Love the way it kept me organized and all the options it gave me to pack.
Great tote for travel: holds a lot, looks good, pockets for everything, easy on/off suitcase. But once you reach your destination and are carrying it like a tote, you'll miss alternate carry methods like the crossbody strap of earlier versions or short handles (never an option afaik). The other drawback for me is that the bottom is wider than the top, meaning it can get awkward depending on what you need to carry and if you need to zip it closed. All in all, though, a great travel option and better than many I've tried.
I purchased this bag to use for a cruise and it worked really well! I flew into town the day before we set sail and packed all my “day before” items into this bag so I didn’t have to go into my larger suitcase. I used a medium sized packing cube for the clothing and was able to fit:
-sleepwear
-an outfit for embarkation day
-house shoes (for the hotel room) and flip flops (for embarkation)
-toiletries (in a TSA-approved bag)
-tech items (iPad, AirPods, iPhone, and charging cords)
-snacks
-boarding documents and ID
-prescription meds
I love that it came with two smaller travel pouches; they worked great for organizing cords for my devices and as a small first aid kit. I also really liked the clamshell design and how it allowed me to maximize the space in the bag. The suitcase sleeve was also cool; I was able to use it as an extra pocket after my suitcase was gate checked on a flight. (Side note: The bag arrived in a velveteen dust bag, which I thought was really classy. Any bag that costs this much should come in a dust bag!)
My biggest complaint is the bag didn’t always fit upright under the seat in front of my on the place; on some legs I had to turn the bag on its side to get it to fit. This cause the bag to get a little dirty, but it was easy enough to wipe clean with a damp rag.
Other than that the bag was great! I’m planning to use it for a short road trip soon and also recommended it to my mom (who has struggled to find a good “weekender” type bag). I definitely recommend using packing cubes to maximize the space in the bag, but overall it is a good looking spacious travel accessory.
Nomad Lane Bento Bag – The Perfect International Travel Companion
The Nomad Lane Bento Bag is absolutely perfect — a total win for international travel and every bit as amazing as the iconic Origami Tote. While I still think the Origami Tote is the superior choice for a work bag, the Bento Bag truly shines for travel, especially on European airlines where personal-item space is limited.
What makes the Bento Bag special is how strategically designed it is. It fits beautifully under airplane seats on most European carriers, and the layout makes it effortless to pack both clothing and all your daily essentials. As someone who likes to be fully prepared for unexpected delays or connection issues, this bag gives me complete peace of mind. It’s the perfect “prep bag” — compact, organized, and incredibly functional.
I absolutely love that I can carry a change of clothes plus everything else I need for a long travel day. The Bento Bag keeps me organized, confident, and ready for anything.
⸻
✅ Everything I Can Fit in My Nomad Lane Bento Bag
(This is everything you normally fit in your Origami Tote — and yes, it fits!)
Essentials & Daily Carry
• Wallet
• Keys
• Work badge
• Passport + passport holder
• Two work mobile phones
• Personal phone
• Eyeglasses (2 pairs in their cases)
Tech Gear
• iPad Air 11”
• Full tech pouch with cords and plugs
• Battery extender/power bank
• Collapsible mobile phone stand
Hygiene & Personal Care
• Oral hygiene pouch
• Travel-size toiletries (TSA-safe)
• Mints
• Lip balm
• Tissues
• Lotion
• Maxi pads for Ivy
Travel Comfort Items
• Eye mask
• Travel blanket
• Neck pillow (attachable to the bag or packable inside depending on model)
• Collapsible water bottle
Food & Snacks
• Breakfast protein shake
• Afternoon lunch
• Afternoon healthy snacks
• “Emergency” snacks for long layovers
• Hydration packets
Clothing & Prep Items
• Lightweight change of clothes for you
• Emergency underwear for both you and Ivy
• Extra socks
• Scarf (optional)
Paperwork & Miscellaneous
• Printed documents
• Small book
• Magazines
• Boarding passes
• Pens
• Small notepad
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💼 Final Thoughts
The Nomad Lane Bento Bag is a travel powerhouse. It’s sleek, it’s airline-friendly, and it’s incredibly reliable when you need a personal item that can carry your entire life for 12+ hour travel days. It keeps everything accessible, organized, and protected — exactly what a world traveler needs.
Nomad Lane has created a perfect combination of structure, space, and smart design.
I’m officially obsessed — and I can confidently say I have two favorites now: the Origami Tote for work, and the Bento Bag for Europe.
I love my origami tote! It’s sleeker than most carryon bags. It fits everything that I need on a flight and fits perfectly under the seat with room to spare!
