Patagonia Atom 8 Sling Bag for Travel and Everyday Carry (EDC)

I’ve never been a huge fan of sling bags. Mainly because I usually buy bulky tactical style ones that feel like having a huge tick on my back. Another reason was that I have the tendency to over pack, even just for a day out. Over the past few years, age, mission and a bad back have required me to streamline my loadout. Whether traveling or moving about locally, I have four criteria the bag must meet with one optional area. They are listed below. And the Patagonia Atom 8 Sling Bag meets them.

• The ability to keep my phone up and running – this requires a charger, cables, and adapters.
• Medical Gear – covering trauma, small injury, and illness.
• Light – some form of handheld or and an optional headlamp.
• Comfort items – snacks, hydration, and any other miscellaneous support items.
• Concealed carry (Optional category) – where a legal option.

Recently I’ve been using a Patagonia Atom Sling Bag 8L (Atom 8). The Atom 8 is light weight, low profile, and holds just enough for a day trip or a day out sightseeing. The following are the details on the Atom 8 from the Patagonia website:

• 100% Recycled Polyester with DWR Finish
• Ergonomic, Single-Strap Harness – with a zippered stash pocket on the strap
• Zippered Front Pocket
• Divided Main Compartment for Internal Organization
• Tuck-Away Storage Straps
• Pack Volume – 8 liters.
• Weight – 340 g (12 oz)

As noted above the Atom 8 has three zipper pockets. One on the strap, one exterior and the main pocket which is divided. The pocket on the strap is large enough for a cell phone, a charger, cable, and other small items. The exterior pocket is perfect for those items that you want ready at hand such as personal meds, small first aid it, extra batteries, flashlights or a note pad. Additionally, there’s also a strap with a clip to attach your keys. The main compartment is divided by a padded divider. This compartment is good for larger items. Snacks, a water bottle, Kindle/iPad, trauma kit, etc. I’ve been test running my trauma gear on a Black Triangle Rigid Bag Panel-Sling which was designed for use with the Atom 8. On the exterior, there is a pair of straps that can be used for compression. Or attaching a rain jacket or other small item. And the area next to your back is padded for comfort and protection of any sensitive electronics.

The Atom 8’s strap rides from right to left across the front of your body. One thing I like about the Atom 8, and sling bags in general, is the ability to easily move them to the front of my body when moving through crowds where pickpockets are a concern. Allowing me to maintain control of my belongings. The Atom 8 carries just enough gear for a day out or a flight carry-on. Yes you can carry a larger backpack or other type of bag, but for me that means packing enough gear for a mission in an austere area. It’s the result of years of working in places where I had to be self-sustaining for periods of time. One finial note is this bag is not really designed for concealed carry but can be used for that purpose with a little bit of thought and ingenuity.

I like this bag because it’s small light weight, low profile and lets me focus more on what I’m doing than getting a heavier load to ride comfortably. MSRP is $62.00 on the Patagonia website.