Nomadic CB-01 Wise-Walker Multi Compartment Day Backpack - Gray

I LOVE this bag so very much! I am a freak about bags and pens, and am one to do the due-diligence research before making a purchase. I have found no reason to disagree with the overwhelming positive reviews of this bag. I've been using this bag for about two weeks now, and have not been disappointed. I've been looking for a small-medium backpack to serve as my daily work bag, but found that the reputable backpack designers (REI, Gregory, Mountain Hardware, etc.) made such sized bags for hiking/trail running, thus included reservoirs/hydration unit compartments that I didn't need, and no real organization features to suit my needs. Once I found this bag, read the reviews and saw the wonderful images on this site, it became abundantly clear that THIS bag was exactly what I needed: A well organized backpack for everyday use, whether for the daily commute or a weekend out and about.

I've tried putting my MacBook in the back main pocket, just to see if it would fit. It did, but I don't plan on carrying it around, as I now rely mostly on my iPad for working away from home. The iPad fits nicely in one of the middle organizer accordion pockets, along with my Moleskine journal (and there's still plenty of room). I also have a Nomadic's pencil case that slides nicely into one of side sections of the aforementioned accordion section (my sunglasses case fits nicely in the other side section). The main compartment (farthest back and extends the full length of the bag) is reserved for full-sized notebooks and folders, which I keep at a minimum. In the front organizer pocket, I carry my Canon Powershot Sd1400IS (Elph) camera, a case with my headphones, pack of gum, pill case, chapstick, a memory stick and small tube of hand cream. When necessary, I've used the bottom zipper compartment for power cords for my iPad and cell phone. It's also great for jacket for those days when you think you MIGHT need it.

I highly recommend this bag. It is super light, well-organized, and extremely well-made. I have many jealous coworkers and a jealous girlfriend. If Nomadic makes this one size bigger, she would be all over it. The one minor issue that I had with it occurred about 1.5 weeks into using it (and I'm a gentle user of this bag): The stitching at the center of the smartly designed carry handle came undone, but it was not a major issue, as it wasn't stitching that supported the structural integrity of the bag. My fix was to buy strong orange thread (I LOVE ORANGE...the interior color is AMAZING) and stitched it back with gusto. It now looks like it was an intended detail of the bag. This was not a big enough issue to warrant a downgrade to 4 out of 5. This is a total 5 out of 5!

This bag is awesome, with secure stitching and well-designed pockets. I take it to work, sometimes with my 13" Thinkpad laptop wedged in, and then I pick up my child from daycare: Wise-Walker on back, toddler in an Ergo carrier on front. Thus the Wise-Walker serves as purse, diaper bag, and general carrier of small work items. It's slightly too narrow to zip around a letter-sized manila folder, but if the weather is good one can leave the zipper partly open. I love the size, regardless: it holds what I need, keeps my hands free, and discourages me from packing unnecessary things. The thoughtful little pocket for a transit card is exactly right.

I have no problem paying for a pack when it's as awesome as this one. I'm not you're typical train or any other form of public transportation commuter. I work for a very large healthcare system. The hospital campuses seem only to be getting larger and walking from a huge parking deck across sky bridges between medical buildings, I was tired of carrying every bag imaginable. Yes, even grocery store plastic and handled paper bags. I needed something that would carry my daily girly items, ereader, books, pens, planner, smartphone, snacks, and so on. Pockets upon pockets I kept feeding with my stuff. When looking for a backpack all I kept running into were ones to accomodate laptops. Big and unnecessary. Believe it or not I do not need my laptop during the day, but to carry an iPad...perfect. So I keep stuffing it and the pack keeps taking it all in. To give you an idea, if you're a woman looking for a nice backpack that's not crazy big, I'm 5'5" and weigh about 120lbs. Fits my frame nicely.
I purchased the gray and it is not a light gray as the pictures show...it is more a medium shade of gray. The interior orange makes it easy for your items to stand out and locate. Because of the numerous pockets I suggest you find a home for your items and stick to that organization. You need your own map to locate your stuff if you keep changing your items' homes/pocket.

I have always been a fan of Nomadic products (i have their pencil cases, a wise walker shoulder bag and a passport holder), now this backpack is a great addition to my Nomadic products. It is not a very big backpack it is medium size backpack with useful compartments and sturdy back strap. I love that the interior of the backpack is fluorescent orange because it is easy to find things inside your backpack. I am so happy JetPen carries this backpack now. Also, i am glad i went with the Gray color backpack, it actually looks darker than the pictures on JetPens. Yes, Nomadic products are a bit on the expensive side, but if can afford to shell out the extra bucks, i will say it is worth it because it is well built and quality product.

Something i want to put out there is that the water bottle pocket is for 500ml. A 20FL OZ Coca-Cola bottle is 591ml and therefore I highly doubt standard non-disposible bottles will fit. For all you state side shoppers