Code Of Bell X-Pod Review - Expandable, flexible EDC sling with great materials and functionality 

Thank you for the kind words my friend! I'm glad you found this video useful!

I totally agree with this assessment. For most folks, if they're probably carrying this much, they are almost certainly better off with another bag. That having been said, over the past year (and especially now with the COVID situation that has greatly reduced the need for a daily work commute with all the requisite gear and correspondingly-sized backpack) I've been increasingly exploring the limits of how much usable EDC carry/functionality is possible to achieve with as small and light a pack as possible - first from backpacks to messengers then to totes/totepacks and now to slings and sacoches. Overall I'd say my perspective on the range of suitable use cases for a sling have dramatically increased since the beginning of this year, and over the past couple of months find myself using a sling over a full fledged pack for daily use nearly 80% of the time. Along with this expanded perspective on their acceptable use cases, I've also expanded my opinion on what is possible to daily carry comfortably within them - convertible cross-over type slings like the CoB X-Pod are particularly interesting because I've found that I can (and do) actually comfortably carry an iPad mini + keyboard (instead of my iPad pro + keyboard which in turn I used to carry instead of my laptop when I wanted to go smaller) or even an APS-C camera (itself instead of a FF camera) plus a jacket and all the normal wallet etc. and go about my life with almost no loss of actual functionality and actually a greater increase in my mobility and decrease in sense of encumbrance. That's been surprising to me because in the past I would have almost certainly have reached for a backpack for these cases and assessed slings like the CoB X-Pod as not being suitable for routine EDC carry of such things as you've mentioned. (and to be clear, I agree that this assessment is still probably valid for most folks - my carry is pretty dialed in and I don't think it's reasonable to expect the average person to have multiple versions of things like headphones/wallets/ipads/cameras to be able to swap in the right sizes/configurations to fit into a sling. I'm probably an outlier in that respect) Anyway, I derive a strange pleasure from exploring different carrying solutions and ways of balancing their trade offs (the biggest one with the carry above for a sling simply being "the weight is always the weight" and one starts to run into the limitations of the weight that can be comfortably carried off a single small strap fairly quickly) so I find things like this fun and appreciate unique convertible takes on the sling genre like the CoB X-Pod. But save strange folks like myself, I totally agree with your opinion that most folks who need to routinely carry this much are better off with another bag.

@@TheMountainborn sounds like it's worked well for you. Appreciate the detailed response, stay safe. 👍🏻

Thanks so much - glad the video was useful for you - and I think this will work great for your intended use case. Please let me know how you like it once it arrives!

Thank you Nizami!

Thank you so much my friend - glad you enjoyed it!

Thank you so much! And yes, definitely agree about depth often being a constraining and much overlooked factor. I keep planning to include some on-body shots in the future, just need to get the camera setup right!

@@TheMountainborn your videos have the best lighting and angle as they are for dark bags and their pockets so keep that going. Cheers

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@Preston Kaiser instablaster =)

@Dennis Gary thanks so much for your reply. I got to the site thru google and im in the hacking process atm. Seems to take a while so I will get back to you later with my results.

Glad you found it useful! So in terms of camera carry, the X-Pod is a decent choice, especially if you are looking for something to get your camera from point A to B whilst also handling EDC duties and/or if you are the type of person who once you get your camera out, you tend to keep it out and shoot with it for a while before putting back in. If you're looking for something that you can put your camera in/out more frequently and easily, you might also want to check out the Bellroy Sling (the bigger brother to the Sling Mini which I showed in this video) - it has much more capacity and the structure is such that your EM5 + any reasonable sized lens will easily fit and come out relatively smoothly, albeit at the expense of somewhat less organisation than the X-Pod. If you want a more photography-oriented choice, the Peak Design Everyday Sling 3L will be a great choice as it's purpose built for your camera whilst still being a decent sling - I wouldn't carry it as my go-to EDC sling for days when I didn't have a camera on me, but for days when I do carry ac camera, this is often my first choice. (You can see this bag make an appearance in my reviews of the Bellroy Weekender/Evergoods Civic Travel Bag 40 as well.)

