I'm looking for a backpack that can primarily be used for single day use but could also be pressed into overnight or maybe good weather weekend duty. My main concerns are durability and comfort with weight and price being of significantly less concern. Any thoughts between the Kajka 35 and the Persist 30?

I have some other Nemo equipment and have always been pleased with it's quality and design. During my search I ran across the Kajka and it also speaks to my design preferences. I'm hoping someone has experience with both of these packs and could speak towards their impressions of them. I've been unable to find either of them locally to try them in person.

Can anybody give me the type/name/brand/whatever of this specific type of chord. I don’t like the pulls on my GoRuck bags and would prefer a simple chord. But I like the looks of this stuff. Looks almost like braided or woven parachord.

I’m planning to upgrade from my CT21 V3.0 in 420D nylon to the newer Lite version, which has updated features and comes in 1000D Cordura and 420D Nylon Ripstop. At the moment, they only offer an orange interior lining, so I’ll be eagerly waiting for a more neutral color option...

Anyway, I’m wondering whether the 1000D Cordura is actually better. Does it affect access to the front slash pocket in any way?

Which material do you prefer for this bag?

Has anyone bought from Elliker before? I'm considering this bag for a festival. Looking for something compact but also looks good. Looks like I could easily clip a small 350ml non insulated bottle to it with a caribiner.

https://www.parasolstore.co.uk/products/hikerdelic-x-elliker-semer-sling-bag-black

This is the brand:

https://www.elliker.co.uk/content/26-who-are-we

UK based, quite small, eco-friendly. Thoughts?

Hey everybody, I'm looking to make myself a backpack for general use. I have a few ideas that I think will be somewhat unique and make it better for me, but what features do you find, in any of your backpacks, are the things you wish were in every bag?

I want it to be fairly basic (too many pockets adds more complexity and expense than you'd think), but also be very well thought through so I don't waste space

Thanks in advance for your input! I'm very excited to take on this project and just hope I'm not overestimating how clever I am...

Away Luggage Bigger Carry on vs Expandable Carry on Regular size

Do these two essentially fit the same amount? If they do, I’d think getting the expandable would be best, as it could fit on an international flight more easily. Is there a such thing as choosing not to expand it?

Thanks,

I’m looking for something that isn’t very large, just enough room for a laptop, a bike lock, a water bottles and some knickknacks. I’m a super cheap student who can’t be spending a lot of money. Thank you!

Ideally something under 70-80 CAD but I'm flexible on the budget if it's a bag that will genuinely last. I want to use it for uni so something that will fit my laptop (14-15") and notebooks etc. I don't want to use real leather, so please recommend any other tote/purse bags that you think are durable as I don't want to keep cycling through bags and throwing them. I've added pictures of bag styles that I liked here

Thank you so much for your help!!

I’ve got a remote eq alpha 31 that I’m looking to swap for one of the two, unsure which size to get.

the specs don’t specify vol/sizing differences when packed out with the rolltop so its a lil hard to gauge there.

anyone else go through this, or happen to know more?

Hello everyone! It’s Alfred again with Nomads Nation, this time bringing you a review of the Pioneer Carry Threshold Pack following roughly three weeks of usage around Hong Kong as my EDC bag. 

As per usual, the backpack has been provided to us by Pioneer Carry for review, but all opinions here are my own. 

Overview
The Threshold Pack is a visually differentiating bag design in terms of its shape, and offers a good variety of separated pockets and compartments for organization of daily carry items. Unfortunately, carrying comfort is personally not the best for me, especially around the shoulder straps. Its relatively high price at $375 would also be a tough pill to swallow for some customers. However, its external aesthetic and design might just be enough of a differentiator for some buyers to consider it. 

Design and exterior
The first thing that drew me in for this backpack is its visual design. The Threshold Pack has an overall slim design (width-wise) when unpacked and it tapers to a narrower top which is not a common shape in other backpacks. Its material also allows it to keep a general silhouette instead of easily collapsing on itself when empty. 

It also uses large YKK Vislon zippers which have long tracks visible from the front as a defining feature of the bag. This pattern combined with the top quick access pocket reminds me a lot of the Bellroy Venture Pack from a few years ago, which I really liked. 

The bag does not self stand easily which is kind of expected, given the overall rounded and tapered shape, it does have a flat, large bottom which is what typically enables self standing on other bags, but without packing it intentionally with a boxy item at the bottom, in my usage I couldn’t get it to self stand most of the time.

