Customer Reviews L.L.Bean Stowaway Sling Pack

I bought this bag to replace an older version of the bag that I used regularly for almost 10 years (the zipper wore out). I love that the straps open at the top so that it can be hung easily on hooks. However, this model is missing the interior zipper pocket and key hook that the older model had. Bring those features back and this bag would be perfect!

Nice sized bag. Comfortable to wear. Wish it had more zipped pockets.

Great midsize pack to store essentials for the day. There are two zippered pockets - one large and one small. There is also an outside pocket in front, but not zipped. The strap makes it easy to take on/off. I liked the size, smaller than a backpack but still large enough to hold my essentials like my wallet, phone, water bottle, book and snacks. The only negative is that the pack does not lay flat against the back.

It's a good stow-away pack! Very practical and packs small.

Really like this bag, especially the padded strap. Don't like that LL Bean is stitched so that it is very visible. I understand you need to brand items but it is distracting.

Outside pocket should be a little deeper and make the strap non-slip.

Nice, light pack. It fits a little awkwardly/doesn't lay completely flat but otherwise is perfect size for a few things (wallet, sunglasses, water) when you need your hands free.

I just received two sling packs. I wish that the logo was a bit smaller and less prevalent. Also,the bags came with price tags that put them at 39.99. I am usually a very happy consumer with LLBean.but am feeling not so with this purchase. .

Nice pack- easy to slide to my back or to the front to get something out. Phone fits nice in mesh pocket.

Likeit very much with one exception: the outer pocket would be a great place for a water bottle but it falls out all the time. A drawstring on that pouch would be a great improvement.

The straps are a bit awkward to use it as a crossbody bag. But I'm getting used to it.

It worked out pretty good. It got heavy at times.

Light weight, comfortable to wear, fits a ton! My only complaint is that my water bottle often slipped out of the outer pocket.

I carry a "man purse" because I'm diabetic - beyond wallet, glasses (sum & reading), keys & phone, I must carry insulin, BG reader and glucose (raisins). I also l carry a small notepad & pencil. For 50 years (really - 50 yrs!) I used a large fanny pack. Unfortunately the zipper eventually wore out and so I replaced it with this L.L. Bean Stowaway Sling Pack. The "sling" idea is superior to the fanny pack - frequent access is far easier. They're very popular in Europe. BUT (1) there's little thought about organizing the stuff inside - no pockets. It's just a "bag" with two moderately sized zippered compartments. (2) It's fairly robust but my fanny pack was way-better. And, (3) its teardrop shape, and the main compartment's zipper-to-the-top, offer little protection against spill-age when I swing it around front for access if I fail to zip it completely closed.

wasn't what I expected and the material including the strap is too slippery to stay in place

I purchased this for a trip overseas and wanted something small to carry my passport, spare battery, water bottle, and other small items instead of a full size backpack. It worked fine for the most part, but when a full water bottle was placed in the mesh holder, the whole thing becomes unbalanced and constantly slides down off your chest. Then your water bottle is horizontal and can easily fall out. It became so much of a pain that I ended up buying a backpack while on my trip and used it instead of this sling bag.

This is a sturdy little bag and pretty comfortable to sling on, but it's just a bit too small to store the kinds of things you might want to carry in a sling: water, a notebook, extra socks. The open outer pocket can hold a cellphone but it's not secure. The smaller zip pocket is awkward. Accessing anything on the go - a lip balm, a tissue - basically requires that you stop and take the sling off. So good idea, not very well executed. I'll keep it for hiking.

Actually used this for the first time today. It truly is lightweight, but the strap bothered my neck, needing to be over a collar. Overall, I think it's too small. A tightly rolled hoodie over-filled the larger compartment, leaving no room for a snack. The little compartment was good for tissues, balm, keys. Outside pocket was ok for water. I plan to use it in the future but just will not think of it as a 'pack'.

It was alright but it was a little too flimsy for my taste I regret not sending it back

This is a cute and lightweight sling bag that I got for my husband for Father's Day. He was hoping for something with more structure and a waist strap so he could keep it in place while biking or hiking. We returned it.

Bought the navy Sling. Nice quality but poor design. I want to wear it over either shoulder but the fixed strapping only allows me to wear it over my right shoulder. This is awkward for me. Also main zipper section can't be secured. I bought it for travel but there's no way to secure the main zipper so not very useful. Please redesign the Sling with this feedback in mind.

Bought the navy Sling. Nice quality but poor design. I want to wear it over either shoulder but the fixed strapping only allows me to wear it over my right shoulder. This is awkward for me. Also main zipper section cant be secured. I bought it for travel but theres no way to secure the main zipper so not very useful. Please redesign the Sling with this feedback in mind.

The teal is less vibrant in person and the straps are actually red even though they look magenta/hot pink online. Kind of disappointed because im not a fan of red.

The concept and material are great and with a few design changes, this bag could be perfect. However, it has a few major flaws: 1) The placement of the zipper for the main compartment means that this pocket is actually pretty shallow and cannot hold nearly as much as it should. 2) The outside mesh pocket is completely useless as I would not trust anything NOT to fall out of the wide opening 3) the bag can really only be slung over your shoulder one way. For this price point I would expect to be able to switch the strap so that when one shoulder gets tired, I could move it to the other one (either when wearing on the front for safety or on the back). 4) the design is a bit bulky and really doesn't work well for wearing on the front anyway. 5) the smaller front pocket hangs inside the larger pocket, taking up more space. If LLBean can redesign and fix these flaws, I would buy again in a heartbeat. For now, I have to return it.

I know it's my own fault for not asking, but I was in a rush ahead of a trip and ordered this despite not knowing the folded dimensions (note to Bean, it's really a bad idea not to include this information). It just arrived and it's nice looking and nice sized, but when folded it's 10" x 5" x 2.5" - that's bigger than some purses! I think if padding is important to you in a foldaway bag, this might be a good choice, but if you're looking for a compact bag for "backup" on an outing (carried in purse or sling, etc.), it doesn't pack small enough.