Aer Tech Sling 2 Review (Updated 2023)
Aer Tech Sling 2 review
(Updated 2023)
This Aer Tech Sling 2 is an urban and versatile EDC.
This sleek, minimalist, and urban sling is 8 liters in capacity. What we like about this is that it is water-resistant and innovative. Although you could not fit tons of gear in it as it feels small, you’ll appreciate how versatile and comfortable this sling is.
Aer Tech Sling 2 is also made of premium and highly durable materials, and did we say that it is really smooth to touch? The inside materials also feel like the better version of their past slings/packs.
Watch our epic Aer City Pack review below!
- Volume: 8 liters
- Weight: 1.4 lbs (0.64 kg)
- Laptop: Up to 13"
- Style: Urban minimalist
Aer Tech Sling 2
Overall Score
Aer Tech Sling 2 Pros
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Has amazing materials
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Super comfortable
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Has slim profile
Aer Tech Sling 2 Cons
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Weird main compartment opening
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Laptop compartment is not as suspended as we prefer
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Not for girthy water bottles
Aer Tech Sling 2
Alternatives
Just in case you aren’t sold on the Aer Tech Sling 2 yet, we’ve added some alternative recommendations below.
These recommendations are very similar to the Aer Tech Sling 2, but have some important differences that might work better for you!
Alternative #1
Peak Design Everyday Sling
EDC sling for photographers
Alternative #2
Aer City Sling 2
Small and sexy sling
Alternative #3
Aer tech pack 2
Not a sling but it’s small enough, yet big enough
Aer Tech Sling 2
Gist of the Sling
Welcome to our Aer Tech Sling 2 review.
This is one of the most innovative and interesting slings that I have ever used. It’s sort of like a hybrid between a sling and like a half a backpack, but I’ll sort of explain how that works a bit later. So the first spec to discuss is the color. You got one option, black. The color black and Aer products go hand in hand. They love each other. Sometimes they do offer different color options, but with the Aer Tech Sling 2, you get this black on black on black, and that’s it.
Next up is the capacity, which is a very surprising eight liters. For me it was surprising at least, when you look at this thing it actually looks kind of big. It has a decent amount of real estate and it’s kind of shocking that it’s only eight liters, but it is only eight liters. I’ll explain that a bit more in depth when we get actually to the middle section of this review. The weight is 1.4 pounds, which is pretty light, no problems there, and the price is around $90 USD.
Okay, next up, let’s chat about the style of the Aer Tech Sling 2. Aer’s style is sleek, minimalist, and urban, and an extra emphasis on that urban part. This is for like city folk. For instance, I live in Hong Kong and when I am walking around with this thing, I look very in place. And you might be thinking to yourself, “Aaron, where’s the logo?” Most slings, most backpacks, most sort of carrying products have a big brand.
Aer doesn’t, they love that sleek and minimalist vibe, so they’re logo, it’s on the side right there. It’s not like there. It’s like there. It’s as sleek as John Stamos’ haircut. Do you know who that is? Someone needs to re-watch Stepbrothers. Ultimately though, give the style of this sling, I think it’s perfect for anybody who lives in an urban environment and does a ton of daily commuting.
Aer Tech Sling 2
Front of the Sling
Important points: Minimalist deisgn made with nylon exterior, has a quick access pocked and nonPU-coated zippers, & basic keyring
Okay, now let’s talk about the front of the Aer Tech Sling 2. Really not a lot to discuss. Super minimalist. You just got the nylon material. It looks really smooth and real sleek, like John Stamos’ hair. We do right up here have what I refer to as a quick access pocket. One thing to note about the zipper for this quick access pocket, and as I mentioned all these zippers, is that they’re not PU coated. This is one area of criticism that I have for the Aer Tech Sling 2.
If you think about it, it’s a tech sling. It’s slinging around your tech gear. You want your tech gear to stay dry. PU coated zippers would’ve helped keep it dry. I just feel like it would’ve been kind of like a no brainer. And walking around in the summertime in Hong Kong, where it’s been raining a lot, I just would’ve wished that I had that for a little bit extra security and peace of mind.
Moving in here though, the zipper is super satisfying to use. Got a nice little zip to it. This is just like I said, a quick access pocket. I use this for usually three things, phone, sunglasses, and the pods. While I love the access of this pocket, the best thing is its materials. These materials are really soft, nice and cushiony, and that’s good because if you put your shades in there, you want them to be safe, which they are.
