This fall, I will be awakening my dormant brain and returning to school.  Although there are several outstanding matters regarding this move (How will I transport my heavy cookbooks? How will I get all my dresses to Baltimore? What if I don’t make any friends? What if I never end up meeting anyone from Charm City Cakes while in Baltimore? What if I don’t get the opportunity to ask Victoria Legrand what kind of shampoo she uses for her long Beach-House-y locks?), a pestering concern is how I will handle the feeling of schlepping books in East Baltimore.  It’s not like my current job demands me to carry a lot of scholarly materials full of scholarly things that will allow me to save lives “millions at a time.”

Oddly enough, Lily from JetPens must have been able to hear this reverberating concern in my mind, because a month ago she graciously sent me one of JetPens’ newest products to test: the Nomadic CB-01 Wise Walker Multi Compartment Day Pack.  Nomadic is a popular brand of bags in Japan, and has built its reputation based on its high level of functionality in the urban environment (have you seen how crowded a Japanese subway can get?  Or, more selfishly, have you seen how crowded the El gets during rush hour?) and durability.  JetPens is one of the few domestic retailers of Nomadic bags.  As someone who prefers a messenger bag (but hates the disproportionate shoulder pain), I was really excited to see if this bag could convert me into a backpack user.  My main complaints with backpacks:

  • They are too heavy and overwhelming for someone who is relatively short and small.
  • They make me feel like I’m in elementary school (this is also connected to the cries of disproportion stated in point one).
  • You’d think I could solve the first two points by simply getting a smaller backpack.  HOWEVER, this course of action leads to a) me having to hold too many things in my tiny hands (they are exceptionally small) because there aren’t enough pockets and b) me feeling like I’ve suddenly time traveled to the 90s and I’m Blossom with a tiny backpack ready to be filled with sunflowers.

I was initially struck with how lightweight and small the bag is.  It’s made out of parachute material, which makes the bag featherly and easy to clean.  I told my coworker that it’s so small and cute that I’d want to pinch its cheeks.  It has no cheeks.  But if it is so petite, how will I fit everything I need to carry around?

Deceivingly small (40 cm (H) X 24 cm (W) X 19 cm (D)), the Nomadic Wise-Walker Day Pack is filled with pockets.  And they are huge (I kept thinking of a Harry Potter tent).  The above picture is of the front pocket…

…and this is the middle pocket.  I’ve been told that these middle pockets are great for iPads and Kindles.  Since I have neither, I can also attest to the fact that they’re good for storing books that you don’t want crumpled or dog-eared.  “But, Tricia. Can you actually fit anything in the bag?!”

Look!  Even Snuggle Pup fits at the bottom of the third pocket!  Yes, this bag will not carry my laptop, but my laptop is a mammoth.  This won’t be a problem, however, since I don’t think I will want to carry my laptop around classes.  The bag does fit binders and notebooks (I checked), and there are plenty spaces for pens.

There are an overwhelming number of pockets in the bag!  The first day of use, I failed to pack my bag the night before, and it was too disorienting (I lost my cell phone that morning)!  LESSON: There is a reason that Nomadic includes a pocket map to their bag: DON’T UNDERESTIMATE POCKET ORIENTATION.

I do not understand Japanese (although I think suggested pocket 7 is for a minidisc player?), but the map did help me plot my own personal pocket usage.  Since I haven’t started school yet, I use my bag for the gym.  In pocket 9 (is that a bento box in the picture? I hope so…), I store my sneakers.  I suppose if you have gargantuan feet, this might not be feasible.  Should this be an issue, pocket 1 will fit your sneakers.  I use pocket 1 to hold my gym clothes.  In terms of favorite pockets, that award goes to pocket 12, which I LITERALLY JUST DISCOVERED A SECOND AGO, while staring more closely at the pocket map.  This is a great discovery, because during my month of backpack time, I have been complaining how there was no easily accessible place for my cell phone or wallet.  Well thank you, magical backpack.

Beyond the pockets, I really enjoy the slimness of the bag.  I’ve found that I can stuff it to the brim, but the bag won’t expand to an annoyingly large degree.  It  therefore allows me to squeeze onto the train without knocking someone out.  As the occasional victim of bag knockouts, this bag is a glorious gift to my fellow public transportation riders.

To conclude, below is my best geeky recreation of a similar picture of me on the first day of school (6-years old).  (No, in reality this is the product of my coworker taking a picture of me as quickly as he could before an attorney emerged from an office.  As Patrick put it, “I think I caught you pre-smile.” Apologies for the unsightly look of disgust.)  I really enjoy my Nomadic pack, and I’m excited to use it in Baltimore.  Whether or not it will replace my messenger bag is questionable (especially if I need to bring my laptop to school), but given that this is the best backpack I’ve ever owned, there is a high chance that my messenger bag might be replaced.

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