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Cost: $85 Earlybird; $99 Kickstarter
Capacity: 25 liters, Expandable to 30
Dimensions: 17″ x 13″ x 7-9″ (43 x 33 x 17.8-22.8 cm)
Style: Clamshell
Weight: 1.7 lbs (0.78 kg)
Laptop: 16” Laptop and 12.9” Tablet Sleeve
Materials: 280D Nylon; Water resistant coating; YKK Zips; EVA foam; Fidlock buckle
Origin: Made in China
Introduction
I think it’s extremely important to support independent bag designers, and the Expandable travel backpack by Almond Oak is a great first design by a promising new company.
A few weeks ago, the company sent the bag out to test for their upcoming Kickstarter campaign. While I haven’t had a chance to test the bag on a flight yet, I have been able to use it enough to give a good overview of the features.
And surprisingly, the Almond Oak actually seems to do a better job when compared to other similar backpacks.
Almond Oak Dimensions
So how do the dimensions of the Almond Oak Expandable Travel Backpack hold up against other similar packs? The size and dimensions of this bag fill a need in the minimalist travel community for a small, under-the-seat personal item that maximizes interior volume while also being well organized and lightweight.
Dimensions are 17 by 13 by 7 inches or about 43 by 33 by 18 centimeters, with a 2-inch expandable zipper in the main compartment.
Capacity Of The Almond Oak Expandable Travel Backpack
When I measured the bag while it was fully packed, these dimensions turned out to be accurate. It also fits into my test 18 by 14 by 8 personal-item sizer box, where you can see it fits inside easily.
The capacity of this bag is large enough to hold various packing cubes, but let’s see if it actually holds up to the listed size.
It’s listed as 25 liters unexpanded, expandable up to 30 liters. I’ve already done a packing-peanut test on this bag to confirm the capacity.
When filling the bag up with packing peanuts, the measurements were spot on—the bag was able to fit 25 liters unexpanded and an additional 5 liters after expanding the bag, for a total of 30 liters.
Materials
The material fabric and hardware chosen for this bag are very high quality for the current price, featuring a Fidlock buckle, YKK zippers, EVA foam straps, and nylon fabric.
The early bird price is $85, which is a bargain, and the price likely won’t remain this low for long. When trying to find a bag with a similar fabric to compare, there seem to be relatively few options using the exact same material.
The closest I could find is the technical fabric used for Matador’s packing cube set, which is thinner 100D nylon but has a similar feel. Almond Oak uses a lighter weight 280D nylon with a water-resistant coating.
It’s thinner fabric than you normally see on travel backpacks, which often focus on very thick ballistic nylon—nice, but usually overkill for most uses.
This fabric works well for this bag because it’s durable nylon but also lightweight, keeping the total weight of the pack low. You could run into structural issues using a lighter fabric like this, but the bag is well-designed with liner fabric and back foam panels that both give the bag structure and help pad the laptop compartment.
Even with the bag empty and the side zipper almost completely unzipped, it still has enough structure to stand up on its own. Once the front pocket is zipped, it stays solid and doesn’t flop over, keeping a high standard of structural integrity.
Hardware
The hardware Almond Oak uses is also high quality, with a combination of a Fidlock magnetic sternum strap slider, Duraflex adjusters, and YKK zippers.
This is the same style used in many high-end travel backpacks like Cotopaxi, Bellroy, and Able Carry.
The engraved zipper pulls are the only place on the bag with the Almond Oak logo, which you can’t see unless you’re looking closely.
While obnoxious bag logos are very often overdone, this bag does the opposite. A small, subtle logo—like a little acorn in the bottom corner—would give a bit of extra class to this bag.
Security
As always, we have to carefully review the zipper security. These aren’t the lockable style, which isn’t important because any bag with zipper pulls can usually be easily locked together with a travel lock or something like a small Nite-Ize micro lock.
To do that, you need two zipper pulls, which Almond Oak did provide on both the main and laptop compartments.
