Two days ago I was in New York at the annual Pepcom Digital Experience media gathering. It was at this very event nearly one year ago when I was first introduced to Moshi. Now if you’re familiar with this website, then you know that we’re big fans of this digital lifestyle brand. What better opportunity would I have to travel with and demo their recently introduced Venturo laptop bag. So without any further delay, let’s take a closer look at the second of two recently released products in this Moshi Venturo sling backpack review.
• Modern look, lightweight design
• Five stylish color schemes
• Durable fabrics and materials
• Ample padding where needed
• Zippers can be a little tricky getting around corners
• Designed primarily for men
• No rear trolley strap
Moshi Venturo Sling Backpack Review
Three months ago, Moshi, the west coast maker of premium backpacks, shoulder bags, headphones, protective cases, and other digital lifestyle products, presented their Spring/Summer 2017 Collection.
Per the press release: “Accessory designer Moshi introduced its new Spring/Summer 2017 bag collection, fusing sophisticated style with limited edition, marine-inspired colors for its classic Urbana briefcase, Urbana Mini handbag, and Venturo backpack.”
Earlier this week, we reviewed the first of two products from this collection, the Urbana laptop briefcase for women. (See the inline related post above.) If you haven’t read it yet, here’s your chance.
This second product, the Venturo sling backpack, is for obvious reasons, primarily, but not exclusively marketed at men.
As mentioned in the Arcus camera backpack review (which you should also read as it’s awesome, see the inline related post below), I’ve got over a dozen bags and backpacks. What I haven’t said until now is that the Venturo is the first sling backpack in my growing collection. Never having reviewed a sling bag was a bit exciting. Heck, I’ve never even owned one until now.
Super-Stylish On The Outside
From the exterior, you may have noticed that Venturo is made from the same high-resilience polyester materials with the same weather-resistant surface treatment that appear on Moshi’s 2017 bags and backpacks stated above. The similarities don’t end there. The Bahama Blue color that graces the Urbana also appears on the Venturo, and does it ever look sharp.
On the front, you’ll notice one across-the-front zipper, and one that is angled, both with tan-colored vegan leather trim. This angled pocket adds more character and style to the bag. Had this zippered pocket been perpendicular to the other, the front wouldn’t look as good. There’s also the now-standard square metal ‘moshi’ logo located on the lower right. This nearly-full-length front pocket can hold all sorts of paperwork for quick access. The angled entry pocket can fit one’s hand and best used for items like pocket change and a pack of gum.
On the back, bottom, and wrapped around the sling pack are three more tan-colored zippers. These zippers all have rounded metal handles with a stamped or engraved ‘moshi’ logo. The bottom pocket has a netted interior to hold either a beverage or a collapsible umbrella. Placed in an excellent location, this pocket will keep wet items at the bottom and away from the rest of the bag’s contents. The backside comes with a padded air mesh lined and vented back.
At the top rear, there’s a discrete pocket. If you want to hide those items that’ll make you most upset if lost or stolen (identification cards, wallet, passport, etc.), then I suggest this is the place to hide them in. For full disclosure, I had some difficulty fully opening this rear zipper as it kept interfering with the shoulder strap. The solution to this issue is rotating the bag forward on its side. Now you’ve got unfettered access to the discrete pocket. Finally, there’s the wrap around zipper which gets into the interior of the sling pack. As stated in the Arcus review, “the zippers and straps are of high-quality, and the stitching is put together well.”
There’s no real bottom to the Venturo, so there’s no thicker durable padded surface to protect contents against drops as seen on some other Moshi bags. In fact, I don’t recommend you putting this sling bag on any dirty surface. Use either of the padded top or side handles for hang it. This way, you’ll keep your sling pack dirt and scratch free.
Closing out the exterior, there’s a long, durable, and adjustable crossbody strap with a well-padded air mesh shoulder cushion. The crossbody strap worked like a charm across my chest. This cushion looks identical to the back padding, with the latter being denser.
The Venturo sling backpack comes in five color patterns: Bahama Blue, Steel Blue, Charcoal Black, Titanium Gray, and Navy Blue. In my opinion, the first three colors are the most stylish.
