A Brand New Synapse Arrives in SF

Hello everyone,

I'd like to share some thoughts and pictures of my new Synapse with you. Spoiler alert: I love this bag! But if you want more details, here they are.

My commute is probably pretty normal for a big city with public transit. I walk five minutes to the underground train, shoot downtown in 10 minutes, and then walk 15 more minutes to the office. So I have been wanting a new backpack to better distribute the weight of my EDC and to keep my hands free. The old messenger bag just wasn't cutting it because it had no built-in organization and the weight distribution wasn't right. It was pretty, but not practical.

After lots of research, late nights soaking up every morsel of TB Forum wisdom I could, and a very serious case of TBAS :) my new Synapse arrived at the office today!

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All of my old messenger bag things moved over to the new Synapse in a couple minutes. And I can confirm that the 15" Macbook Pro with Retina display (in a non-TB neoprene sleeve) fits in the main pocket.

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Add in an iPad, sunglasses, home keys attached to the included 8" black key strap and work keys to an 8" olive key strap, a pen, and some papers and you have a bag that still somehow looks empty. There must be a black hole at the bottom of this bag! The Synapse also fits great on my 6'1" frame.

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I'm thrilled with my color choice: 400d Steel Dyneema. I thought it would be nice to have a contrasting interior fabric, but that would have required not picking the Steel Dyneema, and that just wasn't a compromise I was willing to make :) The Steel Dyneema looks great and seems incredibly durable relative to its weight.

Oh, and I also picked up an iPad Mini Cache for the gf. It fits perfectly and provides protection without being too bulky. I think there are now two Tom Bihn appreciators in our house!

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Thanks so much to all of you who have posted photos and reviews of your bags before. You really helped me find a bag that makes me happy, and I hope these pictures pay it forward. Can't wait to add a few organizer accessories to the Synapse and to bring it on vacation for Thanksgiving.

Cheers!

Welcome to the Synapse Owners Club! I carry my Steel Dyneema/Solar Dyneema Synapse every day and continue to be amazed by its never-ending capacity. It will serve you well, looking great, and wearing like iron for years and years.

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Originally Posted by nukediver

Welcome to the Synapse Owners Club! I carry my Steel Dyneema/Solar Dyneema Synapse every day and continue to be amazed by its never-ending capacity. It will serve you well, looking great, and wearing like iron for years and years.

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Thanks nukediver! Steel/solar sounds very very nice.

May I ask which organizer pouches, if any, you like using in your Synapse? I'm not sure which to get yet.

The new Steel dyneema looks very sharp! Like Nuke, I have the Steel/Solar Synapse, and it's my constant companion (napping at my feet as we speak, in fact). I've got a bunch of pics around the forum of what I carry in my Synapse, but on a day-to-day basis I use one small and one mini organizer pouch. On some days, I add more if I have different loose things that need corralling.

What are you thinking you'll need to carry that might require an organizer pouch or two? While I have at least one of all the sizes, and I definitely think each has its uses, I consistently reach for the small and mini sizes. Hope this helps.

I would wait to see how you naturally use the bag before deciding which accessories you need. I find the various pockets in my Synapse provide sufficient organisation without needing to add pouches because I put all my small items in the pockets and only larger things in the main compartment, but everyone will have different needs. OTOH I almost always use a medium and a small OP in my Imago or LCB...

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Originally Posted by Badger

What are you thinking you'll need to carry that might require an organizer pouch or two? While I have at least one of all the sizes, and I definitely think each has its uses, I consistently reach for the small and mini sizes. Hope this helps.

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Sure does! Thank you Badger. Btw, your posts were some of the ones I was referring to that helped me settle on the Synapse. Great to meet you :)

I think most days the "loose" things I'll need to carry around are some meds including pills and an EpiPen (approximate size of a dry-erase marker), laptop/iPad/iPhone chargers, wallet stuff (thinking about getting a slimmer wallet for my pocket and keeping most of my cards in my Synapse), and sunglasses. But the sunglasses have their own case and fit perfectly into the non-pen side pocket. I'd also like some sort of pouch, OP or otherwise, to put change and the receipts that tend to accumulate in my pockets throughout the day.

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Originally Posted by JLE

I would wait to see how you naturally use the bag before deciding which accessories you need. I find the various pockets in my Synapse provide sufficient organisation without needing to add pouches because I put all my small items in the pockets and only larger things in the main compartment, but everyone will have different needs. OTOH I almost always use a medium and a small OP in my Imago or LCB...

