the synapse backpack goes canoeing

[maverick]

we went this morning to thompson boat house and rented a canoe and went on the potomac river.

we brought along the synapse backpack to hold some snacks to feed the ducks and ourselves.

our synapse held:

• a one liter water bottle.
• a 16oz water bottle.
• a 20oz juice bottle.
• bread for the ducks.
• a bagel.
• a cut apple and pear in a large lunchbots stainless steel lunchbox.
• cut strawberries and raspberries in a small lunchbots stainless steel lunchbox.
• corn chips in a small lunchbots stainless steel lunchbox.
• a leica d-lux 4 camera in a small cork organizer pouch.
• a tom bihn organizer wallet, gorillapod, iphone, tissues, and keys.

sometimes when we switched the paddle from one side to the other, a bit of water came into the canoe. not a lot, but enough that some was at the bottom of the canoe. i managed to get the synapse a bit wet. but fortunately, it was wet only on the outside. the contents inside stayed completely dry. and the outside dried by the time we walked next door to georgetown waterfront park to feed the ducks.

[backpack]

Thank you for sharing those beautiful pictures of your family, the landscape and the Synapse.

The forum is lucky to have such gorgeous people to model Tom Bihn products.

[Darcy]

Very nice photography! Looks like it was a beautiful day for canoeing. :)

[maverick]

Very nice photography! Looks like it was a beautiful day for canoeing. :)

thanks darcy!

it was indeed a beautiful day to be out! it wasn't all smooth sailing, however.

it was a pretty quiet morning on the water when we started out. over time, some crew teams came out and were practicing. on our way back, we had two boats approaching from our right and one on our left. they were moving fast. the first one was coming on our right, and the coxman yelled for us to get out of the way. but there was no where for us to go because there was a boat not far behind them on the other side of us! still, we moved to our left as quickly as we could, but not too far. still, the oars of the boat on our right hit our canoe! we were startled, to say the least. fortunately, the oars hit the side of the canoe and not us! that would have been really bad.

i was afraid jaiden would never want to come out canoeing again - this was jaiden's first time out on the water. but he was alright after a bit and afterwards was excitedly telling everyone how much fun he had canoeing! he is looking forward to going canoeing again! hopefully, we won't get intimate with any other water vessels! :)

[Darcy]

i was afraid jaiden would never want to come out canoeing again - this was jaiden's first time out on the water. but he was alright after a bit and afterwards was excitedly telling everyone how much fun he had canoeing! he is looking forward to going canoeing again! hopefully, we won't get intimate with any other water vessels! :)

Way to go, Jaiden - get back in that canoe!! :) Glad you guys had fun despite the scare.

[addiopolis]

Hi Maverick, I've been looking at Tom Bihn bags for awhile. First because I'd like to do more traveling, and also more recently because I think I could use a better everyday bag. All of your pictures and videos are quite excellent and helpful for getting a sense of the qualities, proportions, and capacities of the various bags. Your packing list for the canoe trip (which by the way, looks like it was a really lovely family time.) gave the synapse a boost. I'm a smaller woman (5' 3") looking for an everyday bag that I can carry on my back. I think that will be healthier than the single-shoulder carrying I've been doing with totebags and shoulderbag style purses. Aesthetically I'm quite attracted to the Synapse. For typical everyday stuff I think it would be sufficient, although I'm not sure it would carry my laptop, but I don't take that to many places. But, particularly relevant to this post is your packing list for your outdoor excursion. I was wondering if the Synapse would be suitable for picking up a few groceries once in awhile. The shop bag looks really great, but I have many canvas totes already, and I really want a good backpack for more ease of carrying. So, in looking specifically for an everyday bag- that could also be used some for traveling and short hikes- I'm trying to determine whether the Synapse could carry any daily stuff I would want, probably, and whether I could sometimes add in some groceries, hopefully! Based on what I've seen in the forums, many people find the bag quite useful for daily use, day-hiking, and travel. What do you think about groceries? Sorry for the rambling! I've had a bunch of Bihn bag questions accumulating, and I've just recently joined the forum.

[maverick]

hi addiopolis!

welcome to the forum!

while you could carry groceries in the synapse, i don't think it is ideally suited for that purpose mainly because rather than having one large compartments, you have a main compartment and the smaller compartments in the front.

but i suppose it also depends on what you're picking up. one of the things i always pick up when i go grocery shopping is a couple of half gallon cartons of milk, and i don't know how well those would fit into the main compartment of the synapse.

if you wanted to carry groceries in a backpack, i think the smart alec would be a better choice because of the large main compartment.

by the way, i always keep a couple of shop bags folded up in the car with me. i've had a number of grocery bags over the years from whole foods and trader joe's, and what sets the shop bag apart from anything else i've seen are the poron filled grab handles. specially if you have to walk some distance with your groceries, you really appreciate how much easier the poron filled handles of the shop bag feel in your hands in contrast to other straps that can dig into your hands.

Hi Maverick, I've been looking at Tom Bihn bags for awhile. First because I'd like to do more traveling, and also more recently because I think I could use a better everyday bag. All of your pictures and videos are quite excellent and helpful for getting a sense of the qualities, proportions, and capacities of the various bags. Your packing list for the canoe trip (which by the way, looks like it was a really lovely family time.) gave the synapse a boost. I'm a smaller woman (5' 3") looking for an everyday bag that I can carry on my back. I think that will be healthier than the single-shoulder carrying I've been doing with totebags and shoulderbag style purses. Aesthetically I'm quite attracted to the Synapse. For typical everyday stuff I think it would be sufficient, although I'm not sure it would carry my laptop, but I don't take that to many places. But, particularly relevant to this post is your packing list for your outdoor excursion. I was wondering if the Synapse would be suitable for picking up a few groceries once in awhile. The shop bag looks really great, but I have many canvas totes already, and I really want a good backpack for more ease of carrying. So, in looking specifically for an everyday bag- that could also be used some for traveling and short hikes- I'm trying to determine whether the Synapse could carry any daily stuff I would want, probably, and whether I could sometimes add in some groceries, hopefully! Based on what I've seen in the forums, many people find the bag quite useful for daily use, day-hiking, and travel. What do you think about groceries? Sorry for the rambling! I've had a bunch of Bihn bag questions accumulating, and I've just recently joined the forum.

[gmanedit]

Hi, addiopolis.

As maverick said, it depends on what you're picking up—and also on what's already in the Synapse. A small Shop Bag lives in the bottom outside pocket of mine, but sometimes, to my surprise, the groceries fit in the main compartment. Most prominent example: a long cucumber, a hunk of cheese, and a pound of coffee beans. Frequently, cans of cat food. So I would say, sure, stop at the store on your way home.

For dedicated trips to the grocery store, the bakery, or the fruit cart, I take the Large Shop Bag. Padded handles!