My Everyday Carry Setup: Aer Day Sling 4 Max Review

The short answer: the **Aer Day Sling 4 Max** is my main daily carry because its roughly six liters fit my full stationery setup and an iPad Pro at the same time, which no smaller pouch has managed.

When I want to travel light and leave the iPad at home, I switch to a Peak Design Field Pouch instead. Here's how I actually load both.

Front pocket: tools first

The front of the sling holds a **Maxpedition Micro Pocket Organizer**, and inside it are a Leatherman Arc multitool and an Olight Arkfeld Pro flashlight.

The Olight is my main flashlight, and it does more than throw light. It has a pointer mode I use when playing with my kids or pointing things out at work, and a UV setting I use to check hotel rooms for anything I'd rather not touch.

The organizer is a little bulky, but it keeps the tools from scratching anything else in the sling, and what the tools can do is worth the extra weight.

Also in the front pocket: a UGREEN Nexode Pro 65W charger and a cable for the iPad. The charger is slim enough that I don't notice it, and its three ports can charge the iPad and other devices at the same time.

I also own a second, larger toolkit for long days away from home, but it lives in my backpack, not the sling.

Main compartment: planner, reading, iPad

This is where the sling earns its keep. The main compartment holds my planner and my LOCHBY Quattro, the pouch with my most-used pens and pencils.

The planner is a **MeePlus SlimPad** in the personal size. It replaced a Traveler's Company Notebook in the regular size and a LOCHBY Pocket Journal, both of which I've semi-retired because they ran too bulky for daily use.

The SlimPad's ring binder lets me swap inserts in and out, including the planner inserts I make. Its smaller size is the main reason I carry a planner more consistently than I used to.

A spare Uni-ball One lives in the sling. It's brand new and I've never uncapped it, but it means I always have a backup pen. My Apple Pencil Pro rides in the same compartment, next to the iPad, so I don't lose it.

For reading, I carry either a Kindle, which needs charging more often than I'd like to admit, or a physical book on days I'm not going far.

I tested the capacity with David McCullough's *Truman*, a genuinely heavy biography. The sling still closed without a fight with the book, the planner, and everything else inside. That's the six liters doing real work.

The iPad Pro (M4), with its keyboard and Apple Pencil Pro, is the center of the setup. I edit video on it, plan content with it, and run essentially the entire channel from it.

I chose this sling specifically because it swallows the iPad without looking overstuffed, which matters more than you'd expect when you carry a bag every day.

My sunglasses ride at the front of the main compartment, either in their case or tucked into a slit on their own. I sometimes clip an Olight clip light to the outside of the sling for hands-free light.

When the iPad stays home

Some days I don't need the iPad, and that's when the Peak Design Field Pouch takes over. It's a simple open pouch that expands or compresses to fit what I'm carrying, with a soft, camera-style lining and not a lot of organization.

I use it as a pocket extender. My wallet and keys go in the back pocket, the Kindle goes in the main space, and sometimes the MeePlus SlimPad comes along if I want the planner.

Tools go on one side and sunglasses on the other. Even packed that full, it closes without a problem.

Best for daily use: the Aer Day Sling 4 Max, because it holds the planner, spare pen, reading material, and iPad without a "will this fit" calculation every morning.

Best for a lighter footprint: the Peak Design Field Pouch, for days when the iPad isn't coming and I only need my wallet, keys, notebook, and pen covered.

The real tradeoff

Going fully minimal with the Field Pouch usually means the MeePlus SlimPad stays home too. My carry then drops to a pocket notebook, a pen, a phone, and the basics, and I lose the room for extra pens, pencils, and the planner.

That's a real loss, which is why the sling stays my default and the pouch stays the exception.

For the pocket-carry items, including my wallet, phone, and pocket notebook setup, the full video covers everything, and my full carry has the complete list.

The gear worth a look

• Aer Day Sling 4 Max: The only bag in my rotation that fits the full stationery kit and an iPad Pro at the same time, which is why it's my default.
• Maxpedition Micro Pocket Organizer: A little bulky for what it holds, but it keeps the multitool and flashlight from scratching everything else in the sling.
• UGREEN Nexode Pro 65W: Slim enough to forget, with three ports so the iPad and another device can charge at once.
• Uni-ball One: My spare pen, kept in the sling so I'm never without a working pen.
• MeePlus SlimPad: Replaced two bulkier planners, because its ring binder does the same planning job in a noticeably thinner package.
• Traveler's Company Brass Ballpoint Pen: A compact brass ballpoint that suits pocket carry.
• Truman by David McCullough: The heavy biography I used to test the sling's capacity, and it still fit alongside the planner and tools.
• iPad Pro (M4): The center of my carry, where I edit video, plan, and do most of the channel's creative work.
• Field Notes: The pocket notebook that goes everywhere with me, for quick notes on the go.
• Peak Design Field Pouch: An open, minimally organized pouch I use as a pocket extender on days the iPad stays home.
• LOCHBY Pocket Journal: Semi-retired from daily carry because it ran too bulky, though I still reference and fill in its monthly insert.
• Traveler's Company Notebook (Regular): My previous daily planner, set aside once the MeePlus SlimPad did the same job with less bulk.
• Olight Arkfeld Pro: My main flashlight, kept for its built-in green laser pointer and 365nm UV light alongside the white beam.
• Leatherman ARC: The everyday multitool in the organizer, for cutting and quick fixes without the bigger kit.
• Amazon Kindle: My reader for days when a hardcover is more than I need.
• Apple Pencil Pro: Kept next to the iPad Pro so markup and quick notes are always within reach.

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Frequently Asked Questions

What size is the Aer Day Sling 4 Max?

The Aer Day Sling 4 Max holds roughly six liters, enough for a planner, a spare pen, a Kindle or a hardcover book, and an iPad Pro with its keyboard and Apple Pencil Pro at the same time.

Do you always carry the iPad Pro in the sling?

I don't always carry the iPad Pro. On lighter days it stays home and I switch to a Peak Design Field Pouch, which trades stationery space for a smaller footprint.

What tools are in the Maxpedition Micro Pocket Organizer?

My Maxpedition Micro Pocket Organizer holds a Leatherman Arc multitool and an Olight Arkfeld Pro flashlight, which together cover cutting, bright light, a pointer mode, and a UV light for checking hotel rooms.

Why switch from the Traveler's Company Notebook to the MeePlus SlimPad?

I switched because the regular-size Traveler's Company Notebook and my LOCHBY Pocket Journal both ran too bulky for daily carry. The MeePlus SlimPad's ring binder does the same planning job in a noticeably thinner package.