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Thread: Need new dad bag

  1. #141
    Site Supporter rob_s's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by orionz06 View Post
    Synik 30 showed up yesterday. Impressive. It certainly cost more than I wanted to spend, but so does buying all the other packs I've tried seeking perfection. The TB fanbois are all over the organization, and coming from where I am, I didn't expect to like it. Wrong, they do apparently have a decent idea about this stuff. I added an admin panel from TAD inside to regain the lacking pen storage. I was able to use some built in hooks like it was designed for this panel.

    Will update with some time. I'll have a business trip or two in the next few weeks.
    Quote Originally Posted by El Cid View Post
    I snagged one as well and am pleased so far. Now I just need an armor panel that will fit it.
    I’ll be interested to see how y’all like them.

    Since starting this thread my needs have been dramatically reduced (we had Disney annual passes back then and so I was “bagging” a whole damn lot), plus it not being summer means we aren’t going on near as many outings, and as the thread title implies my backpack needs are almost entirely “dad bag” and I don’t carry a backpack if we’re not out and about as a family.

    I did confirm, on our Norway trip last summer, that the current bag is not for me, and that the previous Vertx I had would have been even worse, but I haven’t come up with a viable alternative.

    The primarily issue is that I don’t carry the bag often, but when I do it’s all day for several days in a row. So I’m not used to carrying it and then have it all the damn time. So I’m still pretty fixated on weight being a prime factor, which still has me reluctant on the Synik.

  2. #142
    Hammertime
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    Apr 2016
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    Desert Southwest
    Quote Originally Posted by orionz06 View Post
    Synik 30 showed up yesterday. Impressive. It certainly cost more than I wanted to spend, but so does buying all the other packs I've tried seeking perfection. The TB fanbois are all over the organization, and coming from where I am, I didn't expect to like it. Wrong, they do apparently have a decent idea about this stuff. I added an admin panel from TAD inside to regain the lacking pen storage. I was able to use some built in hooks like it was designed for this panel.

    Will update with some time. I'll have a business trip or two in the next few weeks.
    Thanks for clueing me in to TB Bags. Very nice. What pushed you to the Synik over the Brain Bag?

  3. #143
    Member orionz06's Avatar
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    I didn't like the division of the compartments as much and the Synik seemed a little more thought out.

    Some of my choice was based on the shiny new thing as well though.

    Ultimately the Synik seemed closer to a GR2 without molle than anything else that was well regarded. I still maintain that a slick GR2 might be ideal, but they don't seem to wanna make it. The Tom Bihn straps are really nice though, didn't think I'd care as much about that as I do.
    Think for yourself. Question authority.

  4. #144
    Hammertime
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    Apr 2016
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    Desert Southwest

    Need new dad bag

    Wow. I think I am really going to like the Synik.

    Compared to current Linchpin.





    Big. Non tactical. Extremely useful. Laptop compartment could make nice pistol compartment.

    Plenty of organization. Regretting that I purchased the Freudian Slip to go with it. Unnecessary for my use.

    Build quality really high. Can’t wait to see how it carries.
    Last edited by Doc_Glock; 12-10-2019 at 12:25 PM.

  5. #145
    Member orionz06's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Doc_Glock View Post
    Regretting that I purchased the Freudian Slip to go with it.
    I grabbed one of those later, working well for my needs.
    Think for yourself. Question authority.

  6. #146
    Site Supporter rob_s's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Doc_Glock View Post
    Regretting that I purchased the Freudian Slip to go with it. Unnecessary for my use.
    Quote Originally Posted by orionz06 View Post
    I grabbed one of those later, working well for my needs.
    Curious to hear more from both of you on this. What you like/don’t like, how you were/are using it, etc.

    I think I’m pretty close to landing on the 22 for my “dad bag” needs. It’ll pretty much nerve have a laptop in it, I like the laptop access for the iPad, and the smaller size and reduced weight should be good things.

    I carried my current bag around for a bit a couple of weekends ago and I’m now really hating the thing. It’s almost as stupid/useless as the Vertx. Way unnecessary weight/bulk in both cases. Basically the “tacticalness” is getting in the way of it being a useful item (which, as I sit and think about it, is becoming more and more true for me in most things).

  7. #147
    Member orionz06's Avatar
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    Right off the bat, the comments people made online about the TB straps are all true. I hadn't imagined I'd give a fuck at all because they're just straps. Nope, they're perfect. They don't concern me one bit when wearing sweaters to work. The back part that makes contact with my clothing is also cordura rather than anything that pills itself or my clothing. This was obnoxious to me. It didn't take more than half a trip through an airport to pill a wool hoodie with another pack. On the 30, the water bottle pouch is perfect for my 40oz. Hydroflask with coffee. It doesn't close, but I'd ride my motorcycle in with the coffee there. The organization was a little forced, but I've adapted quickly.