Almond Oak Expandable Travel Backpack: External Components
Now that we’ve reviewed the dimensions and materials, let’s have a look at the organization on the Almond Oak Expandable, starting with the external features.
We won’t go into a detailed comparison with the Osprey 26+6 right now, but these bags do share a lot of features, so we’ll go over the major similarities and differences.
The bag is very clearly designed, featuring a large front slash pocket, a side water bottle pocket, three carry handles, non-stowable backpack straps, a luggage pass-through sleeve, and a small secret pocket on the opposite size.
Front Slash Pocket
The front pocket has an almost full-length zipper opening into almost the full volume of the front panel. It’s designed to be side-opening, so you can access your stuff with the bag over one shoulder.
All the interior pockets face to the side. Inside is a larger fabric sleeve next to a smaller zipper pocket with stretchy mesh. In addition to these two pockets, this front pocket has a little bit of its own volume, so you can pack the main pocket without competing for space in the main compartment.
Secret Pocket
The next main exterior pocket is a small secret pocket on the right side of the bag. The zipper is hidden behind a fabric flap and is difficult to see. You could remove the zipper pull if you wanted it to be even more inconspicuous.
It’s designed to be small and flat, for thinner items like a travel wallet. You can see the seam here, so you have a decent amount of space. It will easily hold a normal-sized wallet, a smaller travel wallet, and a passport.
It’s also big enough to hold a phone, like a Pixel 8 with a case.
Water Bottle Pocket
On the opposite side of the bag is a water bottle pocket made from thin, stretchy mesh. It’s larger than it looks and does a good job holding a wide variety of bottle sizes.
For example, a thinner Stanley coffee mug fits nicely. If you turn the bag upside down and shake it, the mug might work its way out, but otherwise it’s snug. Thinner water bottles also fit nicely. For larger bottles, however, this pocket may have a little trouble.
Laptop Compartment
The last external feature is the laptop compartment, which is a separate, top-opening zipper behind the backpack straps.
For a smaller, lightweight personal item like this, you want a laptop compartment that offers good protection for people who carry a laptop, but you don’t want it to be too big or bulky if you’re not using it. Almond Oak did a fantastic job here offering external access with a double zipper, making it lockable.
All this organization and padding is on such a small bag that doesn’t take up much space, because the padding that protects your laptop also provides structure and back padding to the carry system.
Comparison To The Osprey 26+6
So how does the Almond Oak Expandable Travel Backpack compare to the Osprey 26+6, another one of my favorite packs? Let’s explore a quick comparison of the external features. The Osprey has a top-facing slash pocket and a larger top organizational pocket instead of the side pocket on the Almond Oak.
The 26+6 has two side water bottle pockets of a similar style, instead of one, which the Almond Oak replaces with a secret pocket.
Also, comparing the laptop compartment, the Osprey has a simple sleeve located inside its main compartment, so while it’s minimalist and lightweight, the Almond Oak offers much better protection and functionality with its padded separate external pocket design.
Carry System
That sums up the external features, so let’s look at the carry system on the back of the bag. It’s a basic setup with simple shoulder straps and a luggage pass-through sleeve on the back padding.
Shoulder Straps
The shoulder straps are thin with a nice curve, padded with higher-density EVA foam and a breathable backing.
The padding is thinner, but sufficient for a bag of this size. There’s an adjustable sternum strap with a magnetic slide Fidlock buckle.
This style has a small top notch, so you can easily flip it open with one hand, and it secures magnetically by just touching the two ends together.
Back Padding
The back padding has thicker foam pads on the back panel, plus four firmer foam panels making a grid pattern that sticks out enough to give some air ventilation between the panels.
If there was any criticism of this bag, it would be that the rear fabric is missing a mesh covering to add to comfort and breathability.
The four panels are a bit firm and cut into rectangles, and you can feel a slight edge. However, it’s not large enough for me to notice it on my back while wearing the pack.
