REI Co-op Stuff Waist Pack Review

There’s a great case for having a tiny sling or waist pack to take on a trip, whether you’re carrying a large travel backpack and don’t want to dig deep inside for the essentials or you’re exploring a new place without any pockets. Most of us won’t leave home without our phones, and you really shouldn’t go out without a wallet and keys, so it’s nice to have a place to tuck them if your travel pants or dress lacks pockets or your entire life is locked away in luggage. After all, stopping at the front of the customs line to fully open your hardside suitcase to grab your passport will invite more questions and glares than you probably want to have aimed at you at that moment.

However, if you don’t plan to carry a lot with you daily, you probably don’t want something big, bulky, and structured. That’s where the REI Co-op Stuff Waist Pack enters the picture. It’s a 1.5L sling that can tuck away into its pocket for a slightly smaller footprint when you don’t need it. Is it the packable bag of our dreams? There’s only one way to find out. Read on for our thoughts as we put it to the test.

External Components

There are two ways to look at the REI Co-op Stuff Waist Pack: packed away and open. We’ll start with what you’ll see when it’s stuffed and zipped into its own pocket.

The primary material is bluesign®-approved recycled ripstop nylon, a nice nod to sustainability. We’re happy to see ripstop used here because there is a lot of stress on the materials, and thanks to the built-in grid of reinforcing lines stitched into the fabric, ripstop is durable while remaining lightweight.

We’ve got the Black colorway, which features tan and blue accents, and a couple more plain colorways are available at the time of this review. However, if you opt for the Glacier Peak Jasper Green, a print, you give up the recycled material and bluesign® approval. If that matters to you, just forgo the print, and you’ll be a happier, more sustainable traveler.

Either way, the front face of the packed-away sling features the REI Co-Op logo in the bottom right corner and the name of the product in the top right, with a drawing of what’s inside underneath it. We appreciate it when packable bags do this here at Pack Hacker because packable bags tend to look a lot alike when tucked away, and it’s nice to know what you’re unpacking when you open it. Of course, if you own fewer packable bags than we do (so less than three bins’ worth), you might be able to keep track of which bag is which.

Atop the pouch is a tiny loop of ribbon-like webbing to hold with one finger or hang up on a tiny hook. We think it probably gets used more to hang it at the REI store than we ever needed it for, but it doesn’t get in the way.

There is a short reverse-coil YKK zipper with a cord woven through the metal pull on the back. We’re happy to have the cord because it’s much easier to pull the zipper shut over the tightly packed pouch with it. We’re glad to see YKK because it’s a brand we trust, and this zipper is taking a lot of stress. It’s not a zipper you want to fail.

Unzip it and then press everything out of the pouch, like your favorite Popple from the ’80s. This isn’t as cute or fuzzy, but it’s arguably more useful, as now you have a small sling or waist pack to work with instead of a fun stuffed animal. When you do this, you’ll create a pocket inside the sling; simply push it down into the main compartment for a bit of organization.

You can now also see the front zippered compartment, with an REI Co-op patch sewn at the end of the zipper track.

You’ll also get a good look at the harness system, if you can call something so simple a system. It consists of an adjustable webbing strap that extends from either side of the sling to wrap around your waist or across your chest crossbody, which we prefer. REI says that it fits 28- to 58-inch waists, which is good for flexibility, and whatever strap you don’t use is held in place with built-in elastic keepers on either side of the buckle.

That piece of hardware is a rather chunky model from Duraflex. We only point out its heft because of the petite side of the bag. It seems a little overkill, but it functions well.

Fit Notes

If you’ve read our Sling Guide, you might know that when the strap comes out from the sling’s side, it’s designed to be worn around your waist. And since this is called the Stuff Waist Pack, we’re not surprised to see that design here. It is a small enough bag that we don’t feel too awkward wearing it slung around our hips; you can’t stuff so much inside that it creates that bulging waist look we try to avoid.

However, we and many other travelers often prefer to wear slings crossbody. You can do that with the pack, which still stays pretty close to your chest because it’s so small. Unfortunately, we really feel the strap digging into the shoulder when worn this way, even with only a phone inside. It seems like the buckle and doubled-up strap press into your body from even lightweight gear, so our primary tester felt it while wearing it that way, over a coat, during a half-hour walk, which doesn’t bode well for longer periods of use.

As for looks, the ripstop material doesn’t hold onto wrinkles and creases from being packed away, nor does the strap get kinked, which we appreciate.

Inside The Sling

You might think a 1.5L sling would be mostly open space, but there are a few pockets to help you organize your gear.

The front pocket encompasses the entire face of the bag. That’s not a huge area, though, and this is a shallow pocket, so it’s best for a minimalist wallet, lip balm, or hand sanitizer. Our tester could squeeze her phone inside, but she’s rocking an iPhone Mini, so there’s a very good chance that yours won’t fit.

Inside the main compartment, you’ll see the pocket the sling packs into hanging against the back wall. It is a very small space, so we use it for AirPods, lip balm, or cash, but that’s about it.

That leaves the remaining area for your phone, passport, and keys. A clip on a short leash is attached to the back wall for your keys, though it often hides behind the interior pocket. We also don’t see too much of a need for a leash here since the compartment is so small that you’re unlikely to lose anything at the bottom. Your mileage may vary, though, and you might appreciate having a clip. At least it will keep your keys from falling out if you dislodge gear as you rummage through the bag.

And… that’s all, folks! There are no other features to chat about, which is understandable on such a tiny bag. If you simply want something to keep the essentials at hand through the airport that will fit under a coat, allowing you to fly under the radar of personal item allowances, this is a good option. You can pack it away when you don’t want it and pull it out to fill when necessary. However, if you want a sling for a music festival weekend, you’ll want to get something that’s a little more comfortable. Otherwise, after a few hours, your shoulders will be singing the blues along with the artist onstage.