There are days for bringing everything you could possibly need, and there are days when your phone, wallet, keys, and a few extras will do just fine. A mini sling bag is for the latter. Its compact size gives the everyday necessities somewhere to go without turning a short list into a whole packing situation, making it especially useful when you’d rather spend the day doing things than keeping track of your stuff.

Going hands-free has its advantages. Shopping with both hands available is easier, travel involves enough things to keep track of already, and events are considerably more enjoyable when you’re not wondering where you set your bag down. Worn across the body, a small sling stays with you while you walk, browse, explore, eat, take pictures, or do whatever else you actually left the house to do.

And sometimes carrying a smaller bag is really just an exercise in editing. The six old receipts can stay home. So can the three lip products you forgot were in there and the mysterious object at the bottom of your usual bag. A mini crossbody gives the things that actually made the cut their own place, leaving you with less to carry and considerably fewer opportunities to wonder why your bag is so heavy.