ABSOLUTELY OBSESSED! The Best Work + Travel Tote I’ve Ever Owned!
The Nomad Lane Origami Tote is hands-down the BEST work and personal travel bag I’ve ever owned — nothing else even comes close! Yes, it’s big, but that’s exactly why it’s perfect. This tote fits everything I need for a long day at the office and my on-the-go lifestyle.
Here’s what I comfortably fit inside every single day:
• A full change of workout clothes
• My afternoon lunch
• My breakfast protein shake
• Healthy snacks for later
• My tech pouch
• iPad Air 11”
• My oral hygiene pouch
• A small book
• Important paperwork
• A battery extender for devices
• Two work phones
• My wallet, keys, and badge
• Two pairs of eyeglasses in their cases (!!)
And somehow it still zips up beautifully and stays comfortable to carry. The layout is chef’s kiss — smart pockets, great structure, and the RFID pocket is the cherry on top.
Nomad Lane truly created a masterpiece with this one. I’m officially a customer for life! I even ordered the Bento Bag for my upcoming international travel because the Origami Tote impressed me THAT much.
This tote is awesome, amazing, and honestly life-changing for anyone who needs a functional, beautiful, and incredibly spacious everyday bag. Just WOW!!
I bought my backpack for a bucket-list trip. It is such an elegant and durable product. The number of pockets were perfectly situated and it didn't have the typical messy/slouchy look. It deterred me from overpacking and I absolutely love it!
I purchased the Nomad Lane Bento Bag in green and absolutely love it. The colour is gorgeous, the design feels really well thought-out, and the quality is exactly what I was hoping for. I haven’t had the chance to use it yet as I’ve just returned from Vietnam, but I can already tell it’s going to be perfect for future trips.
My only small issue was with the accessories. I ordered an additional Accessory Set without realising that one already comes included with the bag. I contacted Nomad Lane, but they explained that they don’t offer refunds outside the USA, so I’m now left with an extra set I don’t really need. Not a huge problem, but something for international customers to keep in mind when ordering.
Overall, the bag itself is fantastic and I’m still very happy with my purchase. Just double-check what’s included before you add extras to your cart!
I found that the sling was so convenient on my recent cruise that I bought it in another color. I now use one as my everyday bag for errands and shopping. Everything I need fits perfectly in it, keys, wallet, phone and E-reader.
I ordered the Bento bag for my daughter in law for a Christmas present as she travels frequently. I knew she has several upcoming trips, so I let her have an early surprise. She has already taken out the bag for it's maiden voyage and loves it. The big challenge will be next week for Europen Christmas Market.
I've started traveling by air more for work this year - one-to-two weeks at a time. And I refuse to check a bag unless forced. I was making due with a backpack for my laptop, iPad, manuals, etc. When I'd finally stuff my diffuser in there it was just so bulky and heavy and uncomfortable to wear. But it was a perfectly functional backpack. I spent money on it (albeit well under $100). I didn't "need" a new personal item - especially not one so pricey!!! But after my last two-week trip I decided to experiment - no commitments! I purchased three personal items (from three well-known brands) with generous return policies to test, including this one from Nomad Lane. I could barely fit my laptop in the other two (let alone with anything else!), so those were returned right away. Too bad because the prices, although still more than I wanted to spend, were much lower. And then came the Nomad Lane Bento Bag. Everything fit with ease and even slid over the extended handle on my cheap Costco carry on that has lasted me over ten years. But the real test came when I traveled next (which is why it's taken me a while to post this review). Traveling to my destination, with everything i was able to fit into the Bento Bag, I was able to fit my hairdryer and diffuser into my carry on. For my travels home, two weeks later, I had some extra books and a bulky sweatshirt to add to the mix. Those went into the carry on and I was able to fit the hairdryer and diffuser into the Bento Bag with everything else I originally had in there! It's like a Mary Poppins bag! It still slid over the carry one handle. It still fit comfortably under the seat in front of me. It still went through TSA with ease. I LOVE THIS BAG. It is PERFECT for ME.
True, if I were forced to gate check my carry on I'd have a tough time schlepping the Bento Bag around over my shoulder. It is HEAVY when packed out. Thankfully I haven't needed to do that (yet).
I like to keep my things organized and sorted so I can find them quickly. This bag does that for me. I really like the easily accessible separate compartments. It took a little experimenting and moving things around but I think I have a good system now to maximize the space, carry all my essentials and a change of clothes without over-stuffing the bag. I use the Bento along with my Travelpro compact carry on. So far I love it!
