Shoulder Bag Rabbit Hole: PGYTech OneGo Solo V2 (6L) vs Ulanzi Travel Sling V2 (PB038/B120)
One lesson I learned from the trip my wife and I made to Halifax, Canada, was that I absolutely didn’t enjoy having a huge, 41L backpack on me while walking around all day:
It was heavy, hard to handle and very warm.
So in preparation for our upcoming trip to Portugal, I went down a rabbit hole to find a sling bag that, specifically, would allow me to carry:
- a light sweater (because I get cold easily and I’ve been warned that Portugal can get chilly at night)
- my compact, rangefinder-style camera (Fujifilm X-E5 with the XF 23mm ƒ2.8 lens)
- a 1L water bottle
You’d be surprised how many bag reviews don’t demonstrate fitting a light sweater or jacket in the bags—do people just don’t get chilly? We went to Halifax in the summer (August) but I still needed to put on a sweater in some restaurants and while walking around the city in the evening.
So after hours of researching and comparing, I narrowed my choices down to the PGYTech OneGo Solo V2 6L and the Ulanzi Travel Sling V2 (PB038/B120) were my finalists. I really liked their moderate size, but I couldn’t figure out how their capacities compare on a practical level through the information available online.
So I decided to buy both and tested them myself, and I’m so glad I did because there were some unexpected findings.
Why the Ulanzi Travel Sling V2 won
My most important takeaway, which was also the main reason I kept the Ulanzi and returned the OneGo Solo, was this:
The Ulanzi Travel Sling is way more compact while having a bigger capacity due to its flexibility.
Right out of the box, with both bags being empty, you can see the huge difference in size. However, due to Ulanzi bag’s much more flexible material, it can stay compact when it’s relatively empty or expand to fit a lot of stuff.
In contrast, OneGo Solo V2’s frame is extremely rigid, like a box. It stays the same size no matter how much stuff you have in it. The bag is also a bit tapered toward the front, and as a result, while the OneGo Solo looks much bigger, it cannot hold nearly as much as the Ulanzi bag on a practical level, at least with my items.
For example, as a test, I tried stuffing a light, zip-up hoodie and a big camera (Sony A7 III) with a long lens (Tamron 28-200mm) into each bag, and I had trouble zipping up the OneGo Solo because there was barely any give. Meanwhile, I could zip up the Ulanzi sling no problem.
Both photos show the natural state of the bags after putting in the items, and you can see how the OneGo solo was much more open compared to the Ulanzi bag.
Next, I tried stuffing a bigger, fluffy fleece from Uniqlo (S size) into each bag. It pretty much used most of each bag’s capacity, but again, it was much harder to stuff it in the OneGo Solo—it almost felt like it wouldn’t fit.
The rigidness of the OneGo Solo is a major downside for me. For someone with a slim build like me, wearing it feels really bulky and awkward, like I’m carrying a box around. Perhaps it’s better if you wear it like a crossbody, but the straps can’t be adjusted short enough for me to wearing it like a true crossbody (like the tomtoc Explorer-T21 S). The bag ends up resting on my hip and it bounces as I walk, so I can really only use it like a messenger/shoulder bag.
Other pros of the Ulanzi Sling and pros of the PGYTech OneGo Solo V2 6L
Other things (important to me) that I liked on the Ulanzi bag over the OneGo Solo:
- A hidden back zipper for passport and/or other flat items. This is a common feature in shoulder/sling bags so I was very surprised that the OneGo Solo doesn’t have it.
- Straps on the sides for attachments. I like carrying a good amount of water with me (at least 1L), and the side straps mean I can tether a water bottle with a carabiner (I will discuss OneGo solo’s water bottle pouch later). I also plan to tether my precious camera to the side strap using—hilariously—a PGYTech camera strap to prevent pickpocketing.
- Lighter weight when empty: 474g/~1lb (Ulanzi) vs 656g/1.45lb (OneGo Solo V2)—measured using my own scale. Since it’s a shoulder bag, I want to keep the bag as light as possible to avoid straining my shoulder. While the difference of 91g isn’t a lot, it makes up for all the other small items I will put in the bag, such as passport, wallet, batteries etc.
To be clear, the OneGo Solo V2 has some great features that I wish the Ulanzi had:
- A shoulder pad on the strap (it’s strange that the Ulanzi doesn’t have one, but to its credit, the straps are very thick and wide and it doesn’t feel uncomfortable on my shoulder)
- Quick adjust buckle for adjusting the strap length easily
- Strap ends that rotate
- The many different compartments inside the bag (the battery indicator magnets that also function as a screwdriver is incredibly ingenious!)
OneGo Solo V2 water bottle pouch
OneGo Solo V2’s water bottle pouch is very interesting. It was something that really drew me towards the OneGo Solo when I first read about it because, for whatever reason, not many “explorer” or “wanderer” shoulder/sling bags take into account that some people want to take a good amount of water with them (I wouldn’t want to go exploring without staying hydrated!). I thought this was the solution. However, in practice, the pouch didn’t meet my expectations.
I assume the pouch must have been designed for very light, small bottles (or maybe umbrellas), and not for something that holds 1L of water—which was what I personally wanted to use it for—because the fabric is very thin and the way it’s sewn to the bag feels a bit precarious. If you walk around with a heavier water bottle in this pouch, it’s going to be jostled constantly so there will be a lot of stress on the seam and I just don’t feel confident it will last over time (this is obviously purely based on personal speculation). If you use it for an umbrella or those disposable plastic water bottles, though, it will be perfect.
Ultimately, my solution to my water dilemma was to get the HydraPak Stow 1L and attach it to one of the side straps on the Ulanzi bag. The Stow is very light on its own compared to a standard stainless steel or even hard plastic water bottle, and it gets smaller as you depletes it so I can stuff it into the bag after a while.
Quick note on quality vs cost
The Ulanzi Travel Sling V2 has the same quality as the OneGo Solo V2 6L despite costing half as much. Both bags feel like premium products and I think will last a long time.
Closing thoughts
Frankly, I really, really wanted to keep the OneGo Solo. The interior compartments were just fantastic. I also think it looks sleeker than the Ulanzi sling, though I’m not sure if that’s necessarily a good thing for being a tourist. A nice-looking bag might make you a more likely target for pickpocketing.
But it’s just so bulky and rigid that I couldn’t see myself enjoying carrying it for long periods of time. I also feel like the bulkiness won’t make it the best for flying.
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