Luggage Pass-Through Sleeve
The last feature on the back is the luggage pass-through sleeve—a simple webbing strap attached widthwise on the pack to let you store the bag in a vertical orientation over rolling luggage.
Comparing the carry system to the Osprey 26+6, the Osprey has a different back padding style with much more air ventilation, using ridged foam covered in mesh.
However, it also has an unusual design where the bottom panel that makes the luggage sleeve doesn’t sit flush with the rest of the pack and can feel like an awkward ridge when wearing it.
Interior Design & Organization
Now let’s explore the interior of the Almond Oak Expandable Travel Backpack. It has a full zipper, clamshell-style opening with one large main compartment on the left and a smaller full-panel zippered mesh pocket on the lid side.
Interior Pockets
The design here is simple, maximizing the interior volume in the main compartment without any further zippers or organizing pockets.
The lid side is also simple, acting like a large packing cube with a zipper that allows you to use the full space on that side of the interior.
Compared to the updated Osprey 26+6, which has a much smaller lid side pocket, this design gives you more usable space.
Remember this bag has an expandable zipper located right below the main zipper, giving you about 5 additional liters of volume on the main compartment side of the pack.
You could also use it like a giant compression packing cube, overpacking the bag and then using the zipper to squish it down.
Packing The Almond Oak Expandable Travel Backpack
Now comes the best part of the review, and that’s deciding how to pack the Almond Oak. I grabbed a few packing cubes to show you some options and how much this bag can hold.
I bought these 6 Moon Designs cubes for a different bag, but they fit well in a lot of packs. Two of these—with the rounded corners oriented up and down—fit perfectly in the unexpanded main compartment.
Another option is a set of Matador packing cubes. The large cube fits well turned sideways, and the medium cube fits on top, maxing out interior volume.
You could switch the medium for a small if you want more room, or leave one cube out entirely to have space for a tech cube, toiletry bag, jacket, or a small pair of shoes.
Gonex cubes also work well in here unexpanded. Because they’re compression cubes, they’re a little thinner and give you more room for other gear.
If you expand the main compartment, you get about 2 more inches of depth.
You can keep the same setup with extra room for a jacket on top, or fit a much larger packing cube—for example, the large Peak Design cube plus a small one turned sideways will almost perfectly use up the available volume.
The lid pocket is thin and has some of its own volume, but you can’t fit too much in here. It’s a good place for flat clothes like pants, shorts, or button-up shirts folded so they don’t wrinkle. It also makes packing easier if you use a thinner pouch for your smaller gear.
Carry Comfort
Fully packed, the Almond Oak has those 6 Moon cubes in the main compartment, and I put an eReader (not a laptop) in the sleeve.
The weight is about 5 kg or around 10.9 pounds. While I haven’t taken it on a flight yet, I’ve taken it on a few short trips and carried it around fully packed.
I like the design; the straps fit well, and it’s comfortable enough for a pack of this size. I haven’t tested it in a hot or humid environment yet, so I can’t say much about breathability, but overall, it’s a decent, comfortable carry.
Does The Almond Oak Expandable Travel Backpack Hold Up?
Keep in mind that this is a first design from an independent bag designer, and as such it’s a great design. I hope to see more from this brand. I think they nailed almost every important feature I look for in minimalist packs: it’s lightweight at just over 2 pounds, made with high-quality materials, hardware, and fabrics, and expandable from 25 to 30 liters.
It does a good job maximizing interior capacity for clothes and bulky stuff, while also giving you enough small-gear organization with the front compartment, a small secret pocket, and a highly functional water bottle pocket.
It’s hard to find criticisms, but if anything, the back padding would benefit from a more breathable fabric covering, and adding strap keepers on the adjustor straps wouldn’t hurt.
Besides, I like the design and aesthetic of the bag. It looks nice, is extremely functional, and it’s a bargain at the Kickstarter backing levels.
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