It’s What’s On The Inside That Counts
On this recent trip, the Venturo’s contents included the following: two cans of soda, two t-shirts, one sweat jacket, one over-ear headphones, one battery charger, and one burrito from Pressed Cafe which was so good. Even with all this in the main compartment, the Venturo was comfortable around my body while walking up and down 9th Avenue and within the media event.
The inside of the sling backpack is broken down into three compartments. The first is the thickly padded laptop and tablet sleeves section which protect your 15″ laptop and 10″ tablet in the event of a drop. Should the bag get upside down, you need not worry about either device sliding out. A Velcro strap holds both in place.
The main compartment is about 4″ deep with more than enough space to hold all which I described above.
The third and final section is a thing of beauty with four well-placed and centered pockets. One is zippered with a breathable netted design, while the remaining three have Velcro closures. I was able to neatly store in-ear headphones like Moshi’s Vortex Air, two sets of USB cables and plugs, a sizable battery charger, a toothbrush, a pen, and more. Of the four Moshi bags I’ve reviewed, Venturo has the most beautiful and well-organized interior.
The lining of this Moshi bag is luxurious, and it’s throughout their 2017 lineup. This lining is exactly like what you see on similar, stylish bags 2-3x the price, for example, from the likes of Tumi.
This bag weighs 28.7 oz and has dimensions of 20.1″ x 4.1″ x 14.6″. For you Metric System users, the weight is 815 grams, and its dimensions are 51 x 10.5 x 37 cm.
Conclusion
How I went through life without ever owning a sling backpack is beyond me.
With all its features, the Moshi Venturo sling pack delivers plenty of bang in a stylish, modern design. When compared to sling bags from other premium brands, I believe the $120 price tag is more than fair. It’s become my current go-to professional bag.
All five colors (patterns) of the Venturo pack are available for purchase on either Amazon (see link below), B&H, or the Moshi website.
If you’re an urban or suburban professional, or some chap who likes to accessorize with a great-looking product, I believe you’ll be quite pleased with the Venturo. If you take great care of it, don’t be surprised when this sling bag lasts a decade or more. It’s made that well.
Based on everything above, the Moshi Venturo sling backpack is one handsome accessory and hands down one of the best sling bags for men available. If you’re more into messenger bags, then I would direct you to Moshi’s Aerio.
What do you think of this Moshi Venturo sling backpack review? Do you agree or disagree that this is one of the best sling bags for men since its introduction? Let us know in the comment section below or via social media. We’re eager to hear your thoughts.
Don’t hesitate to head over to the Moshi press page to see their latest product announcements. To learn more about service and support, click here for their Support page. There’s a one-year limited warranty on all Moshi products. There’s also an extended warranty via product registration. We highly advise you take advantage of this.
FTC Disclosure: Moshi provided Beantown LLC with one (1) Venturo sling backpack sample for review purposes. This writer’s opinion is 100% his own and not a paid product ambassador.
All photographs are the copyrighted property of Moshi or Beantown LLC © 2017.
All five color patterns of the Urbana bag are available for purchase on either Amazon (see link below), B&H, or the Moshi website.
Inside the full-length rear compartment is a pocket for business cards, larger documents, and files, as well as a strap w/carabiner for your keys. I’ve seen this carabiner feature on other bags and found it most useful. Just above/below this rear zipper is padded top handle and the rear trolley strap for transport on rolling luggage, respectively.
Flipping the messenger flap over, you’ll notice another zippered compartment as well as a hidden one. Are two pockets needed here? In my opinion ‘No,’ but the addition of the hidden pocket adds to the character of the bag, and an overall better look. Still, these compartments aren’t what’s best here. This is reserved for the discrete locking hardware. Without the hidden locks, the Aerio messenger bag would be more ordinary and less modern looking.
What do you think of this Moshi Aerio messenger bag review? Do you agree or disagree that this is one of the best messengers bags for men or women since its introduction at the end of 2015? Let us know in the comment section below or via social media. We’re eager to hear your thoughts.