I'm seeing the appeal of a daily carry sling bag.
Big enough to carry a book, mask, snack, etc.


*One strap bag, man bag, purse, etc.

A sling bag is great if you keep it small and light. A larger bag invites overpacking which is not good one one strap. I have a Maxpedition Kodiak Gearslinger which I pressed into service as a laptop & book bag for college and it was miserable. It's a good sized pack, maybe 25 liters, with a single strap that's fairly thin for the size of the pack. Loaded up with a computer and books for three or four classes it was excruciating to carry.

Many years later I bought a really cool sling bag from Hazard 4 called the Rocket pack. I loved the looks and the format (a sling bag tall and narrow with zippered bottle pouches on either side). Very cool on paper but in practice not as good as I'd hoped. It's around 20 liters with one strap but the strap is very very wide and well padded. Much more comfortable than the Kodiac but the problems still remain, more of balance than comfort. A sling pack doesn't really carry as well as a pack with two straps (and perhaps a waist belt). To carry in the car it works very well, and as a pack that will mostly ride along and maybe be carried from the car to a site or even carried a ways on level ground it's okay. But it fails as a technical pack and doesn't carry well if you carry it on a hike.

To me the "killer app" for a sling bag is as urban EDC or even a wilderness PSK if kept compact. My latest experiments have been moving my large sling PSK contents to a Mystery Ranch 2DAP and working up a smaller PSK in a Maxpedition Jumbo Versipak or GTG bag.

I have a Patagonia Atom Sling which is empty until needed and is only loaded with immediate needs. I take it on my urban walks to carry basic needs while minimizing unnecessary weight. Your thoughts as to use as “urban EDC or even a wilderness PSK“ are on target.

It's definitely doable, but like Phaedrus said, you've really got to be disciplined and keep it light. Your list of what you anticipate carrying seems fine.

I tried it a few times, just because I thought they were pretty cool on paper, but when the rubber met the road I found it was super easy to overpack and I was missing a backpack.

My progression went like this:

1. Get Nalgene bottle pouch for a minimal way to carry some water on a dayhike.
2. Add some additional pouches, but then it was a bit ungainly and starting to feel the weight
3. End up buying a Jumbo Versipack which has great organization and does all the things I was trying to do with the condor + pouches, but was a little more ergonomic with a wider strap
4. Overload it
5. Wish I had a backpack cause now it's not all that comfortable
6. Buy a Maxpedition Sitka knockoff sling-bag because it was pretty cool
7. Overload it
8. Wish I had a Sitka style bag, but with two straps...
9. Get Vanquest Trident 20...
10. Overload it

(I have a problem! lol)

I know you're not looking for a full on backpack since you were thinking EDC. I'd say if you can keep it under 6 pounds with a single thin strap, or under 12 pounds with a single wide strap you're okay. With two straps, 20-24 lbs. Anything more is doable short distance but would be annoying for any real period of time. Beyond ~25-28 pounds I'd really want a pack with a proper load bearing hip belt if I were going any distance.

I went through Chicago airport once with a duffel instead of a backpack. Never again!

What benefit would a sling bag offer over a small backpack/daypack?

Lets your back breathe. You can get something from the bag without taking it off. That´s the main thing to me.

This is the sling bag I have:
https://www.finnprotec.fi/webshop/tuotekuvat/585__7d133f.jpg

A conventional backpack can be slung over one shoulder, if one so desires. for small loads, i prefer either a waist pack or cargo pockets, depending on bulk.

A lightly loaded larger pack is more comfortable than an overloaded smaller pack.

Take a look at blackpowder.com possibles bags, many sizes to choose from.
Good company MTC YMMV

It doesn´t stay there unless you hold it with a hand.
I never ever want to carry anything in my hands, always want my hands free.

I have noticed that sling bags are popular among Europeans. They seem a a lot handier than a pack in tight spaces.

I worry about all the weight being on one side all the time, and permanently causing me to list to port. Is it easy to sling the same bag from the other shoulder to balance out the strain?

Slinging from the other shoulder helps. It also helps to keep the strap from slipping off the shoulder. It tends to put some strain on the neck though. It is not a big problem with a light bag.
If you are worried about listing to port, it might be a hint that you are overpacking.

