Tools & Toys lists their favorite gadgets, designs, and gear of 2012. Making the list is our Smart Alec backpack:
“This year, I ordered an all-black Tom Bihn Smart Alec backpack. It’s got tons of space, but is comfortable, even when fully loaded. Tom Bihn has a ton of accessories to trick out your bag, and I use several, mainly for cable storage. If you’re like me and have lots of gear to haul, you really should check out this backpack.”
The Ristretto for iPad in Black/Steel.
Excerpt:
On the recent MacMania 15 trip to Australia, we had over 20 hours of air travel to endure, and the Ristretto managed to keep both my wife and I in sufficient gadgets for the entire trip. It actually held:
3 x iPad 2 (well they only have 10 hours of battery life)
1 x iPad mini
1 x iPod touch
1 x Kindle Paperwhite
1 x Kindle
1 x Bose QC 15 Noise Cancelling Headphones (in hard case)
Spare Batteries
Apple Headphones
Various pens and styli
Spare glasses
Passports and Travel documents
Sweets (got to have some sweets)
The Ristretto just swallowed the lot!
Read the full review by Don McAllister @ The Mac Screencast Guy.
“Here are some shots of me wearing the Smart Alec. I’m a large guy at 6’4″, 250 lbs and I usually prefer a longer pack for my torso length. However, I found the fully loaded Smart Alec to be exceptionally balanced and it distributed the weight evenly to the point that I favor it now over some of my packs that are specifically designed for trail use. It’s also light weight for a 1000D pack at 1 lb, 13 oz empty.”
“Like the rest of the country, the weather has been downright odd here in Chicago this winter. We’ve had days where it has been in the forties alternating with freezing cold, rain, bone chilling wind, and now snow. With weather that unpredictable it’s entirely possible to get caught out in the elements and that’s exactly what happened to me earlier in the week. I ended up taking a stroll in freezing rain trying to get back to my vehicle from the train. The bag I had in tow was the Tom Bihn Smart Alec.”
Read the full post @ LoadedPocketz. See also: the Smart Alec
“I’m still using my trusty Tom Bihn Synapse in Dyneema. I’ve never before used a backpack that reflects such a highly developed understanding of travel. The compartments are perfectly laid out and sized so that they never encroach on each other, even when stuffed.”
Read the full post @ Tynan.com
See also:
The Synapse
Tynan’s 2011 Gear Update
“I’ll give you an example of how I see myself using the newer bags. I’m planning a trip for sometime in 2013 to an area near the Arctic Circle. It will be cold. I want to, of course, take only one bag but the airline I’m flying—the only airline to fly where I’m going—has a limit on both size and weight of carry-on bags. I was able to figure out a way to do this with my older Aeronaut. But with the newer, lighter one, I can now pack an extra microfiber sweater and still stay under the weight limit. I might even be able to take the newer Tri-Star. I like having a choice.”
Read the full review — with many great photos — over at One Bag, One World.
See also:
Introducing 400d Dyneema®/nylon
20% Lighter Travel Bags
Tri-Star
Aeronaut
“You can’t really appreciate a bag’s fit and finish in a short time, which is why this review took so long. But I can tell you that there is nothing I would improve here. The stitching is immaculate, the details are wonderful (and so bountiful you will be discovering Tom’s good ideas weeks after purchase), and the entire bag looks taut and even (because it is). Even with its elfin size, the Synapse looks professional. I lugged to a few bar conferences and everyone commented positively on it is appearance. This, in a profession still dominated by the old school brief case.”
Read the full review — with many great photos — Everyday Commentary. See also: the Synapse
Excerpt:
“While I knew the Dyneema version of the bag would be lighter, I was pleasantly surprised by some additional things I noticed during a recent test run on a Thanksgiving weekend trip:
Lighter — it’s one thing to read that the Dyneema version weighs 20 percent less, and another to actually walk around with a packed bag. I’m short (5-feet 3 inches in thick socks), and the lighter weight of the bag was quite noticeable when I was walking around carrying the bag with the backpack straps.”
And:
“Super smooth surface — if you’re a fan of Dyneema like I am, you know that the fabric is super-smooth. Nothing snags on this fabric. And if you get any dirt on it, you can just wipe it off and it comes off right away, and smaller bits of dirt won’t get caught in the weave of the fabric. The Dyneema feels slicker than the ballistic nylon, and even though the Western Flyer is the same size regardless of which fabric you get, the Dyneema version seems much easier to slide in and out from the underseat area on the plane. I found it really easy to pull the Dyneema Western Flyer out from the area with the side handle during the flight as well.”
Read the full review @ The Travelite FAQ
See also:
The Western Flyer
“Immediately after opening the box it was shipped in I said to myself “this is a pretty sweet bag”. It has very sleek lines, lots of storage areas, and it “fits in” with regular backpackers when your out doing day-to-day stuff.”
Read the full review @ Blade Reviews 101. See also: the Synapse