    I use the Freudian Slip for all of my pens, a 6" stainless scale, pencil, eraser, and some other odds and ends. The bottom pouch outside is a great catch all and is easy to get things in and out of. My sunglasses have a hard case so they stay there, with some other things like an 18650 flashlight, spare boot laces, etc. The other two vertical pouches have my calculator, cables, and stuff like that. The other center pouch, over the bottle pouch, has a small notebook and my Bluetooth earbuds, cable, charging cable, and some single use pills (aspirin, sinus, Tylenol).


    Overall, having had TAD, Vertx, Filson, and a few others, I feel bad for avoiding these guys for so long. All that said, the new TAD Axiom 24 has some tweaks that pull it closer to the TB.
    Think for yourself. Question authority.

  8. #148
    Hammertime
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    Apr 2016
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    Desert Southwest
    Quote Originally Posted by orionz06 View Post
    Right off the bat, the comments people made online about the TB straps are all true. I hadn't imagined I'd give a fuck at all because they're just straps. Nope, they're perfect.
    I finally got a chance to move and organize all my crap from my old, dear bag to the Synik this weekend. Felt kind of big. Annoying to thread the laces on the zippers myself, but glad to have the option. I chose to use them to avoid the jingling of the metal pulls.

    First success: I was able to find batteries for a kid in the dark without a lot of trouble.

    Second success: Walked 2.5 miles to work today after wife added four 1.5lb tins of Christmas cookies to my typical 8lb load. It swallowed the tins nicely, but what really impressed me was how comfortable this bag was "rucking" in to work. Wow. The straps and overall design of the back are something else.

    I think I have a new bag. Need to go a 12 mile day with it to be sure.

    I did end up returning the organization slip. It was nicely designed but I didn't need it for $50.
    Last edited by Doc_Glock; 12-16-2019 at 10:43 AM.

  9. #149
    Has anyone looked at or have experience with the Blue Force Gear Tracer pack? I like the idea of the velcro lining, allows for pouches to be configured based upon ones needs. It looks like the slightly smaller Jedburgh pack is sold out. The price seems good.

    https://www.blueforcegear.com/tracer-pack

  10. #150
    Site Supporter Casey's Avatar
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    May 2012
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    I’m also following this thread with interest. I’m looking for a smallish daypack (20L on the high end) to carry a few essentials when I’m out and about: packable rain shell, trauma and booboo kits, phone charger/battery bank, flashlight, multitool, small notebook, couple pens, couple spare pistol mags, Kindle, iPad or 13” laptop, and an 18oz insulated bottle. Looking at the Vertx Ready 2.0, Tom Bihn Luminary 15, Alpha One Niner Evade 1.5 Lite, and the LBT Low-Vis Day Pack.

    Ready pack is at the upper limit of my size range, and may encourage overpacking. While a relatively non-tactical looking pack, it’s still a Vertx pack and not completely discreet. I wouldn’t carry off-body, but the CCW compartment would be a good dedicated spot for pistol mags without them being exposed when opening other compartments on the bag in public.

    Luminary is definitely the most non-tactical bag of the bunch, which really appeals to me. Less built-in organization than the Ready pack, but can be outfitted with additional pouches from TB and others. However, I don’t know that I’m thrilled about digging through pouches within pouches to access individual items. No external bottle pockets is a con, although there is an internal divider that can be configured as a bottle holder. On the smaller end of the spectrum, which discourages overloading the pack.

    Evade 1.5 is more tactical looking than I prefer with the loop field on the exterior of the pack, which stands out even when covered up. Also a little more complicated with load lifters and compression straps (I believe the latter are removable). Simplicity is a big selling point for me—I’m not rucking with this or carrying it for long periods of time. This is one of the bigger packs on the list. External bottle pockets are a plus. Excellent built-in organization and CCW compartment.

    Low-Vis Day Pack is the smallest of the bunch and has a relatively slick exterior which means less stuff to snag on things when getting into and out of the car. Has external bottle pockets. Very sparse on organization with two external slip pockets and a laptop sleeve in the main compartment, so I’d want some sort of additional organizer pouch to keep the small items organized. In the slate blue color, looks pretty non-tactical to me, and the LBT tag would be obscured by having a bottle in one of the side pockets. Lightweight compared to the others.

    After typing this out, I think I can eliminate the Evade from contention. It’s more bag than I need or want. That still leaves me with three solid options. Any other good candidates out there that haven’t been mentioned yet?

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