I love my backpack sm
feeling: autistic adjacent
My Northseeker*
10-20-25
Disclaimer: this was originally a Reddit comment on r/ManyBaggers (if you like bags, stop what you’re doing and go look). I edited a few bits for wording/syntax purposes. At some point I’ll make a proper blog post about my EDC etc.
I’ve had my Greenroom 136 Northseeker 20L for about two years. It’s my favorite bag of all time (besides the Quickdraw—I love GR136 lol).
I ordered a custom one, all I did was get custom colors, zipper pockets in the front slash vertical pockets, and a hip belt with attachment points.
Water bottle
It will hold a regular size bottle fine. The kind you buy at a corner store/gas station etc.
For reusable bottles, I had a Nalgene Sustain bottle. I can confirm it fits the Northseeker 20L pockets PERFECTLY.
Side note: after wearing in the bag for two years, I can now fit my Owala 24oz Freesip in the pockets. Not sure if that’s down to luck with how mine were pleated in production or just them loosening up from use.
From time to time I would try to “stretch” the pockets out, especially around the cuffs. Eventually my efforts paid off lol.
The base of the Freesip is the widest part, and the “cuffs” on the pockets are the tightest. Once I get the base past the cuff, the rest of the bottle slides in no problem.
I can get the Freesip in/out now—it takes some effort, and I can’t really swing the bag around, take a drink, and put it back in (you can with the Nalgene Sustain), but I’m OK with that.
Laptop carry
I use the Northseeker for EDC, travel, school, work, etc. It pretty much works for every single use case. I love the modularity that having a separate laptop pouch provides. The Bookpouch is awesome and really high quality.
If you have only have the Bookpouch and not much else in the main compartment, it will cant forward while inside the bag and tug at your shoulders. I usually throw in some bulky items or a jacket, etc, to make it stay flat.
When I’m traveling I keep everything zipped shut. If I’m just running to the cafe/library, I keep the Bookpouch open up top so I can take my laptop in/out quickly from the access zipper near the harness.
Travel/EDC/other use cases
I have yet to one bag/1.5 bag with the Northseeker as my main pack (I plan on doing this like a week from now lol so I’ll get back to you on how it went), but I have used it in conjunction with a roller suitcase for carry-on only international travel.
Fits everything great. The shape and clamshell design make it feel more like a 25L bag than 20L
I liked having the front slash pocket and top access zipper, made it so I didn’t have to unzip my bag and disturb the main compartment much
Fit/comfort
As far as fit/comfort goes, it is a heavy bag, but I’ve gotten used to it. Adjusting the harness and chest strap helps a lot. I also opted for a hip belt—if you plan on carrying any heavy loads, I would get one 100%. It makes all the difference.
The bag is heavy no matter what you do, you’ll feel it in your back/shoulders if you’re carrying it everywhere all day when fully packed out. Even if half-packed, you’ll probably feel it. (Honestly sometimes it feels better when I have more stuff in it because the weight is more evenly distributed.) This bag is literally perfect for me lol and I love it so much, so I’m ok with it being heavier.
Aside from weight, it’s a really comfy bag. Lots of good padding. Still doesn’t beat the best harness system I’ve tried thus far (Mystery Ranch), but I didn’t expect it to.
I’ve walked across airports, traveled from train to train, carried it around cities, etc. Is it heavy? Yeah. Am I sore after? Yeah. That goes with any backpack, unless you’re shopping specifically for a good harness.
I wouldn’t say the Northseeker is particularly awful—and once you break it in and get used to how it packs out etc, it slowly becomes more comfortable.
General complaints
I don’t really have many annoyances tbh. The access pocket on the top snags a lot. And I wish the backpanel had better airflow. I don’t mind the chunky zippers. I, too, agonized over the water bottle pockets, but now that I can fit my Owala they aren’t an issue anymore.
It’s pretty much perfect for me lol.
*Wanna see more bits and bobs?
You can check out some other stuff I use/like a lot (including this notebook!) on my about page here.