The Synapse 25 is a carefully calculated, supremely organized backpack, designed for day hiking, everyday carry, and ultralight travel. No mesh pockets clutter the exterior of this bag, nor extraneous straps festoon it; in it, you’ll be able to carry more than you would imagine, and no one will be the wiser.

You guys have been asking us for a while to make a bigger version of the Synapse 19 — here it is. Seems easy, right? Just make the whole bag bigger? Not quite. Take the water bottle pocket, for example: if we had simply made the Synapse 25 a larger version of the Synapse 19, the water bottle pocket would have been needlessly long. That’d be wasted space, plus you’d have to reach farther in to pull your water bottle out. Instead, we took that volume and allocated it to the bottom pocket (where it can serve good instead of evil).

And we didn’t stop there. The Synapse 25 debuts five design updates:

Webbing Loops for Cache with Rails system: Inside the main compartment are four unobtrusive webbing loops, two fore and two aft, to which you can secure the optional Cache with Rails (available in sizes specifically for every Apple laptop and iPad; most sizes fit PCs, too). When you add the Cache with Rails, the Synapse 25 becomes a “checkpoint-friendly” laptop backpack. You can even attach two laptops or devices inside the Synapse 25 (note that only one can qualify as “checkpoint-friendly” at the airport; for everyday use, it’s great).

Bottom Pocket Piping: The bottom pocket is now piped to help it keep its shape, even when empty.

Bottom Webbing Loop: Because we care about your safety, we’ve added a 1.5″ / 38 mm webbing loop on the exterior bottom of the Synapse 25 that’s ready to accept the Guardian DF Light Strap-Mount — highly recommended if you ride a bicycle or walk in the dark.

More O-rings: Yes, we listen — we’ve added several more O-rings to the Synapse 25, including one O-ring each in the water bottle pocket and top exterior front pocket.

Reconfigured Organizer Pockets: Instead of three pen slots in the left front zippered pocket, the Synapse 25 has one pen/pencil slot and two wider slots for multitools/knives or just more pens.

Synapse 25. $170. In colors Black/Steel, Black/Wasabi, Black/Iberian, Olive/Steel, Navy/Iberian, Navy/Ultraviolet, Steel Dyneema/Steel and Steel Dyneema/Wasabi. Available for pre-order; ships by mid-May.

Ride your motorcycle or bike or walk in the dark with your Smart Alec? Weave a 5′ / 1.5 m Glowire electroluminescent wire kit through the webbing loops on the front face of the Smart Alec and set its 360° glow (very similar to neon) to Constant, Slow Flash, or Fast Flash for increased visibility.

One really important thing: installing or uninstalling the Glowire is easy and takes only a few moments. We’ve seen other bags with built-in LED strips or electroluminescent wire: cool idea, but what happens when those lights reach their end of life? Though Glowire is a top-quality product, it’s unlikely to last as long as your Smart Alec. Tom’s design choice of allowing you to add or remove the Glowire with ease ensures not only that you can remove the Glowire on days or trips you don’t anticipate using it, but also that, should it fail, you can simply get a replacement Glowire instead of having to chuck the entire bag. Plus, if you tire of one color, it’s easy enough to swap it out for another.

Included in the kit: 5′ / 1.5 m of electroluminescent wire in the color of your choice, connected to a 3-volt driver/power supply. Batteries aren’t usually included in Glowire kits, but we didn’t want you to have to run to the store to pick up batteries before you could even test it, so we’ve sourced and included two AA batteries (batteries made in USA).

Glowire. $18. Available in Lime Green, Aqua, or Yellow. In stock and ships within one business day. Made in China by Glowire.

Our Guardian Dual Function Light is now available in two versions — our current Guardian DF Light Original Base and the new Guardian DF Light Strap-Mount.

The Guardian DF Light Strap-Mount features a clever base that allows you to mount the light securely to either a 1″ / 25 mm or a 1.5″ / 38 mm webbing (strap). This is great for those who will use their Guardian DF Light primarily as an exterior light or safety beacon. For a forward-facing light, you can mount it on the 1″ / 25 mm webbing of your backpack shoulder strap, or mount it anywhere along a 1.5″ / 38 mm shoulder strap for a shoulder bag or messenger bag. For safety from vehicles approaching from behind there are numerous potential attachment points on the backside of most backpacks and other bags, TOM BIHN or otherwise. Note that the Brain Bag, Smart Alec, and Synapse 25 all have webbing loops added to the front designed specifically to work with the Guardian DF Light Strap-Mount. You can also attach a Guardian DF Light Strap-Mount to your dog’s 1″ / 25 mm collar or harness and set the light to flashing mode for added nighttime visibility and safety.

Guardian DF Light Strap-Mount. $18. Available in Red or White. In stock and ships within one business day. Made to military specifications in Canada.

We’ll continue to offer the Guardian DF Light Original Base; paired with its included TOM BIHN made lanyard, it makes for a great interior bag light.

You guys have been begging us for over two years now to make a Cafe Bag sized specifically to carry Carl Jung’s The Red Book — and it’s finally here. Available for pre-order soon, the Cafe Bag for The Red Book is designed to allow you to carry The Red Book on a plane, to the park or grocery store, or on a first date or a job interview — anywhere that you might want to take a moment to delve into Jung’s experiment with active imagination. It’s also great for commuting via public transit: most folks will figure it’s best to ignore you completely, but those who talk to you will definitely liven up what could be an otherwise boring day.

Cafe Bag for The Red Book. $444. Available for pre-order soon.