Side profile of Synik 22 in Coyote Side profile of Synik 22 in Burnt Orange Front of Synik 22 in Burnt Orange Side profile of Synik 22 in Burnt Orange with NW Sky Halcyon interior. Side profile of Synik 22 in Aubergine Front of Synik 22 in Aubergine Side profile of Synik 22 in Aubergine with NW Sky Halcyon interior Side profile of Synik 22 in Mars Red Front of Synik 22 in Mars Red Side profile of Synik 22 in Mars Red with NW Sky Halcyon interior Side profile of Synik 22 in Wilderness Front of Synik 22 in Wilderness Side profile of Synik 22 in Wilderness with NW Sky Halcyon interior Side profile of Synik 22 in Wilderness with Moab Halcyon interior Side profile of Synik 22 in Wilderness with Mountain Grey Cerylon interior Side profile of Synik 22 in Nebulous Gray Front of Synik 22 in Nebulous Gray Side profile of Synik 22 in Nebulous Gray with Island Halcyon interior Side profile of Synik 22 in Nebulous Gray with Wasabi Halcyon interior Side profile of Synik 22 in Nebulous Gray with Solar Halcyon interior Side profile of Synik 22 in Nebulous Gray with Moab Halcyon interior Side profile of Synik 22 in Ursa Front of Synik 22 in Ursa Side profile of Synik 22 in Ursa with NW Sky Halcyon interior Side profile of Synik 22 in Ursa with Fjord Halcyon interior Side profile of Synik 22 in Black Front of Synik 22 in Black Side profile of Synik 22 in Black with Island interior. Side profile of Synik 22 in Black with NW Sky Halcyon interior. Side profile of Synik 22 in Black with Moab Halcyon interior. Side profile of Synik 22 in Black Front of Synik 22 in Black Side profile of Synik 22 in Black with Island Halcyon interior. Side profile of Synik 22 in Deep Blue Front of Synik 22 in Deep Blue Side profile of Synik 22 in Navy with Coyote Halcyon interior. Side profile of Synik 22 in Navy with Solar Halcyon interior. Side profile of Synik 22 in Constellation Front of Synik 22 in Constellation Side profile of Synik 22 in Constellation with NW Sky Halcyon interior. Side profile of Synik 22 in Coyote with Mountain Grey Cerylon interior Front of Synik 22 in Coyote Side profile of Synik 22 in Coyote with NW Sky Halcyon interior Side in Black Halcyon Front in Black Halcyon Side in Black Halcyon Front in Black Halcyon Side in Black Halcyon with Taiga interior Side in Black Halcyon with Moab interior Side in Black Halcyon with Solaris interior Side profile of Synik 22 in Taiga (olive green with dark grey grid) 400 Halcyon Front in Taiga (olive green with dark grey grid) 400 Halcyon Side in Taiga (olive green with grey grid) 400 Halcyon with Northwest Sky (light grey with white grid) 200 Halcyon interior Side profile of Synik 22 in Night Walk (blue-grey with dark grey grid) 400 Halcyon Front in Night Walk (blue-grey with dark grey grid) 400 Halcyon Side in Night Walk (blue-grey with grey grid) 400 Halcyon with Northwest Sky (light grey with white grid) 200 Halcyon interior Side profile of Synik 22 in Original (black with white grid) 400 Halcyon Front in Original (black with white grid) 400 Halcyon Side in Original (black with white grid) 400 Halcyon with Island (bright blue with white grid) 200 Halcyon interior Side in Navy Parapack Side in Navy Parapack with Steel Parapack interior Side in Navy Parapack with Mountain Grey interior Side in Navy Parapack with Cloud interior Front in Navy Parapack Side in Black Parapack Front in Black Parapack Side in Black Parapack with Steel Parapack interior Side in Black Parapack with Cloud interior
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Synik 22

$320.00

It's the one you've been waiting for: suspended laptop compartment that fits most 13" laptops, rolling luggage pass-through, super comfortable shoulder straps, and full clamshell opening.

22 liters / 1340 cu. in.

