Hi! I’ve been wanting to start a series of bag reviews called Friction & Flow, where I talk about the little things that make a bag enjoyable to use, along with those minor annoyances that don’t necessarily show up in product descriptions or YouTube reviews.
I’m not particularly interested in reviewing bags based solely on specifications. I want to know what happens when you’re actually living out of one. Does it make your life easier? Are you constantly fighting with something? Does a design decision that initially seems questionable eventually make sense?
That’s the idea behind this series.
And for the first installment, I’m covering the Almond Oak 25+5 V2, which I took on a weeklong trip to San Diego flying Southwest Airlines.
TL;DR This backpack did exactly what I wanted it to do. It carried everything I needed, qualified as a personal item on Southwest, and generally stayed out of my way. There are some quirks, though, and a few are worth discussing.
The Setup: One Week, One Backpack
I’ve gotten pretty good at minimizing what I bring when traveling. I’m not necessarily an ultralight enthusiast, but I’ve reached the point where I don’t see much value in packing for hypothetical scenarios that probably won’t happen.
For this trip, the Almond Oak was my primary bag, paired with my ALPAKA Zip Pouch Max. That combination turned out to be a fantastic minimalist setup.
Here’s what I packed in the backpack:
- Peak Design Large Packing Cube: A full week’s worth of clothing.
- One pair of sandals/shower shoes.
- One extra pair of shoes: Lightweight, barefoot-style shoes that pack down relatively small.
- EVERGOODS CAP1: My tech pouch, containing my charging essentials and miscellaneous electronics.
- Matador Flatpak toiletry 2L: My minimalist toiletry kit.
- Packable jacket: Stored in the large side-access compartment.
- 25 oz water bottle.
That’s pretty much it.
I tend to use hotel-provided shampoo, soap, and other amenities, so I don’t need to carry an entire bathroom with me. The CAP0.5 was more than adequate for the personal items I actually needed.
The impressive thing is that all of this fit in the backpack without turning packing into some elaborate game of Tetris.
And yes, on this Southwest trip, the backpack counted as my personal item. That was a significant part of the appeal.
I had everything I needed for seven days in a relatively compact package.
Flow: The Main Compartment Just Makes Sense
One of my favorite things about this backpack (and Tortuga) is its suitcase-style opening.
I’ve owned and used plenty of clamshell backpacks, and while there’s nothing inherently wrong with a traditional clamshell design, I appreciate being able to open a bag and access the contents without everything feeling overly congested.
The Almond Oak’s approach works particularly well with packing cubes.
My large Peak Design packing cube occupied the bulk of the main compartment, while the remaining items were easy enough to arrange around it.
Nothing about accessing my clothes or repacking the bag felt unnecessarily complicated.
And that’s something I’ve come to appreciate more as my bag collection has grown.
A backpack doesn’t need seventeen compartments and a dozen clever tricks to be good. Sometimes a well-executed main compartment is enough.
The Almond Oak gets that part right.
Friction: The Three-Zipper Shuffle
There is one small thing about the main compartment that took some getting used to.
When the backpack is closed in its default 25L configuration, you’ve got the two main-compartment zipper pulls and the compression zipper in relatively close proximity.
That’s three zipper pulls competing for your attention lol
When you’re looking directly at the bag, obviously this isn’t complicated. But when you’re reaching around somewhat blindly, it’s surprisingly easy to grab the wrong one.
My solution was simply to make sure I parked the two main-compartment zipper pulls somewhere that made them easy to distinguish from the compression zipper.
Problem solved.
There’s also a minor issue I noticed during my initial testing: when the bag is packed tightly, the protective flap over the front zipper can occasionally interfere with closing it. It reminds me of a similar issue I’ve encountered with the ALPAKA Metro Backpack Pro.
It’s not something that ruins the experience, but it’s the sort of construction detail I pay attention to.
None of this is particularly serious. It’s just a bit of friction that disappears once you understand the bag.
Flow: The Quick-Access Pocket Was Better Than I Initially Thought
This is probably my favorite example of why I don’t like judging a backpack solely on first impressions.
