Finisterre Nautilus Pocket Pack Bag Review

When you get ready to leave your accommodations to explore a new place, you need to find somewhere to put all the small items you need throughout the day. We’re talking about things like your phone, minimalist wallet, keys, and maybe a snack and lip balm. Maybe you have enough pockets to hold everything, but you’ll want to consider a small bag like a sling if you don’t.

You may want to keep searching if you’re on Team Waist Pack, but if you prefer to wear your bags over your shoulder instead of around your middle, the Finisterre Nautilus Pocket Pack Bag may be a good option for you. This crossbody bag is the perfect place to stash the essentials and have them handy (perhaps even near your waist, depending on the length you set the strap) when you need them but out of the way when you don’t. Then you’ll be able to pull out your phone to get directions to that hole-in-the-wall dive bar you just heard about or pull out your wallet to buy a taco at the food truck. But will it work for your next trip? Let’s dive into the details and find out!

External Components

First of all, let’s chat about the fabric. It’s a sturdy, recycled 500D high-tenacity ripstop nylon, so we don’t worry about rips or tears when we catch it on a fence post. It feels pretty soft, and it’s not as crunchy as cheaper ripstop materials can be. Unfortunately, it is a lint magnet that picks up detritus from seemingly feet away and hangs on to it like its last best friend. Seriously—as we looked around the bag at the conclusion of the testing period, we knew exactly how the white dog hair got on there (thanks, George!).

On the other hand, there are some other colors of lint scattered around this bag whose origin we can’t exactly trace. Since the material doesn’t have a shiny finish, it’s not easy to brush off, and it shows a lot on our Black colorway. If you prefer a different color, it’s also available in Dark Olive, which could hide some hues but show off others, like the fur of your black cat. Since they’re both dark, you’re out of luck if you have a lighter-colored pet, but we can recommend a nice travel lint roller, and it’ll even fit inside!

No matter which color you choose, the logo and accent colors are all the same. The Finisterre brand name is printed in white lowercase letters near the bottom of the front, and there are black YKK zippers with black and orange corded pulls to open the main compartment and front pocket. They work well, as we expect from the Japanese zipper brand.

While there is a small garage to prevent moisture from getting into the end of the front pocket zipper, there’s no such water resistance for the main compartment opening, although it has two pulls so you can get into the bag anywhere along the track. There are also two webbing tabs at either end of the zipper to hold if needed when opening or closing it. Since they’re little loops, they also work well if you want to hook something small, like hand sanitizer, to the outside of the bag. That’s what we’ve been doing, and we’re happy to report that the bag still sits perfectly level, even with a little extra weight on one side.

Finisterre also uses Duraflex hardware for the adjuster on the single webbing strap. It’s easy to slide and stays put where you set it, even as you pull the bag over your head, which is our definition of a good piece of hardware. The strap is stitched to the left side of the back panel and looped through a ring of hardware on the right side, so there’s no extra flopping around when you shorten it.

And then, even though this is a pretty small bag, you’ll find a wedge-shaped foam panel on the back panel to blunt the feeling of whatever you’re carrying when the sling bumps up against your body. It has the brand name imprinted on the foam, and while it provides a nice amount of structure, it seems a bit overkill on a sling of this size that isn’t held tight against your body.

Fit Notes

The Finisterre Nautilus Pocket Pack Bag isn’t a fancy little bag; it definitely has a more casual vibe. We think that makes it great for packing for vacation, whether you plan to explore a new city, visit a museum or two, or go for a short walk in a nearby park. It’s a great shopping companion, as well, because you can keep your wallet and phone apps handy while gathering up all of your goodies.

While it can be tempting to sling it over one shoulder, it tends to slip off quite easily, especially when we’re wearing coats. Instead, take the extra micro-effort and sling it crossbody for a super comfortable and convenient pack hanging near your pocket. It’s so small and lightweight that we hardly notice it’s there, even when packed to the gills. There’s just not that much room inside to weigh it down.

Inside The Sling

As for what’s inside, it’s pretty simple. For a bag with such a long name, it’s short on organization. A zipper pocket spans 90 percent of the front panel. We’ve been using it for lip balm, hand lotion, and gum since it’s a bit too small and short for a standard iPhone.

It can be tempting to stuff it full, but you should resist the temptation. While it can easily hold at least four tubes and a travel size bottle, you’ll run into some issues when grabbing the one you want. Since it’s a pretty shallow pocket, we find it hard to wedge our hand all the way inside to get what we want if it’s at the bottom.

Now for the main compartment. It opens horseshoe-style across the top, giving you pretty good access to your items. The liner is also recycled nylon, although not ripstop, and it’s black (at least on the Black colorway), so it’s pretty dark inside. While that could be an issue, we don’t find it slows us down much in such a small space, as long as you’re not searching for one key or pin that’s slipped to the bottom.

A slip pocket against the back panel will fit a standard iPhone, a passport or pocket notebook, or whatever else you want to keep separate from the rest of your gear, like your extra cash. It blends so seamlessly into the back panel that you could miss it, making it a good spot for items you want to keep a tiny bit more secure.

Then, the rest of the sling is open space for you to fill as you choose. Here’s where you can toss your AirPods, small snacks, wallet, cash, and keys. Whatever you throw inside will land wherever gravity takes it since there’s no extra organization or pockets to keep things sorted. We find that tiny toiletry bags and pouches are handy here for keeping things sorted, but whether you agree is up to your preference.