Rankings are fun! I have been testing a lot of bags this year. I actually use and test them for at least 3 weeks to get a good feel for what the bags can do, how they feel, and how they wear over time. The Bagdad rankings are simply my opinions of what I am using and giving me the best experiences.

What say you? Agree? Disagree? Hit me up and let me know your top bags.

Dad Bags

1. Black Ember Citadel H2 25L
2. This bag has climbed the charts quick! I actually have not posted my review on this one yet, but it is coming soon. Why is it so badass? The look, the comfort, the functionality, and most of all, the materials. The EMBERTEX 1220x600 Nylon 6 is my new favorite material. This new material is incredible and not enough people are talking about it! The bag stands perfectly which is a huge plus at the ballpark. It took a lot to overtake the Kludde and a lot of yall know how much i love the Kludde. Review coming soon.
3. Evergoods MPL22 Kludde
4. What can I say? This is just perfection when it comes to the dad bag/day pack. Seriously one of the most comfortable bags on the planet! I should also mention the regular MPL22 here as well as it is just a tad different. If you want a comfortable bag that is light and just looks badass, then this is your jam. They just released the bag in their new 210D fabric. I have not got my hands on one yet, but the 420D and Ultra are 10/10! My full review is linked below.https://www.reddit.com/r/Nomads_Nation/s/gWE2sl7K0E
5. Eberlestock Switchblade
6. This is one of my new favs! I call it the “Dragon Slayer” Why? Because it closely resembles the Mystery Ranch x Carryology collab “The Dragon” The difference here is the Switchblade has so much organization and functionality. There is a place for everything. It has a cool back panel and harness system. This bag needs to be taken seriously! This bag is long term comfy with tons of room without being a huge bag. I have a link to the site and a discount code below if you are interested. My full r eview is also linked below.https://www.reddit.com/r/ManyBaggers/s/Pcz2s5aoLAhttps://eberlestock.com/THEBAGDADREPORT
7. 10% off Code: THEBAGDADREPORT
8. Mystery Ranch Unicorn 2.0
9. I dont think I need to say much here. IYKYK. The best collab ever! The Unicorn introduced me to the tri-zip, which I now LOVE. This bag is made extremely well. It’s comfortable as hell. I love it so much I have 3 of them: multicam, orange, and olive. Had the black and traded it. I will get me another one one day;) I currently do not have a full review on this one, but I will be getting to it soon. Quick post on it listed below. If you’d like to know anything about it, feel free to hit me up.https://www.reddit.com/r/ManyBaggers/s/wkfEY7SSix
10. Able Carry Max EDC
11. Top two all time most comfortable bags ever! And it is a looker. I have this guy in beautiful navy x-pac. I had the brown and traded it, but it was gorgeous too. The materials are premium and just beautiful. The thick chunky straps are worth the price of admission. I find this bag holds up well and the zippers, oh the zippers… are just buttery perfection! I could literally run that zipper all day. So satisfying! My old review is linked below. I will have a new one coming soon.https://www.reddit.com/r/Nomads_Nation/s/9mbjhHZa4Z
12. C Tactical CT21+ w/ Kangaroo pocket
13. I dont not have a full review on this guy yet, but this bag is frickin badass! I have it in dyneema, my now second favorite fabric ever to EMBERTEX. This guy is comfortable as shit! I am actually traveling right now as I am writing this and I have this bag with me. CTactical prices their bag very reasonable. The shipping can get a
14. little expensive, but I am telling you, it’s f’ing worth it! Only downside for me is it can feel pretty big at times. The kangaroo pocket is a Dad Bag miracle. Being able to quickly stuff your kid’s crap in it, is priceless! Review coming soon.
15. Evergoods CTB20/CTB26
16. Another legend. IYKYK. I listed both sizes because they both offer dad bag excellence at the size you need. I’ll start by saying most people either love it or hate it. Some have issues with the harness system stabbing in the back. Not for me. It is absolutely perfect for me. This is the bag that set the standard for functionality as well as quick access. Let’s go through the badassness here. You have the top yoke pocket, the front quick access pocket, the vertical admin pocket, and the best water bottle pockets on planet Earth. I am a huge fan of the 420D nylon. I have the CTB20 in olive and one in xpac. I have a CTB26 in coyote. I wouldn’t trade them for anything in the world. My full review of the CTB26 is linked below.

