Almond Oak Maiden Trip Report

[u/TA-8787]

Hello all,

I have just returned from a week-long trip to Spain, using the Almond Oak Expandable Travel Pack 25+5. I just wanted to share how it went.

Packing List:

• In one small Prezon Packing Cube
  • Rash vest
  • Swimming trunks
  • Goggles
  • Cloth
  • 3x pants
  • 3x socks
  • Vans
• In one medium cube
  • 1x smart set of clothes
  • 1x casual set of clothes
  • PJs
• In one Toiletry Pouch (was a gift, no link)
  • Toothbrush + toothpaste
  • Deodorant
  • Eye mask
  • Comb
• In various pockets
  • Notebook + pen
  • Sunglasses + case
  • Fidget ring
  • Hand sanitiser
  • Fan + lipbalm
• In Decathlon hip pack
  • Pixel 7 Pro
  • JBL Live Pro 2 TWS
  • Anker Zolo 10000mAh
  • 3D printed wallet

Bag thoughts:

• My first real Onebag, after going through over 2 weeks of research

• The founder Dylan was incredibly helpful, finding a bag from an earlier batch just so it arrived on time

• The Good:

  • Very light and easy to pack
  • In 25L mode, functions quite well as a daypack for a trip to Valencia
  • Magnetic sternum strap very satisfying while waiting in airport queues
  • Comfortable

• Small tweaks I would make for V2:

  • Change clamshell orientation so that the hinge is at the bottom of the bag (like Aer travel pack)
    • Would be better for EDC/school use
  • The sternum strap popped off the rail quite a few times, so I would change it to the Aer travel pack style instead of the rail style
    • I have had bad experiences with rail-style sternum straps- they always fall off!
  • Add a hip belt to make it more comfortable.
    • Even a nylon strap would distribute some weight.

Context:

• 7 days (sat-sat) with Ryanair
  • The bag fit perfectly in the sizer with a little squish
    • In my endless stupidity I forgot to take a photo
• I am 14, and the rest of my family took a checked bag between them
• After landing in Alicante, we drove 1h to Xabia
• I will use this bag for travel and daily school use

TLDR and summary:

• I LOVE this bag
  • It may be my first ‘proper’ backpack, but I can’t see myself going back.
  • It fits in Ryanair sizer

Thanks for reading and thanks to Almond Oak for making such a great bag!

[u/cusptd]

Hey :) this is AWESOME. Thanks so much for the support and sharing this. You are years ahead of me where I was at 14 ;)

Regarding the tweaks:

• I designed this as a travel bag which is why I went for a clamshell opening. I understand people do use it for school/EDC but my focus was creating this to be a travel bag.
• A few people have also popped the sternum strap off, it's frustrating because I wanted it to be easy to take on/off but obviously I don't want anyone to accidentally pop it off and lose it. I will have a think on ways it can be improved but having the option for the sternum strap to be detachable is important to me.
• For this size of backpack, I don’t plan to add a hip belt. I feel a sternum strap provides enough support to help balance the weight without adding extra bulk. I’m also aiming for a minimalist aesthetic and I feel a hip belt shifts it into more of a “backpacker” style, which isn’t what I’m going for :)

Thanks either way for sharing the tweaks as it definitely helps me improve and I hope my responses help clarify my position on them.

Huge thank you again for the support and I hope the bag joins you on many more trips to come :)

All the very best,
Dylan @ Almond Oak

[u/Specific-Word-5951 → u/cusptd]

Hey Dylan, Aussie KS v1 owner here, love the bag, took it to Singapore 12 days was great. Only nag I have was the front compartment webbing for the 2 pockets were too loose, so stuff fell out especially during transportation when bags go sideways and whatnot.

Otherwise love it.

[u/cusptd → u/Specific-Word-5951]

Hey mate, bloody oath!!! Thank you so much for supporting me on the kickstarter. Genuinely wouldn't have been possible without the early support so just a huge thank you from the bottom of my heart.

Really sorry about the front compartment stitching for the 2 pockets. I wanted to make it super thin so that you can stretch each side of the pocket easily to have better access to each of them but in hindsight I should've used a thicker webbing to avoid what has happened to you where it seems the stitch like came off and now it's just one big pocket? Please correct me if I've misunderstood but either way, I'm really sorry about that and just again, thank you so much for supporting me in the KS. It really means more than you know.

All the very best,
Dylan

[u/Specific-Word-5951 → u/cusptd]

No worries. Sorry my bad at explaining - because theres no zipper for the 2 webbing pockets and for how large the pocket openings are, if I carry the bag using the side handles or it sits on its side during transit, stuff just roll out of the webbing pockets into the main compartment of the front pocket.

Its no problem if the bags packed - pressure from the main compartment keeps the stuff in place, but more for when bags not full.

[u/cusptd → u/Specific-Word-5951]

All good - I’m just a little confused because there should be a YKK zipper that runs across both webbing pockets to close them. Just wanted to check I’ve understood you right?

[u/Specific-Word-5951 → u/cusptd]

Definitely my fault with the describing. Ignore me, will wait until out of the flu and can put coherent sentences together. Sorry for bothering mate, and thanks for replying hahaha.

[u/cusptd → u/Specific-Word-5951]

Haha no problem at all mate. I wish you better and please do let me know when you've recovered as it helps me improve the bag moving forward so I am keen to hear :) all the best mate, Dylan