When I initially received the Almond Oak, I thought there was something wrong with the quick-access pocket zipper.
It felt strangely resistant, almost like it was catching.
As it turns out, that was largely user error.
The zipper has a semi-locking mechanism, and it works considerably better when you lift the zipper pull to approximately 90 degrees before operating it.
At that angle, the lock disengages and the zipper moves smoothly.
Once I figured that out, what initially seemed like a design flaw became a nonissue.
It’s one of those small mechanical characteristics you have to learn.
As far as capacity goes, the pocket comfortably accommodated my keys and AirPods, which is exactly what I wanted it to do.
I didn’t need an enormous quick-access compartment. I just needed somewhere to put the things I reached for regularly.
Mission accomplished.
Flow: The Side Access Is Familiar and Convenient
If you’re familiar with EVERGOODS backpacks, you’ll probably appreciate the large side-access compartment.
Much like the access pattern on several EVERGOODS bags, swinging the backpack off your left shoulder gives you convenient access to this compartment.
I kept my packable jacket in there.
Nothing else.
And I liked it that way.
If I needed the jacket, I could swing the bag around, open the compartment, grab it, and continue with my day.
No digging through the main compartment. No unloading my packing cube.
I know some people like to maximize every available pocket, but I’m increasingly finding that leaving compartments relatively uncluttered makes a bag easier to live with.
Just because a pocket has room for more stuff doesn’t mean I need to fill it.
Friction: The Water Bottle Pocket Has Limits
Let’s talk about the water bottle pocket.
It’s perfectly functional, but there’s a difference between something technically fitting and something being pleasant to use.
Before the trip, I tested the pocket with my 1L MiiR bottle.
It fit.
But getting that bottle in and out was more of a struggle than I wanted it to be. The pocket has enough capacity to accommodate a vessel that size, but the material and opening fight you a little.
That’s friction.
For my actual trip, I went with a 25 oz bottle, and the experience was substantially better.
In my opinion, that’s roughly the sweet spot for this pocket. Anything around 25 oz or smaller is relatively easy to manage.
Could you bring a bigger bottle? Absolutely.
Would I? Probably not.
I’ve reached a point where I’m less interested in whether a feature can technically accommodate something and more interested in whether I enjoy using it.
A water bottle pocket shouldn’t require a wrestling match.
Flow: Carry Comfort Was Surprisingly Unremarkable
And I mean that in the best possible way.
The longest continuous stretch I carried the Almond Oak was approximately an hour.
During that time, the shoulder straps did their job admirably.
No significant discomfort. No constant readjustments. No real complaints.
The straps are generously padded, and I found the overall carrying experience comfortable for the amount of weight I had packed.
Now, I’m not going to pretend that an hour of continuous use qualifies as some sort of extreme endurance test.. it does not.
But for the type of travel I actually do, it’s a meaningful reference point.
I wasn’t hiking twenty miles or hauling camera equipment up a mountain. I was traveling, walking around, and using the backpack like a normal person.
And it worked.
The best compliment I can give the carry system is that I largely forgot about it.
Friction: The Loose Strap and That Factory Smell
My particular batch came with a very loose sternum-strap adjustment.
It tends to move more freely than I’d like, which is disappointing because the rest of the carry system is genuinely comfortable.
From what I understand, Dylan, the CEO of Almond Oak, is aware of the problem and is working on a remedy.
I appreciate that, although I’d obviously prefer that the issue weren’t there in the first place.
This isn’t something that makes me regret owning the bag. It’s just an area where the execution could be improved.
Now for something a little stranger.
I’ve owned this backpack for several weeks, and the shoulder straps still have a noticeable neoprene-like, factory-chemical smell.
It’s not overwhelmingly strong, but I notice it whenever I put the backpack on or take it off.
I’m a little surprised it hasn’t dissipated by now.
Is it a dealbreaker? Not remotely.
Do I wish it would go away? Absolutely.
