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Sling mod to stow away strap

Posted by on

Hey guys!

I just received the Eagle Creek Explore Sling, and I really love it, except for one thing; I can't stow away the strap. I bought this bag to mainly hold in my hand when wearing a big backpack, and use under the seat when flying, and also to wear on my back as a light daypack. And I absolutely hate loose straps when holding it duffle style in my hand.

The sling has a small compartment on the top next to the handle which would fit a passport, it sits in a false inaccessible compartment that's between the outside and the laptop compartment.

So I was thinking about modding the sling by cutting that little compartment out so I can stow the strap into it, the problem is that the strap is padded, and the padded part is longer than the bag, which means I would have to fold the padded strap in order to fit it in that compartment.

What are your thoughts about this, would this damage the padded strap by folding and unfolding it on the long run? Or do you have any other suggestions.

I choose this bag because it's one of the only slings that can fit my 12.3 inch tablet without being much to large.

Eagle Creek Explore Sling Pack

Posted by
4 posts

No those wouldn't help stowing away the padded strap unfortunately, so that's not the solution.
But they do seem to work great for any other loose straps!

Posted by
11 posts

Too late now, but both my Thule and Osprey have openings at the top for the straps to be pushed down into. They virtually disappear deep enough you can safely check the bags (and I have).

For your dilemma, I'd be very hesitant to cut anything. That has so many ways to go wrong.

I would look for a way to clip them down, strap them together and to the bag, wrap them to the front, etc. A mechanical work-around rather than a permanent fix that might not work or worse.

I wish you luck.

Posted by
4 posts

Which Thule and Osprey are those? I've looked at those brands and couldn't find anything that could fit my tablet and is still small.

I think cutting the little compartment out doesn't have a lot of risks, I can easily get it inside out to cut it without any risk cutting anything else on the bag by accident. I just don't know what folding the padded part of the strap has on the long run.

Posted by
11 posts

Thule Landmark 60L. 2 packs attached. (a 20L riding piggyback on a 40L).
And the Osprey Dalite 44L.

If you start looking seriously at them, drop me a note and I'll share my thoughts. Both are great packs, just different.

I never give my straps a second thought bending them up to jam down in their spot.

Good luck on whatever you decide.

Posted by
4 posts

But those are also waaay too big. I do own the Osprey 40L, which goes in the overhead. But the Sling will be my personal item and has to be as small as possible while still fitting my tablet and some extras.

Posted by
1407 posts

Modify the sling bag by cutting off the strap at the top and adding a buckle on the cut ends. Unbuckle and store strap when not needed.

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