Coyote Ballistic/Northwest Sky 200 Halcyon
Constellation Ballistic/Northwest Sky 200 Halcyon
Burnt Orange Ballistic/Northwest Sky 200 Halcyon
Aubergine Ballistic/Northwest Sky 200 Halcyon
Black Ballistic/Island 200 Halcyon
Deep Blue Ballistic/Acai 200 Halcyon
Deep Blue Ballistic/Moss 210 Cerylon
Nebulous Grey Ballistic/Marigold 210 Cerylon
Ursa Ballistic/Fjord 200 Halcyon
Black 400 Halcyon/Island 200 Halcyon
Taiga 400 Halcyon/Northwest Sky 200 Halcyon
Nebulous Grey Ballistic/Acai 200 Halcyon
Black Ballistic/Northwest Sky 200 Halcyon
Nebulous Grey Ballistic/Island 200 Halcyon

TLDR

The Synik — two sizes: 22 (you are here) or 30 liters — is a variation of the original Synapse 19 / 25. It includes many of the features some of you have been asking for; we added some additional features as well.

What’s different in the Synik:

  • Full clamshell AKA panel zipper opening
  • Removable internal tie-down straps
  • Two-point access suspended laptop compartment
  • Fully integrated yet removable internal frame with aluminum half-stay
  • Rolling luggage handle pass-through
  • Updated grab handle
  • Label moved to lower right corner
  • A padded bottom, and a couple more o-rings.

The Synik 22 fits laptops up to the size of the 13” MacBook Pro (but not the older non-Retina Air) or the Dell XPS 13. It’s no biggie in practice, but note you’ll need to do a two-point turn to fit the bigger laptops in the exterior side access to the laptop compartment (not necessary if using the internal laptop compartment access).

Full Description

The original Synapse 19 debuted in 2009; Tom originally designed the Synapse to serve as a day-hiking backpack, but you guys saw its potential beyond and began using it as an EDC pack and as a minimalist travel backpack. Over the years, you asked us to make a slightly larger version, and we did: the Synapse 25 debuted in 2013. Then you asked us to offer an internal frame for the Synapses: done (in 2018).

You’ve also asked us for other features and sizes over the years: maybe a 22 liter Synapse, or a 30 liter version, and what if it had a full clamshell zipper opening? How about a dedicated laptop compartment? A luggage handle pass-through on the back panel? Done, done, and done: meet the Synik.

The Synik 22 will generally fit folks between 5' and 6' comfortably. As with all things general, there are exceptions and outliers but for most folks, this is a good gauge.

Now, here's what's unique to the synik...

Front Exterior Organizational Pockets

With the Synapse, Tom set out to design a bag with intuitive organization — organization that even the less-organized amongst us would use and appreciate, even without thinking about it.

And it’s an abundant amount of organization: the exterior of the bag has five exterior pockets. The pockets are designed and patterned in such a way that they don’t steal space from each other and they look good (not too caved in, not too bulgy) whether full or empty.

The water bottle pocket is intentionally in the center of the bag and is integrated into the design of the other pockets; the former ensures what’s likely to be one of the heavier objects in your bag is balanced in the middle — resulting in a more comfortable carrying experience — and the latter maintains a clean, straight-forward exterior aesthetic.

Interior Banded Open-Top Pocket

Ever-useful, this elastic-topped, open-top pocket stayed exactly as is. You can slide a few books, a tablet, an extra pair of shoes, or a variety of organizer pouches right here.

Speaking of: above that open-top pocket are two O-rings to which you can attach the totally optional Size 1 Handy Little Thing (HLT) Pouch: a clamshell organizer pouch with four zippered pockets, plenty of interior elastic and webbing loops to retain cords and tools, and some clever carry methods. The Size 1 HLT will also fit into the bottom front pocket of the Synik 22.

Same Durable Materials + Expert Construction

No bag lasts forever, but choosing the best and most durable materials and taking care not to abuse it (no washing machine or dryer!) can help a quality bag serve most people well (with maybe a repair or two) for up to 10-20 years.

This bag requires significant skill to sew and construct; it’s not just any sewing factory who can pull this off and do it well, it’s ours, and it’s because of the talent of our crew. It helps that both Tom and Nik do their own pattern work and sew the first prototypes; they’re less likely to ask Lisa and Fong (our Sewing Supervisors) for the crazy or impossible when it comes to manufacturing. That said, Lisa and Fong are the experts when it comes to making sure Tom and Nik’s designs can be made in an ongoing practical fashion.

