WANDRD ROGUE 9L Sling Review: Hype or Worth it?

WANDRD Rogue 9L Sling First Impressions

The ROGUE Sling (previously called the ROAM sling) is designed to serve as a stylish camera bag that doubles as an everyday bag and can hold all of your daily necessities or camera gear for shooting on the go. I was more than willing to put that to the test.

When I first got this sling, the first thing that stood out to me was the burly materials. For something that’s designed mainly for urban use, this thing feels really tough and well-made thanks to the thick water-resistant fabrics, oversized zippers, and ample padding. I definitely didn’t feel afraid of it wearing out quickly.

I immediately tested it out packing some camera gear to see what it could carry. It fits a camera body and 1-2 lenses comfortably and the fact that it’s a sling allows easy access to all of your gear. If you need much more camera equipment than that, you’ll probably be better off with a bigger camera backpack.

There are a lot of straps, buckles, and adjustments with this sling (I mean, A LOT). They have a 5-point adjustment system that’s supposed to help you get the perfect fit with the shoulder strap, but I found it a bit complicated at first. It got easier once I got everything dialed in, but know that there’s a bit of a learning curve (and don’t be afraid to experiment).

I also instantly loved the array of pockets and compartments for keeping everything organized.

All-in-all, it seemed like a well-built, well-designed bag, and I was excited to try it out in the field.

WANDRD Rogue 9L Sling Pros and Cons

Though this sling bag has become my go-to bag for many occasions, it certainly has its limits.

First off, 9 liters isn’t very much space. You definitely can’t carry a day’s worth of supplies in this bag.

I also had a hard time getting it comfortable if I was carrying it more than an hour or two (though that may just be a limitation of a sling design in general.

That said, there’s also a lot to love. The shoulder strap has generous padding, it’s protective for camera gear, and it even has an option for laptop carry. That’s something you don’t typically get with camera bags like this.

Who Is WANDRD?

The ROGUE 9L Sling was created by WANDRD, a family-owned, crowd-funded company “that exists to inspire people to get out and live passionate lives; exploring, creating and living life in the moment.” They make a variety of different bags catered to the traveling content creator.

WANDRD is a tight-knit team of 11 people who have distributed bags to over 100 countries worldwide.

Their goal was to make both a stylish and functional camera bag that is compatible with their adventurous lifestyle.

Their intent is not to sell bags but to inspire others to see more of the world, hence their name: WANDRD.

They claim to make high-quality, long-lasting products as a responsibility to the environment and their customers and are “accountable to the brand, to each other, and to the earth.”

WANDRD Rogue 9L Sling Review

With a general idea of what this bag has to offer and who this bag may be for, let’s take a deeper look into some of the features of the WANDRD Rogue 9L Sling.

Materials

The Rogue Sling is made of 840D Jr. Ballistic Nylon with 5 pm coating, 1680D Ballistic Nylon, and Weather Resistant YKK Zippers.

I tend to not baby any of my equipment and this bag has been able to withstand the relatively brutal beating I put my belongings through.

The nylon material is highly water resistant which brings a sense of peace throughout an unpredictable day. I never had issues with my stuff inside getting wet, though I haven’t been caught in serious downpours yet.

Aesthetic

Aesthetics are highly subjective. Some people like bright, vibrant, extravagant colors with an assortment of bells and whistles but personally, I tend to be drawn to minimal designs and colors.

The WANDRD ROGUE Sling comes in a variety of different muted earth tones which certainly fits my vibe. If you’re someone who is looking for a neon pink option, you may find yourself disappointed though.

The essence of a sling itself is minimal. In most cases, it’s one strap with a small compartment – plain and simple. WANDRD did a nice job of packing a lot of awesome features into this bag while sustaining its minimalist look.

Comfort

WANDRD gives you tons of options with how to carry this sling so you can get the most comfortable setup. It can be worn as a cross-body sling, a messenger bag, or a waist bag depending on your preference. This gives it a lot more versatility than most sling bags.

The shoulder strap and body panel on this bag are well-padded and have a breathable spacer mesh. That helps with the comfort, but it still isn’t super comfortable with heavier loads or for longer durations.

To be blunt, if worn for longer than an hour, you will be wishing you brought a backpack. Though I’ve justified using this for a full day of shooting, it most definitely wasn’t the most comfortable choice. My reasoning was I would be standing in a festival crowd all day and I didn’t want to have a large pack on trying to maneuver through people.

In most other circumstances, I would have definitely opted for a backpack.

With that being said, the comfort level will vary depending on how much you decide to carry. I don’t really know what circumstance would lead you to do this but if you were to need to utilize both the laptop sleeve and the tripod holder, then I would imagine you would find yourself in a pretty uncomfortable situation within minutes.

As I mentioned earlier, when the laptop pocket is utilized, it throws the weight distribution off pretty tremendously and adds a pretty awkward feel to the bag. Though I think this is a really awesome and convenient feature to have, it isn’t exactly the most comfortable, especially if it needs to be worn for a long duration.

