Mopak Wanderer Sling Review
A Lot of Storage For The Daily Wanderer
Purchase Price: $49.99
I’ve worn the Mopak Wanderer Sling as my daily driver for two separate periods of time over the last year and my thoughts have been surprisingly consistent. As a 3.5L crossbody bag made from 100% recycled and water-resistant materials, the Wander Sling has provided me with more organized packing space than I could hope for. It also looks appealing with a minimalistic design and color combinations to the point where I think it's one of my favorite urban slings out there.
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In terms of design, the Wanderer Sling uses polyester fabric that feels nice to touch. It’s a coarse material that seems durable and hasn’t obtained dirt specs on it over time. I own the blue variant and it's complimented nicely with a black strap and single strip of a fawn brown shade on the front compartment. I also like Mopak’s button logo as it's extremely simple in design and doesn’t scream advertisement like a lot of tramp stamps do on bags.
There are three zippered compartments to store goods in on this sling. The front compartment has two mesh elastic pouches and opens out quite wide for a front pouch. I’m able to comfortably store a lot of knickknacks and small items I pull out hourly like tissues, chap stick, and a wallet. Since the band is built-in loose by default, items do shift around when the bag is worn, but typically it's been okay for holding my loose items. The only thing really missing here (or on the entire bag) is a built-in key clip or a key leash to secure a set of car keys down. It’s a surprising omission on the Wanderer’s design as most bags in this category have some sort of clip in this front pouch nowadays.
Measurements
The Wanderer is a 3.5L capacity that measures in at 12.6 x 3.1 x 6.9 inches 
Storing Things
Each of the zippers utilize a textured plastic tip that is easily distinguishable by its triangular imprints. It’s a nice little detail that helps my finger identify where the zipper is without looking. When you open up the main compartment, you’re greeted with essentially two segments that isolate wider items. On one side there’s a large zippered mesh pocket that stretches across the length of the sling. This isn’t one of those mesh pockets where all you can fit in it are earpods and spare change. You could easily throw an AYN Thor here and have plenty of additional room to throw in a charging cable and brick. The mesh is rather loose, thus allowing it to expand with bulkier items without issue. The pocket on the other side isn’t able to be zippered close, but you can fit a small point and shoot camera or a smartphone in this area. Even with those two pockets occupied, there’s still an abundance of storage space left in the center between the two pockets.
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The main reason why the Wanderer can store so much stuff is due to the fact that it can stretch and pull wide. This is thanks to a water hole that essentially disconnects the front compartment with the main and rear one. Pushing these two pieces apart from one another will open up a hole where you can slot in a cylinder-shaped item. It’s suited for a small umbrella or a water bottle. I recommend the max size of a water bottle to be around 24 fl oz to use with this sling. The smaller the size of the bottle, the more versatile the sling gets. This is quite an effective method of carrying a bottle as it doesn’t force the user to use up valuable real estate inside the zippered compartments to house a water bottle. I’ll be the first to admit that it gets a little unwieldy when the bag is full and a bottle is slotted in the hole, but with a little bit of configuration and selective decision making of the everyday carry materials to store in the Wanderer, it can be doable to carry everything you need.
Finally, the rear compartment, or the concealed compartment is the one that faces the body when worn. This one is significantly tighter and narrower than the other two pockets, but still stretches out enough to be able to store something like a pair of sunglasses in a case. There are no pouches in this segment. It’s purely a zippered compartment to keep more sensitive items like a passport hidden away from people facing the wearer.
Everyday This?
My only true conflict with the Wanderer lies with the buckle. It’s nothing terrible or anything in that regard. I just don’t truly know how I feel about it. On the one hand I find it interesting and even clever to an extent. On the other hand, I worry about the durability and the reliability of how it holds the straps together. After using some really clever buckle designs on my daily carry slings, the one on this Mopak bag just seems rudimentary when compared to the likes of the Bellroy Venture Ready. This uses a U-shaped buckle that requires an overhead push to unclasp. Unlike standard buckles where the release requires pressing in the interlocked middle section of the two sides, the Mopak’s buckle uses a uniquely thin M-line release. I could very well just be nitpicking now as the buckle has not failed me once so take it as a personal preference when it comes to quick-release styles. The straps are mounted on the bag symmetrically, which means you can wear the sling cross body over either shoulder. It’s a comfortable carry on either the front or the backside as the bag itself is quite light by default.
Overall I do think the Wanderer is built well. It performs and is put together a lot better than the Mopak Sleek Backpack I reviewed last year. Unlike that backpack which I would consider an upper-mid tier priced backpack that felt cheaper made than the price tag would suggest it should feel, this Wanderer Sling is the complete opposite. If I were to review a bag like this for twice the price of the Wanderer, I likely would have told you I think it’s worth it for the quality you get.
That’s why for the past year, I’ve pulled out the Wanderer to daily carry between review periods more often than any of my other slings– many of which cost significantly more than the Wanderer. The materials feel good, the stitching is precise, and the bag just looks universally compatible with any outfit choice or color. Regardless of the little nuances of personal preferences I have for a daily carry sling, I cannot deny just how Mopak has produced a phenomenally-valued product.
Alex
With nearly a decade under his belt running his video production team, and countless hours traveling the country to report on pop culture events during his tenure as a contributor for AXS Examiner, Alex has relied on a lot of gadgets over the years. That still hasn’t satiated his need to get his hands on the newest and greatest the world has to offer!