Hi Tony! So honestly, the best small sling choices I've found for camera carry is generally the Peak Design Everyday Sling series - available in 3, 6 and 10L (there used to be a v1 5L version you can still find I believe). The a6600 + lens will fit in either the 3 or 6L, the choice being how much extra space you want for another lens etc. The main downside for these slings is that they're purpose built for camera carry so the room available for other EDC stuff is pretty tight (it's better, but still not great, on the 6L versus the 3L) and it's pretty rigid and heavy. So for an EDC-use sling, they're not ideal, but if you're always carrying a camera, then they're one of the best choices around. Another similar choice (dedicated camera sling) is the Moment Camera sling - this is available in a 6/10L size as well. Same general pros/cons as the PD slings, but just a different design. Size-wise, for EDC slings that can more easily accommodate a small mirrorless setup, a few other options to consider: * Arcteryx Arro 8 * Trakke Bairn Messenger (I did a review of this bag - at 10L it's more a messenger rather than a sling, but still small enough that it can cover the same use cases in my opinion) * Bellroy Sling (the larger one not the sling mini) * Modern Dayfarer Dayfarer Sling

So sorry for the late reply Dorrian! So I definitely *do not* recommend the use case you're thinking of. While technically the straps can fit the ipad, they would not hold the ipad securely to the outside in any fashion - if you fasten then vertically/parallel the ipad can slip out the side, and if you cross them in an X fashion, there's even less retaining surface and the ipad will fall out almost instantly when you sling the bag on your shoulder. I own a 12.9" iPad Pro so I understand the pain of trying to find a compact sling that will also carry it. If you're looking for something in that category I recommend the Alpaka Gear Alpha Sling XL, the Trakke Bairn Messenger or if you are also carrying camera gear/some other slightly bulky stuff possibly the Peak Design Everyday Sling 10L. If you go down to the 11" iPad pro there are quite a few other compact sling options that start to work: Bedouin Foundry Balian, Modern Dayfarer Dayfarer Sling, Alpaka Gear Alpha Sling (regular), Code of Bell Annex Liner, etc.

Hi Ryan! I'm so glad you found this review helpful! To answer your question regarding the iPad Pro 11" and the X-Pod expandable compartment fully extended. 1. iPad Pro 11" bare, no cover - will fit, awkwardly 2. iPad Pro 11" with portfolio cover - will fit, awkwardly, just barely 3. iPad Pro 11" with magic keyboard cover - will absolutely not fit. In all cases I want to stress this is a really, really awkward fit, even without any cover - (and I would be very hesitant to carry it without a cover in this sling, chances of accidentally clipping a wall going around a corner and shattering the glass seems quite high to me given how it juts out when you've got it stuff in the x-pod) - and I would strongly advise against it. Couple more thoughts 1. There are better slings out there if you're looking for something that can handle an 11" iPad Pro. Let me know if you want some suggestions 2. The new iPad mini 6 + an external bluetooth keyboard (folding or something like the logitech keys to go) probably does 90% of what my iPad Pros do in my everyday life and is *dramatically* better suited for carry in a wide variety of slings. If you watch my latest review on the Bellroy venture sling (it's a long one so just jump to the chapter on the main compartment and I show it) you can see what is my general going around town EDC loadout. That will fit very well in the CoB X-Pod and likely will cover a large amount of what you want to do with your iPad Pro. Depending on what keyboard you choose the typing experience is slightly worse than the magic keyboard (which I think is amazing for the iPad) but still a trade off I gladly make for portability and ease of carry. The new iPad mini 6 is miles ahead of the gen 5 in virtually every way in my experience. I hope this helps!