A sling bag is handy for things you want to move around with you as opposed to carry, if that makes sense. I wouldn't want to hike ten miles with a heavy sling bag but it's a good format for something to wear for a hundred yards walking to a vehicle and tossing it in the back seat. If you're toting to the office or to a vehicle they work well. If you're hiking or walking all day a sling bag isn't as good as a backpack but works if you keep the weight to a minimum.

I just did ~4 miles with my sling bag — a quick walk around the block. I had to pick up some meds for my dog at the vet and rather than drive, I took the bag and walked there and back. My cell phone was in the bag and when needed I slid the bag around so it was on the chest and looking down at both zippers. Same when I picked up the meds, slid the pack around, opened the zipper, placed the meds in and closed it. When opened in the chest position, both zippers face up so nothing falls out. Nice bag for carrying light stuff around the block.

Your blocks must be huge.

Accessibility and fashion.

It's also a little cleaner/sleeker if you're not really needing a bunch of straps (no waist straps and just one shoulder strap).

following this thread, I would suggest looking at the various lumbar packs in the Mountainsmith line, especially the Tour and Day models. They can be worn as waist packs, with added straps as a conventional backpack,or carried over the shoulder with a sling.

i have an older model which I usually carry as a backpack, and it is quite serviceable and versatile.

I picked up a couple of Mountainsmith Tour packs this week. Woot.com had them for $15.99! I'd have given a heads up here but they went super fast.

I have a bunch of fanny packs from back when they were cool. I am hanging on to them for when they become cool again. They're actually quite useful.

I may not have to wait long. The older I get, the less anybody notices me. I am now at the stage where I can wear sandals AND socks (at the same time!), Bermuda shorts, plaids mixed with stripes, pocket protectors, suspenders, and flip-up clip-on sunglasses. It shouldn't be too much of a stretch to add a fanny pack back into that mix.

I bought the larger of the two, then went back and bought the strappettes (shoulder straps), as it felt like the load was too high on the belt, making the pack roll backwards, away from me. This has been a good solution for me. The single shoulder strap included with the pack makes for a good short-distance option.

No affiliation, just a happy customer.

I like the bag size just large enough to handle a water bottle/ book or e reader

Wearing socks with sandals is mandatory in Colorado 😂

I found out this week, mine is just big enough to carry a hardcover book. Useful.

I found one from swiss army which converts from a sling bag ro a belt bag...

I've been running the Maxpedition Entity for the past several weeks. I'm not really happy with the zipper but I do like the ability to swing it around front for quick access.

https://www.maxpedition.com/products/entity-tech-sling-bag-large?variant=15850599579719

With the additional EDC of a mask and hand sanitizer, I find a sling bag is necessary.

contents
wallet
phone
mask
sanitizer
pen (x2)
small fak
cords
Water ( sometimes)

Speaking of, I just ordered a fanny pack... not for EDC use, but I can run it across my chest under my pack while hiking to gain access to things that would normally be at my waist and interfere with a pack’s hip belt. Not quite as accessible as a hill people gear chest pouch but more versatile in how it’s worn... and it can be worn for the same reason inside the hammock.

I replaced my Trident 20 with a different pack but really missed the organization from the top pouch which the new pack didn’t have, a fanny pack would provide that as an internal organizer or possibles pouch with it’s own belt/shoulder strap

Would be a good basis for a stand alone survival kit too, big enough to house some actual shelter items like a palmer furnace, so if I step away from camp out to pee at night or go explore with the intentions of only going a short distance there’s no excuse not to clip it around my waist first. Likewise if I am out someplace where I didn’t bring a bigger pack because what I am carrying is dominated by mission driven equipment that may be unrelated to casual wilderness activity (paramotor, wildland firefighting, etc)

When I’m out on the water I can wear it around my waist (or directly on my belt as a pouch) below my PFD. Should be big enough for some emergency shelter, PLB, bug spray/sunscreen, silky saw, evernew collapsible bottle and water filter, other bits and bobs... but not so large that it can be overloaded and I won’t have it when I need it (I find that even maxpedition jumbo versipacks and similar canteen carrier setups can get uncomfortable over time if it’s not on your belt AND complemented with a shoulder strap across your body, so there’s a niche for something smaller)

They’re just versatile as hell, I guess I’m embracing the dork

a fanny pack (lumbar) is a great way to carry a small to medium sized kit - I like the kind with two water bottle holders.

A sling bag is just big enough to carry a tablet, book and water bottle

+1 if you don't need a large water bottle.