Cafe bags: small vs medium

I think I've made up my mind.

"Hooray!" shouts the forum.

Synapse in steel/steel and Medium Cafe in navy/cayenne.

Or perhaps Synapse in navy/solar and cafe in black/steel.

I like the look of the steel synapse but also like the solar interior. I also thought I'd avoid getting two bags in similar colours, so get one in black or steel and the other in navy.

jonathan
who is making a habit of thinking out loud on the forum

Quote:

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Originally Posted by gonty

We're actually staying in Vancouver for a bit so the thought had occurred to me. But I believe it's about a 2.5 - 3 hour drive plus clearing the border. So 6+ hours round trip to look at bags.

I'm keen. But perhaps not quite that keen.

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No need to drive, there are great ferry rides between the cities. :)

PS: Visiting the Seattle/Vancouver area is a dream trip of mine, I have friends in the area whom I can't wait to visit with.

You know the really frustrating thing? I was in Seattle a couple of years ago before I had heard of Tom Bihn. Wishing I could wind back the clock now.

OK, last question. I promise. But you all love talking about bags so much that you're enjoying this right?

I know this one is very difficult and all monitors are going to look slightly different, but how dark is the steel colour?

To me, the smart alec in this picture looks lighter than the steel synapse on the tom bihn product page.

Could someone who has a steel bag give a vague idea whether it's closer to one or the other?

Just wanted to say thanks to everyone who provided input, suggestions and opinions. I've settled on the medium cafe bag along with a synapse. A few unexpected bills have delayed the purchase by a few weeks, but I'll be sure to posts some pics & impressions when I do get them.

Thanks again.

Jonathan

Quote:

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Originally Posted by gonty

OK, last question. I promise. But you all love talking about bags so much that you're enjoying this right?

I know this one is very difficult and all monitors are going to look slightly different, but how dark is the steel colour?

To me, the smart alec in this picture looks lighter than the steel synapse on the tom bihn product page.

Could someone who has a steel bag give a vague idea whether it's closer to one or the other?

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Steel looks lighter and darker depending on lighting. It is a very nice medium gray that is a sophisticated neutral.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by gonty

I think I've made up my mind.

"Hooray!" shouts the forum.

Synapse in steel/steel and Medium Cafe in navy/cayenne.

Or perhaps Synapse in navy/solar and cafe in black/steel.

I like the look of the steel synapse but also like the solar interior. I also thought I'd avoid getting two bags in similar colours, so get one in black or steel and the other in navy.

jonathan
who is making a habit of thinking out loud on the forum

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I really like the navy color for the Synapse (and was wavering between this and the Synapse in Indigo). You might give some thoughts to what other bags (and colors) you might get in the future, and how those available colors would work with these bags. For example, most of the travel bags such as the Aeronnaut, Tri-Star, Western Flyer, Checkpoint Flyer, and Co-Star are made of ballistic nylon, and currently come in colors of Indigo, Crimson, Steel, and Black. Steel might go better with more of these colors. (I agree that Steel/Solar is a great combination, and I'd be more inclined towards the current Steel Synapse if the interior were Solar dyneema.) On the other hand, another way to think about color selections is to decide how bummed out you would be if one of your color choices disappeared (forever) before you could order it. My guess is that Navy will either get rotated out or dropped from the next set of Synapse color offerings.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by gonty

OK, last question. I promise. But you all love talking about bags so much that you're enjoying this right?

I know this one is very difficult and all monitors are going to look slightly different, but how dark is the steel colour?

To me, the smart alec in this picture looks lighter than the steel synapse on the tom bihn product page.

Could someone who has a steel bag give a vague idea whether it's closer to one or the other?

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The Smart Alec is made of Ballistic nylon, so you're getting a more reflective surface in that picture which makes the steel color look lighter. Go with your impressions of the other pictures of the (Cordura) Synapse in Steel. Another thing that you can do: if you plan to order pouches, request them in colors you're interested in. That's a good way to judge the color for a future bag purchase.

moriond