Introducing 400d Dyneema/nylon in Nordic and Steel

[dichroic]

I don't buy travel bags for the sake of collection. I buy them to be used. I want to travel! There's been a surprising amount of caution expressed over the durability of the heavier Dyneema, and I am mighty puzzled by it. As long as I didn't pack my bag full of breakables, I would send any Dyneema bag (200 or 400) through baggage handler training school. Even the lightweight Dyneema is plenty sturdy for getting slung around and squashed under bigger, heavier bags.

I'd be careful what I packed, though - avoid sharp implements. I have a bunch of Knitting Stuff Sacks in the lightweight Dyneema, and smaller knitting needles often poke through the weave of the bag. It doesn't cause any damage to either bag or needle, but I'd definitely be wary of packing anything with a sharp point in a Dyneema bag that was going to be squished or roughly handled.

[Janine]

Yes, the color that matches it most closely is navy. The actual blue tones have a more "midnight" blue tone than the older sapphire Dyneema did. The fabric feels more substantial and less "crinkly"than the Dyneema of the Shop bags without really feeling "lighter". I'd be curious to hear more comments from Janine about her impressions, since she has both the Sapphire Dyneema and now, a Synapse in the new Nordic Dyneema. But in answer to your question, I think it would pair very well with an Iberian Dyneema interior, much as Navy/Iberian did.

moriond

I'm still having trouble taking true-to-life photos of the blues together. They are subtly different, and I'm not a good enough photographer to capture the nuance. (I welcome all suggestions to help me improve!)

Nordic is more of a Navy color, but the white grid really lightens the effect. "Midnight tone" is a perfect way to say it. It doesn't match exactly with any of the other blues. Sapphire Dyneema is a bright clear blue that doesn't have the depth of Nordic. They don't look quite right next to each other; they are just a little too alike and a little too unalike to either match or coordinate. The same is true of Sapphire Cordura. Nordic makes Storm look pale and washed out. I'm still on the fence about Indigo. Indigo, to me, looks like there is more than just blue in the fabric. (I think that's a property of Ballistic rather than Indigo, but I don't have enough Ballistic to say that with utmost confidence.) If you had Indigo bags and wanted Nordic ones to add variety to a matching set, it will do but Nordic doesn't look like Indigo with a white grid.

Nordic is AMAZING next to all the other Dyneema colors. I happen to have an Iberian pouch with me today. The two together remind me of the FoJ pouch. Here's a substandard but hopefully adequate photo:



I agree with @moriond's description of the texture and weight of the two fabrics. They are both light and flexible, but you could wad up a 200 Dyneema bag and that's a bit harder to do with the 400.

I just can't say enough good things about Nordic. It's awesome. I can't wait for my Co-Pilot to arrive, and I look forward to Nordic/Wasabi combinations when the new shipment of fabric arrives.

[maverick]

I'm still having trouble taking true-to-life photos of the blues together. They are subtly different, and I'm not a good enough photographer to capture the nuance. (I welcome all suggestions to help me improve!)

Nordic is more of a Navy color, but the white grid really lightens the effect. "Midnight tone" is a perfect way to say it. It doesn't match exactly with any of the other blues. Sapphire Dyneema is a bright clear blue that doesn't have the depth of Nordic. They don't look quite right next to each other; they are just a little too alike and a little too unalike to either match or coordinate. The same is true of Sapphire Cordura. Nordic makes Storm look pale and washed out. I'm still on the fence about Indigo. Indigo, to me, looks like there is more than just blue in the fabric. (I think that's a property of Ballistic rather than Indigo, but I don't have enough Ballistic to say that with utmost confidence.) If you had Indigo bags and wanted Nordic ones to add variety to a matching set, it will do but Nordic doesn't look like Indigo with a white grid.

Nordic is AMAZING next to all the other Dyneema colors. I happen to have an Iberian pouch with me today. The two together remind me of the FoJ pouch. Here's a substandard but hopefully adequate photo:



I agree with @moriond's description of the texture and weight of the two fabrics. They are both light and flexible, but you could wad up a 200 Dyneema bag and that's a bit harder to do with the 400.