https://www.reddit.com/r/Nomads_Nation/s/Vb39E1pPoD

8. Yeti Bozeman/Ranchero
   Yes a yeti bag. They aren’t shitty either. They are actually pretty badass. First off, put a patch over the damn yeti branding. lol. The tri-zip is back. Tri-zips take a little getting use to, but they are actually pretty convenient. The tuff skin nylon provides extreme durability. This bag also stands like a champ! The Bozeman has the mystery ranch futura harness which is super comfortable and easily a popular all time favorite by many. The ranchero harness is different, but damn well might be even a little bit more comfortable… Seriously. These bags have been a joy to use and perfect for days at the ballpark. Big water bottle pockets are amazing and these are just that. Full review on these guys is coming soon.

9. Go Ruck M23
   This bag is cool. It looks cool. I am not a fan of top loaders, but the side entry into the main compartment is super easy to access your contents inside the bag. I am a fan of the side quick access pocket as well as the other side with a bottle pocket. You can pack a bunch in this guy and as most of you know, Go Ruck bags are pretty comfortable. Now the M23 is not sold anymore, but they have preorders for the new M26 up right now. Very similar layout as the M23 was the most popular of the M series so far. Full review linked below.

https://www.reddit.com/r/ManyBaggers/s/BRhFEhChtC

10. Matador Globerider 35L
    Coming in at number 10 is the Matador Globerider 35L. This is the guy you want to take if you need to carry a lot of stuff. Maybe a long day at the park with the kids, or you may be going on a day trip and need that extra dad room. This bag is beautiful. And the best part, it has a kangaroo pocket! So clutch. This is a popular travel bag, but it also makes a great dad bag if you need the extra space. Especially if you have multiple kiddos you are trying to keep up with. My full description is linked below.

https://www.reddit.com/r/ManyBaggers/comments/1s9598a/matador_globerider_35l_the_best_looking_travel/

Just missing the cut:
Boundary Supply Errant Pro

Exciting new bags that will soon shake this list up:

1. Fyro Citta Backpack 25L
2. ULA Cicada
   Testing both right now. Look out! Badass is being redefined!

**Thanks for reading. I hope you enjoy this list. I would love to hear your feedback and your top bags.

Please follow me on instagram: @bagdadreport

I’m between 3-4 bags and truly can’t decide so i’m hoping you all could give me some insight/opinions to help sway my decision or even an alternative i am possibly not considering.

Sorry in advance for formatting - doing all of this on my phone.

My current EDC/Travel Pack is the Nomatic Travel pack 20-30L (last photo). I researched for two years before pulling the trigger on this thing and it mostly does everything i need it to do. I have found that the structure is slightly too rigid at times but not the end of the world for me. But the biggest factor i’ve been struggling with is that extra set of gym shoes for daily carry and that extra set of more formal shoes for work/family travel.

Use cases for my End game bag:

Daily work EDC - i commute to work everyday with my bag and tech gear.
Daily gym bag - being able to go straight to the gym from work and separate my smelly shoes from my main compartment. (do i just settle for a shoe pouch like peak design?)
One bag travel bag for 3-5 day trips - i travel quarterly for work and it is business casual. I often travel with two pairs of shoes(one on me and one in my bag). My wife also likes to do 3 day weekends and trips once or twice a year.