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Hi JLE, thanks for your advice. I happen to think you are right on target which is why I waited to buy any OPs until consulting the experts ;) Sounds like the consensus is at two OPs somewhere between mini and medium. Since I don't carry letter sized paper regularly, a large OP probably isn't necessary.

Now to decide on clear/mesh/cork/cordura/dyneema/etc for the OPs…

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Badger

What are you thinking you'll need to carry that might require an organizer pouch or two? While I have at least one of all the sizes, and I definitely think each has its uses, I consistently reach for the small and mini sizes. Hope this helps.

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Sure does! Thank you Badger. Btw, your posts were some of the ones I was referring to that helped me settle on the Synapse. Great to meet you :)

I think most days the "loose" things I'll need to carry around are some meds including pills and an EpiPen (approximate size of a dry-erase marker), laptop/iPad/iPhone chargers, wallet stuff (thinking about getting a slimmer wallet for my pocket and keeping most of my cards in my Synapse), and sunglasses. But the sunglasses have their own case and fit perfectly into the non-pen side pocket. I'd also like some sort of pouch, OP or otherwise, to put change and the receipts that tend to accumulate in my pockets throughout the day.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by JLE

I would wait to see how you naturally use the bag before deciding which accessories you need. I find the various pockets in my Synapse provide sufficient organisation without needing to add pouches because I put all my small items in the pockets and only larger things in the main compartment, but everyone will have different needs. OTOH I almost always use a medium and a small OP in my Imago or LCB...

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Hi JLE, thanks for your advice. I happen to think you are right on target which is why I waited to buy any OPs until consulting the experts ;) Sounds like the consensus is at two OPs somewhere between mini and medium. Since I don't carry letter sized paper regularly, a large OP probably isn't necessary.

Now to decide on clear/mesh/cork/cordura/dyneema/etc for the OPs…

Quote:

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Originally Posted by jwoods36

Thanks nukediver! Steel/solar sounds very very nice.

May I ask which organizer pouches, if any, you like using in your Synapse? I'm not sure which to get yet.

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I use a small Iberian Dyneema for things like dental floss, aspirin, and the like, and a medium Ultraviolet Dyneema for my headphones and ipad/iPhone charger. Sometimes when I have a lot of loose papers, I'll also use the large OP to corral them. Oh, and my cork organizer wallet. I love OPs!

Am I the only one who wants a Synapse in every color/fabric?! They all look soooo wonderful!

jwoods36, the Synapse was also my first foray into TB...and there was no turning back! You are going to LOVE using it!

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Originally Posted by Tlacltme

Am I the only one who wants a Synapse in every color/fabric?!

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No, no you are not....

:-)

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Originally Posted by Tlacltme

jwoods36, the Synapse was also my first foray into TB...and there was no turning back! You are going to LOVE using it!

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Thanks Tlacltme. Already considering replacing my main suitcase with an Aeronaut, TS, or WF. Tough to choose!

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Originally Posted by jwoods36

Thanks Tlacltme. Already considering replacing my main suitcase with an Aeronaut, TS, or WF. Tough to choose!

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TS is the goldilocks solution and the smallest pocket on the front is perfect for the receipts you mentioned in an earlier post.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by jwoods36

Sure does! Thank you Badger. Btw, your posts were some of the ones I was referring to that helped me settle on the Synapse. Great to meet you :)

I think most days the "loose" things I'll need to carry around are some meds including pills and an EpiPen (approximate size of a dry-erase marker), laptop/iPad/iPhone chargers, wallet stuff (thinking about getting a slimmer wallet for my pocket and keeping most of my cards in my Synapse), and sunglasses. But the sunglasses have their own case and fit perfectly into the non-pen side pocket. I'd also like some sort of pouch, OP or otherwise, to put change and the receipts that tend to accumulate in my pockets throughout the day.

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Nice to meet you too, and sorry I missed your reply. I think you might want to think about a mini OP for the cards, and either a mini or small for the receipts and daily ephemera. It really depends how many meds you carry with you, and whether you store them in vials, packets, a pillbox, etc., but you would probably be safe with a medium. Chargers could go in a medium; however, it could be tight if you have extension cords, in which case you might want to think about a Snake Charmer, which you could smash into the bottom pocket or just keep at the bottom of the main interior pocket.

I keep my sunglasses in the non-pen pocket as well.

I just took one of my son's epipens and tried to get it into one of my small OPs - no luck (it does go in, diagonally and awkwardly - I don't recommend). So you'll likely have to get a medium OP for your epipen and meds. Have fun!

Would an epipen fit into a pen/pencil pouch? Those are longer than a small.