Video Overview

After three years of daily use, Jon Gadget finally replaced his trusty Bellroy Venture Sling. In this video he lines up two strong contenders — the Rework Toshi 5L V2 and the Bellroy Carryology Essentials Sling 4L — runs them both through his real everyday carry, and picks a winner. Along the way he walks through every item that lives in his sling: a power bank, wallet pouch, glasses, notebook, pen, Sharpie, pouches with cables and adapters, a MagSafe phone stand, and a handful of trip-dependent extras like a flat water bottle, umbrella, and rain jacket. A huge thank you to Jon Gadget for the honest, long-term test and for showing exactly how each piece fits inside both bags.

Items & Gear List

The Sling Bags

• Rework Toshi Sling 5L V2 — View at Rework
• Bellroy Venture Sling 9L — View at Bellroy
• Bellroy Carryology Essentials Sling 4L — View at Bellroy

Flashlight (sponsored)

• Sofirn SE1 Aluminum Flashlight — View at Sofirn

Power & Charging

• Vonmahlen Evergreen Mag 5K Powerbank — View at Vonmahlen
• Nitecore NB10000 Gen 4 Power Bank — View at Heinnie Haynes
• Ugreen Retractable USB-C Cable 100W — Purchase on Amazon
• USB-A to USB-C Adapter Pack — Purchase on Amazon
• USB-C Data Blocker — Purchase on Amazon

Organization

• Bellroy Lite Pocket Trio (Clay) — Purchase on Amazon
• Nano Bag Daypack 16L — View at Nano Bag
• Aulumu G09 Magsafe Phone Stand — Purchase on Amazon

Writing & Notes

• MeePlus SlimPad — View at MeePlus
• Big Idea Design Mini Dual Side Click Pen (Titanium) — View at Big Idea Design
• Sharpie Twin Tip — Purchase on Amazon

Hygiene & Travel Extras

• Culo Clean Bottle Top Bidet — Purchase on Amazon
• Matador NanoDry Travel Towel — Purchase on Amazon
• Memobottle Slim 450ml — Purchase on Amazon
• Knirps Travel Umbrella — Purchase on Amazon
• RAB Phantom Waterproof Jacket — Purchase on Amazon

Style

• Nomad Apple Watch Strap — View at Nomad
• Kangol 507 Gatsby Flat Cap — Purchase on Amazon
• Ahlem Eyewear (Blue Glasses) — View at Ahlem

Editor’s Insight

Three years is a long time to stick with one sling, so when Jon Gadget calls a switch, it is worth paying attention. The comparison lands because he runs the same loadout through every bag and explains where each design choice shows up in daily use. The Bellroy Carryology Essentials Sling 4L brings the familiar Venture Sling DNA — AquaGuard zippers, strap compression, sleeve pockets, a stretchy top glasses pocket — but trims it down, swaps the AquaGuard zippers for smoother Woojin mag-zips, and adds the long-requested back pocket for a phone or passport. It looks neat, weighs about 360 grams, and holds his full basic carry plus a slim water bottle. If you want a refined, low-noise upgrade that already knows how to live in the Bellroy ecosystem, this is the easy choice.

The Rework Toshi 5L V2 is the more adventurous pick. Rework is a small US carry brand only a few years old, and the V2 upgrades the original with tougher 840D nylon, a PFAS-free water-resistant coating, and the same YKK zippers you find on bags costing twice as much. The clever part is the layout: a deep quick-access front pocket for keys and a wallet pouch, a separate top front pocket for glasses, Sharpie, and the nano daypack, and a main compartment with a full-length padded slot for an iPad Mini plus a row of elasticated sleeves that swallow power banks, AirPods, and the wallet pouch without wasting space. There are hidden carry straps on the bottom for a jacket or umbrella, and the build is rigid enough to protect a tablet while still weighing around 410 grams. It is the more interesting bag and the one Jon ends up carrying every day.

Around the bags, his kit is a master class in buying less but buying smarter. The Vonmahlen Evergreen Mag is a Qi2 5,000 mAh power bank that is only 8.6 mm thick, so it slips into a sleeve pocket without bulging the bag — and for longer days he swaps in the Nitecore NB10000 Gen 4. A USB-C data blocker and a USB-A-to-C adapter pack let him charge safely at any public socket, while the Ugreen retractable USB-C cable auto-rewinds so it never tangles inside a pouch. The MeePlus SlimPad is a Hong Kong-made mini leather ring binder that replaces a bulkier notebook, paired with a Big Idea Design Mini Dual Side Click pen in raw titanium and a 9-gram Sharpie Twin Tip for quick permanent notes. Two Bellroy Lite Pocket Trio pouches in Clay hold cables and adapters on one side and a buff, a Culo Clean bottle-top bidet, and a Matador NanoDry towel on the other.

The supporting cast rounds out a thoughtful EDC system rather than a random gear pile. A 450 ml Memobottle Slim fits where round bottles will not. A Knirps travel umbrella and a RAB Phantom waterproof jacket cover British weather without weighing the bag down. A Nano Bag 16L daypack weighs only 33 grams and acts as a backup carrier for impulse buys, so the sling does not need to carry spare space. Style gets attention too: a Nomad Apple Watch strap, a Kangol 507 Gatsby flat cap, and a pair of Ahlem frames round out the look without crossing into flex territory. The sponsored Sofirn SE1 flashlight earns its slot — 20 grams, white plus UV plus RGB, USB-C charging, magnetic base — and is a useful reminder that even sponsored segments can introduce genuinely good gear when the host has a long history of honest reviews.

What makes this video stand out is the patience. Jon does not chase the next shiny sling every month. He runs a bag hard for years, replaces it only when something genuinely better shows up, and shows exactly why. That is the kind of long-term testing EDC shoppers need more of, and it is why this channel is one of the most reliable in the space. Thanks again to Jon Gadget for the careful breakdown.

Closing Remarks

Choosing a sling is personal, but Jon’s three-year test makes the shortlist easy. The Bellroy Carryology Essentials Sling is the safe, refined upgrade that anyone coming from a Venture will love on day one. The Rework Toshi 5L V2 is the smarter buy for anyone who wants more layout, more structure, and a small-brand story behind their daily carry. Either way, the kit around the bag is the real lesson: small pouches, retractable cables, a data blocker, a slim power bank, and a featherweight backup daypack. Watch the full video above to see every item loaded into both slings, then decide which tradeoffs match your own everyday. Drop Jon a comment on YouTube with which bag you would have picked.