I just recently used my new Bento bag on a trip to Mexico, I loved it, it really did keep me organized. I knew where to find what I was looking for. Great Bag!
I used it for the first time during my trip to Europe. It was a huge upgrade from my usual backpack. I was able to find what I needed without having to dig everywhere. It fit perfectly under the seat on the airplane. I love the quality materials and look of the bag.
I love how sleek and stylish this is and holds a lot more items than you think. I used this as my travel purse and was able to stow into my bento bag. It's a nice sleek look and many compartments to keep things organized.
I've tried so many accessory sets over the years, but this one is by far my favorite. Perfect size, all the right compartments, and love the see through exterior for easy access to my chargers. I'd highly recommend to use with Bento Bag or on its own.
The backpack looks really nice and is made to last. I own everything Nomad lane!! I’m happy with my purchase.
I carry this most days I’m in the office and when I travel for business/conferences/meetings- it’s the perfect bag to keep what I need with me. I wish it had an exterior water bottle pocket and there was a larger version for a larger laptop (well, really for a larger laptop sleeve, I use one that has a workspace, so I can use my mouse on the go and it’s just slightly too long to fit.)
I like the shape, weight and feel of the bag too, tho sometimes the opening of the big pocket feels tight. Comfortable too!!
I have the original (I think) and now v3… I use the original when I need to check a bit more than my wheeled suitcase will hold, though as a checked bag it can fit A LOT! I love the newer one’s look (matches my backpack and tote), so I don’t check it. Used to be the perfect underseat carry on, lately I’ve overpacked tho and it’s not getting used as often- that’s a user error issue. But I wish there was a larger/duffel option. Love every pocket and option. The improvements have been excellent.
This is the best personal item bag I've ever owned! It is really a miniature suitcase. The fact that it opens like a regular suitcase with separate sides and dividers kept my belongings from falling all over the place. Before the Bento bag I had a gym-style bag with a few pockets in it and I was going crazy fishing through a pile of mess every time I wanted something out of the bag. What a hassle! This bag eliminated that stress and waste of time. I had a pocket for my electronics, one for my toiletries, another slender outer pocket for passport and boarding passes and any other things I needed to easily access, and two larger compartments for a change of clothes, portable raincoat and other essentials. It fit perfectly under the airplane seats. This made my travels so much more pleasant. I know this will also make a great overnight bag when I take my next short trip as well. It is a high quality product and I'm sure I'll get years of use out of it. But even if I had only bought it for my recent extended trip it still would have been worth it!
I just received the Bento bag and have yet to use it, however, it will be going with me to Patagonia in Feb. 2026. Love that it will fit as my carry on item under the seat and my goodness, does it have room for ALOT! Very pleased with the stylish sleek look and that it will make me look so COOL strolling through the terminal on the way to my flight. Will order more from your company!
I have been eyeing this for a while and finally pulled the trigger on the dusk version. I already own a Bento Bag and was looking for something a little smaller. This has the same amazing nylon fabric, quality zippers, and organizational features along with no-dangle straps - love that! It's a nice addition to my ever increasing travel collection.
Im finnally hitting my travel stride. Need a better second bag than just my old day bag. Wanted something with quality but something that was practical and made for travelers. Well, this is it. Price was higher than I originally was hunting at, but the reviews amd steller influencer campaign sold me. In person the quality ifms just perfect. And I was suprossd that I was able to put my full size 16 inch laptop in this thing no sweat. Zipper quality, stitching, pocket design and layout, everything is perfect.
I absolutely LOVE the Nomad Lane Accessory Set for the Nomad Lane Bento Bag! So much so I NEED more of the Clear Toiletry Pouches for my packing game. The Tech Pouch holds waaaay more than looks like it could. However, the Clear Toiletry Pouch is the PERFECT pouch to hold many TSA approved liquids/creams, etc.
To the makers of Nomad Lane Travel Products,
In the very near future, PLEASE consider selling the Tech Pouch and the Clear Toiletry Pouches separately! I actually NEED multiples of the Clear Toiletry Pouches and would purchase these for my many business (and Leisure) travels and would definitely fill the Clear Toiletry Pouches with TSA approved sized travel products as gifts. Thank you for making such thoughtful and perfectly sized accessories for your Nomad Lane Bags!
#KeepPerfectionGoing
I just got the latest Bento Bag. It’s a perfect personal bag. Plenty of room for everything you need and it fits perfectly under the seat. The best feature is you can access all the compartments with ease. No more digging through a backpack or tote. It’s well worth the purchase price.