Synik 22

$335

Ready to Ship

The Synik 22 is the smallest in the Synik line, designed for everyday carry with streamlined organization and travel-ready features.

Color & Material

Aubergine Ballistic/Northwest Sky 200 Halcyon

Black Ballistic/Northwest Sky 200 Halcyon

Ursa Ballistic/Mountain Grey 210 Cerylon

Exterior Color:
Aubergine

Interior Color:
Northwest Sky

Exterior Material:
Ballistic

Interior Material:
200 Halcyon

Made in Seattle

Carry-on Friendly

Laptop Compartment

Lifetime Guarantee

Synik 22

Description

The Synik 22 is the most compact in the Synik lineup, offering a smaller footprint than the Synik 26 and the Synik 30. Its shorter and narrower frame makes it ideal for smaller builds or minimalist carry, while still delivering the comfort, durability, and smart organization that define the Synik series.

Easy laptop access: Two-way entry to a padded laptop compartment that fits most 13" laptops, so your tech is protected and easy to reach.

Stay organized on the go: Five exterior pockets with room to spare — including one just for your 32 oz water bottle.

Pack it your way: A full clamshell opening makes packing (and finding stuff later) a breeze.

Quick-access interior pocket: Keeps small essentials easy to spot and grab.

Support when you need it: A built-in frame adds structure and comfort — but can be removed when you want to travel light.

Travel-friendly design: Slides over your rolling suitcase handle for smooth airport navigation.

Dimensions
11.4" (w) x 16.0" (h) x 7.1" - 9.4" (d) / 290 (w) x 410 (h) x 180 - 240 (d) mm

Weight (Bag with Frame)
420 Spectron : 2 lb 6.8 oz / 1100 grams
630 Ballistic: 2 lb 9.6 oz / 1180 grams
420d Classic Parapack: 2 lb 10.2 oz / 1195 grams
X-Pac®: 2 lbs 8.1 oz / 1140 grams
Frame Sheet: 5.1 oz / 145 grams

Volume
22 liters / 1340 cubic inches (ASTM Standard Measure)

Straps
.5" / 13 mm padded and contoured backpack straps with .75" / 20 mm removable sternum strap with removable 1" / 25 mm waist strap included

Max Laptop Compartment Size
12.35” x 8.65” x 0.75” / 314mm x 220mm x 19mm

Luggage Pass-Through Sizing
Minimum Length: 15.75" / 400mm
Maximum Width: 6.25" / 160mm

1x 8-inch Black Webbing Snaphook/Snaphook Key Strap
8x Black Zipper Pulls
1x Sternum Strap Assembly
1x Gatekeeper Waist Strap
1x Internal Frame w/ Aluminum Half-Stay
1 pair Tie-Down Straps

Total O-Rings: 10
(1 in the water bottle pocket
1 in the small middle pocket
1 in the left pocket
1 in the right pocket
2 in the bottom pocket
4 in the main compartment)

Exterior
630 denier High-Tenacity 2x2 Ballistic nylon

Interior
bluesign® and OEKO-TEX® certified 200 denier Halcyon/nylon ripstop

Upper Back
Spacer Mesh

Lower Back
bluesign® certified 210 denier High-Tenacity 2x2 nylon

Back
Closed-cell foam

Straps
Edgeless EV50 1/2” / 12mm shoulder straps (EVAZOTE® OEKO-TEX® foam)

Components
Duraflex®, Nexus, and Woojin buckles and related components

Zippers
1x #10 YKK Aquaguard® water-repellent zipper with metal slider
6 #8 Racquet-Coil water-repellent zippers with metal sliders
1x #5 Coil Zipper with plastic slider

Synik 22 Key Features

Smart Pockets, Seamless Access

5 external pockets keep you organized without adding bulk—each thoughtfully placed for balance & function.

Pack Flat, Move Fast

Full clamshell design makes packing easy, with padded protection and tie-down straps to keep everything secure.

Laptop Access, Two Ways

A dedicated compartment opens from the side or top, making it easy to grab your laptop without unpacking.

