TOM BIHN Nomad Tote Review

If you’ve seen the TOM BIHN Truckasana, you’ve glimpsed one example of the brand’s clear vision whenever it puts out a product. For the uninitiated, the Truckasana is a tote bag designed as “the ultimate yoga tote.” Though that sounds niche, it sets up the user’s expectations—you were never picking it as a laptop bag but getting disappointed by its apparent lack of a padded sleeve. In our case, it was as simple as using it for gym sessions and hauling a yoga mat, for which it was designed and intended—and it passed that test with a good score.

In this review, we’re looking at a TOM BIHN tote designed for working digital nomads: the Nomad Tote. At 11 liters, it’s a modestly sized travel tote that’s easy to lug to and from your favorite co-working space, or as a personal item bag for travel. This sounds like the dream tote for us, as we are fans of the digital nomad life, so we’re very keen to see how well the Nomad Tote fits into that. On the other hand, this tote’s 11-liter capacity is relatively small, which may have unintended consequences—let’s find out if there are.

External Components

The Nomad Tote comes in a variety of colorways and fabric combinations. The sample we’re reviewing has “Wilderness” 630-denier ballistic nylon as its exterior, while the liner is “Moss” 210-denier Cerylon ripstop nylon. In case you’re wondering, the quoted words are the colorways, which are—translated from marketing speak—dark green and light green, respectively. Offering their gear in a variety of eye-catching colorways and reassuringly tough fabrics is pretty on-brand for TOM BIHN. For a tote bag, the Nomad Tote looks pretty chic, a far cry from the form’s more utilitarian roots. Then again, this is a tote for digital nomads, so it has to look at home at artisan coffee shops and co-working spaces.

We’d be remiss if we failed to mention that the Nomad Tote comes with a set of corded zipper pulls. Called “Pull Du Jour,” these are included so you can tiet them to the base metal pull to dampen any jangling noises. That said, the Nomad Tote’s metal zipper pulls don’t really make much noise, or at least it didn’t bother us. Some users are totally peeved by even the slightest jangling, though, so for them, this inclusion will come as a thoughtful one.

The Nomad Tote is largely devoid of external features that stick out. You won’t find attachment loops, buckles, lash straps, or cinch cords spilling out of its non-existent water bottle pockets. Not counting the expected tote handles, the only features worth pointing out are the tastefully applied TOM BIHN patch on the bottom right corner and the rear slip pocket that doubles as a luggage pass-through.

Simply unzip the bottom of this pocket, and voila! You can now slip the Nomad Tote onto your rolling luggage’s handle. This feature makes a ton of sense since the Nomad Tote probably won’t be the only bag you’re traveling with—unless you’re just that hardcore at minimalist packing. As such, this pass-through makes rolling luggage a worthwhile consideration alongside travel backpacks and duffle bags.

The Nomad Tote’s handles are what you’d expect from a tote bag. They’re big but simple enough that you just grab them, sling ‘em over your shoulder, and you’re good to go. The sides are folded and stitched inwards to give them a semblance of beefiness, but make no mistake, there’s no padding here whatsoever. That said, the harsh-looking nylon material is surprisingly soft and pliant; we didn’t have to go through a break-in period just to make them tolerable to wear.

If we had any nitpicks about the Nomad Tote’s carrying option, it’s the lack of secondary straps or even attachment points where we would’ve expected TOM BIHN to allow the use of their separately purchasable Absolute Strap. By comparison, the ALPAKA Bravo Tote and Timbuk2 Tech Tote, both of which are also tech/city-focused totes, have shoulder strap options included. To be fair, at 11 liters, the Nomad Tote is relatively petite, so we’re content with filing this missed opportunity under “nitpicks.” Plus, we’re sure some folks revel in the simplicity of not having to manage a ton of straps.

Fit Notes

There’s a delicate balance between a tote bag’s handle relative to its size. Too big, and it will drag on the ground when you carry it by hand. Too small, and it butts up against your sides and tucks up into your armpit—which is uncomfortable, to say the least. Fortunately, TOM BIHN walked that tightrope well, giving the modestly-sized 11-liter Nomad Tote handles that are easy to sling over the shoulder. In fact, even while wearing puffy jackets, the handles never feel too small. Likewise, even those of modest stature should have no problem carrying the Nomad Tote by hand and preventing it from dragging on the floor.