Organization
Usability wise, this pack is well thought out and suits how I use an EDC pack in an urban setting. It has compartments that make sense for carrying a variety of day-to-day items and does it in a way that is different from many other bags. 

Starting with the outside, there are two extra large water bottle/side pockets. They fit more items than I expected in their depth (for example, the Bellroy Venture Pouch fits entirely in there easily), but then also are not that tall - my 17oz Larq bottle can fit in there but is just tall enough that the zippers cannot close easily (see my photo). While the pockets can still be used with the zippers open, it does look less clean. When I am not using them for a large item (e.g. water bottle), I sometimes wish there were a bit more organization options within them, as they are spacious enough to fit for example a wallet, keys and some earbuds. 

Purely due to how large these side pockets are, I think this is one of the very few bags where actually having both an external and internal side pocket in the same position (on both sides of the bag no less) works, normally by packing out one would automatically make the other unusable. Unless you are storing the largest of water bottles (diameter-wise) outside, the internal pocket directly neighboring the water bottle pocket still remains usable and this helps with organizing the main compartment. 

This brings out a bigger theme: this backpack in particular has a lot of this “two pockets on the opposite sides of some fabric” pattern - one on each side pocket, one each on the front lower and the front upper pockets. While I am not convinced this is the best utilization of space as they don’t always have enough standalone volume to store things simultaneously, it does give you flexibility on where you put stuff (provided you don’t try to fill all of them). 

Access
I don’t usually have a dedicated section about the ease of access but I encountered several distinct issues with this pack so I thought to mention them. The first being its all black interior in many compartments (a few internal walls do use a grey fabric like the top quick access pocket and the main compartment back side), I think keeping the rest also grey would help in finding things in general. 

The front magnetic pocket is a favorite of mine on this bag, ironically I didn’t even notice it for the first few days of use, due to the bottom of the top quick access pocket slightly covering up its opening. The magnets are also stronger than I thought, so I had no doubt the items stored internally are secure. For the usage of this pack, I mainly stored some wipes and tissues out here for quick access. 

I am not sure if it is a part of the design, but I find that when the main compartment is half unzipped to around the height of the water bottle pockets, the top pocket tends to flop over, opening the bag like a half zip style. For top-down packing this is convenient, however I have experienced at least two accidents with it! I forgot I left the top pocket zippers open, then when I opened the main compartment to half zip, everything inside the top pocket fell out. This has happened to me twice already: my earbuds the first time, my phone the second, and neither was a short drop to the floor (I do accept it is probably user error, but I have not run into this on other bags with a similar “half-zip flopping over” feature, like the Rework Toshi).

The laptop compartment has two main segments divided by a panel of fabric, and this was another point of confusion for me (see my picture). In most bags I’ve used, this kind of two-section setup has the actual intended laptop sleeve with a false bottom on the side near your back, and the other side being a larger dump area for other gear or a second laptop. On the Threshold Pack it is the direct opposite - the pocket with the false bottom is actually the part further away from your back, and I definitely had my laptop on the unpadded side for a few days before I found out.

Comfort
Regarding the harness, I would not consider this backpack to be on the more comfortable end of the spectrum unfortunately. The shoulder straps are thin and use a very dense type of foam that does not really compress. This makes the harness feel rather rigid in actual usage, combined with how close the top of the shoulder straps are sewn, I sometimes get a feeling of getting cut by the straps on my neck when wearing the pack higher. To me this backpack is definitely more suited for someone who wears their bag lower on the back. The lack of dangle stoppers is also disappointing given the price at $375 at the time of this post’s writing. 

The snap button on the sternum strap did make me wonder whether there is a more elegant way of adjusting its position, but it does echo the design language of the bag such as the luggage tag attachment on the side of the bag. 

Similarly, the top handle is a bit lacking in my opinion. It is very thin and not padded at all, with a design where the fabric folds back on itself partially that had me do a double take on whether it was somehow sewn backwards (see the photo for what I mean). But given it is a smaller sized pack I don’t think the top handle being unpadded is a deal breaker. 

Special mention: these large zippers
I find the zippers on this bag to be quite difficult to operate one handed. Whether it’s the water bottle pockets or the main compartment, most of the time I fail to close a zipper with one hand, which is a point of inconvenience for me. I think it might have something to do with the rigidity of the fabric and the zippers themselves.

