Pre-Order the Paradigm (Ships Early November)

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TLDR

Tom designed the Paradigm (you're here now) and Z eitgeist specifically for folks who’d been asking him for years to design a small backpack PLO (Purse-Like Object; read about the origin of that acronym in the Forums).

Both backpacks share the same main compartment: a slightly teardrop shape with a zipper across the top and down the sides. Same shoulder straps too – a new style of strap offering a gentle contour and a touch of padding. Both have the same padded back panel with an interior padded sleeve suitable for a iPad or similar (sound familiar? It’s a scaled down version of the back panel of the Paragon).

After that, the Zeitgeist heads in one direction and the Paradigm heads in another…

The Paradigm has exposed #8 YKK RC DWR zippers on both the main compartment and the front pocket. And the Paradigm’s front pocket has a lot of good stuff going on, so take a deep breath and read carefully on. First of all, this pocket is a full 3D pocket, having on its own a volume of about 2.7 liters / 165 cu.in. It’s divided vertically into three sections: if you fully unzip the top of this pocket you’ll be peering down into all three of the sections, but if you only want access to one of the sections then you can simply move the two zipper sliders around in such a way as to only expose that section (much easier to do than to describe!)

Naturally, you can put whatever you want into these three compartments, but the center one is perfect for a small water bottle or mug: remember, keeping your water bottle dead center makes for a more balanced load. Alternately, that center section can be great for a compact travel umbrella — we added a drain grommet at the bottom for that use.

Lastly, on the interior back wall of the left and right (but not center) sections of the Paradigm’s front pocket are simple open top flat pockets – nice for wallet or smartphone.

Full Description

Walk through the features of the Paradigm.

3D Front Pocket

This pocket is a full 3D pocket, having on its own a volume of about 2.7 liters / 165 cu.in. It’s divided vertically into three sections: if you fully unzip the top of this pocket you’ll be peering down into all three of the sections, but if you you only want access to one of the sections then you can simply move the two zipper sliders around in such a way as to only expose that section (much easier to do than to describe!)

The 3D Pocket of the Paradigm, with a water bottle, snacks, and other small items packed inside.

Contour Backpack Straps

Our new Contour Backpack Straps were designed to be an upgrade from basic webbing straps. They have minimal foam padding to bump up the comfort factor, while remaining light and proportional to smaller or lightweight packs.

Tom developed the shape and fit of the Contour straps over several months, asking for feedback from friends and crew of all heights and sizes — many different refinements were made to the shape and fit. The result? While no backpack strap design is likely to work for everyone, it’s surprising to all of us how many of us love these straps in particular — folks ranging from 5’0” to 6’0” find them comfortable and well-fitted.

The Contour Backpack Straps of the Paradigm on a person's shoulders

Smooth Back Panel

The back panel of the Paradigm is always smooth 525d ballistic nylon in Black, no matter the main exterior fabric or color.

The back panel of the Paradigm. It's always 525d ballistic nylon in Black.

Padded Device Pocket

The Paradigm's padded compartment offers just-right padding without adding bulk or weight. Don't plan to carry a device? Know that most of the padding and construction of the compartment would be there regardless to offer comfort to your back and structure for the bag itself.

The Paradigm will fit devices up to the size of the 11" iPad Pro or Samsung Galaxy Tab S7 (but notably not the S7+).

Paradigm's padded device pocket with an iPad mini.

Grab Handle

We added a simple webbing grab handle to the top of the Paradigm. It'll come in handy if you'd like to hang the pack on a coat hook, grab and hoist it up onto a table, or carry it briefly by the grab handle itself.

Person holding the Paradigm by its grab handle.

What's Included

We include the following accessories to give you a good amount of options for your new bag right out of the gate.

One 8-inch Black Webbing Snaphook/Snaphook Key Strap

A Key Strap is a strip of webbing with plastic snaphooks on the end. The 8” Key Strap in Black that’s included in most of our larger bags is, for many, the gateway to a world of organization via Key Straps and Organizer Pouches. All the members of the Key Strap family are intended to make locating things in your bag easier and more instinctive. Pulling out a small item or pouch tethered to a strap is easier than rooting around aimlessly in the depths of your pack; you can also rest assured that anything hooked to a strap is much less likely to fall out or otherwise be left behind. You can find more Key Strap colors and varieties on the Key Strap page.

One Cord Zipper Pulls w/ Plastic Ends (8-Pack)

Some folks prefer metal zipper pulls. Others prefer cord pulls. So, what to do about that? We think the best solution (in most cases) is to offer metal pulls and include a starter pack of Cord Pulls with most bags. The most popular solution is to weave the Cord Pulls through the metal pulls, effectively silencing them without having to remove them. A video demonstrating various Cord Pull options and more colors/varieties of Cord Pulls can be found on the Cord Zipper Pulls page.

One Sternum Strap Assembly

An adjustable and removable sternum and waist straps with leave-no-trace hardware: if you don't like or don't use your sternum strap, remove it and leave (almost) nothing behind.