Customer Reviews

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

This pack is great. Fits everything all the time. Zippers are good. Contrasting orange inside is nice.

I love it! What more can I say?
I'm 5'-2" and its the perfect size :)

i have been eyeing this bag for months and finally broke down an bought it. it is the perfect size for my frame. i'm 5'6" and am always looking for a backpack that doesn't look huge on me, but is still functional. this bag has amazing organization. the orange interior makes it easy to find things. the grey, like other reviewers have said, is darker than pictured, which is what i was counting on when i bought it. i didn't want black or blue, and am so happy i got the grey. it's more like a smokey gray, than the silvery gray that is pictured. my 13" macbook pro fits in the main compartment without a sleeve. i think if you have a thin sleeve on it, it'd still fit. one of my favorite bag purchases ever.

Love it! I use it every day.

Great bag. Does not look like much when it arrives, but it has really well designed features and it is comfortable. Best small backpack I have used. Great for the daily needs of traveling in a big city. Comfortable. Pricey, but worth it.

I'd been looking for a replacement for a Crumpler backpack that never quite worked for me (not nearly enough pockets and hard to get into) and this one looked just the ticket. I've just received my order and already I love it. It looked small coming out of the box, but it holds a tremendous amount of stuff, and all in easily accessible pockets. The back is nicely padded so it's comfortable to wear, and even full of my stuff it weighs less than the Crumpler backpack did empty. All in all, this is a fantastic bag and well worth the price.

This bag is just perfect. I love all of the pockets, there is a place for everything and it keeps everything in its place. The gray is so pretty, a really nice contrast with the orange inside. I noticed that the color is a little darker then the picture shows as another reviewer noted, but I think it looks great. The material is strong yet flexible and even though it is smaller then a lot of other backpacks it still fits a ton of stuff, perfect for the campus. I really like that it is not huge because I am pretty short and this bag doesn't make me look like a 12 year old like so many other bags do. The zippers and hardware are very sturdy and I like that the zipper hardware on the main compartment has loops so I can put a lock on it for some security. I can tell a lot of thought went into the design of this bag. I thought the price was a little much, but for something that I will use almost everyday and for something that will last, it is worth it.

Just received mine and I am very excited to use it on my upcoming trip!! Many pockets for organization. The grey is darker than pictured (at lease on my computer) I like the darker grey though, so it's a good thing.

Just got mine and it is just as great as my other Wise Walker bags! It is smaller than a typical backpack and I found the straps to be very comfortable. The pockets are great and it holds lots of gear. I was easily able to fit my iPad, a hardcover book and my large Ledgerdomain journal in the largest pocket, medium Moleskinne notebooks in the middle pocket and an iPhone, Blackberry, glasses, wallet and pens into the next pocket. I have the Wise Walker messenger and business bags and I think this is a great option for tourist days or if your daily commute requires you to be "hands-free" to navigate doors etc., I love how comfortable it feels. I was able to fit a 15" Dell in the biggest pocket without padding and with nothing else there, it was a stretch so I agree that this is more suited to net book sizes or the iPad. My iPad also fits into the middle folder pocket. My 13" MacBook fit with a padded sleeve into the largest back pocket.

Another great Nomadics option and thanks to JetPens for making this available because we have limited options to get these bags in the US. If you stock more styles, I will buy them!

This is a great medium-small bag that packs like a medium bag. Make no mistake: you will not get a ton of stuff in here. It is narrow, especially, so wide folders, big laptops, just won't go. But I got this bag because I was tired of getting sore shoulders from my messenger-style bags. This thing looks great and since it more-or-less organizes itself, your stuff stays put and accessible. I find that I can convert it quickly from a work-a-day bag to a week-end tote for outings with my three-year-old twins. The bottom pocket is especially nice for wet clothes or a change of clothes. I have also had it long enough to say it is plenty water-proof for decent downpours, even the zippers. My favorite feature is the wallet pocket. I hadn't expected to like it but it's as wide as the bag so I can keep my wallet in there plus kleenix and hand-wipes for the kids. The middle "accordion" dividers leave room on the side to stow my sunglasses case or a small umbrella. Yes, the water-bottle pockets are narrow and tight but they loosened up after a bit of use and get to be just fine so long as you don't plan on hauling any big-gulps in there. Also, the front accordion divider includes two well located but partially concealed pen loops, also nice. It's expensive, but there are lots of pseudo-tough, out-doors wannabe packs around in the US (North Face, etc.) so it's really great to have an option that is an unapologetic urban bag for office people who aren't pretending we go every weekend for extended day hikes over really rough terrain (although I can see that this bag would also be fine for that...).