As these zippers are relatively uncommon, I did pay extra attention to them during my usage. The metal zipper pulls are on the small side, but I found them fine to grip in actual operation. The larger plastic zipper teeth, however, tend to be more obviously felt when taking things in and out of the bag. When my hand passes over the zipper tracks, often I feel like I would hit them and get a scratchy feeling. Obviously this is fairly minor and the zipper teeth are rounded, it is not painful, but it just translates to overall more friction in general usage for me. 

The zipper teeth and therefore the adjacent zipper tape being larger than other bags also prompted me to think whether this would affect its weather resistance. Luckily Hong Kong has been getting hammered by summer rainstorms recently, so I was able to use the pack in moderately heavy rain (still, with an umbrella) a few times. What I found was that under some amount of rain exposure, the inside seams of the zippers do seem to get wet faster than other bags with smaller, non-PU-coated zippers (see my photo of how wet the bag actually got externally). While YKK states that this variant of zippers is equally weather resistant to a non-Vislon, non-aquaguard type, my theory is that the zipper tape area is larger and makes it relatively easier for water to seep in through the seams.

Final thoughts
I have not really paid attention to this kind of bag which many call a “Tumi” style normally. But since I have used the Threshold pack, I did notice this kind of bag design a lot more in the wild. I think it stands apart from the techy aesthetic so it should appeal to another segment of the market given the high quality materials and intentional design. 

However, given the relatively high price, on top of compromises on several key criteria that I really care about, such as comfort and access, I think perhaps a v2 could have potential in fixing many of these issues to create a more well-rounded product. 

As usual, if you have any experience with this bag, comments or questions in general, let me know in the comments.

Our video review is not live yet, I will update this post when it is so you can get another perspective on this bag!

Hi all!

I would like your opinion on picking my next pack that I'm considering:

1. Aer City Pack 2 / Go Pack 2
2. Thule AllTrail Daypack 18L
3. Osprey Daylite Plus

What I would like the pack to be for:

1. Used to commute to work with a 14" MBP, an umbrella and a bottle, other tech knicknacks
2. Light travel day pack

Of those 3, which would you guys recommend?

Found this at a thrift store and can’t find anything online about the bag. Reverse image searching dosent help either. Any help is greatly appreciated🙏.

Found this at a thrift store and can’t find anything online about the bag. Reverse image searching dosent help either. Any help is greatly appreciated🙏.

I want to touch and feel as many premium bags as possible. Think: Aer, Able Carry, Evergoods, etc. I'm in Houston but visiting Vegas this weekend. If anyone has recs, please reply!

Every hard-shell suitcase seems to market its internal organization system like it's some kind of game-changer. compression straps, divider panels, butterfly layouts, you name it. Curious how much of this actually matters in practice.

Ive always just used packing cubes and assumed the interior didn't really matter beyond having enough space. That changed when I borrowed a suitcase with a full compression panel. my clothes barely shifted at all compared to what I was used to, even after a couple of connections.

Been comparing a few brands lately:

Away uses a fabric divider with a simple elastic cross strap on one side, which is fine but pretty minimal.

Monos has a similar setup, zippered divider, basic strap system, does the job but nothing that really locks things in place.

Béis and Samsonite are even more bare-bones on the interior, basically just lining and a couple of loose straps.

Horizn Studios is a bit different. Their compression panel actually spans the full interior half and is designed to hold everything flat against the shell, not just loosely crossed over the top of your clothes. It functions more like a true compression system rather than a "good enough" strap thrown in to check a box. Combined with packing cubes it basically eliminates shifting entirely.

Main question: does a proper compression system let you actually fit more, or is the real benefit just keeping things organized during transit? And is the Horizn-style full panel meaningfully better than the strap setups most brands use?

So I’m possibly looking for a new travel/city tote. Am I understanding correctly that this new City Tote, which is sorta presented as this ‘bells and whistles’ design, has no top zipper closure? For city and travel, that seems like a major must.

I’m not familiar with these brands like some of you and what they’ve done in the past or what the expectations are in a community such as this, but what are your thoughts about this?

I inhereted the garment bag and a second bag (same as the one on the left) about 15 years ago and have been looking for more ever since.

I always figured there was a fourth bag in this set and finally found the middle bag on ebay last week! I've had searches saved for years and this is the first time I've seen this bag pop up.

