I really wanted to love this bag, and honestly I came pretty close. The Toshi 20L is a very good backpack, and in a lot of ways it nails what I wanted. It’s compact enough to work well as an under-seat personal item, but it still has enough usable space that it doesn’t feel like a tiny laptop sleeve with straps.
The overall size and layout are probably the best things about it. It feels much less like a “travel backpack” than some other 20L bags, but it also doesn’t feel too small or fussy. The main compartment is easy to use and the bag does a decent job of feeling organized without being one over-designed.
That said, there are a few design choices that kept it from being perfect for me.
The biggest one is the two water bottle pockets. I understand why people like that, but for my use case I only need one. I would much rather have one bottle pocket and then a zippered side pocket especially on this size of a bag. The second bottle pocket is not useless, but it feels like dead space unless you add your own pouch or find a specific use for it. I get it on a backpacking backpack or long trek thing but in a smaller bag it is wasted weight and utility.
The other thing is the dedicated laptop section. It works fine, but I personally don’t need it. I’d rather have the laptop integrated into the rear of the main compartment to save weight, bulk, and complexity. For a compact personal-item bag, every layer matters. The laptop section isn’t a dealbreaker, but it does feel like one more “almost right” choice. Furthermore there is zero organization there. It is weird to just drop chargers in a side of it. ITs a miss that was an unforced error.
The lack of a simple pen holder also feels weird. It’s a small thing, but this bag clearly has enough thought put into the layout that not having one feels like an unnecessary miss. There are already mesh pockets in the admin area-just add a stitch and fix it!
Still, the Toshi’s flaws are mostly livable. Nothing about it was a true dealbreaker. The size is good, the layout is good, and it carries the essentials well. Compared with some other bags I tested, it felt like the sensible middle option: not the most premium, not the most organized, not the smallest, but understandable compromises.
If Rework made a version with one bottle pocket, one zip side pocket, a simpler laptop sleeve inside the main compartment, and a few more small-item organization, it would be extremely close to perfect for me. It would be lighter weight, same pack out size and more utility all at the same time.
As-is, I think it’s a solid 20L backpack, especially if you want something compact and useful without going full “travel bag.” It just missed a few small details that matter a lot depending on how you pack. If you are huge into lots of pouches inside this one could be perfect for you. I prefer the organziaiotn to be build into the bag and I know that's not for everyone.
