A Synapse hanging about in China.

It's been a crazy busy fall. Since August I've traveled to Beijing, the USA, increased work hours, moved into a new apartment and setup said apartment and had my in-laws stay with us for two straight weeks. About the middle of November, got back into normal life.

That means I've been busy hauling around gear, exploring, and generally having a good time.

I had the opportunity to spend a couple of weeks in Beijing, and while I wouldn't necessarily return *cough cough* smog *cough* it was a good time, and I'm glad to have had the opportunity to visit!

So, just some pics I made sure to snap because my Synapse and I were practically inseparable - and because the local drinking water is unsafe to drink, having those brilliant litre-sized bottles proved to be more than helpful (and economical when buying water in bulk from the local grocers!)

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Synapse @ The Forbidden City by G e o cycle, on Flickr

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Looking good at Tiananmen Square! by G e o cycle, on Flickr

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Looking good at Tiananmen Square! by G e o cycle, on Flickr

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A Synapse goes to the Great Wall @ Mutianyu by G e o cycle, on Flickr

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Tom Bihn gets me there and back again! by G e o cycle, on Flickr

The last photo is back in Japan at the airport. After 2 weeks in China, I was quite happy to get back home. ;)

As soon as I get my photos uploaded from my in-law's visit to Nagoya, Kyoto, and Tokyo I'll get some more pictured up as well.

Happy Holidays! :D

-J

Awesome pics, Jon, as always. Good to see you back on the forum, and congratulations on your safe return to my mother country (wink).

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Originally Posted by GEOcycle

It's been a crazy busy fall. Since August I've traveled to Beijing, the USA, increased work hours, moved into a new apartment and setup said apartment and had my in-laws stay with us for two straight weeks. About the middle of November, got back into normal life.

That means I've been busy hauling around gear, exploring, and generally having a good time.

I had the opportunity to spend a couple of weeks in Beijing, and while I wouldn't necessarily return *cough cough* smog *cough* it was a good time, and I'm glad to have had the opportunity to visit!

So, just some pics I made sure to snap because my Synapse and I were practically inseparable - and because the local drinking water is unsafe to drink, having those brilliant litre-sized bottles proved to be more than helpful (and economical when buying water in bulk from the local grocers!)
…
The last photo is back in Japan at the airport. After 2 weeks in China, I was quite happy to get back home. ;)

As soon as I get my photos uploaded from my in-law's visit to Nagoya, Kyoto, and Tokyo I'll get some more pictured up as well.

Happy Holidays! :D

-J

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@GEOcycle I was in Beijing the same time as you were for a meeting, and I have to say that I've never seen the air quality there so bad as it was those weeks. Here's a picture at the Summer Palace taken about the time of your Great Wall picture, and you can see that the sky was gray. (On previous occasions that I've been there, the sky was blue.). This is the Marble Boat of the Dowager Empress.

Attachment 2975

I don't have any dramatic pictures of my bags in front of scenic spots – too nervous that someone will see the nice bag and seize it. But most of the time I was carrying my Little Swift in hemp, which was convenient for holding small bottles of water from the hotel. And this picture of the LS was taken at an out if the way spot at the Summer Palace

Attachment 2976

By the time of your return photo with Aeronaut, I'd gone down to Xian to see the Terracotta warriors. It was lightly raining at the time we toured, which was nice, because the temperature had dropped substantially, and the next day was clear and cool for walking around. I used my Iberian Packing Cube Shoulder Bag to hold our folding umbrellas when we went through the exhibits.

Here's my travel set, packed just before we left for the return flight from Beijing to Tokyo and on to Honolulu. The Synapse is holding my MacBook Air, in addition to work-related conference material and books. I pack the Little Swift into the middle compartment of the Tri-Star,

Attachment 2977

moriond

Badger: Been so busy, hard to get on and browse forums sometimes, or at least post when I can! Posting, hobbies, interests are like seasons for me - they all change depending on the time of the year! Haha!

Moriond: Awesome packing!

I'm seriously considering a Tri-star now. If not for me, but my wife, who does a lot more with conference and science ... things.

