Once I (Adrienne) journey for work, I sometimes carry a Tom Bihn bag, and the clamshell Synik 22 is my favourite. It has a number of pockets, they usually’re all thoughtfully designed. For instance, the zippered water bottle pocket is positioned in the course of the backpack as an alternative of on the aspect, so it will not tip you off stability. The pen pockets are positioned in flaps on the aspect slightly than within the center high, for handy entry. The outside is produced from Bluesign-certified 400-denier ballistic nylon with top-of-the-line YKK water-repellent zippers. Every bag has a lifetime assure.
As a result of the bag is so small, the pass-through on the again is barely 7 inches large—too slender to slide over the deal with of a carry-on. And the dense cloth and plentiful {hardware}—the zippers, O-rings, and buckles—make it a little bit heavy. However within the 22-liter dimension, I did not discover the additional weight. It is the right, organized convention companion, but it surely’s on the very best finish of what we predict is value spending on a bag.
★ A roll-top Tom Bihn: The Tom Bihn Addax for $294 has turn into considered one of my go-tos. Roll-top baggage are extra versatile than zippered ones. Don’t have sufficient room? Unroll it and stick your bike helmet in. An excessive amount of? Roll it all the way down to compress the area. And when you reside in a wet space, roll-tops hold water from seeping by way of the highest zippers.
Like all Tom Bihn baggage, the pockets are metaphysical perfection, with an enormous laptop computer pocket with two-way entry that additionally has a pill pocket for my Kindle, and entrance pockets with O-rings to hook keys and different sundries. It has an enormous baggage pass-through and hefty padded shoulder straps. It is also hand-sewn within the US from PFC-free materials and has a lifetime guarantee that’s as bombproof because the ballistic nylon cloth. It’s a great factor, as a result of at this worth, you solely wish to purchase it as soon as.