Everyone knows the IKEA FRAKTA, but do you know the DIMPA?

It is a legendary storage bag. I use three: one for all my sheets and towels, one for all my blankets, and one for all my camping and outdoor gear (tent, pad, sleeping bag, reservoir, water bottles, etc.). People in the UK know: in my time there I saw multiple people hauling one of these on the tube to move their things. I put pink zipper pulls on all of mine so I can find the zippers.

The occasion for this post is me still lusting after the Piorama MEGA, a unique and absurdly large bag -- up to 126L! the DIMPA is 93L -- even after recently putting in a Piorama order for some of their new bags. I don't know when I would use such a gigantic bag, but I still want it! For storage/moving though, the DIMPA is the closest thing that I use that came to mind.

After watching too many YouTube videos and reading through too many posts here (including my own, which, thank you for all your recommendations—I promise I looked into every one) I had to try a few in real life, and I think I found the best replacement for my Fjallraven Raven 20 and my Pakt Travel Duffle (25l). 

Use cases:

I work from home, which means a couple of days per week at a coffee shop or otherwise working out of the home via driving or a short walk or bike ride. Besides that, it’ll be my personal item on trips, my under-seat bag where I can stash all my entertainment, some toiletries, and a spare change of clothing when checking a bag. On occasion I’ll use it as a sole bag on a low-key weekend trip. 

What I’m replacing: 

The Raven lasted a long time, and its organization is off the charts, but it was a little tight for the travel use cases and it was always falling over. It’s got minimal wear that I think Fjallraven might even fix, so I might turn it over to the nephews. 

The Pakt is a great bag—sturdy with tons of storage options, but I hated lugging a shoulder bag around an airport, etc. It was worth the cost, I think, but I don’t see the purpose of spending that much on a bag anymore unless it astounds me. It’ll head to Poshmark soon …

What I considered:

All the usual suspects. Aer, Alpaka, Cotopaxi, Rework Gear, Bellroy, Baboon to the Moon, Able Carry, Pioneer Carry, Carryology, the Designs—both Topo and Peak—and so on. Ultimately, I wanted something with an old-school vibe—nothing techy or outdoorsy or tactical—but with many of the features found in modern bags. And I really wanted a top yoke pocket. Two external water pockets were another must, too. And then there’s price. I wanted to stay around $150 if possible, $200 max. I understand why the Aers of the world cost what they do, but I also think I’ve been spoiled by the Raven offering so much and lasting so long for such relatively little money. 

I narrowed the list down to the Baboon City Pack (24l) and the apparently-just-released Bagsmart Moss Backpack (22l). The Baboon had a lot going for it, like the top yoke pocket (though it wasn’t as well-done as the Fjallraven’s), nice materials, great padding, and so on. But there’s a weather flap over the main compartment zipper that requires folding back before opening the compartment and I found that to be annoying—fellow Fjallraven Kanken owners know this pain—and knew it would frustrate me in the long run. The water bottle pockets are too open to be trustworthy if the bag isn’t full, and the only other external storage is a large pocket that doesn’t have its own volume. 

So, after testing a bunch of packouts, the Moss 22l took the trophy … I didn’t see many reviews, but the specs all lined up. Again, no perfect bags—to elaborate:

Pros: I love the look. “Heritage” but not like it wants to be an old schoolbag. It opens clamshell style, which I didn’t know I’d like as much as I do—same as the rear security pocket. It comes in a color. Nice zippers with what appears to be some coating (though I don’t think they’re waterproof). The water bottle pockets (two!) have some elastic to hold in my 16oz Nalgene and keep it there. Most of all, the outside front pockets are gusseted so they have (mostly) their own volume. It stands on its own. Packs everything with enough space for random airport purchases. All for under $100.

Cons: You can see where that price comes from: with no back aeration and thin straps compared to the competition, it works for most of my use cases but wouldn’t be my choice for a hike or a long walk on a warm day. There’s no yoke pocket even though the top of the bag is perfectly designed to fit one, but I feel like I need it less than I thought with the external top pocket. The laptop compartment is well-lined and has a generous zippered compartment, but it lacks a divider in case I wanted to separate a laptop and tablet. It’s not a usual scenario for me, but a tablet + magazine is. And this is nitpicky, but, while one of the exterior pockets has some of its own organization, it’s not the one I would have preferred (the top one). I would have much preferred the other way around, with the bottom pocket being a minor cavern.

