Data Crew Snacktime Sling

Snacktime Sling™ by Data Crew

There’s that moment just before you head out the door. Jacket on, hand already on the handle, and then the question that decides everything: have I got everything? If your kit is spread across four trouser pockets, it rattles against itself all day and something still ends up missing. That’s exactly where the Snacktime Sling comes in.

Compact, but not too small

The Snacktime Sling is a shoulder bag for daily EDC use, built by Data Crew in Downtown Los Angeles. 3.25 litres of volume at 35.5 × 15 × 9 cm external dimensions – enough for a power bank, a notebook, a snack and your knife, slim enough that it doesn’t keep sliding round to the front while you’re cycling. The strap extends to roughly 112 cm. Across the chest or loose over one shoulder, take your pick.

Laminate rather than plain woven fabric

Every version has a laminate on the outside, meaning several layers of fabric glued together across the full surface. You’ve got the choice: Squadron or X-Pac. Two high-tech laminates, the same bag, different characters. If you’re standing in front of the colourways wondering whether this is purely a question of looks: it isn’t.

Squadron® comes from Brookwood in the USA and was developed for plate carriers and tactical vests. It’s built from 500 denier nylon bonded across its full surface onto a 1000 denier layer, with a water repellent finish on top. Two thick layers of nylon stacked up, which gives you a fabric with real substance, something that feels closer to tactical kit than to a bag when you handle it. Water repellent means a shower on the way to the train beads off. We wouldn’t go diving with it.

X-Pac® X50 comes from Dimension-Polyant, a sailcloth manufacturer. The construction is a different one: 500 denier Cordura as the face fabric, underneath it a grid of diagonally running X-PLY® fibres, and a polyester film at the very bottom. The diagonal grid absorbs the tension loads, which is why the material barely stretches at all. The film seals the laminate and the fabric itself lets no water through. That naturally stops at the seams and the zips, so it won’t turn into a dry bag.

So which one? X-Pac is a little lighter, putting the Snacktime Sling at around 172 grams. Squadron weighs more and feels more solid in the hand. Both stand up empty on the table without collapsing in on themselves like a wet towel, which is rather the point of a laminate.

The closure comes from Hannover

The strap connects to the body of the bag through a Fidlock V-Buckle 40 LL. Neodymium magnets pull the two halves of the buckle together and the mechanism latches by itself. It opens one handed via the metal flap, and the more load sitting on the closure, the tighter it holds. Nice detail: Fidlock is based in Hannover. The zips are YKK #5 AquaGuard, and everything is stitched with #69 mil-spec nylon thread.

Rearrangeable inside

The valet tray sits on a layer of hook and loop and lifts out completely. In the evening you tip half your setup onto the dresser in one go instead of picking out each piece individually. The removable Two-Finger Ringer sits on the tray, a small insert that keeps round odds and ends where you put them.

Who is it for?

For anyone who doesn’t want to drown their EDC in a 25 litre rucksack, but who has run out of trouser pockets. A walk through town, a weekend trip, a gig, the trip to the corner shop – that’s what the Snacktime Sling is built for.

Data Crew has been around since 2017, started out as a pin brand and has had both feet in EDC since 2021. Everything is sewn in Los Angeles.

Yes, the name does sound a bit like a packed lunch. What you actually put in it stays your secret.