We were in Beijing for the IAUGA - International Astronomical Union General Assembly. Love that conference center by the Olympic Park, the first day we were there it was clear beautiful skies. After that ... well, I had to spend a couple days in the hotel room. Just didn't play well with me. :(

I think my favourite part of Beijing was 798 Art District. Probably the most Western part, but great shops, lots of hand-made things, and fun to see local art too.

I did see an old-school Tom Bihn ristretto (or cafe bag) by another IAUGA goer, but didn't get a chance to say "Hi!" Hooray for world traveling! :D

@moriond, how water resistant is your Iberian Packing Cube? Can it keep papers dry in the rain?
@Geocycle, your bags must have brought back some nice memories of China :)

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Originally Posted by Michelle

@moriond, how water resistant is your Iberian Packing Cube? Can it keep papers dry in the rain?
@Geocycle, your bags must have brought back some nice memories of China :)

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@Michelle The Dyneema material of the Packing Cube Shoulder Bag holds up well against the rain, but the zippers are not reinforced against a really heavy downpour. Here's a quoted section with attached picture of the Iberian PCSB from heynurse's thread on a diaper cube for the Imago.

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Originally Posted by moriond

@dorayme yes, this is a good candidate for the going marsupial thread. @darcy is the strap that came with the Breve an option for the PCSB? I think that might work better for this bag used as a diaper bag than the broader standard strap that is a purchasing option, and is sturdier than the key straps Janine was using in the photos in my earlier links. I'll attach a picture of the PCSB with the shoulder strap from my Breve. The wider standard strap (from a Cafe bag) is shown for comparison at the edge.
Attachment 2642

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If you look back at my earlier posts in that thread, you'll find links to forum posts of Janine's use of the PCSBs for her (then) newborn babies with pictures of the bags packed for her hospital stay and suspended from strollers, etc. (Make sure to check the different pages of the linked Packed for the Hospital thread, since there are pictures throughout).

On bags like the Synapse, and even on the 3D Clear Organizer Cube, and Kit the outer zippers are rubberized. The new 3D Dyneema organizer cubes also list YKK Aquaguard® zippers, so there's extra reinforcement of the zippers against liquids. I don't think that's true of the PCSB (although I don't have mine with me here to check, and I'm away from home.). I know that the earliest generation of the PCSB, which I also have in steel Dyneema, did not have rubberized zippers.

Papers, books, and travel guides that you carry in the PCSB should stay dry unless you're caught in a real downpour that can soak through the top zipper.

Probably either Lani or Janine, who are real enthusiasts about the PCSB, and use it extensively, can give you a better answer.

By the way, there are different width straps you can use with this bag. I initially used the Absolute Strap, which was overkill. I don't carry a lot in this bag, so even the standard strap (which has the width of the Medium Cafe bag strap shown at the edge of the picture, and which is offered as one of the add-on options on the product page) seems a bit too wide. I use the Breve strap shown in the picture. (This is an iPad bag that they stopped offering for sale in mid-2012.)

Quote:

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Originally Posted by GEOcycle

We were in Beijing for the IAUGA - International Astronomical Union General Assembly. Love that conference center by the Olympic Park, the first day we were there it was clear beautiful skies. After that ... well, I had to spend a couple days in the hotel room. Just didn't play well with me. :(

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@GEOcycle Been there, done that. The next IAUGA will be in Honolulu.

moriond

@moriond

Thanks for your description and helpful references. I too have had good experience with YKK's aquaguard coil zippers in the past, and may I add that I'm becoming a big fan of their molded aquaseal zippers more recently. I found that over time from UV and with wear and tear, the rubber on the aquaguard coil zips begin to break down and start to peel, not just loosing the water resistance but also begining to look pretty ragged. I've had the benefit of sending those jackets back to the manufacturer for replacement. That being said, I still have some jackets with YKK aquaguard coil zips that have given me no grief.

I don't know if you get a lot of heavy rain in Honolulu as we do in Canada, however the times that I've been there I always seem to catch the rain :P. Have you sought the need to use Seam Grip or have you had any issues of water coming in through the seams (to seal the needle holes from the stiching). I've used that product with good success on non-Goretex fabrics and its held up well but I'm unsure how it performs with Dyneema.