If going for comfort, choose wisely in regards to how you decide to use this bag. If you just need it to carry an extra lens while your camera and your main lens are in hand, the comfort level will be drastically different than if you are trying to use every feature on this bag to carry a day’s worth of belongings.

Organization

WANDRD did an awesome job of including a lot of features in a compact carrier sling that you would normally find on a larger camera bag.

It comes with a large main compartment, SD/film canister organization, expandable laptop sleeve/dual pocket, catch-all accessory pocket, front quick access zippered pocket with a key clip, accordion-style organization, and two shelf dividers. I love the removable dividers in the main compartment, which let you set up your storage how you want it.

I am a pretty impossible person to keep well organized regardless of the intentions of a particular bag. I tend to just put my stuff in a compartment and hope I can find it later on when I need it.

The WANDRD ROGUE makes organization simple though as it is such a compact carrier with a sufficient amount of features. It’s pretty hard not to place your items in the desired pocket because you really don’t have much else to choose from.

Durability

Sling bags are certainly not meant for the ruggedness of the outdoors, but the ROGUE passes the durability test with flying colors.

As I have mentioned, I have used this bag pretty extensively through a variety of different scenarios and it still looks and feels good as new (minus a few marks).

The water-resistant nylon material holds up well under wet weather and is tough enough to handle a bit of rough handling. I have no worries that it will last for years of everyday use.

WANDRD Rogue 9L Sling Features

Now that we’ve covered the basics, let’s dive into some of the more detailed components of this bag. It’s really loaded with features, so there’s a lot to discuss here.

Laptop Compartment

The expandable laptop compartment is an awesome and slightly unexpected feature to find on a sling. It’s basically an expandable slot where you can slide your laptop case in.

Note that this isn’t a padded compartment. WANDRD recommends you use this with their dedicated laptop case.

I was pretty excited to try it out but ended up having a hard time with it in real use. When I loaded my laptop, I just threw off the weight distribution too much.

It’s a really cool concept and may work for some people, but I did ask myself, does a laptop really belong in a sling?

I think WANDRD does the best job that could be done with incorporating a laptop sleeve into a camera sling but as I continue to mention, it comes with the cost of comfort. If you’re carrying a laptop regularly, I think a backpack or dedicated laptop bag will serve you better.

Main Camera Compartment

The main camera compartment comes with a few detachable dividers and several compartments for all of your camera accessories.

I have found I can fit a camera body and 1-2 lenses depending on which lenses I decide to carry.

For individuals who like to carry a long lens or an extra camera body, the sling won’t suffice. You’ll need a bigger camera bag.

I like the organization of this main compartment though as it seems to have a space for all of my must-haves such as batteries, filters, and SD cards.

Quick Access Front Pocket

The front zippered pocket on this sling bag is perfect for any extra cables or remotes but can’t fit anything much larger than that.

It comes with a key clip which I have never personally used but I could see myself using it for a remote or a small drawstring bag.

This would also be a good place to store your passport when traveling or any other small items that you want to keep out of your pockets.

Expandable Water Bottle/Tripod Sleeve

I sort of have a love-hate relationship with this feature. The added weight of a water bottle or tripod diminishes the comfort of the sling, I can’t really justify going anywhere without water.

There aren’t too many places WANDRD could’ve placed this sleeve but they definitely chose the right one by placing it on the bottom of the bag.

The placement of the sleeve allows easy access to your water bottle. Though it won’t fall out, it doesn’t seem to fully secure a water bottle as it still seems to shuffle around inside of it.

I have used a tripod in here once out of necessity but it was extremely awkward. The sleeve is really only compatible with smaller, compact tripods, so don’t expect to carry your six-foot tripod along with you. At the end of the day, I think I was just better off carrying my tripod in hand as opposed to trying to mount it on the sling.

All in all, I think WANDRD did the best they could with what they were working with.

Grab Handles

Grab Handles can be found on the top and both sides of the sling. It adds a bit of extra security but I don’t find them to be overly necessary or useful.

I think they maybe could’ve saved a little bit of weight and over-excessiveness and just placed one grab handle on top of the lid.

Air Mesh Back Panel

On WANDRD’s website, they claim the air mesh back panel “feels like getting spooned by a baby sloth.” Though it paints a pretty funny image, the comparison feels pretty off. I guess I’ve never been spooned by a baby sloth though so what do I know?

I choose support over cushion any day and I wouldn’t say the ROGUE Sling provides more cushion than any other bag out there nor can it be felt more. All bags have their comfort limits and regardless of the air mesh back panel, the Rogue Sling’s limit is exceedingly low.

3 Ways To Carry

The WANDRD Rogue can be carried three different ways: sling, messenger, or waist. The system for adjusting the carry strap between the different modes is pretty clever, but it does take some fiddling around to get it right.

For abnormally skinny folks like myself, the waist option is virtually nonexistent. I tend to alternate between messenger and sling bag according to comfort level and duration of use.