Main features i am looking for:

Moderate internal organization - not a huge fan of giant caverns that require packing cubes and tech pouches.
- Quick access to tech
- Shoe compartment or storability for smelly shoes
- Fits underseat on Majority/Most Domestic US airlines

BONUS features:
• Expandability
• Can fit a suit jacket when strategically folded (5’10” male)
• Two water bottle pockets (for mine and the wife’s water bottle)

This brings me to the three options i am between:

Matador Globerider 35

Pros:
• Tech organization is less than nomatic but just enough for what i need and really good quick access for tech and laptop.
• Kangaroo pouch is a great all purpose dump pocket and solves the smelly gym shoe problem in a round about way and also doubles as an extra water bottle space.
• Upgraded Capacity(from nomatic travel pack) is probably perfect for any situation
• Professional look
• Probably the best harness system of all of these bags
Cons:
• Seems to be very debatable whether this will fit under seat on a plane.
• Shoe compartment work around with kangaroo pouch may prevent under seat stowability(again am i just being an idiot and do i just get a dedicated shoe pouch/bag?)

Nomatic Travel Bag 30L

Pros:
• Dedicated ventilated shoe compartment
• Good tech organization
• Capacity and overall layout is similar to what i’ve already been working with.
• Marketed to fit under seat on plane
• Also doubles as a duffel
• Professional look
• Would likely fit my suit jacket and dress shoes the best of all of these bags?
Cons:
• Harness/back panel being so minimal is a little concerning for walking around town when traveling with the wife.
• No external water bottle pockets
• Also capacity. The rigidity of how nomatic makes their bags makes it feel like a tighter pack and makes packing feel a little more limited at times.
• Do i really sidegrade to another nomatic bag and give up certain features just for a shoe compartment?

Bagsmart blast pro 28L-38L

Pros:
• Dedicated shoe compartment
•Expandability
• Internal organization customizability
•Marketed to fit under seat in plane(although may not in 38L mode)
•Kind of the perfect mix of capacity for EDC/Travel.
Cons:
•Honestly it’s hard to find any besides that there isn’t a ton out there on this specific model with the updated internal organization and i just don’t know it this bag will be reliable or if it is going to be/feel too cheap.
•Maybe not structured enough to keep a laptop safe?
•Not as professional looking.

Tropicfeel Hive 22-32L

Pros:
• Kangaroo pouch in front can hold shoes or other things like jackets
• Additional pouch on bottom specifically for shoes
• Modular system for added on capacity items.
• Might be a sweet spot for capacity for all use cases
• Two water bottle pockets
Cons:
• Harness system is not the best
• Again, not a ton of reputable reviews on this bag/system.
• Marketed as cabin sized so not sure/unclear if it would actually fit under seat or not. Dimensions seem to be within most underseat specs but with all the modulars added on it most definitely will not fit under seat.

Curious if anyone has seen or has comments on this new pre-launch from Tortuga. Looks like an Ultra version of their travel backpack lite in many ways?

https://www.tortugabackpacks.com/products/superlite-backpack

Here's my take on the City Pack Pro 2 20L: this is an incredible backpack, first and foremost. I have an Aer carry-on suitcase in orange, Travel Pack 3 in X-Pac, City Pack 2 in Cordura, and the Cable Kit 3 in Cordura - so yes, I am an Aer hoor. I picked up the City Pack Pro 2 20L because I am going to be flying Frontier and I wanted a safe personal item that could be my one bag for 3-5 day trips. I debated for a while whether I wanted the 24L or the 20L, and I ended up going with the 20L just to be safer within the 18x14x8 limits. I also like the new side zipper pocket, it's more useful to me than an additional water bottle pocket. And I prefer the new handle. This is a divisive feature, some people really prefer the handle on the 24L but personally I think this new one is nicer. I'll go in order of the photos displayed so I can correlate my review with the pictures in order.

Self-standing: this is the best bag I've ever had for self standing. If it's fully packed out and kind of bursting at the seams, it starts to tip. But if it's comfortably packed with a little breathing room, you can see how it self stands perfectly 90 degrees on my couch.