I love this bag. I got it late last year because I was tired of carrying around a small bag that didn't have room for all the stuff I need/want to carry around, and I was tired of carrying around a bag that was way too big. This one is JUST the right size, with all the proper zipper compartments and little pockets to hold my phone, journals, notebooks, a little zipper pouch I have some personal items in, two sets of keys, a pen roll, a couple of loose pens along the sides, my wallet, my sunglasses in their hard-sided case... I could go on. The black with the contrasting orange inside is extremely sexy, too. I can't say enough good stuff about this bag. It's well worth the price considering I haven't gotten tired of it yet like I do all my other bags for one reason or another. This one is a keeper!

Great bag! I used this as my daypack on a four-week European tour. It's small enough to fit inside my carry-on (cheap Euro carriers have a strict one-bag policy) but large enough to carry everything I need for a day of sightseeing. Comfortable and stylish, plus the large number of pockets make it tough for pickpockets (Barcelona, I'm looking at YOU!) to know where the goodies are stashed. Now that I'm at home, it's my go-to everyday carry solution.

This is a fantastic bag, but comes short of perfection for me:

Pros:
-LOTS of little compartments- great for holding small gadgets, keeps things from getting scratched
-Bright orange liner- easy to find things, even in dim light
-Sturdy "handle" bit at the top- useful for hanging the bag on hooks
-Hidden wallet pocket is a nice touch. It's on the side.
-Durable, rainproof material keeps everything dry.
-Bag is great using both straps or just over one shoulder.
-Exceptionally light for size
-Compact, yet still holds a lot

Cons:
-The lunch compartment (bottom portion of the backpack in the front), if empty it has trouble standing on it's own- this bad always has to be leaning against something
-tends to be a little top heavy unless you use the lunch compartment, which I don't often.
-minor con- sometimes zippers can get slightly caught on the rain protection flaps, but that rarely happens

Overall it's a great bag and I don't regret buying it, but I wish it was just a tiny bit better. And yet this is by *far* better than the generic, heavy, huge compartment backpacks that are so common here, so I probably can't complain too much.

This is a great pack and once I got over the learning curve of all the compartments, I find it really handy. It makes me realize how poorly designed many backpacks are. This bag is nice and compact and, because of its design, holds more than its size suggests. I agree with the other poster about the fact that it needs a grab handle to be able to stand up on its own, and as a female owner, I wish they made a more feminine version in brighter colors.

This backpack gets top marks on nearly every score. It is comfortable for my 5'5" frame, holds everything I need, the weight is balanced nicely, it's unobtrusive, well-made, I love the bright orange lining and the well-thought-out array of pockets, including the "lunch compartment" down below. "A place for everything and everything in its place," and I can find it all! There are three frustrations. It sorely needs a very sturdy grab handle; it is not configured to stand upright on its own; and the water bottle pocket is a very tight fit for American 16-oz. water bottles. The chest strap is a little funky-looking and I removed it.

Just so you all know, this bag is most certainly ***NOT*** made from the nylon that parachutes are made of, as claimed in one article I just read. It is made out of standard packcloth and heavier grade nylon. Parachutes are made out of (typically) F-111 rip-stop nylon and several other types...none of which are used in the making of this bag.

Just wanted to clear up the misinformation on this bag here.

I personally love this bag. It is wide enough to fit American sized papers, but it just can not fit the really wide binders. This is not a problem for me though, because I do not use these. Take this in to consideration before you purchase. I can easily fit everything I need, except I carry my lunch pack separate from the bag because I put my large pen case in the lunch pocket instead. The water bottle holders are also extremely small for American sized bottles, but thinner water bottles can fit inside the bag anyway. I was definetly satisfied with my purchase, and it was well worth the price.

I love this bag! Why not 5 stars you may ask???? No compression straps. This bag uses multiple accordion style compartments, and! absolutely brilliant I do love the bag (as I wrote earlier). However, without any sort of compression strap integrated into the design it tends to expand needlessly. Its not a big deal but well placed compression straps are what I've come to expect from most top backpack designers. Although it does present an opportunity to modify / tweak to suit my liking.... and on that note whats up the bottle holders on the side way to small for even the slender "smart water" bottle - bottle.... Don't get me wrong I'm glad I have it and would replace it if lost. It makes my wife jealous and for that I'm grateful (hee hee). I'm just putting this out there to inform and to share my observation.

Absolutely porous. Everything in the bag is ruined if you are out in the rain, even with an umbrella. Ridiculous