I just can't say enough good things about Nordic. It's awesome. I can't wait for my Co-Pilot to arrive, and I look forward to Nordic/Wasabi combinations when the new shipment of fabric arrives.

wow! the two look just beautiful together! i agree that the nordic would go great with wasabi also!

[Janine]

I'd be careful what I packed, though - avoid sharp implements. I have a bunch of Knitting Stuff Sacks in the lightweight Dyneema, and smaller knitting needles often poke through the weave of the bag. It doesn't cause any damage to either bag or needle, but I'd definitely be wary of packing anything with a sharp point in a Dyneema bag that was going to be squished or roughly handled.

I think packing sharp items in a protective layer, whether that's another bag or a sleeve, is good advice no matter what larger bag you are packing them in. It will protect the larger bag but more importantly, it protects you when you reach in to retrieve something!

[drbobguy]

Maybe I missed something, I know this is the heavier duty version of dyneema, but is there any chance of seeing Nordic dyneema interiors on other bags? I for one would love a black/nordic Tristar.

[blackfungi]

i for one traded my ballistic aeronaut for a dyneema aeronaut. i found the ballistic version of the aeronaut to be quite heavy and especially so when you add all the packing cubes and the pouches....

[Darcy]

Maybe I missed something, I know this is the heavier duty version of dyneema, but is there any chance of seeing Nordic dyneema interiors on other bags? I for one would love a black/nordic Tristar.

No chance of this. This heavier weight Dyneema/nylon is really designed for exterior use. We've thought of replacing one of the current 200 Dyneema/nylon colors with a blue, but no decisions have been made...

[Darcy]

Maybe I missed something, I know this is the heavier duty version of dyneema, but is there any chance of seeing Nordic dyneema interiors on other bags? I for one would love a black/nordic Tristar.

No chance of this. This heavier weight Dyneema/nylon is really designed for exterior use. We've thought of replacing one of the current 200 Dyneema/nylon colors with a blue, but no decisions have been made...

[marbenais]

No chance of this. This heavier weight Dyneema/nylon is really designed for exterior use. We've thought of replacing one of the current 200 Dyneema/nylon colors with a blue, but no decisions have been made...

Please, not Ultraviolet!

(In that vein . . . how about a Steel Dyneema/Ultraviolet Dyneema Synapse?)

[Janine]

No chance of this. This heavier weight Dyneema/nylon is really designed for exterior use. We've thought of replacing one of the current 200 Dyneema/nylon colors with a blue, but no decisions have been made...

Could you add a 200 Dyneema blue and keep all the others? :-D

[Darcy]

Could you add a 200 Dyneema blue and keep all the others? :-D

Don't tempt us... we have to draw the line somewhere! :)

[Darcy]

Could you add a 200 Dyneema blue and keep all the others? :-D

Don't tempt us... we have to draw the line somewhere! :)

[backpack]

But Darcy since you said Tom and the Crew were going to make less Cordura bags, you need to make more of... something.

Dyneema is so great that a blue would be perfect to add to the (200) Everyday Dyneema color wheel!
And just like Janine said add, not replace.

In those days of bag weighting travel, one needs all the help one can get to squeeze stuff in a ridiculously light package.
The best way is to go Travel Dyneema out and color coded Everyday Dyneema cubes/sacks in order to keep one's brain relaxed on trips.

It would be even greater if Tom decided to design a packable and stylish long trench in Dyneema.

We now know that he has designed clothing in the past. :)

[drbobguy]

No chance of this. This heavier weight Dyneema/nylon is really designed for exterior use. We've thought of replacing one of the current 200 Dyneema/nylon colors with a blue, but no decisions have been made...

Great!

Here's another wish of mine: make the packing cube backpack and packing cube shoulder bag in the new 400d dyneema. ;)

[Lani]

I agree with drbobguy -- I don't know that we need the Nordic to *replace* one of the existing Dyneema colors. But both the Packing Cube Backpack and Shoulder Bag serve a dual purpose of both as a packing organizer AND as its own carry-on bag/purse. In comparison, I would agree it doesn't really make sense to use the 400d Dyneema for say an internal-only packing cube or even an organizer.

...of course, you DO realize it's all because I like the matchy-matchy, right? ;-)