@@TheMountainborn My dude, that helps a TON. Thank you! Definitely not going to carry the Pro 11 in that CoB bag. Shame because I think I wanna pull the trigger on the X-Pod anyways now. ;-) I’m actively trying to use a smaller sling because I’ve had a bad habit of getting bigger slings, which means I load ‘‘em up, and then yeah. Back and shoulder pain. Decided I need to limit myself with a smaller bag. Something ideal to carry a few essentials but have just enough space for a light jacket or sweatshirt and/or a water bottle when I need it. That’s the X-Pod. Also I’ve been researching good, small, “just big enough for a Pro 11 bags”, and so far I’ve kind of hated everything I’ve found. I do use a Brydge case/keyboard on it. But I’m definitely open to some leads on that! Who knows. Maybe I’ll find something that fits it that I do like as much as the X-Pod. But I’m also definitely looking at whether I could be happy on that iPad Mini 6…

Hi Martin - sorry for the late reply and great question. Just to confirm, which Aer sling are you comparing this against? (There's several different models and sizes at this point) In general, I find that the Aer slings tend to be more practical and straightforward for most EDC/travel use cases than the CoB slings, whereas I find the CoB slings tend to be more interesting design-wise, material-wise and in terms of carry experience. Thus if you're looking for just one practical sling to do it all, or a sling that will be a really useful daily driver companion then I would generally recommend one of the Aer slings (or a Bellroy sling). But if you're looking for a second sling and/or if you're looking for a more distinctive or unusual carry experience (both are important! :) ) then I would recommend trying one of the CoB slings. WRT your question of what is my favourite sling, I have several, depending on the use case. In no particular order some of the slings that get the most use from me are: * Bellroy Venture 9L sling (also love the 6L - I reviewed the 9L on my channel) * Aer City Sling 2 (I have reviewed on my channel) * Aer Day Sling Max (I have reviewed on my channel) * Greenroom 136 Metromonger Max 9L (Much larger sling but I love it - I have also reviewed this on my channel) I also often use the Alpakagear Bravo (and other) sling series when I want to carry larger laptops or the 12/11" iPad Pro etc. but those maybe don't necessarily qualify as "best" slings for me. Conversely, some popular slings from popular brands that I love but which I found didn't work so well for me: * Trakke Largo Sling * Evergoods Mountain Hip Pack 3.5 * All the various Peak Design (I use them - am using one right this moment as a matter of fact!) but only begrudgingly. They have notable flaws. * Bellroy Venture 10L Camera sling Etc. I hope this helps!

Thank you so much for the kind words Idrissa! And yes - the COB bags are definitely versatile. To answer your question, the COB X-Pod is fairly water resistant but it is not waterproof. While the main X-Pac body fabric is essentially waterproof and they use water-resistant zippers through most of the body, the back face of the bag (where it sits against your back) is normal cordura nylon and padding and so will wet through under a sustained downpour. Similarly the back slash pocket is closed with a standard reversed zipper which means it too is not water proof and water will eventually find its way into that pocket and then through that into the bag. Finally, little things like the lack of taped seams (one of the true differentiators between bags/products that are meant to be for all intents and purposes impermeable to water and those that are merely highly water resistant) and no zipper garage /cover for the zippers means that under sustained heavy downpour water will eventually find its way in through those areas. But it needs to be said that very few general-use EDC bags will ever meet that level of water resistance unless they are purpose built with that as one of the key features. And the X-Pod is far more water resistant than most bags and slings as a result of the use of the water resistant zippers and X-Pac body fabric. So for myself personally, I have no hesitation to bring this bag out in a normal rainstorm for short periods of time (i.e. a 5-10 min walk) although if I were truly going out in a driving, heavy rain I might bring a different bag. Maybe a good rule of thumb is - if the conditions you're going out in you can get away with a normal raincoat or umbrella, this bag is going to be fine. If the rain is so bad that you *need* to don an fully-waterproof Arcteryx technical shell or something similar - then maybe you might need to consider a different one. :) But for 95% of people in normal edc rainy situations I think this bag will do very well! I hope this helps!

