but it’s just as durable in our experiences with it so far.

The pack utilizes YKK zippers, another quality aspect of this sling. YKK is the best in the business, and we’ve had no issues with these so far.

The plastic hardware is from Duraflex and works as you’d expect it to—nothing to complain about durability or usability-wise here.

The tomtoc logo is on the pack’s front right side. It’s metal, minimalistic, and sleek-looking. We dig this because it isn’t visible from a distance and looks nice when you see it up close. Small details like this have us raving about tomtoc more and more as we review more of their products.

There are compression straps on either side of the pack. They come in handy if you’re trying to save space or stop your gear from moving around inside when the bag isn’t full, but we didn’t find ourselves using them a ton. The materials have enough structure to stay put, so they aren’t the most useful unless you want to make the sling smaller.

On the sling’s front side, there’s a loop where you can attach a bike light. This is handy for folks who will use this sling while commuting. Whereas we prefer a taillight mounted on our bicycle, this is handy for folks who want multiple bikes and only one set of lights. Additionally, you can attach gear here with a carabiner or strap.

On the top, there’s a handle with some padding. It’s comfortable to hang onto, even for extended periods, and is handy for when you’ve taken the strap off and want to carry the sling somewhere. Large hands can fit through the handle with ease, which we dig.

Fit Notes

The back panel has some padding but no aeration. We didn’t find the pack overly suffocating, even in warmer weather, but it gets a bit sweaty on sweltering days. However, this is often the case with slings, daypacks, and travel backpacks that utilize thick materials like this.

The strap attaches to both sides of the sling with a swivel buckle, which is handy because it lets you wear this sling on your front or back and left or right shoulder. This works well, but the swivel makes a high-pitched squeaking noise. It isn’t super annoying because of how quiet it is, but it’s ever-present while you’re wearing the sling. We have yet to figure out how to stop this, but we’re working on it. Because there are swivels on both sides, you can’t escape the noise of a baby bird in the distance calling to its mother for breakfast by switching how you wear the sling. Older folks with hearing loss may not be able to hear it; however, the bird is still hungry, even if you don’t notice it.

The strap has a middle padded section that slides along the length of the material. We like that you can slide it over the hard plastic adjusters because you can’t always do that with padding like this. We appreciate that it’s so easy to move because it makes it easier to transition the sling from front to back carry and from left to right. If you can get the friction right, it’ll move with you as you move the sling. This is challenging at first, but you’ll get used to it.

Overall, the strap is long and comfortable, and we’re here for it. At 5.5 liters, this thing carries like a dream, especially considering how much gear you can fit inside.

Inside The Sling

There’s a pocket on the rear side behind the back panel. Flat items do well here, as anything more significant might poke into you while wearing it. Plus, it’s a solid place to stow items you want to keep close to you, like a passport, map, or wallet.

The front pocket is sizable and is a solid shout for gear you want to be able to access quickly. There’s a key leash here, and the clip is metal, which we like for added durability, even if it does get cold in the winter. You should be wearing gloves anyway!

Two liner pockets inside here are a good size for your wallet, a pack of gum, or headphones. If you overly pack the main compartment, you won’t be able to fit as much inside here, but it has some dedicated space of its own.

The main compartment is where the real party is, and we just stepped through the door with a party starter. You can easily fit a Nintendo Switch or a Steam Deck inside here, making this a great travel sling for people who want to game on the go or bring their video games with them on their commute to work or for an after-school hangout with friends.

In addition to the large area in the middle where you can stow a cased video game system or extra goodies like a controller or headset, there’s a fair amount of organization here. On the front side, there’s a zippered pocket made of mesh. We dig this for a few reasons: first, the zipper ensures that no gear falls out of this area, which might happen if there was no topper. Second, the mesh allows you to stow larger gear inside of it, which wouldn’t be possible with standard lining material. You can fit a Nintendo Switch Pro Controller here, which shows how helpful the mesh is.

On the backside are two liner pockets crafted from a similar mesh, and the same properties apply, except that there isn’t a zipper here. You can fit an Instax Mini here, a larger wallet, your phone, or similarly sized gear. We recommend placing bigger items here, as the mesh will grab onto them, and they won’t pop out as easily. Something smaller, like a mini-wallet (think the Chums Surfshorts), might tumble out in transit.

Behind those, there’s a large liner pocket that works well for an iPad Mini or something else around that size. You can fit your Switch or Steam Deck here, too, but we prefer to stow those in the main area if possible, as there’s more room. If you have a larger-cased device, it might not fit or be optimal here , but you can also stow a book, travel documents, or other flat items instead of the tech.

Overall, we’re very impressed with the Wander-T26 Daily Sling’s versatility in carrying tech and everyday gear with ease. The internal organization is ample enough to give the things you want to secure a home, but you can bring larger items, like a GoPro, Nintendo Switch, or Steam Deck.

However, if you do purchase the T26, make sure you stock up on bird food; the swivels are always hungry!