The new pen pocket: on this bag, it's not the greatest pen pocket for standard size pens. The one in the photo is a Muji which is 5.5 inches long, and as you can see with the pen fully inserted it blocks the zipper behind it. I imagine this is probably a non-issue for the larger Travel Pack 4's, but on this bag it seemed stupid and it was the first thing I noticed. It will get out of the way if you tilt the pen to the side, but at that point I would probably just put the pen somewhere else. Maybe I can find a smaller pen that's compatible. Very minor gripe honestly. But that brings me to the main thing I'd like to see in the next iteration: I think they should implement the full-size front admin panel like the City Pack 2 has. This isn't just about organization, it's big enough to put a thin/light jacket and use it as a stuff pocket.

Side zipper pocket: it is a great spot for keys, wallet, and passport. Not much else to say about it, but I think it's really useful and I love the detachable key leash. I didn't think I'd like that particular spot for my keys, but after using it - that's where they should go.

Packing: along with the bag, I bought a large Aer packing cube in grey and a small one in orange. I chose these over the Peak Design cubes because I like that they have some structure to make it easier to put clothes into it. So here I packed the bag out with the large cube, small cube, and a Minimul Dopp kit. I packed more into the cubes than I need for small trips, but just as a demo to show how much that can fit - and I used the compression. But having some breathing room is optimal and far more comfortable. Photo 1 is the bag optimally packed, photo 6 is with it packed to the brim (but I measured and it's still within personal item limits).

Here's what I was able to fit with it fully packed out:

Large cube: 1 pair of jeans, 2 pairs of workout pants, 2 pairs of shorts, 1 pair of pajama pants.

Small cube: 3 tshirts, 2 tank tops, 5 pairs of socks.

With my MacBook pro 16" in the laptop sleeve and charging accessories, the total bag weight was about 16lbs.

Yes I could have packed more. This packout was a little beyond my comfort preference; however, I could always swap the MacBook for my iPad and save myself a few lbs.

Weather resistance: absolutely excellent. This Cordura nylon is underrated when it comes to this because of the X-Pac and Ultra options. The day the bag arrived it rained, and I took it out for a walk in a moderately heavy rainstorm for about 20 minutes. Everything inside was completely dry, including the top quick access pocket which has a regular zipper (not P.U. coated). Don't be worried about weather resistance with this one. If you think you'll be walking through torrential rainstorms and getting absolutely soaked, have an umbrella or a rain cover (Davek makes cool mini umbrellas that will fit in the bag easily).

Water bottle holder: it holds my Yeti Rambler 26 oz fairly comfortably, and as you can see it will actually hold my Owalla 40 oz with the bag fully packed out. It's not optimal, but it does work.

Comfort: stellar. What else can I say, Aer is top tier and everything I've tried from them feels so nice. Even with the bag fully packed out, it feels great to carry. I'm just shy of 6ft and 210 lbs, so I'm not a small guy. I thought maybe I'd regret not getting the 24L because of my size, but it feels perfect.

I won't actually be traveling for a while, but I'll try to report back once I put some legitimate miles on this thing. So far I've just been going on long walks with it. Pretending like I need it. Not really rucking, not really carrying with a purpose. Just being cool, with my Aer bag. I did a ton of research and went down an endless rabbit hole before finally settling on this backpack, and I feel I made the right choice. So if you were able to make it through this long winded review, bless your kind soul. I hope you were able to get something out of this, and best of luck on your journey of finding the perfect bag for you.

Busy filming day at Jimbobs EDC HQ.

The T33 is a fantastic sling (this is the 3.5 litre version).

Thoughts on tomtoc as a more affordable sling...?

Hey everyone, hope y'all are doing well!

The other day, I announced the backpack I had been working on. I had mostly product shots of it. So in order to show everyone what it looks like in real life, I am posting a few photos I got doing a photoshoot.

Let me know what you guys think! I am taking all feedback so feel free to let me know your thoughts. Its only the first sample, so things are bound to change!