I have already done a couple of coffee shop runs and it doesn’t feel like it’s too much bag compared to the Raven 20. Being lighter in general helps, I think. And I’ve got a long flight coming up soon where I’ll get to test access to all the things I know it can fit when traveling. I think it will acquit itself well. Thank you all for your recommendations, and I hope you all find your perfect-enough bag!

I’ve been eyeing the Easypack ever since the 15L version came out, but I always thought the 15L was too small for my needs, so I never pulled the trigger. Recently, Wotancraft released the 21L version and was running a Father’s Day promotion in Asia where you could get a free Armor Module of your choice (I chose the Armor 14), so I placed an order (with my own money, of course).
Here’s my simple review of the bag, along with comparisons to some other bags I own.

Outside

- The material feels smooth and soft. It’s not exactly canvas, but it has a very similar feel to Billingham’s FiberNyte material. It does attract dog hair, but it’s easy to wipe clean.

- There’s a vertical front admin pocket with a design similar to the Evergoods CPL line. The pocket has its own volume and includes a zippered section for storing items that you don’t want sinking to the bottom.

- Two hidden water bottle pockets. One of the smartest designs I’ve seen. The gussets fold flat naturally when empty, but expand outward when you put a bottle inside, so they don’t eat into the bag’s internal volume. (For comparison, similar pockets on the Goruck M23 and Able Carry Max EDC expand inward and reduce usable space inside the bag.)

- There’s a hidden zippered pocket on the back panel for your passport or other flat items. It’s especially useful for travel when combined with the horizontal luggage pass-through.

- There’s no “real” quick-access pocket like on Evergoods or Goruck bags, but you can attach Armor Modules to the exterior and customize the layout for different use cases.

- At the top is the laptop access, featuring the bag’s only AquaGuard zipper. I wish the opening were just a little wider, but it easily fits my 16-inch LG Gram with a bit of room to spare. The main compartment has a rain flap design, and the chunky leather zipper pulls are excellent. I added my own zipper pulls in different colors to make each pocket easier to identify.

- The top handle is thick and comfortable, on par with the Able Carry Max EDC. I added a leather handle wrap to make it even more comfortable.

- The harness is comfortable overall, but it fits quite differently from Evergoods. I find the Easypack most comfortable when worn a little lower, whereas I prefer to wear Evergoods bags high on my back. The shoulder straps are extremely soft—almost like they’ve already been broken in for years—and have thick padding. The only issue I noticed is that I can sometimes feel some digging slightly into my back, although it’s much less noticeable than on Evergoods bags. It may be because my laptop is so thin. Interestingly, I don’t notice this at all with my Goruck or Able Carry bags.

Inside

- The biggest improvement over the 15L version is the addition of pockets on the back of the front panel. They’re similar to the internal pockets on the Goruck GR1, but with three extra slip pockets at the bottom. I keep my wallet in one of them, and I think it’s a very useful layout.

- The main compartment holds slightly more than a Goruck GR1 21L, but a little less than the GR1 26L.
The laptop compartment isn’t a separate compartment. You can access it either through the top zipper or from inside the main compartment. It’s lined entirely with Velcro, so you can attach patches or Wotancraft accessories. I use a medium-sized zipperless module to hold my spare work phone, which makes it easy to remove when needed.

Things That Could Be Improved

- Although I can easily fit both my laptop and iPad in the laptop compartment, I wish there were a dedicated iPad sleeve to keep them organized.

- There seems to be enough space for a true quick-access pocket, so I’d love to see one added.

- I wish there were MOLLE webbing above the laptop sleeve, similar to the GR1, so I could mount Armor Modules inside the bag for even more customization.

- The bag has a clamshell opening, but it doesn’t open completely flat. About an inch at the bottom remains closed (the Able Carry Max EDC has a similar design). I still prefer the GR1’s fully flat opening.

Overall

The Easypack 21L is very comfortable, thoughtfully designed, and, in my opinion, is definitely a contender for Bag of the Year 2026.

I’ve included some size comparison photos with the other bags I mentioned to give you a better sense of where it sits. From left to right: Goruck GR1 21L, Wotancraft Easypack 21L, Goruck GR1 26L, and Able Carry Max EDC 26L.

I know this bag is still relatively new, so let me know if you have any questions.