Hi Ethan! Great question - I think they're both great slings but in terms of being more secure on the body I think I would give the slight edge to the CoB X-Pod. While the Aer has a slightly wider belt strap (which generally means a bit more stability), the X-Pod has the two wider wings that help wrap around your body and stabilise the load when worn. Additionally, when fully loaded out the Aer tends to be a little bit of a dense brick - I like this for urban EDC use but if you're really actively moving around, I think it will flop around a bit more than you might like. However, if you fully pack out the X-Pod's expandable front pouch part (the one I show with a camera/water bottle inserted in the video) then it will be much more unstable than the Aer City Sling, so be careful about this. Additionally, I think the X-Pod has superior water resistance which might matter if you're skiing/trail running. Between the two for urban EDC use I prefer the Aer City Sling 2 for the reasons I outline in my video review of it (you can search it on my channel if you'd like) but for your stated outdoor use I think the X-Pod will be probably slightly better. In terms of packability into a larger travel bag, either of them works. In my experience, the Aer City Sling 2 will get smaller/more compact and the stowable belt strap is a great addition for keeping things tidy when packing this sling (the CoB has a lot of straps everywhere which makes it a bit messy when packing). I hope this helps!

@@TheMountainborn Thanks so much for your detailed answer!

Hi Dan! Sorry for the late reply - I think it is use case dependent but for sheer practicality and utility the 1733 sidepack is probably the better choice though it has substantially less organization and "features". 1733 is definitely a better outdoor / casual use bag in my opinion whilst the xpod probably has a cooler look for it for those who vibe with its aesthetic and the tons of pcokets/straps expandability tick the box for certain use cases. I think the 1733 is probably marginally more comfortable in most cases but mainly due to its simpler construction and broader back panel. Both bags can be fairly strappy/dangly in different ways. I hope this helps - I also did a review of the 1733 side pack on my channel in case you want to see my additional thoughts on that.

Hi R S! Sorry for my late reply! The brand is Cote & Ciel! → coteetciel.com I believe the sling I showed in the video is the Isarau sling (there are several variants) Hope this helps!

I know! It's so unfortunate isn't it :(

Yes it's the "Isarau" made by Cote & Ciel. There's a few different styles of this bag - two different sizes (regular and small) and fabric. @t The one I showed in the video is the regular size, in memory tech fabric: @t

Unfortunately, not in a way that I would consider very reliable or usable :(

That's a great question. In my reviews to date I haven't included a segment showing how bags wear on the body but I'm strongly considering to do so in the future. To answer your question - visually speaking, this bag wears as a somewhat smaller "visual block" so to speak (based on a height of 178cm). I would not personally call it "tiny" but due to the color/materials, compression straps and relatively simple shoulder straps - as well as the fact that much of the liter capacity comes in "depth" as opposed to height and width, the X-Pod definitely feels visually smaller on the body than one would expect from the maximum liter volume. (It also rides tight to the body which helps reduce the visual imprint) (The stated literage is from 2.3 - 4.5, but 2.3l is actually quite small. For comparison, the Arcteryx Maka 1 is only 2l and the Heimplanet Transit sling is only 1L and those are two of the smallest slings I've seen for sale) If you're looking for a sling that wears visually on the larger side, while I didn't mention these in my comparison section at the end of the video, but two options to consider are the 7L Bellroy Sling bag (I showed the Bellroy Sling mini in the comparison which is only 3L, but its 7L cousin is visually much larger) or the Peak Design 6L (or 5L) camera sling. The latter is a camera oriented bag but still works well as a sling depending on your carry needs (the 5L fits an iPad mini and the 6L fits an 11" iPad Pro). Finally, if you want to stay in the same Code Of Bell family, they have the much larger X-Pak "sling" which wears much larger visually.

@The Mountainborn Thank you so much for your answer, you've given me a lot to think about, I'll check out those slings ASAP. Also, including a live demonstration of how the bag appears when carried would be extra icing on the cake. Thanks for the info & informative review.

Hi J! I like both a lot - I think the X-Pod has a lot more versatility (and capacity in its extended state) and when I'm going out with a bunch of stuff or for an extended day out, I think it's usually the better choice. On the other hand, for my most common use case - urban, around-town EDC (running to the store, etc.) I actually find the simplicity and straightforwardness of the sling mini to be more useful than the X-pod for carrying just the essentials. Which I suppose is part of the reason why I like bags so much - I'm always finding I need the right tool for the right job! 😂

That's a great question - and the idea of needing something to carry more than can fit in my pockets but far less than would necessitate a full on backpack) is exactly what drove me to start exploring slings in greater depth in 2020 (since with the initial lockdowns and such there was less need to bring the full kitchen sink each time I went out) I think the CoB X-Pod could work for your use case but I wanted to know - you mentioned "small water bottles" with an "s" - as in plural. Are you carrying more than one water bottle or was that just a typo? Also, what size is your water bottle/are your water bottles? And finally, in terms of snacks, what general size (or type/amount?) are you bringing? After that I'll let you know if I think this might work for you (and if not, what else you might want to consider). But as a general heads up, if you're bringing more than one water bottle (or a water bottle > 500mls ish) this might not be the best choice, but I can provide a few other suggestions that might work.

