Ampere Sidekick can store a lot of stuff in a tiny space
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Ampere Sidekick
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The Ampere Sidekick is a tech sling bag with enough room for a Nintendo Switch and a built-in AirTag slot.
Ampere is a lifestyle technology brand that offers a wide range of technologies specifically designed for Apple users. The Sidekick Sling Bag does just that thanks to a dedicated AirTag slot, although there isn't much that stands out about this product.
During testing, we were able to install some important — even the iPad mini 6 was able to fit with room to breathe. This bag will be an indispensable companion for long days at the conference room or on a bike ride.
Ampere Sidekick Design
The Ampere Sidekick is a sling bag that measures approximately 10 inches by six inches depth. Fully loaded, it expands to about two inches in thickness.
At full load Sidekick can get a bit fat
It is very similar to a shoulder bag, despite the fact that its design resembles a fanny pack. Once a couple of items are added, the weight will easily pull them down as the strap is designed to support, not work as a strap. While Ampere says it can work as a fanny pack, your results may vary.
There are three branches — external padded sunglasses pocket, external RFID security pocket and main compartment. The main compartment has multiple mesh pockets, a zip pocket and an iPhone padded area.
The inside of the bag is made in a bright yellow-green color, which helps to find objects even in poor lighting conditions. The outer part of the bag is made of soft material, which can be found on a good rain jacket — And it's also waterproof.
The straps can be detached at the push of a button, and the front pocket has top and bottom zippers so it can be accessed no matter how you carry your bag. The AirTag socket is hidden in one of the strap attachments on the bag.
Using the Ampere Sidekick
The Ampere Sidekick is one such bag. which can meet many different needs. It's big enough to fit a Nintendo Switch or an iPad mini 6, but works great even when used as nothing more than a coin purse.
Bring your iPad mini, Nintendo Switch, and spare battery
An iPhone can easily fit in the sunglasses compartment, even our iPhone 14 Pro Max . The interior fabric compartment fits an iPad mini 6 but needs a bit of stretching.
We tried to pack the bag to its maximum capacity and managed to fit an amazing amount of stuff. iPhone, iPad mini 6, Nintendo Switch, USB-C cable and Ampere Jetpack MagSafe are neatly packaged. All this left the bag weighing only about 3 pounds.
The AirTag fits into a small slot on the strap
The straps are easy to attach and remove as needed and feel tight when tightened properly. The bag didn't dangle or bounce while cycling, nor did it feel overly heavy or uncomfortable.
Our only gripe with the Ampere Sidekick is the lack of internal cable channels or controls. Many modern bags offer ways to connect the iPhone compartment to the charger in the main compartment using a cable run.
Techie Fanny Pack
Sidekick Sling Bag Fits not for everyone, but it suits a few use cases. We think it's great as a day bag for travel, commuting, or just to store things while you're at work.
Keep in mind that wearing the Ampere Sidekick will definitely add a “nerdy dad” look to the ensemble. If that's not what you're after, then it might not be for you.
Ampere Sidekick works great as a minimalist sling
Large slings are useful for a variety of reasons, but if you're looking for a bag just to carry the bare minimum — Ampere Sidekick is a great choice. This is a particularly great tech bag for Nintendo Switch users.
All of that, and it has an AirTag slot for some peace of mind.
The Ampere Sidekick is a compact, well-built sling bag at an affordable price. We can easily recommend it to anyone looking for a minimalist sling.
Ampere Sidekick Pros
- Goldilocks bag, not too big, but not too too small
- Multiple compartments make it easy to carry multiple tech gadgets without bulking them up.
- Soft lining gives you confidence that devices won't get scratched or damaged.
< li>Easy to remove and adjustable strap
Ampere Sidekick Cons
- May be a bit too minimalistic for some
- No internal wired paths to charge devices while in storage
Rating: 4 out of 5
We are big fans of the Ampere Sidekick for its balance of size and utility. It's almost perfect, but we'd like to see some cable runs in a future model.
Most people would go for a larger bag like the 10L Nomatic Sling, but the Ampere Sidekick is well suited to a niche.
Where to buy Ampere Sidekick
Buy the Ampere Sidekick for $49 on the Ampere website.