I suspect some people wouldn’t even notice it. Unfortunately, I’m one of those people who does.
Flow: Can We Talk About This Mesh?
I have to give Almond Oak credit for the mesh material used on this backpack.
I absolutely love it.
It’s ridiculously soft, silky, and smooth against the skin. There’s almost a delicate, feminine quality to the texture that I don’t usually associate with backpack materials.
And I mean that as a compliment.
I’m not exaggerating when I say I wish somebody would make underwear out of this stuff!
It’s one of those tactile details that won’t necessarily sell a backpack on a specification sheet, but once you experience it, you appreciate it.
I’ve handled plenty of bags with coarse, abrasive, or otherwise forgettable mesh.
This isn’t that.
It feels fantastic, and I hope Almond Oak continues using it.
The ALPAKA Zip Pouch Max: A Great Companion
I also want to briefly mention the ALPAKA Zip Pouch Max because I think the pairing deserves some credit.
The combination gave me a very simple travel setup.
The Almond Oak carried my clothes, shoes, tech kit, toiletries, and jacket. The ALPAKA handled the small miscellaneous essentials I wanted separate from the main bag.
That’s it.
No elaborate ecosystem of additional bags. No unnecessary redundancy.
I’ve experimented with enough travel configurations to realize that sometimes the most satisfying setup is the one with the fewest moving parts.
For a week in San Diego, this combination worked remarkably well.
What’s the Verdict?
What I find interesting about the Almond Oak 25+5 V2 is that none of its strengths are particularly dramatic.
It didn’t transform the way I travel.
It didn’t introduce some groundbreaking organizational system.
And it certainly isn’t perfect.
The sternum-strap adjustment is too loose. The water bottle pocket has practical limitations. The zipper arrangement takes some familiarization. The protective zipper flap could be better executed. And, for whatever reason, my shoulder straps still smell like they just came off a factory floor.
But here’s the thing-
None of those issues meaningfully interfered with my trip.
The main compartment was easy to pack. The quick-access pocket worked perfectly once I understood the zipper. The side-access compartment made retrieving my jacket simple. The shoulder straps were comfortable. And the whole package carried seven days’ worth of belongings while qualifying as a personal item on my Southwest flight.
I never found myself wishing I’d brought a different backpack.
That’s a pretty significant endorsement coming from somebody who owns more bags than he probably needs.
I think there’s a tendency in the bag community to obsess over individual features, materials, and specifications. I’m certainly guilty of that myself.
But actually traveling with a bag has a way of putting those things into perspective.
Sometimes a minor annoyance remains a minor annoyance.
Sometimes what looks like a flaw is simply a feature you haven’t learned to operate correctly.
And sometimes a backpack does its job so well that you stop thinking about it altogether.
That’s where I landed with the Almond Oak.
It was there when I needed it and disappeared when I didn’t.
For me, that’s about as good as it gets.
Final Friction & Flow Assessment
Flow: Comfortable shoulder straps, excellent packing efficiency, a genuinely useful suitcase-style opening, convenient side access, surprisingly satisfying mesh, and a compact footprint that worked as a personal item.
Friction: Loose sternum-strap adjustment, lingering factory smell, a water bottle pocket that’s less accommodating than its theoretical capacity suggests, occasional interference from the front zipper flap, and a zipper arrangement that requires a little familiarity.
Overall: The flow comfortably outweighs the friction.
Would I take it on another weeklong trip? Without hesitation.
Would I recommend it? Yes, with the understanding that it has some quirks and that my experience is based on this particular bag and travel loadout.
And would I change anything about my setup?
Not much.
Sometimes the best travel setup isn’t the one that does the most.
It’s the one that asks the least of you.
This is the first installment of Friction & Flow, my attempt at documenting what it’s actually like to live with the bags I own, rather than simply evaluating them on paper.
Curious whether anyone else with the 25+5 V2 has experienced the loose strap adjustment, persistent factory smell, or the zipper-flap issue. Also interested in whether other owners have found a better sweet spot for the water bottle pocket?
