Travel in Style With the Nintendo Switch Master Kase Sling Bag

I’d never heard of accessory manufacturer Kiwee until an announcement email concerning their upcoming Nintendo Switch Master Kase landed in the GeekDad inbox. Despite the fact that I have enough (my family would argue far more than enough) Switch bags in my collection, I decided to take a look at the company’s website, and I was really impressed by what I found—particularly how the designers drew inspiration from the traditional pants worn by Chengmai‘s clam-diggers for Kiwee’s first product, the Fisherman Backpack.

Like the Fisherman, the Master Kase Sling is a durable, functional bag with a modular design that maximizes storage space; the big difference, of course, is that the Master Kase was specifically designed with the Nintendo Switch in mind. The result is a unique commuter sling tailored to a specific use case, getting around town (via bus, train, or your own two feet) with your Switch and all the necessary accessories safely stored and easily accessible.

This is handled in a number of novel ways, starting at the bottom with a custom-molded Switch compartment. While storing a pricey device on the bottom of the sling seemed totally counterintuitive to me, it actually works wonderfully thanks in no small part to the keen intentionality of the overall design. Placing the Switch in this dedicated space means that you don’t have to dig past all your cables and other stuff just to reach your console. You simply shift the bag up on your chest or hip, unzip the exterior water-resistant zipper, and your console is easily in hand.

Solid, hard-shell construction keeps your Switch safe while stored within the Master Kase, and molded recesses provide enough clearance so that neither the touchscreen nor the Joy-Con sticks ever touch the top of the storage compartment. A mini-pocket located beneath the Switch can hold a whopping 16 game cartridges, and the lower half of the console storage area can be folded out to take advantage of a three-position Switch prop when you’re seated on an airplane or at a café table.

While the lower portion of the Master Kase is tailor-made for the Nintendo Switch, the sling’s upper two-thirds are starkly uncluttered. Two external flat pockets (both with the same water-resistant zippers) flank a large central storage area.

External cinches on the front and back can be used to compress the Kase’s upper storage if you’re traveling light, but if extended to its outer limit, you’re looking at a full four liters of internal volume. Fully lined with cushioning high-density foam, this main accessory pocket is impressive, though I was initially a little underwhelmed by its simple minimalism.

Wasn’t this thing designed for the Nintendo Switch? Where we all the specialty bibs and bobs?

Enter the Arc Organizer.

What I’ve neglected to mention thus far is that my Nintendo Switch Master Kase Sling Bag review unit—I chose the Sky Black colorway over the Pearl White—arrived in two separate boxes. The first contained the sling in its buttoned-down, compressed state. The second, smaller box held three oddly shaped pieces of fabric, each with white pull tabs and corresponding hook and loop sections. These form what Kiwee calls the Arc Organizer, and they’re the secret to unlocking the potential of the Master Kase’s large accessory storage compartment.

You’ll notice that the longest of the three pieces roughly corresponds to the size and shape of the bottom of the sling’s accessory compartment. This is to serve as a false bottom of sorts, providing some separation for two layers of storage. I found that my USB charge cable, wall adaptor, and even a low-profile power bank fit nicely beneath this “base layer” of the Arc Organizer while providing ample headroom for the other two pieces to serve as a protective wrap for my Switch Pro Controller.

Yes, unlike most Switch slings, the Master Kase is perfect for those who travel with both their Switch and a full-size controller. The “arc” portion of the Arc Organizer—inspired, as it turns out, by the supporting arches of the Zhaozhou Bridge—combine to wrap around the body of a Pro Controller, which then rests atop the compartment separator.

Now, if traveling with a Switch Pro Controller isn’t your thing, you still have a ton of available real estate for things like headphones, your smartphone or e-book reader, or even a mini-tablet, but, in my opinion, it’s really the Pro Controller support that sets this sling apart.

The exterior of the Nintendo Switch Master Kase isn’t exactly flashy, but it is wonderfully functional. Constructed of 70% recycled PET material—that’s approximately 2.3 recycled plastic bottles per bag—this bag is eco-friendly with the added bonus of being nicely waterproof. And if the “sling” portion of the Master Kase Sling Bag doesn’t work for you, there’s also an included low-profile handle that can easily be swapped out for the long cross-body strap.

All in all, the Kiwee Master Kase has a lot of features I love with only a few that miss the mark. The biggest for me is the sling strap’s meager clasp. For an electronics bag, especially one that’s designed with the commuter in mind, I’d like to see something a little more robust—which is a shame because the other aspects of the cross-body strap like its adjustment points and pair of handy carabiner hook connectors are fantastic.

In the end, though, it always comes down to price. At $119 (or $99 without the included Arc Organizer), the Master Kase’s MSRP is a bit of a big ask. However, until August 15, Kiwee is offering a pre-order discount knocking it to $79 ($69 without the Arc Organizer) with free shipping on orders over $75.

This brings the price down to a much more acceptable level, especially for those who are looking for a case that accommodates both a Switch and a Pro Controller—where the Kiwee Master Kase really shines. I’d certainly encourage interested parties to head over to the product site to see plenty of photos, helpful animated pack-up GIFs, and lots of information about this innovative sling bag.

There’s even a fascinating behind-the-scenes section that follows the entire design process from inception to production. This provides a glimpse into product development that few companies are quick to share, and it drives home how passionate the Kiwee team is about their own product and the beloved Nintendo Switch.

A Nintendo Switch Master Kase Sling Bag was provided by Kiwee for the purposes of this review.