7 styles of cross-body bags for men.

Cross-body bag and sling bag are two terms used by people synonymously, although there’s a difference between them. The term “cross-body bag” is an umbrella term used for any species of bag you wear across your body. A sling bag is a type that is across your chest and the bag sits somewhere below your chest, not exactly on the chest. It’s a modern style of men’s bag usually with rectangular dimensions having a side slightly elongated and tapered.  image source: eBay

Use: Men wear it casually when on the go, it stays close to the body sitting just above the abdomen. A sling bag is the most popular type of cross-body bag. It’s especially popular with the outgoing type of men and guys with a digital nomad lifestyle. 

This bag has bigger dimensions as compared to a sling bag and other types of sling bags. A laptop bag is often of regular rectangular shape or rarely of square shape. It’s meant for carrying a laptop, a modern-day necessity. But the utility of this bag is not limited to carrying laptops alone. You can use them to carry other items of daily use.

Use: You can wear a messenger bag or a courier bag as a cross-body bag because of the long straps of the bag. This makes it easier to wear it the crossbody way to distribute the weight of your laptop evenly.

A satchel can be worn across your body too. It’s a bag with two straps and a distinctive flap at the front. In good ol’ days, a satchel was used by school boys to carry their books and stuff to school, nowadays we use it as a cross-body bag to help us with our stuff while keeping our hands free when on the go. A satchel is as spacious and roomy as a messenger bag. Use: 

Also called a belly bag sometimes or a waist pack/bag, a fanny pack is a type of sling bags you carry around your waist, near, or on your belt. It’s for guys who don’t care about adding an extra layer around their waists. Wearing a bag around your waist is not an everyday necessity, but it’s particularly handy for errands, visits to the airports, and meandering through the busy streets of Santorini. It’s ideal to keep your extra cash within easy reach for yourself, and of course to keep the fears of pickpocketing at bay. 

A chest bag is simply a sling bag that sits on the chest. This version of the cross-body bag keeps your valuables close to the bosom keeping them in your sight at all times. You can think of it as a sling back with a much smaller strap so that it sits on your chest. 

Use: Like any other cross-body bag you use it when traveling. It’s the safest of all cross-body bags because it’s on your chest, and your things in the bag will remain safe and out of the reach of pickpockets unless you are in deep sleep. 

You wear your sling back like a backpack and it becomes a sling backpack. You can try this style when you grow tired of sporting your sling back on the chest, abdomen, or waist. It will feel much easier to sport your sling bag this way when you have to walk a lot or are on a morning jog.  A sling backpack is perfect for you when you are on a short hiking trip. A sling bag will be just enough to carry your small water bottle, a pack of salted nuts, and your cell phone to accompany you on such a trip. 

A small minimalist square-shaped bag with a strap is called a flight bag. A flight bag is usually built with a long strap to wear it across your body. It’s handy for you to use in summer with your jackets and long coats because you won’t have to scour your pockets (you’ll have many of them in winter because of the multiple layers you have to wear) every time when you need something. A flight bag is one of the types of sling bags that is lightweight and with minimal storage which makes it easy to use on a daily basis, especially in winter.