Also, I want to thank everyone for the support on my previous post. If you want to follow the journey along here is the link to my youtube channel and the bag's website:

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@GuisGadgetsGizmos

Bag Website: Monopax.com

PS:
I don't want to spam here, but I want to update the people who are interested. How often would you guys want me to give updates?

After getting in touch with Able Carry, it didn't appear they were going to release a hip belt for the Max EDC anytime soon (even though it has the 3" pass through behind the straps)

I picked up a tactical belt from Amazon and am sharing the results - it's 2" wide, no padding, but I figure I can reuse my extra shoulder strap pads if comfort was an issue. Given the Velcro piece in the AC slot, it can catch the belt a little (which I guess might be the point). This one is from a brand called Loaded Gear.. but suspect any sub-3 inch belt can fit through easily

I picked up the Pack Hacker x Matador ReFraction Pro Packable Backpack and, so far, I’m impressed. I bought it expecting a better-organized version of the kind of packable bag I already like, and that’s pretty much what it feels like in use.

For context, this is replacing my Matador On-Grid. Both are listed at 16L, and in practice the ReFraction Pro feels like it holds about the same amount for me. The difference is access and organization. The separate laptop compartment makes getting a laptop in and out much easier, especially compared with stuffing it into the main compartment of a packable bag.

Because of that, this is probably going to become my new on-campus day bag when I’m traveling to school and spending all day in classes. It gives me enough room for the laptop, A5 notebooks, pouches, charging kit, first aid, and the usual daily carry stuff, but it still stays light and packable enough that it doesn’t feel like overkill.

My laptop setup is a 13” MSI in a Native Union Ultralight Sleeve. The sleeve adds just enough structure that the bag feels better packed out, without turning it into something stiff or bulky. I overloaded the bag on purpose for these photos to see how it would handle the load, and honestly, it handled it well. It carried better than I expected for something this light and packable.

Outside the bag, I typically attach a Topo Designs Mountain Accessory Bag. That holds an Ikigai nano pill container with head/stomach meds, Trek & Travel pocket soap sheets, hand lotion, Kleenex, and a Dude Wipe. I also usually attach a Henry Holsters OCD to the outside.

Inside the bag, in addition to the laptop, I had:
Topo Designs Micro Accessory Bag
Weston 3x5 pouch and 5x6 pouch
Tom Bihn Ghost Whale Small
Ghost Whale Mini with a 10,000 mAh Ridge power bank
Ghost Whale Super Mini with my quick charging kit, 30W Anker charger plus 2’ USB-C cable
Aer Slim Pouch to support the laptop carry
3x5 mesh pouch with first aid supplies
Reading glasses case
Pencil pouch
Topo Designs Small Accessory Bag with A5 notebooks for class, which also doubles as a mouse pad

The construction is the thing that stood out most to me. It feels more refined than I expected from a packable backpack. The zippers are YKK and zip smoothly. The materials feel light but not fragile. Other reviews have called out the same basic idea: this bag is trying to solve the usual packable-bag problem where you either get something that packs down well but feels like a shapeless sack, or something with structure and organization that stops being meaningfully packable.

The Pro additions are the reason this works better for me than the On-Grid. The laptop compartment, front admin organization, tracker pocket, key tether, exterior attachment points, and sealing YKK zippers are the upgrades that make it more usable as an actual day bag for me, not just a backup packable bag. I don’t use every feature equally, but the laptop access alone makes a big difference for my use case.

One small complaint: the zipper loops. I understand the reasoning. They make the zippers a little less grab-and-go for someone else, and that is useful in travel or crowded areas. But when I’m not worried about pickpockets, they can be a bit of a pain. That is also kind of the point, so I’m not sure I’d call it a flaw as much as a tradeoff.

Overall, I’m impressed. It holds the same general amount as my On-Grid, carries surprisingly well when overloaded, gives me much better laptop access, and still stays in the packable/lightweight category. For my setup, it feels like a real upgrade rather than just a limited-edition colorway or minor tweak.