@@TheMountainborn Aaaah, thanks! I've done lots of research and keep going back and forth. As for the water bottles, we usually tote around two 12-oz bottles (Yeti in this case or, uh, whatever is clean). I should probably just make them carry them! ... Snacks are usually just like bars or even little ziploc-size portions. And we typically throw in a change of clothes because ... kids. We have a fine enough backpack (and it's NOT a diaper bag), but I was just hoping to start cutting down a touch and have something I could use on my own when it's not filled with kid crap. I saw this today and it seems intriguing, but I can't find a ton about it: cycop-life.com/collections/daysling-series Anyway, really appreciate your feedback!

Oh my goodness, I just realized I never replied to your reply! So sorry about that! So firstly, I think based on what you're mentioning you might want to look at the Bellroy Sling (I think I show the sling mini in the video, but there is a larger sized regular sling) - it's actually quite capacious but still retains an overall manageable size and profile for a sling, especially with the auto-compressing attachment system they used for the straps. I think it should comfortably hold what you just mentioned including one 12-oz bottle (I honestly think it probably could do two 12-oz bottles plus everything else - but that probably depends on the shape of the bottles and the exact nature and shape of what else you have in there.) The downsides of the Bellroy sling is that it has relatively little internal organisation - which might actually not be that much of an issue for you, depending. The sling mini adds two internal mesh organizer pockets to the front slash pocket but the larger cousin doesn't have these - so it's just two compartments (front and main) with a small internal back zipper pocket in the main compartment (and key loop). The other downside is that depending on how much you have in there (water is heavy!) it might end up being a bit heavier on the relatively smaller strap. For myself, I've carried a camera, iPad mini and such in there and was fine, though, for what that's worth! The cycops sling you linked looks interesting! I own a Patagonia shoulder bag (www.patagonia.com/product/atom-sling-bag-8-liters/48261.html) that looks relatively similar which I do use on occasion - I enjoyed it but did find that if I put too much weight in there, it tended to "slip" down to my side sometimes. (But that might have been just an issue with the Patagonia bag, and of course a heavily loaded sling like the Bellroy will also do that though I found it more comfortable at the side versus the Patagonia shoulder bag due to the relative shape of the bags.) The sling you linked looks like it would definitely hold all the things you need! If you end up getting it please let me know how you find it - I've never seen this brand before so would love to hear your impressions!

@@TheMountainborn Thanks for the input. Much appreciated! I'll have to revisit Bellroy ... I sort of didn't give their sling initial consideration, but you're comments have made me rethink that. Will for sure keep you posted!

Hi Amirul! The light shown in this video is the Olight S1R Baton II. It's quite a good handy little light and gets very bright (1000 Lumens) for the size. I recommend it (depending on your use case of course) - if you're interested in it you may also wish to check out the Olight Baton 3 as well - it's a variant with a cool charging case (think the same concept as wireless bluetooth earbuds) that may also be of interest. FWIW, these days I am usually carrying the Nitecore TIP SE - it only goes to 700 lumens but is much smaller than even the already small Olight S1R and I don't usually need 1000 lumens in my everyday life. Just something to look into depending on your flashlight carrying needs :)

@@TheMountainborn thnx for ur recommendation, i already order those nitecore tip SE. Thumbs up👍🏼

Yes in the front folded compartment, if you expand it and very awkwardly. Do not recommend for normal EDC carry but it can carry it in a pinch.

Unfortunately yes only in black.

Ahhh interesting idea! I don't own it but as you probably know I'm a sucker for collabs. Will reply back on this comment if I end up doing it!

