I just took my first trip with the Toshi Pack 25L V2 backpack in ballistic nylon. There’s a lot to like about this newer travel backpack. Let’s unpack it.
Material
This backpack some in 2 types of materials; ballistic 840D nylon and X-Pac. I don’t currently own any items that have the X-Pac material and after reading about it online, I don’t think the crinkliness of it and the noise it makes is something I could live with. So I went with the nylon. And I’m glad I did.
This is your typical black nylon. It’s thick, rugged, and indestructible. It’s pleasing to the eye and easy to wipe clean. The bag feels thick, durable, and appears like it will weather very well. I love the nylon.
Inside
There are a lot of options I considered for a travel backpack, including the Aer City Pack Pro 2, Tomtoc Navigator T-66, Fyro Citta, and the Solgaard Optimist. One of the main reasons why I picked the Toshi is because it has just the right amount of pockets in my opinion. I don’t need a pocket for everything you can imagine, like pens, airtags, passports, etc. I really wanted to be able to change my organizational system based on where I was going. For me, less pockets and compartments make things a littler better when packing.
The front of the backpack has 2 main compartments. On top, you have the main pocket for small items such as my Kindle, AirPods, tickets, and a few other things. It folds open so you have complete access to the front pocket, which I like.
Underneath that is an ambidextrous side access pocket which I found incredibly useful when going through the airport. While in line, I could swing the backpack to one side or the other with it still strapped to my shoulder and have access to my wallet, passport, and phone. Right before I went through airport security I slipped the contents of my pocket into this front pocket instantly. This is probably my favorite feature of this backpack.
On the very top, you have a fairly large pocket for miscellaneous items. I used it for sunglasses. My only complaint about this pocket is that I wish it had soft lining inside to better protect glasses lenses, but overall it works great.
The main compartment of this bag opens fully and lays flat on table. It has a few zippered pockets for odds and ends and a flap for paper, a magazine, or a tablet. I was able to get quite a clothes in this area which gave me more room to pack alongside my carry on roller bag. One interesting thing to note about this area is that if you look closely at the zippers, they angle outwards near the water bottle holder on the side. This creates some friction when unzipping this area, which was done purposely, so that you can essentially unzip the top portion of the bag and fold it down to access the content inside. I like it.
In the very back, you have a typical computer sleeve compartement with a false bottom.
Carry and fit
The straps are beefy, no way around it. They’re padded to take some strain off your shoulders, and the back of the backpack is also padded which creates some nice airflow so you don’t get a sweaty back. There are no top cinching straps which I think could have been a nice addition. Overall it’s fairly comfortable for me at 6’1, but when it’s fully packed out and heavy it’s a little bulky and stiff. I’d give it an 8/10 for comfort.
Here’s where it wins. It fits under the seat in front of you on a small aircraft. I flew a small Alaska Airlines flight with 2 seats on each side of the aisle and the bag was able to slide right under the seat in front of me without any issues at all. I still had some room around my feet and access to the top compartments without issue. I’m not sure I’d go much larger than 25L if you plan to put this under the seat, unless you don’t want any legroom at all.
Overall rating
Admittedly I don’t have a lot of travel backpacks to compare this one to. But, I did spend too much time researching options, watching videos, and reading articles before I settled on the Toshi. I got the bag a few weeks ago and just took my first trip with it and I’m very pleased. I really like this backpack. I’d give it a 9/10. If pressed, I could gripe about a few minor things (for example, I’m not a huge fan of the top handle which I find oddly placed and a little weird to grab), but no bag is perfect. The Toshi Pack 25L V2 is a fanastic buy at just over $200.
Where to buy
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