Edgeless EV50 1/2" Shoulder Strap

Conformity is overrated — except, perhaps, when it comes to shoulder straps. The edgelessness of this strap allows it to more softly conform to your shoulder; we find that this increases comfort. Yet the straps aren’t too soft: the 1/2” thick foam means the strap is robust enough to carry a heavy load.

We spent a lot of time testing these (and having various people test them for us and provide feedback). While it’s impossible to make a strap (or bag, or world, or whatever) that everyone will unanimously love, our hope is here that we’ve made a strap a lot of people will find pretty darn comfortable.

Included Removable Sternum Strap + Waist Strap

As with all of our major backpacks, we include adjustable and removable sternum and waist straps: if you don't like or don't use your waist or sternum strap, remove them! There's also an optional 1" Padded Hip Belt. Worth noting: we slightly lowered the waist strap attachment point on the Synik so that it better fits a wider range of heights and tall folks in particular.

Full Clamshell Zipper Opening

The main compartment of the Synik can zip fully-open — clamshell or panel-loader style. That means the main compartment zipper (it’s a beefy #10 YKK Aquaguard) zips all the way down and around the bottom edges of the bag.

We made two minor yet worthy-of-mention updates to the design because of the clamshell opening: first, we included a set of two removable tie-down straps in the main compartment. So, you know, you can strap down clothes or even a Packing Cube without it falling out if you fully unzip the main compartment and open the bag clamshell-style. Second, we added padding to the bottom of the Synik to protect the zipper sliders and chain on the bottom of the bag; that’s a serious potential wear point and, while we’re always glad to repair bags to keep them in service for longer, it’d be rather silly to avoid an opportunity to prevent the need for repair in the first place.

What’s cool about a clamshell zipper opening? Mainly, you can pack your bag like a suitcase. As in, place it on your bed/table/floor and fully zip it open to arrange everything you’ll be packing. That visual access can make it easier to step back and assess/contemplate what you’re packing and whether you’ve forgotten an item or can pare down the packing list entirely. You get to choose exactly how far to open your bag — you can zip open just the top, or mid-way, or lower, or fully open. And the #10 YKK Aquaguard zipper we use on the Synik prevents the zipper from continuing to open on its own: the waterproof material on the interior of the zipper provides just enough resistance to prevent that. So, you really get to decide how far your bag opens (or doesn’t).

And what’s less than cool? If you don’t secure the stuff in the main compartment, it can fall out when you fully unzip the bag. This, we think, makes clamshell bags less suitable as a hiking pack (you don't want all of your gear splaying out on a narrow trail or tumbling down a scree slope!) See our original Synapse 19 and 25 for the original non-clamshell version of the Synik.

Two-Point Access Suspended Laptop Compartment

The Synik features a built-in laptop compartment with minimal padding (less bulk, less weight, less of a bummer it’s there when you don’t carry a laptop).

The compartment is suspended off the bottom of the bag, and that means your laptop is suspended off the bottom of the bag, too. That suspension is much more effective if you use the Synik internal frame: a soft, frameless bag offers nothing from which to suspend the laptop. Worth noting: the bottom of the Synik is padded, so there's that extra peace of mind as well.

The Synik 22 fits laptops up to the size of the 13” MacBook Pro (but not the older MacBook Air).

You can stow (or remove) your laptop from the dedicated laptop compartment of the Synik from two access points: the first is a zippered compartment within the main compartment of the Synik. The second is a zippered exterior side access on the left side of the bag (like the Luminary backpack.) It’s no biggie in practice, but note you’ll need to do a two-point turn to fit the bigger laptops in the exterior side access to the laptop compartment (not necessary if using the internal laptop compartment access).

We wanted to offer you two access points to stow (or remove) your laptop because it gives you more options. Picture yourself on the airplane with the Synik under the seat in front of you: in this context, using the internal laptop compartment access will allow you to remove your laptop from the bag without pulling the bag all the way out from under the seat. Now, picture yourself at work where you just want to quickly get access to your laptop; this is when you’d unzip the side access to the laptop compartment.