Aer Tech Sling 2
Middle of the Sling
Important points: In the middle of the sling, we’ve got an RFID-safe pocket, accessible keyring holder, mesh pockets, locking mechanism of the zippers
Okay, let’s jump into the middle compartment though, where I have a few things to say. This compartment is obviously the largest compartment in the sling, but even though it’s the largest, it still feels to me quite small. Now remember, it’s eight liters, so I guess in essence it is what it’s advertised to be. The depth is eight liters, but just given the actual size of this thing, it feels like it should be able to carry more stuff than it actually does.
Here we have this compartment right here, which I just kind of use as a throw all. I’ve got a notebook in there and a tote. This could also be a good spot for a tablet. Moving along, we have this secure pocket right here, which you have the key ring holder where I keep my keys, and then I also like to put my wallet in there. I wish this pocket was RFID safe, just for a little extra piece of mind. As for the keyring solution, I’m okay with it. Now when other backpacks just have this cheap band of a solution for a keyring holder. But with the Sling, it’s fine because you can actually just sling this guy around, open up your door, access your keys, no problem.
Here we have like a semi see through mesh with a nice little elasticity to it that I’m keeping my e-cig container in. And then on this side, some more elastic pockets, good for things like wires, portable batteries, hand sanitizer, tissues, and then a couple pen holders. My favorite. I love having these pen holders right here because it’s really easy if you got a notebook in here, just kind of swing your sling around. Just open it up and just be like, “Hmm, elementary, my dear.” One spin and then pop it back in. Bada bing, bada boom. Close it up. Good to go.
So with this main compartment, I love the organization. I love the materials. It feels sturdy. It feels stiff, which I like, there’s a tightness to it. I just feel like it is kind of deceptively small, which is my fault. I should say, “Hey Aaron, eight liters is eight liters.” But I just wish that I could fit a water bottle because you really… You kind of can because right now this thing is empty. So you’re like, “Aaron, that fits in there perfectly.”
But when you are actually filling this guy out and you got a laptop in the back and you’ve got stuff in here and batteries and a mouse and a charger and all these other things, this Tech Sling gets super crowded super fast. So carry your laptop, carry a few things in here, but don’t expect to be able to carry laptop chargers, your mice. No mice in the sling. Water bottle and all these other things because it’s just not going to fit. Eight liters, don’t forget it.
One thing to note is that you do have a lot of zipper-idge going on here, okay? It looks like a Rastafari. It looks like a bunch of dingleberries. One thing that I do to combat this, the zipper overage, is I’ll keep the main compartment zippers here, so I always know where they are and they’re more accessible there as I’m wearing it because it’s like the center of the bag is easier to access, and then I’ll keep these two zippers right there. Just kind of a system of organization.
Also, one of the cool thing to know about Aer products is that their zippers have a locking mechanism. All you do is just kind of one of these, pop it through, and then boom, where are you going? Nowhere. This is obviously not a super secure safe, but it will deter theft and it just kind of helps give you that little bit extra piece of mind. Then to unlock, you just un-slide it, and then boom, you’re good to go. It’s actually a pretty cool thing. I like it. I like it.
All right, next up, let’s talk about the last section for the middle and that’s the call it the tech compartment. Pretty basic. I just got a Moleskin notebook in there, but it’s just two pockets. Then you also have access to the cord pass-through hole from the main compartment.
I call this the tech compartment because Nomatic advertises this as a good location for like a tablet. In fact, it says that this can fit up to an iPad, what is it? iPad Pro 11 inch.
One thing to note about this compartment, though, is that whatever you do put in here, make sure it’s a little bit flatter because if it’s like bulky and bulges out, this is the part that goes against your back. So if you put your computer charger on that part, it might be digging into your back a little bit.
One other quick note about the zippers is they are lockable as to where they can sort of intertwine and tie into each other. Then they are now connected so you can see the one zipper actually pulls both zippers. Yet again, not a feature that’s going to keep your sling totally secure, but it’s just a little extra feature that gives you a little bit extra peace of mind.
Aer Tech Sling 2
Back of the Sling
Important points: It has an average shoulder strap, reflector, card holder, shoulder strap dangle solution, and buckle.
All right, let’s wrap up the review by talking about the back of this sling. First up, the tech compartment. Now it’s also deceptively small, as it should be. It’s only eight liters. Now we use … Careful for which laptop you put in here. So we have Tab’s 14 inch ASUS, which is a tight fit. It can barely fit around this corner and this one, even then you’re still kind of like, you see how it’s like pointing through right there? It’s about to pop through that zipper. I would not feel secure carrying this laptop in this sling for long periods of time.