Perfect For Travel Days

Packs like luggage, carries like a backpack, fits under most airline seats, and slides over rolling bag handles.

Interior Storage, Simplified

A low-profile banded pocket keeps essentials tidy without adding bulk.

Comfortable Carry

Lushly padded shoulder straps and grab handle.

Smart Pockets, Seamless Access

5 external pockets keep you organized without adding bulk—each thoughtfully placed for balance & function.

Pack Flat, Move Fast

Full clamshell design makes packing easy, with padded protection and tie-down straps to keep everything secure.

Laptop Access, Two Ways

A dedicated compartment opens from the side or top, making it easy to grab your laptop without unpacking.

Perfect For Travel Days

Packs like luggage, carries like a backpack, fits under most airline seats, and slides over rolling bag handles.

Interior Storage, Simplified

A low-profile banded pocket keeps essentials tidy without adding bulk.

Comfortable Carry

Lushly padded shoulder straps and grab handle.

Smart Pockets, Seamless Access

5 external pockets keep you organized without adding bulk—each thoughtfully placed for balance & function.

Pack Flat, Move Fast

Full clamshell design makes packing easy, with padded protection and tie-down straps to keep everything secure.

Laptop Access, Two Ways

A dedicated compartment opens from the side or top, making it easy to grab your laptop without unpacking.

Perfect For Travel Days

Packs like luggage, carries like a backpack, fits under most airline seats, and slides over rolling bag handles.

Interior Storage, Simplified

A low-profile banded pocket keeps essentials tidy without adding bulk.

Comfortable Carry

Lushly padded shoulder straps and grab handle.

Reviews

4.8

Rated 4.8 out of 5 stars

Based on 528 reviews

Total 5 star reviews: 464 Total 4 star reviews: 51 Total 3 star reviews: 7 Total 2 star reviews: 3 Total 1 star reviews: 3

Write a Review (Opens in a new window)

