Combi Urban Sling Messenger

[Tina9544]

Any reviews?

[casey118]

I have had the Urban Sling for about 4 months and have mixed feelings even though it is my primary bag right now. I like the messenger style and really like the access through the top zipper. When using my stroller I hang it over the handles which works ok but it can drag if I'm not careful. I think the bag is a little heavy, so if you load it up it is really quite heavy. My main complaint is that it doesn't hold very much. I am a light to medium packer and usually carry:

wallet
cell phone (has a separate pocket)
lipgloss
sunglasses
3-4 size 3 disposable diapers
baggy of wipes (the Huggies travel container will also fit in the pocket)
1 bottle
1 can of pediasure
sometimes a sippy cup
1-2 tupperware of snacks (the little munchkin ones)
gerber disposable silver ware (1 set)
disposable table toppers
a book and little car

For summer I really need to carry water and sunscreen as well.

My wallet seems really bulky in the front flap pocket, although that is where I usually put it for easy access. There are 2 pockets under the flap that I think are somewhat unaccessible and never use.

The main compartment gets really full fast and seems quite heavy when it is full. I can stuff a little sweatshirt in there as well but then it is really bulky. Sometimes I use the side bottle pocket but not always, it just seems to be sort of a pain.

I know someone on the board (beth?) loves her urban sling. Someone else described it as though they felt like they were stuffing an envelope, which for me seems to be a perfect description. I always feel like for its size it should hold more or feel less bulky.

That being said, I haven't found another messenger I like more. I don't want to spend $100+ on a Loom. I have seen the T2 in real life and thought it was a great bag except that I hate access through a flap so it rules it out. I just ordered a skip hop, but never hear about anyone carrying it as a messenger style, only for stroller hook up. I think it seems really tall to actually carry.

Anyway, hope this helps!

[Twin Mom]

I have had my US for a while now and I have been very happy with the bag. I don't think it is that heavy. Let me say that it is not the bag for you if you are a heavy packer or someone who has a newborn and has to carry the world. It works better for short outings and light packers. Now that my twins are 20 months old, I don't have to carry as much as I used to so it works fine for me. People definitely find that if they overpack it, it becomes poofy and sticks out when they were it messenger style. It has pretty good organization and a decent # of pockets. I do use the pockets under the flap - 1 for bibsters and 1 for tabletoppers. I don't keep my own stuff in the US though since I still carry a purse (or hang it off the stroller). Although sometimes I do use the cell phone pocket.

I hang the US on my double stroller by unclipping the shoulder strap and wrapping it around the handle (it has one long handle) and clipping it on. Not a skip hop, but it works.

I know that Strollerqueen had one for sale on the Yahoo stroller swap group (she may have posted to the baby bags swap group too) not long ago, but I'm not sure if it is still available or not.

Aileen

[egoldber]

I do like mine. My DD is older now (almost 3), so I carry very little.

I carry:

2 size 6 diapers and Huggies wipes container (I put those in the odd pockets under the flap)

wallet
cellphone
keys
coupon organizer
PDA
a slim, paperback book for DD
a small contianer of snacks (a few goldfish or raisins type thing)
water sippy for her
a couple really small toys

It works fine for this. If I want to carry even a "little" more (like a water for me or some more toys), then its overpacked and bulky.

HTH,

[boys2enough]

Agree with all 3 PPs. I do have this "love hate" relationship with mine: love it for the "sling" style, feels better on my shoulder, and it really does not look like a diaper bag. No slipping down from my shoulder either, and makes it possible to deal with my 18 mo who still wants to be carried all the time. It is my only bag for now, and the ONLY bag that DH would carry because you can't tell that it is a diaper bag.

Hate it when I have to bring something else such as water for myself, his shoes (when they fall off, lol) or our camcorder for example. I could manage stuff these things inside the main compartment, but the bag then became bulky and looked very strange carried in the sling fashion.

In fact, mine looks "puffed up" all the time. After reading the other posts, I realized that maybe I need to reconfigure how I use the pockets. Right now I have the diapers and wipes inside the "flap" (it's a zippered compartment). Although it makes the bag look not as stylish, I like how I can use one hand to access diaper stuff very quickly when I am changing Gabriel: need the other hand to keep him from rolling away, standing up, jumping off the changing table, or worse, making a mess of himself. lol.

The bag does not feel particularly heavy to me. FWIW, to give you an idea, it feels lighter than the new LE diaper tote (to me at least).

I use the 2 pockets underneath the flap for stuff that I don't often need: disposable bibs, flatware and Table toppers. The other one I have emergency care stuff such as Tylenol, and misc. stuff (just in case stuff basically).

Another thing I'd like to point out is that the clip on the shoulder strap (for keys) tends to break. My first one broke, so I returned it and got a new one. The second one broke as well after I used it for a few days. I contacted Combi and they actually told me to bring the bag in. The thought of driving 40 minutes with 2 kids dissuaded me from doing so. So now mine has no key clip on it.

HTH.

Cheers, Lin
Mom to 2 wild boys
D 3/98
G 11/02

http://instagiber.net/smiliesdotcom/kao/otn/pnoodles.gif

[Twin Mom]

It's funny that you mentioned the key clip since mine has been broken since I got the bag. I have always been meaning to call Combi to see if I could get it fixed, but never bothered. I probably wouldn't use the clip anyway because I would worry that my keys would fall off. Plus I don't think it is worth paying for shipping to get the key thing fixed...

Aileen

[boys2enough]

>It's funny that you mentioned the key clip since mine has
>been broken since I got the bag. I have always been meaning
>to call Combi to see if I could get it fixed, but never
>bothered. I probably wouldn't use the clip anyway because I
>would worry that my keys would fall off. Plus I don't think
>it is worth paying for shipping to get the key thing
>fixed...
>
>Aileen

That is exactly how I feel! :) The first time the store sent me a return label to send the back bag. They were also nice enough to send me a new bag so I didn't have to go without a bag for too long. But when it broke again, I called Combi directly because it just seemed like a manufacturer's error. kwim? But they did not offer to give me a shipping label or anything like that, instead they wanted me to bring the bag in. It's just not worth that kind of hassel. The "ring" that is left on the strap is handy to click some toys on sometimes.

Another thing I don't like about the bag that I forgot to mention is: I can't hang it on my Mac Vogue. It tend to "slip" down the handles and then touch the ground. I am still thinking of a way to hang my bag. (I bought a Skip Hop but then returned it. I like the Combi US better for a SLING/Messenger type bag. JMO though).


Cheers, Lin
Mom to 2 wild boys
D 3/98
G 11/02

http://instagiber.net/smiliesdotcom/kao/otn/pnoodles.gif