Thank you.

I'm not sure if I'd use the word "snooty" per say - though I will say that CoB has a very distinct aesthetic and look across their entire line ("techwear"/"warcore" are two fashion genre terms I've most often heard applied to their products). I believe the retail price on the xPod is around $140.00 USD or so, which is towards the higher price end of the sling spectrum so more expensive than things like the Bellroy Venture ($130), Aer City Sling 2 X-pac ($115) or Peak Design Everyday Sling 6L ($115) but still far short of things like the 1733 Side Pack ($190~), Rofmia Shoulder Bag S (≈$284 USD) or DSPTCH RND Unit Sling Pouch ($164). It is my general belief that whether or not something is overpriced is very much dependent on ones particular valuation paradigm and individual circumstances. It is for these reasons that I almost never discuss price and whether or not a bag is "worth it" during my reviews because valuation is quite relative both from person to person and bag to bag. (i.e. some people value things like design or aesthetic heavily, others utility, still others materials, etc. And for some edge cases when a bag is _the only_ option available that will solve for the particular problem, it's impossible to be "overpriced" as it is worth exactly what the market is willing to pay). Additionally, the value of money is relative depending on if one makes say $25K/year, $75K/year, $150K/year, $300K/year and so on. In my experience, underlying many comments about the price of bags are a couple of assumptions: 1. A highly utilitarian evaluation paradigm that is heavily weighted on practicality as defined narrowly by the commenter's particular needs and the commenter's sense of how much the materials used should cost (regardless of actual costs) and tends to disregard virtually all other aspects (R&D, aesthetics, brand, marketing, logistics, etc.) 2. An unconscious but very real sense of an acceptable "range of prices" within which all bags "should" fall, with anything falling outside of this range being deemed "over" (or more rarely "under") priced. As the number of bags I have used, owned and reviewed have grown dramatically over time, I've come to realize the limitations of both of these assumptions with regard to price - in my experience in the free market and with the evolution of online shopping, bags have evolved much like most other kinds of goods - the kind of bags available have expanded to touch virtually every kind of niche, genre and valuation paradigm category out there as the Internet has enabled these increasingly refined offerings to find their target audiences scattered across the entirety of the world (and thus freed from the limiting tyranny of on-shelf distribution which ensured only the blandest most generic mass appeal designs would be stocked) and have also evolved further up and down the entirety of the economic spectrum all the way from surprisingly decent sub-$5 alibaba specials to luxury bags that easily cost in excess of $20,000+ a piece - and have waiting lists years long. (if you ever want a sobering reminder of how much the acceptable "range" of bag prices has grown, consider that that luxury handbag market is worth $64 *billion* USD in 2023 alone... which explains how Louis Vuitton can release backpacks costing $4000-$5000 each with relatively few "features" and still sell out with ease. There are actually people who are not only buying these things, they're buying them out which I find fascinating...) Anyway, thank you for indulging my price-related ramblings. In my experience one of the most useful questions to ask when making a price judgement about a bag (whether it is "over" or "under" priced) is the question of "why do I feel this bag is over/under priced?" Generally this will lead us to a deeper understanding about the properties in a bag that we value (and those that we value less) which then helps us find brands and bags that more closely align with our particular valuation paradigms (i.e. people who value utility (and that in and of itself has several levels - what is the problem space within which you are defining utility?) or high quality materials might gravitate one way, those who value aesthetics or brand image, etc. another, etc.). I've found that its often not even about the price but rather that a bag doesn't fit our particular set of needs or preference - but when we find the bag that does, then the price is much less of an issue since we're likely to evaluate it as "being worth it." Anyway, I hope my ramblings might have been of marginal interest :)

Yes! @themountainborn

Haha - yeah, CoB definitely does have their aesthetic!

Hi Mario! I'm so sorry for the late reply - yes it's the "Isarau" made by Cote & Ciel. There's a few different styles of this bag - two different sizes (regular and small) and fabric. www.coteetciel.jp/products/list.php?category_id=17 The one I showed in the video is the regular size, in memory tech fabric: www.coteetciel.jp/products/detail.php?product_id=134