But for a normal person who has a normal computer, Tab with his PCs. What are you, a gaming developer? As you can see here with my MacBook Pro, perfect smooth fit. It’s still a little tight, but it fits very well. You can’t use Aer products if you’re not using Apple. Let’s see. So I’m looking at Aer’s website right now. It says fits up to 13 inch laptops. So yeah, this thing fits, but Tab’s 14 inch, it fit, but like barely so just be careful, okay? 13 inches or smaller.
One of the best parts about this sling as a whole though are the interior materials of this laptop compartment. Tab, feel this. Feel it. Yeah, you don’t need it to be fluffy, you just need it to be soft and squishy and I’m just a big fan of these interior materials. But yet again, with everything with this bag, it’s deceptively small. So you’re like, “Oh my God, I could fit a laptop and a tablet and a notebook.” You can’t. This thing is tight. When you close it up, you got a laptop, maybe a small notebook, and that’s it.
Moving on, we have this brief handle right here. Now this is a really super basic nylon strap, which kind of irks me. I just wish that they would’ve put a little bit more time, money, innovation into it. But at the end of the day, I don’t carry it too often with this strap and it still works. I just feel like they could have done a little bit more with it.
But for all the criticism I have of this guy, this thing, this shoulder strap, this work of art makes up for it ten times over. This thing is one of the most important selling points of the Aer Tech Sling 2. It’s so incredibly comfortable. It’s like having a shoulder strap from one of their backpacks just stapled onto their sling, and it’s just so comfortable to wear.
When I was showing you the five different positions that I wear this sling in, I didn’t really show you how it’s done. So we have this actual strap right here, okay? And you got this cool little mechanism with this Duraflex hardware that allows you to loosen and tighten the strap. You can also wear the sling and use this thing right here to loosen it quickly. But this thing does not allow you to tighten it, so tightening it, it’s kind of like old school like that. But if you want to loosen it, you can use that guy. Great times.
Buckle right here is Duraflex. It’s a good buckle. Now when you’re wearing a sling for theft concerns, just kind of be aware that this is a larger buckle, so if a thief was extremely motivated, they could do kind of one of these and then your sling is gone. Something to keep an eye on. Got a dangle stopper right there. Always appreciated. And yeah, that’s about it.
Aer Tech Sling 2
Pros and Cons (Detailed)
Okay, so now let’s talk about the overall pros and cons for the Tech Sling 2. Overall pro number one is going to be the next level innovation. Overall pro number two is going to be the next level comfort. Overall pro number three is going to be the look, very sleek. And overall pro number four is going to be the really consistently awesome materials. But let’s talk about some cons. Overall con number one is that the zippers are not waterproof, and overall con number two is that it can be deceptively small.
Aer Tech Sling 2
Alternatives (Detailed)
So let’s talk about who this sling is for and who it’s not for. This sling is for you if you’re looking for a stylish sling. This sling is for you if you’re looking for a versatile sling. And most importantly, this sling is for you if you’re looking for a sling that can carry your laptop and tech stuff.
But let’s talk about who this sling is not for. This sling is not for you if you’re looking for a super small sling. If you’re just looking for something simple like a basic pocket reliever, check the Aer City Sling 2. Watch our full review here.
This sling is also not for you if you carry a ton of tech gear. Remember, it looks big but it’s just eight liters. Put your laptop, your charger, maybe a Bluetooth mouse, a couple of other tidbits, and that’s it. If you need something that can carry a ton more tech gear, think Bluetooth keyboards and a laptop stand and a cup and a Bluetooth speaker, all this other stuff, it’s going to be too small, check the Aer tech pack 2 and Aer day pack 2. Watch our full review here, we compared these two packs for you.
And finally, the Aer Tech Sling 2 is not for you if you are looking for a photography sling. Check the Peak Design Everyday Sling instead. Watch our full review here.
Aer Tech Sling 2
Conclusion
What do you think about the Aer Tech Sling 2? Do you wish that this pack could hold more gear? Do you like how Aer-sthetic it looks? Or if you own this Aer Tech Sling 2, please let us know what your experience has been like so far. We would love to hear from you, and your comments help make the internet and this blog just a better place, more educated, which means that people can find the sling that is perfect for them.
Thanks, guys, and we’ll see you next time!
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