Review: Nomadic CB-01 Wise-Walker Day Pack

This Nomadic Wise-Walker Day Pack was sent to me at no charge from my friends at JetPens, and all I can really say is wow! JetPens has been a friend and supporter of the Pen Addict since almost the very beginning, and I am very appreciative of their continued support. So a huge THANK YOU for sending this great looking day pack out to me.

So, where to begin? When I first saw these show up on the JetPens website, I was fascinated with 1) how cool they looked, and 2) the sheer number of compartments available. But when I first unboxed it, neither of those things immediately struck me. What did strike me was how lightweight this backpack is. Checking in at just 24.00 oz, it is a real marvel of form and efficiency. The nylon rip stop material helps keep the weight down, as well making it very durable. Did I mention that the exterior is treated to be waterproof? Yes, that too.

As fascinated as I am with how great this bag looks and feels, the real selling point is how useful the wide variety of pockets are. There is a large main compartment in the back, which fits netbooks, magazines, sketchbooks, pen cases, etc. quite handily. It is padded, and contains an additional zip pouch inside the compartment, but note that this is not designed to be a laptop bag, so there is no predefined protective computer sleeve. If your netbook or iPad or Kindle doesn't have a protective case of its own, be sure is is adequately protected. I have some pictures in the slide show below for size comparison. For example, my 15.5" Sony Vaio laptop does not fit in this bag, but my 11.6" Acer Aspire netbook fits easily along side several other items.

The middle pouch is divided into two sections, and fit three regular sized paperbacks without any difficulty. This section is spacious enough to where you could fit many different sized items, but the depth of the pocket does not go down to the bottom of the bag like the large compartment in the rear. The front pouch contains several divided areas and pouches to put things like scissors, mini flashlight, pens, phone, cables, and more. There is also a zip pouch in the front which holds my iPod touch and headphones.

Once you have all of those pockets stuffed to the gills, there is still more! Down below, there is a large, open pouch which is perfect for a packable windbreaker and/or pants. I didn't have anything that functional to fit in there, but I did stuff two of my pen cases in there easily, and probably had room for two more. As I type this up, I realize that I forgot to specifically photograph the hidden pocket along the back side, but JetPens has several nice shots of it on the website. I will try to add a photo on my Flickr page in the next day or so, because it is a very important part of the package.

One thing I was concerned about with the Nomadic Wise-Walker was the overall size of the backpack in relation to my frame. I am a reasonably large man (6-1", 215 lbs.), so I was curious how it would look and fit on me. Once I slung it on, all of those concerns went away. The fit is highly adjustable, and I had more than enough play in the shoulder straps to get a comfortable fit. The chest strap is a nice touch, and actually contains and elastic piece which gives that area some flex. Size wise, it felt nice. It didn't look like I was wearing a fanny pack on my back - it seemed like a normal size.

I can see several different uses for this day pack. From a student perspective, I think it would work great as long as you aren't carrying a full sized laptop. As the name dictates, it is perfectly setup for day trips and hikes, city walking tours, and other non-overnight travel. I can see myself using it a lot for outings with the kids to the park, ballgames, or heck, I even hear (from a very reliable source) that it works well as a diaper bag.

Regardless of what you use the Nomadic CB-01 Wise-Walker Day Pack for, I'm sure you will find enjoyment every time you put it on. If you have any questions about this backpack, or would like to see any additional photos, please leave a comment on this post or send me an email, and I will get back to you as soon as possible.

Flickr Slide Show: