The Gregory Nano 20 is an ultra slim light carry solution with the footprint of a sling/ messenger bag and versatilty of a backpack. Perfect as a running bag, for cycling day trips or scenic walks in the urban jungle!

Front-facing the Gregory Nano 20 backpack, there is a stretchy open pocket made of close-knit mesh that you can use to tore bulky items like a pair of slippers or sandals. The front stretchy pocket measures 20cm wide and 24cm high and has an adjustable d-flex buckle strap built-in. On the front of the Gregory Nano 20 backpack, there are also three small loops designed to clip or hook items (e.g. bike helmet) so, you can carry them externally on the bag.


The Nano 20 backpack has two side pockets, one on each side, measuring 18cm high and 10cm wide. The side pockets are made of big hole mesh fabric that can stretch a bit and can expand up to 14cm wide. Right above the side pockets, there are dual purpose straps that double as side compression straps to squish the load so, it doesn't shift around. The side straps can also be used to secure long items inside the side pockets such as a tripod or an umbrella. The side straps measure 16cm long, are adjustable and integrate d-flex buckles.


The Gregory Nano 20 backpack has a total of three zippered compartments: a front facing compartment (smallest), a middle compartment (largest) and a rear facing compartment. You could technically store a small laptop or tablet inside the middle or rear compartment but the Gregory Nano 20 backpack isn't designed to carry electronics as there isn't any internal padding nor is there a dedicated padded sleeve to keep a laptop or tablet protected. If you need to carry a laptop or tablet, check out the American Tourister At Work which is a similarly sized backpack with dedicated storage area for gadgets, as well as cables.

The front zip compartment of the Nano 20 backpack is shallow so, it's more a stash pocket. It measures 21cm wide and 16cm high and integrates two small mesh pockets. The middle compartment opens up via dual zip sliders half way down the sides of the backpack. The middle compartment measures 46cm high and 28cm wide and has the largest volume capacity (it can expand up to 10cm). There aren't any pockets for organization inside the middle compartment.

The rear facing compartment is the second largest and runs all the way down the bottom too; however, it has a slightly narrower width (22cm) than the middle compartment and has a very narrow opening too (22cm long). The rear compartmnt doesn't have any internal pockets either; other than a passthrough opening for routing a hydration bladder tube. 

The rear compartment has a small buckle clip built-in to the top, which is designed to secure a hydration bladder reservioir. The hole opening for the hydration bladder tube runs across the top of the right shoulder strap. The hole opening can also be used for routing a charging cable from a powerbank to recharge external devices.

Speaking of shoulder straps, they have very good spacing to accomodate broad necks. The shoulder straps have a slight S-curvature and, they're wider (8cm) at the top and narrower (4cm) towards the bottom. 

There is a chest strap built-in too, which is a neat addition because it allows you to secure the straps closer together and to the body so, the backpack feels more comfortable when running. The chest strap can be adjusted up and down and, you can also adjust the webbing of the chest strap itself, which measures 22cm long. The chest strap buckle has a whistle built-in, which is useful for calling out attention.

The shoulder straps have a small ladderlocks and narrow webbing straps. The shoulder straps measure 42cm long and have slightly thicker closed cell foam padding at the top, which prevents the straps from digging into the shoulders. Each shoulder strap also integrates a small loop for clipping things on to them like a pair of sunglasses. 

The Gregory Nano 20 backpack also integrates a hip strap, which is made of long and thin webbing material. Being non-padded, there is very little weight transfer from the shoulders to the hips, which is the purpose of a hip strap on a backpack. That said, the hip strap on the Nano 20 backpack is still useful for stabilization, preventing the backpack from swing side to side when running.


The backside of the Gregory Nano 20 backpack is completely padded from top to bottom and side to side. The padding isn't thick but, it's made of CLPE (Cross Linked Polyethylene ) foam and has a curvature to it so, the backpack moulds comfortably to your back. The back padding is also perforated with large holes and covered with mesh fabric so, there is very good ventilation and very little sweatiness. It would have been even neater if the back padding was removable so, you could use it as sit pad.


The external dimensions of the Gregory Nano 20 backpack are 26cm wide and 52cm high and weighs 500 grams. The outershell is made of 210 denier honeycomb cryptorip nylon, while the base is made of thicker high-density nylon (420 denier). The internal lining is made of emboss polyester fabric (135 denier) with a textured diamond-like pattern.


Just above the rear zip compartment, there is a 1.8cm wide grab handle that measures 15cm long. The loop of the grab handle is a bit narrow so, it's a snug fit when grabbing it in the hand but the grab handle is very comfortable, thanks to the closed-cell foam padding. The base of the backpack has a natural curvature too; hence the backpack will not sit upright.

As far as zips, the Gregory Nano 20 backpack uses YKK zips with fabric cord pull tabs attached to finger loops. The finger loops are made of rubber and make opening and closing the zips much easier. The front and rear compartments use a single YKK 5RCZ zip slider, while the middle compartment uses larger zips - two YKK 8RCZ zip sliders with metal pull tabs, as well as a finger loop pull tab. 

The Gregory Nano 20 backpack zips aren't coated with waterproof material but the front and rear zips have reverse coil (hidden) teeth, which provide some water resistance. The middle zip has standard coil (exposed) teeth, as well as a flap over the zip that acts as canopy preventing water from getting in.

The Gregory Nano 20 feels and performs like a premium backpack with quality stitching throughout and red lining, which brightens up the interior. There aren't any elastic bands for managing the excess of the webbing straps but the ends of the webbing straps have been neatly pruned so, they will not fray. The shoulder straps construction is also very good. 


Instead of being sewn as individual straps, the shoulder straps have been constructed seamlessly into backpack itself, which should make them less prone to breaking. On top of that, the Gregory Nano 20 backpack comes with a lifetime guarantee, which makes this backpack even more appealing. You can buy the Gregory Nano 20 backpack from amazon. Check out the review of the Securipak backpack, CityVibe 2.0 backpack,