Osprey unisex-adult Aoede Sling Shoulder Bag

Osprey makes a fine bag. The materials are choice, the stitching is flawless, the design is thoughtful, and the finished product looks sleek.This bag has one strap. The strap has a plastic double hook at the end that is pushed thru either of the loops at the bottom corners. I have it so it can wear over my right shoulder on my back, over my left shoulder on my chest, or around my neck and right shoulder like a messenger bag, which sits it diagonal across my back.I wanted a single sling bag for kayaking, something I could trust with my electronics that would be a joy to use. I’ve been using a fanny pack and it’s hard to find stuff in it. This bag is small enough to fit on my chest for sports, but large enough to fit a small laptop or tablet.This bag is made with one large inner pocket that has a padded divider along the back. This divider is curved so it will fit snugly when protecting a laptop. Thoughtful design. It has a velcro flap at the top to secure the device. The big pocket has space in front of that divider and a full-length zippered pocket against the front flap that zips down the center. This design keeps stuff safe in the bottom, but can also be a challenge to retrieve stuff down there when the big pocket is full. There isn’t much space for my hand when the bag is full. Has a front pocket lined with soft fuzzy knit fabric, deep enough for a 7” hard case 1.5” thick. The strap has a single mesh pocket with billow sides that can fit a soda can. Having this pocket full can feel chunky on the strap, depending how it is worn.The zippers are smooth and feature a nice solid pull tab. The strap slides smoothly thru the buckle and locks firm. Has a sliding binding to keep the end from dangling. Padding along the back plus a stiffener panel. It is padded all the way around the laptop pocket, pretty good protection from bumps and drops.The pocket layout is a bit odd for me, but I trust it was designed with a dynamic purpose in mind. For instance, the center zip pocket is good for wearing the bag over the chest, it gives more access when sideways.

This is a high quality bag made by an excellent company. Fit and finish are top notch. Almost everything has been covered about what is good so I will fill in my main issue with this bag. Most of the sling bags I have owned are more like a big fanny pack with the zipper on the side. This lets you slide the bag from back to front without taking it off to unzip and access easily and then slide it back when you are done. The Osprey bag functions more like a backpack. It has a definite top and bottom. So when you slide it on your shoulder from back to front it's going to be upside down on one side. For me this makes it lose one of the main properties as a sling bag. You need to think about it more as a small backpack, and for that it's very good and you can wear it either in front or in the back. If you are going to change sides. You need to take it off and put it back on.

I consider Osprey bags to be the gold standard for backpacks and bags. I love their attention to detail, variety of features, and the clever ways they incorporate features without creating a lot of bulk.I love the look of this bag. Its modern, very understated and sleek. It doesn't draw attention and will go with almost anything. It has one large main compartment with a lightly padded divider for separating a small laptop or tablet from the rest of the contents. There is also an inner zipped section for keeping a few things together. The sunglasses holder on the top of the outside of the pack is nice for those things you might need quickly, I usually use this for sunglasses only. The zippered pouch on the strap is a nice touch for smaller things like bus passes, chap stick etc. It was too small to hold a phone but that was fine for me.The strap can be changed to one side or the other which is a great feature for those who prefer one shoulder over the other.This little bag fits a great niche when you need something to carry a few things, more than you want to carry in your pockets, but you might not want to commit to a full backpack. This is great for travel, when you might want to bring a water bottle, maybe a tablet, snacks, wallet/keys, sunglasses etc. Its a nice size for going to the pool or spending a day sightseeing. Its easy to whip around in front of you if you're sitting on a bus or train and its small that it won't take up much room at all.It has become my new favorite personal item on US flights because it can hold everything I need on a flight and fit under the seat ahead of me without taking up hardly any foot room. I usually bring my phone, wallet/passport, keys, tablet, headphones, charger/cables, water bottle and snacks. This is perfect for all the above with a little extra room to spare.Its everything I expect an Osprey pack to be. Its well designed with quality components. The zippers work great, the buckles feel secure, and it is a well made item with great stitching and durability. Overall I am very impressed by this little bag and look forward to using it more.

I have hiked/backpacked over 5,000 miles and so I’m well-versed on the best hiking brands out there. Osprey is right up there on top without a doubt.I’ve been wearing the Osprey Aoede Sling for almost a month now and I’m very happy with it. The ambidextrous strap is genius as it can switch to whatever shoulder you’d want it to sit on. I wear mine over the right shoulder as I’m right handed and this feels best to me.I just wore this during a work conference and the size was perfect for this. I can fit my iPhone 13 mini inside the chest strap but I usually like to put it in the outside pocket (my preference as I like at least a small barrier between me and my phone).The small pocket is also lined with a soft fabric so I feel comfortable putting my sunglasses in there and they don’t get scratched (as long as nothing else is in there of course).I like to swing the pack around to my front when traveling if I’m in close proximity to others as I think about people pick-pocketing. It’s easy to do with this bag but you have to make sure the zippers are closed all way!I compare this so my Patagonia sling and they are neck and neck. The Osprey can hold a bit more. However, the Patagonia sling has an easier buckle to take the strap off. I can only remove the Osprey strap when the bag is off.Anyway, the cost of this bag is what you would expect but I would look for it on sale next time (I’m a bargain hunter).I’m excited to use this bag for hiking, biking, urban-walking, and way more. I’ll most likely be throwing in a water bladder into the inner sleeve of the bag with longer adventures.I could go on and on as I love talking gear but I’ll digress! I’m very happy with my new Osprey bag :)

The reason I ordered this bag is because the product description (at time of ordering) said it fits an 11" iPad. My iPad is notoriously heavy because I use a metal keyboard case to protect it. However, the case has no padding and no handles, so for travel or moving about town, I NEED something to carry it in.Since then the product description has been changed to say "up to 8" device" but my 11" iPad fits in there just fine.The only difficulty I had was getting that back strap unwrapped so I could actually use it as a sling bag. Turns out I just had to force the little strap holder through the buckle, set it like I wanted it and put/force it back through without it being hampered with the over-shoulder part of the strap.Note to seller: this was unnecessarily difficult and could/should have been handled differently in the packaging process. Nevertheless I did figure it out, and once figured out, it was still hard to get that strap loose and back in the hole again.The bag does have a lot of very nice padding and zipped compartments, as well as a place to put something you care about a lot in the shoulder strap.A couple of additional notes: the stitching is excellent. This is not a fancy bag, but it's a sturdy, well-made bag. For me, anything that will keep my important accessories safe and handy, is a good, good thing.