528 reviews

Sort

KS
Kim S.
Verified Buyer
Bought For Myself
Product Standouts Thoughtful Design, Comfortable, High Quality Craftsmanship, Durable, Easily Adjustable
Yesterday
Bought For Myself
Product Standouts Thoughtful Design, Comfortable, High Quality Craftsmanship, Durable, Easily Adjustable
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
Great backpack!
Just used this backpack for my trip to Turks and Caicos. This was my personal item and I packed it with an iPad Pro, Kindle, water bottle, cords, toiletry bag, sunglasses, snacks, jewelry pouch, and my purse. It was very organized and easy to find whatever I needed. Also, it fits perfectly under the seat in the plane. I am 5’1” and fully loaded this bags was super comfortable.
Was this helpful?
RW
Roxane W.
Verified Buyer
Bought For Myself
4 days ago
Bought For Myself
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
Perfect, perfect, perfect!
After two days of poring over every review and video online (lol), ordered the Synik 22 to replace my twelve year old sack-like “old faithful” with the broken zipper. I wanted something a little more compact, sturdier, and with lots of organization options. I got Aubergine with the NW Sky Halcyon lining, I wanted something that would stand out in a bus or overhead bin and I could see at a glance was mine. The day after I ordered, I happened to read a couple more reviews which advised both strap keepers to keep the long strap ends tidy, and zipper pulls to keep the zippers from jangling. I hurriedly called Shelby, who advised me to just place an order for those items and she’d combine them, saving me a separate shipping fee. Phew!
The box arrived today, and I couldn’t be happier! As others have said, when I first held up the Synik 22 I thought, oh no, is it going to be too small? Tell you what: just start putting in whatever you need, you’ll soon see it’s just fine — and then some! I immediately jettisoned the things I’d never need on a pack this size: the internal straps to cinch down clothes, the hip strap, the internal flex-frame. Aaaah, that’s better! Now it’s my lil’ sidekick/best friend. ☺️ Once I got the spring-green zipper pulls installed and the straps adjusted and ends neatly tied up, it was mine, mine, mine!
I’m baffled as to reviewers’ mild griping about the shallowness of the lower front pocket … um, you do realize it PERFECTLY accommodates a passport,…
Was this helpful?
R
Robert
Verified Buyer
Bought For Myself
Product Standouts High Quality Craftsmanship
2 months ago
Bought For Myself
Product Standouts High Quality Craftsmanship
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
Awesome !Customer service excellent!
I owned the Tom Bihn synaspe 19 and 25, western flyer, and even tri star over the years. However due to my lack of traveling I sold them all besides the synaspe 19, which wasn’t going to cut it for an out of country trip. Immediately I was excited to get on Tom Bihn’s website! I started with the Synik 30 1 bag travel let’s go. However too big(returned), so back to two bag travel world. Synaspe 25 and Pilot was my choice . Oh no did I forget how big the synaspe 25 was and not to mention I expedited the shipping. Called Tom Bihn, they immediately shipped me a synik 22 just in time for my trip tomorrow and I returned the synaspe 25. Synik 22 +pilot is the perfect combo for me ! Thank you Tom Bihn. I was always a fan but now I will never even consider another brand . Pay the extra money folks. Product is quality and so is the customer service.
Was this helpful?
KB
Kate B.
Verified Buyer
Bought For Myself
Product Standouts Thoughtful Design, Comfortable, High Quality Craftsmanship, Durable
2 months ago
Bought For Myself
Product Standouts Thoughtful Design, Comfortable, High Quality Craftsmanship, Durable
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
Excellent travel backpack
I bought this to replace my Synapse 19 that I bought in 2013. It has the all the same compartments and shape but is slightly larger and it has the frame insert in the back and it has pull tight straps in the main compartment, plus it opens fully flat like a clamshell suitcase. My husband bought the Synik 26 for himself. I found the 22 to be just the right size to be a travel bag / personal item for most things. There were 2 flights where it wouldn't fit under the seat in front of me because of reduced space. Choose this one if you need a traveling bag that you will need to hold up over years of travel. Keep in mind a smaller waterbottle fits best in that section, a larger waterbottle will have to go inside the main compartment.
Was this helpful?
A
Angie
Verified Reviewer
Bought For Myself
Product Standouts Comfortable, High Quality Craftsmanship, Versatile, Thoughtful Design, Compact
2 months ago
Bought For Myself
Product Standouts Comfortable, High Quality Craftsmanship, Versatile, Thoughtful Design, Compact
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
Small but mighty
I bought this backpack because I wanted a new EDC for work, but then I started thinking about using it for short trips too--something that would work as a personal item bag, rather than the carry-on size of my Techonaut 30 (which I've fit under my plane seat several times). So I've been waiting to take a trip before reviewing the backpack.
As a travel bag (first picture), I have no complaints. I took this backpack as my only bag on a three-day, two-night trip and it fit everything I needed to with plenty of room to spare, including the box of LEGO I impulse bought at the airport on the way home, all while fitting under my airplane seat.
As a bag for work (second picture), it's nearly perfect for my needs but not quite. I wanted a small backpack that would fit all my work necessities and also be something I could take with me into the baseball stadium or the theatre--something that meets the bag-size specifications of those places. And this bag does! I love that there's a place for everything I carry: tech bag (including a mouse), glasses, sunglasses, wallet, water bottle, laptop, over-ear headphones, notebook, snacks, and a sweater. And it's comfortable to carry.
But it isn't the perfect work bag for me because my laptop doesn't fit in the laptop compartment, which means I'm putting my laptop into the main compartment in a protective sleeve. This is not Tom Bihn's fault. I failed to measure my laptop (a work-issued 14" Lenovo ThinkPad), assuming it was 13" and it…
Was this helpful?

Quality Designs Since 1972

Designed with obsessive attention to detail, we pride ourselves in offering bags in unmatched quality and durability—whether you're commuting, traveling, or navigating daily life. Built to endure, made to move with you.

The BIHN Guarantee

We stand behind every bag we make. If it’s our fault, we’ll fix it—no questions asked. For everything else, we offer honest repairs in our Seattle factory.

Your Bag (0)

Your cart is empty