I’ve tested the Napacks Ultralight Sling Bag for hundreds of miles, including on Oregon and Washington sections of the PCT, the 95-Mile Wonderland Trail, and other miscellaneous backpacking trips on the Olympic Peninsula and the Rocky Mountains.
I am 100% sold on this fanny pack as part of my backpacking kit. Here’s why:
Construction
The Napacks Sling Bag is constructed from Challenge Ultra 200 fabric, which is incredibly durable and abrasion resistant and fully waterproof. Ounce for ounce, it is likely dethroning Dyneema as being the strongest ultralight fabric on the market right now.
Carry and Comfort
The strap is made of silky smooth 1” nylon webbing. I wore it mostly on my waist, but it is long enough to be worn as a chest bag, shoulder bag, or sling bag. The downside with the super long strap is that it has a ton of extra material, which can get twisted from time to time. Occasionally, the strap buckle would dig into my hip from the pressure of my pack’s hip belt, so I’m curious if there could be a better location for the buckle.
The Napacks Ultralight Sling Bag is small and streamlined, which keeps the weight to a minimum and contributes to the carrying comfort of the pack. The sides are tapered toward the strap (as opposed to other ultralight fanny packs that are just a rectangle) which gives my legs full mobility while scrambling. I never felt like the pack was getting in the way.
Main Pocket
The main pocket is accessed with double zippers on the front. As mentioned before, it’s not the roomiest of fanny packs. In the main pocket I was able to keep my battery bank, mini swiss army knife, charging cable, 1oz bottle of sunscreen, chapstick, and sunglasses. With all of those items, it was packed pretty full.
I like the streamlined, minimalist design, but I think Napacks could have squeezed a wee bit more volume out of the main pocket, which would go a long way. If your backpack is full to the brim, and you’re looking for a good bit of extra capacity beyond a few handy items and snacks, there are larger fanny packs out there.
Additional Pockets
The Napacks Sling Bag features two more additional pockets. Both are very slim and about the same size. One is on the inside of the back panel, and the other is on the outside of the back panel, enclosed with a single zipper. The inner pocket is pretty useful. It holds my charging cable so it doesn't get tangled among my other items, and sometimes my phone as well. I have a smaller iPhone and putting that in the inner pocket is a bit of a squeeze.
The second additional pocket (outside of the back panel) should be reserved for only very slim items that you rarely need to access. I kept my cash and credit cards in it, and they were extremely difficult to access quickly. That can be a desirable feature for security, but I embarrassed myself more than a few times at a cash register while I was vigorously fiddling at my waistline trying to free a credit card.
Bottom Line
Overall, the Napacks Sling Bag is a solidly constructed, streamlined, ultralight fanny pack that leveled up my backpacking experience. I love the extra convenient storage and it’s minimal enough that I don’t even notice that I’m wearing it.
1 comment
Ace
Dang! Now I want one.