My Everyday Carry Setup: Aer Day Sling Max Review

The short answer: the Aer Day Sling Max is my main daily carry because its roughly six-liter capacity fits my full stationery setup and an iPad Pro at the same time, something no smaller pouch has managed. When I want to travel light and skip the iPad, 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 that lives a Leatherman Arc multitool and an Olight Arkfeld Pro flashlight. The Olight does more than throw light: it has a pointer mode I use with my kids or in work conversations, and a UV setting I use to check hotel rooms for anything I'd rather not touch. The organizer itself is a little bulky, but the case protects the sling's lining from scratches and the feature set earns the weight. Also in the front pocket: a UGREEN Nexode Pro 65W charger, slim enough not to notice, with three ports so it covers the iPad and anything else at the same time, plus a charging cable.

There's a second, larger toolkit I carry when I know I'll be out of the house for extended stretches, but that one lives in a backpack, not the sling. Different tool, different job.

Main compartment: planner, reading, iPad

This is where the sling earns its keep. The MeePlus SlimPad in the personal size is my daily planner, and it replaced a Traveler's Company Notebook in the regular size and a LOCHBY Pocket Journal in the Voya gear setup, both of which I'd semi-retired because they ran too bulky for daily use. The SlimPad's binder system lets me swap inserts in and out, including the planner inserts I make, and the smaller form factor is the main reason I'm carrying a planner more consistently than I used to.

Alongside the planner I keep a spare Uni-ball One pen in one of the sling's built-in pen loops, brand new and untouched, just there so I always have a backup. An Apple Pencil rides in the same area, kept close to the iPad so it doesn't wander off on its own.

For reading, it's either a Kindle, which needs charging more often than I'd like to admit, or a physical book when I'm not planning to travel far. I tested this with David McCullough's *Truman*, a genuinely heavy biography, and the sling still closed without a fight even with the book, the planner, and everything else already inside. That's the six liters doing real work, not marketing copy.

The iPad Pro (M4), with keyboard and Apple Pencil attached, is the actual center of the setup. It's what I edit video on, plan content with, and run essentially the entire channel from. The sling was chosen specifically because it swallows the iPad without the bag looking overstuffed, which matters more than it sounds like it should when you're carrying it daily.

On top of the case flap, a pair of sunglasses fits into a dedicated slit, and I sometimes clip an Olight clip light to the outside 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, expandable or compressible depending on what I'm carrying, with soft camera-style padding and almost no internal organization. I use it as a pocket extender: wallet and keys in the back pocket, Kindle in the main space, sometimes the MeePlus SlimPad if I want the planner with me, tools on one side, sunglasses on the other. It closes fine even stuffed, with room to spare if needed.

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

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

The real tradeoff

Going full minimal with the Field Pouch means the MeePlus SlimPad usually stays home too, and the setup drops to a pocket notebook, a pen, a phone, and the basics. That's a real loss of writing options, not a minor one. It's the same logic that shows up in how creators think about optionality more broadly: keeping more than one working format available, Kindle or book, sling or pouch, costs a little weight but keeps you from getting stuck without the right tool. That's why the sling stays my default and the pouch stays the exception, usually left in the car or reserved for trips where less carry actually matters more than more capability.

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

The gear worth a look

• Aer Day Sling 4 Max: The only bag in rotation that fits the full stationery kit and an iPad Pro at the same time, which is why it's the 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 it's there, and three ports means the iPad and something else can charge at once.
• Uni-ball One: Kept as a spare in the pen loop specifically so there's never a moment without a working pen on hand.
• MeePlus SlimPad: Replaced two bulkier setups because the binder system holds the same planning function in a noticeably thinner package.
• Traveler's Company Brass Ballpoint Pen: The daily pocket pen, valued for feeling premium and wearing well even after riding in a pocket.
• Truman by David McCullough: A genuinely heavy biography that still fit in the sling alongside the planner and tools, which is the real capacity test.
• iPad Pro (M4): The actual center of the carry, running video editing, planning, and most of the channel's creative work.
• Field Notes: The pocket notebook that goes everywhere on-person, paired with the pocket pen for quick notes.
• Peak Design Field Pouch: An open, minimally organized pouch used as a pocket extender on days the iPad stays home.
• LOCHBY Pocket Journal: Semi-retired from daily carry for running too bulky, though the monthly insert still gets referenced.
• Traveler's Company Notebook (Regular): The previous daily planner, set aside once the MeePlus SlimPad proved less bulky for the same job.

• Olight Arkfeld Pro: The pocket flashlight, kept for the built-in green-laser pointer and 365nm UV light alongside the white beam.
• Leatherman ARC: The everyday multitool in the organizer, there for cutting and quick fixes without the bigger kit.
• Amazon Kindle: The travel reader for when a hardcover is more than the day needs.
• Apple Pencil Pro: Kept next to the iPad Pro so markup and quick notes are always a reach away.

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Frequently Asked Questions

What size is the Aer Day Sling Max?

It runs roughly six liters, large enough to hold a planner, a spare pen, a Kindle or a full hardcover, and an iPad Pro with keyboard and pencil at once.

Do you always carry the iPad Pro in the sling?

No. On lighter days the iPad stays home and the setup switches to a Peak Design Field Pouch, which trades stationery space for a smaller footprint.

What tools are in the Maxpedition Micro Pocket Organizer?

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?

Both the regular-size Traveler's Company Notebook and the LOCHBY Pocket Journal in the Voya gear setup ran too bulky for daily carry, and the MeePlus SlimPad's binder system holds the same planning function in a noticeably thinner package.