This Ripstop Sling Is the Best Crossbody Bag You Can Buy

The Moment MTW Fanny Sling is a 2-liter, waterproof pack with room for all of your EDC — and then some.

Published May 1, 2022

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Crossbody bags, an evolution of the unflattering fanny pack, are incredibly trendy — perhaps to a fault. Though practical, the style has been reduced to a “man bag,” even though how you carry your essentials has never been a symbol of gender identity. It’s fair to say the desire for more pocket space is a universal yearn, asked for by all genders and answered by trends like workwear and GORPcore.

Garments like chore coats, double-knee pants and utility-focused shell jackets delivered what was desired (more pockets), but crossbody bags still fill a hole for folks who’d rather not wearing clothing weighed down by EDC. Filling a crossbody bag is an easier endeavor, because there’s, if you’ve bought a good one, compartmentalized pockets within for your phone, keys, wallet and to-go cans of beer.

At least Moment’s MTW Fanny Sling does. For perspective, it can expand to fit three 12 oz cans of beer inside. But it’s more than a bottomless pit.

The Moment MTW Fanny Sling Review

Version: 2020
Price: $70
Colors: 5
Capacity: 2 L
Strap Length: 20-52 inches

The Moment MTW Fanny Sling, in a nutshell:

Moment’s Fanny Sling is the ideal crossbody bag. It’s the right size; it has compartmentalized pockets for a phone, your keys, wallet and even a camera within. Plus, it’s contoured to wrap nicely around your chest or shoulder blades, depending on how you wear it. There’s even a 4-inch expander for a packable jacket or some paperwork you’re carrying. Pick from five different colors, each with water-sealed zippers and an adjustable strap. (For reference, it can store three 12 oz cans of beer.)

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What I like about this crossbody bag:

moment sling fanny bag — The main pouch offers enough space for a sunglass case, a thick bifold wallet, AirPods and more.

It has a compartmentalized interior.

Within the MTW Fanny Sling, there are four pockets: a front pocket, a hidden back passport pocket, a soft-lined sunglasses pocket and the main pouch. The front pocket features two removable dividers that are perfectly sized for an AirPods case. If you remove them, though, there’s room for your keys, cords or a comb.

The rear pocket is the simplest, because it’s for valuables like a passport or your phone that you want to keep separate from the loose items in the main pouch. Things don’t fly around in the main compartment, though. There’s a seemingly endless supply of sleeves, slots and stash spots, because Moment designs its bags for photographers first — and they carry a lot of small, delicate gear. But you don’t need to be a content creator to carry this bag. I found the main compartment helpful for storing larger items like a sunglass case or a bi-fold wallet, but also tinier items like chargers, memory cards, bike tools and car keys.

It’s the right size, but expands for “extras.”

moment sling — A pair of adjustment points at the bottom expand the pack’s floor by 4 inches.

Moment’s sling has plenty of give. No, the ripstop material doesn’t stretch, but the bottom of the bag features two adjustment points that promises for more inches of lateral space. This makes the bottom floor bigger, offering room for several cans of beer, a full-size digital camera or a film camera and some film. For bikers, this might mean a lock or at least biking accessories.

It’s water- and puncture-resistant.

Every iteration of the Moment Fanny Sling is treated with a DWR (durable water repellent) finish for water resistance. The zippers are covered, too, to keep the contents dry at access points. Plus, because the bag is made from nylon ripstop, it’s puncture-proof if you crash your bike or snag on a tree or pole.

It’s easy to access, even while wearing it.

The entry points are parallel to one another, meaning you don’t need to angle your hands any differently to access the numerous pockets. If it’s angled across your chest, you can easily reach inside and remove an item without taking the bag off.

What I dislike about this crossbody bag:

moment sling fanny — Designed for photographers, this bag features an attached microfiber cloth for cleaning lenses. But it’s also the same material the inside’s lined with. It gets dirty fast if you’re not storing pristine point and shoots.

The inner liner is soft, but gets dirty fast.

This bag caters to folks carrying a dozen-plus delicate items. As such, the liners are all soft as to not scratch a camera lenses, phone screen or glasses lens. But, that makes the inner liner more susceptible to stains.

The main strap is stubborn.

There are seven adjustment points on this bag, but the main one, which adjusts how tightly the bag wraps around your body, can be difficult to adjust. I set it once to my desired fit, and now avoid touching it. A mild pain, because once you’ve sized it to your torso, there’s no real need to change the length unless you plan to wear it like a fanny pack (which you can).

Bags & Luggage, Reviews