In terms of padding, or lack thereof, the straps deliver a surprisingly satisfactory comfort. Despite their simplistic design and relative thinness, they don’t dig into your shoulders. We’re chalking this up to the Nomad Tote’s 11-liter size; it just doesn’t get all that heavy, especially when you’re not packing it to the brim.

Inside The Tote

As mentioned, the luggage pass-through pulls double duty as a slip pocket. As a quick aside, we like it when brands cleverly find two uses for one feature, and this one is quite seamless, too. When it’s not keeping the Nomad Tote stuck to your luggage, you can use this pocket to store a tablet, documents, or a quick stash spot for your smartphone. Keep in mind that while the bottom has a zipper, the top of the pocket is fully open at all times and always exposed to the elements.

On the face of the Nomad Tote is the front compartment. This is where some totes differentiate themselves with more granular organization. The main compartment handles the bulk of your gear, but a front compartment with the right pockets matters for everyday carry items. Fortunately, the Nomad Tote’s front compartment is both roomy and has an interesting mix of pockets.

Inside are two large pen pockets flanked by asymmetrical liner pockets. Though the latter pockets’ widths are similar, they stretch differently, with the right one having more space in total. We find it ideal for storing chunkier items like a power bank or a wallet like the Bellroy Card Pocket, while the left liner pocket works best for passport-sized items.

The open area in front of these pockets is quite roomy. In fact, if you plan on dumping a bunch of small accessories here, we recommend using small pouches like TOM BIHN Ghost Pouches. Otherwise, larger items like a smartphone and a travel wallet sit in the space just fine. There are also two O-rings at the top of each side of the front compartment. An included key leash attaches to one of these O-rings, but you can relocate it to the other. We left the key leash as is since we found it an ideal spot to unlock doors without detaching the keys.

It’s also worth noting that the front compartment has gussets, which give it volume independent of the main compartment. We really like this subtle design choice since it means we can pack the main compartment as much as we want without worrying about the front compartment getting squeezed—we sometimes travel with a pair of sunglasses, after all.

The first aspect of the main compartment we appreciate is its gusseted opening. We’ve tested totes like the Bellroy Wonder Tote and Peak Design Packable Tote, which have zippers located at the very top edge. This creates a very tapered shape that squeezes gear packed near the top. In turn, this makes it hard to zip them shut. By contrast, totes like the Nomad Tote that have a gusseted zippered opening have a more uniform shape that’s easier to close even when fully packed.

The main compartment’s layout is minimal by daypack standards but well-appointed by tote standards. At the back is the laptop sleeve, with two large liner pockets right across. The latter pockets are spacious enough to fit a notebook and other large items like a laptop charger and even a small tech pouch. That said, organizers and packing cubes should reside in the open area in the middle. Yes, the Nomad Tote’s 11-liter capacity feels almost meager for a tote, but you can still fit one or two pouches worth of gear, and that’s more than enough for us if we’re just bringing what we need from our hotel room to nearby coffee shops and co-working spaces.

The laptop sleeve is rather basic, as it’s made of what TOM BIHN calls their spacer mesh. We would’ve preferred more padding than this soft mesh provides, especially since there’s no false bottom underneath. Still, the Nomad Tote is structured enough that the 13-inch MacBook we typically pack inside isn’t doomed to get damaged whenever we go out. For what it’s worth, there’s enough leftover space to layer a separate laptop sleeve if you’re also rocking a 13-inch MacBook like we are.

A side effect of the Nomad Tote’s relatively small size is that getting the laptop out of the mesh sleeve can be tricky when the main compartment is fully packed. The gusset, which we praised earlier, obstructs the sleeve just enough that we have to maneuver the laptop around it and whatever gear is in the way. For this reason, you may want to consider stashing your laptop in the rear slip pocket where it’s more convenient to access, but again, that’s an open pocket exposed to the elements.