I know of Tomtoc is mostly for their protective bags for devices such as MacBook and iPad. But what I didn’t know is that they have a line of sling bags designed for carrying around smaller devices such as Nintendo Switch. The Tomtoc Urban Sling may be designed to carry iPad Minis and Switches, but I found it to be a great sling for everyday use as well. The Tomtoc Urban Sling retails for S$54.90.
Specifications
| Dimensions | Length: 31cm (12.20″) Width: 15cm (5.90″) Depth: 7.5cm (2.95″) |
| Volume | 4.5 litres |
| Weight | 280 grams / 9.9 ounces |
Design and build quality
The Tomtoc Urban Sling is mainly made from Cordura Ballistic Nylon and uses YKK zipper, making the whole bag feel very structured. Even the bag is empty, it retains its shape and doesn’t collapse or scrunch in due to the ballistic nylon used. You won’t need to worry if you ever get caught in the rain carrying the Tomtoc Urban Sling as it is water-resistant as well. There are also latch points located on both sides of the bag which you can use to hook carabiners for greater utility.
As for the design, I like how the Tomtoc Urban Sling looks. It is clean and minimalistic, and if you dig a utilitarian look you’ll like this. Tomtoc Urban Sling comes into two different colours on Tomtoc’s Shopee store – white or black. I prefer the black one more as the ‘tomtoc’ logo isn’t so in your face. The black straps also blend in more seamlessly with the black model.
Carrying experience
There is also a quick release buckle made from plastic that allows you to take off the bag quickly if needed. The buckle does require some force to engage. It would have been nice if fidlocks were used.
The straps on the Tomtoc Urban Sling flexible and have a good width, but it is the user experience of it that starts to fall a little short. Instead of using a more traditional adjuster, Tomtoc Urban Sling employs a plastic strap holder to manage the excess strap. The plastic strap holder is positioned at the top of chest after my adjustments. So when I bring the Tomtoc Urban Sling from my back to the front (to take out my passport for example), and then back again, the plastic strap gets caught along my shoulder and the strap starts to bundle up an excess. This meant that I tend to have to make an extra step to manage the straps after I bring the sling back from the front.
This could differ from person to person depending on how tight you are carrying the sling. But either way the strap holder to hold the excess strap could use an improvement.
Compartments
There are three main compartments in the Tomtoc Urban Sling – (1) front, (2) main, and (3) hidden.
The front pocket is designed for quick access for frequently used gear. There is also a built-in key clip to attach your keys so it doesn’t get in a sea of belongings. Also the strap for key clip is in red for ease of sight. The front pocket has two slit pockets which are sized just right to keep a pack of tissue paper and AirPods Pro case. I do wish that the slit pockets used a stretch mesh so things kept there are more tightly held in place. The remaining storage space can be used to store flatter items such as your mask or a small bottle of sanitizer.
The main compartment comes with three slit pockets. There is one large pocket that spans across the entire width of the bag. This pocket was designed to store your Nintendo Switch or in my case, an iPad Mini. The other two pockets are useful for storing things you don’t want to get it mixed up with the main compartment. There is a good amount of volume in the main compartment for storing other items such as a cardigan. As the Tomtoc Urban Sling is 31cm long, you can even store a bottle of Ice Mountain mineral water in it.
Finally, we have the hidden back pocket which has the zipper recessed and tucked inside the higher lining so that it is hard for anyone to access it. The space is also quite generous but it is best used to store flat items such as passport since items there will be pressed up against your body.
Conclusion
Overall, the Tomtoc Urban Sling is a great daily sling bag especially if you do daily an iPad Mini or a Nintendo Switch. It has healthy amount of storage space and has meaningful pockets for organization. I like the materials used and how it looks. If AER’s utilitarian style is an aesthetic that you like, then the Tomtoc Urban Sling should be right up your alley.
The carrying experience could use some improvement due to the janky plastic strap holder. There are quick and cheap mods to fix this so I wouldn’t necessarily classify it as a deal-breaker. For S$54.90, I think the Tomtoc Urban Sling very good value in a market where you tend to find slings priced up to S$100.