You may be wondering why the internal laptop compartment access closes with a zipper: it’s on the inside after all, so why not leave it open-top? Let’s say you’ve left the main compartment of the bag zipped open and the laptop compartment is open-top; if you put your laptop in the bag through the side access point, you could conceivably push it all the way through and out of the top of the main compartment. The zipper in the internal laptop compartment is a speed bump to remind you not to do that. If you’re not worried about doing that, just leave the laptop compartment zipper unzipped, and it’ll effectively be an open-top laptop compartment.

P.S.: Both the zipper and the slider are plastic and are unlikely to scratch your laptop. Note that the main compartment has a metal zipper that could scratch your laptop, so easy with that one.

Fully Integrated Yet Removable Internal Frame w/ Aluminum Half-Stay

For the Synapse, the bag wasn’t originally designed to accommodate an optional internal frame.

With the Synik, that functionality is seamlessly built-in. Its removable internal frame slides in and out of the back panel through an opening at the top of the panel; you won’t see the frame itself unless you’re adding it or removing it. Some may initially wonder about the opening at the top in which the frame inserts — we did too and thoroughly tested this part of the design and could find no material concern.

The Synik Internal Frame is made of die-cut .055” thick High Density Polyethylene (HDPE), with a nylon webbing sleeve sewn down the center that encases a 8-1/4" / 210mm tall and 1/2” / 13mm wide 6061 aluminum stay. Most of our bags have featured a 1” wide aluminum stay; we made a frame with a 1/2” stay to see if it added the same stability but with 1/2 the weight savings. And guess what: it did.

We considered making the internal frame of the Synik optional but ultimately decided to include it for various reasons, namely:

The internal frame of the Synik assists in ensuring a laptop stowed in the laptop compartment is suspended off the bottom of the bag and ensures there's a firm barrier between the laptop and a rolling luggage handle that's inserted through the luggage pass-through slot.

That said, because the Synik frame is removable, you can, you know, remove it if you'd rather use the bag without a frame.

Rolling Luggage Handle Pass-Through

Some of us use rolling luggage: maybe because we need to pack more formal attire for a work trip, or because it’s more comfortable for us to carry some, but not all, of the weight of our luggage. You guys have been asking us for a backpack with a luggage handle pass-through for quite a while, and you’re probably wondering why we didn’t do this sooner. The answer is: we took our time because we wanted to come up with a solution that worked better than the quick-answer of an elastic strap sewn on to the back of a backpack.

While we wanted to come up with a solution that worked better in function and practice, we didn’t want that solution to add bulk or weight to the bag. It occurred to us that there was already an opening at the bottom of the back panel through which the internal frame could be inserted or removed — so what if we added an opening at the top of the back panel? A prototype was made, we tested it, and it worked: the internal frame remained securely in place (popped into its corners on the inside of the bag) and the bag was able to slide over the handle of rolling luggage with the handle popping out of the top opening.

Note the following:

We recommend making sure that the internal frame is closest to the bag itself and the handle of your rolling luggage is on the outside of the frame. This ensures that there’s a barrier between the laptop compartment and the luggage handle.

There are, of course, different sizes of rolling luggage with different handle lengths and widths. If you’d like to place your Synik 22 over the handle of your rolling luggage, that handle will need to be at least 400mm / 15.75" in length and at most 160 mm / 6.25" wide. 

More Substantial (But Not Too) Grab Handle

Does the new handle look familiar? It’s the beloved side grab handle from our Tri-Star travel bag. The depth added to the shell of the Synik gave us the real estate needed to add a more substantial grab handle. Emphasis here on grab, not so much on carry: it’s our position that because the Synik is meant to be carried as a backpack — and a streamlined looking pack at that — the addition of a thick or heavily padded handle would be overkill.

Label Moved To Lower Right Corner

This was mostly a change made for our production and shipping/warehouse crew. While our bags are tagged and coded, the ability to visually recognize and identify a bag quickly can improve efficiency and reduce errors. Moving the label to the bottom right corner helps us differentiate the Synik 22 from the Synapse 19 and the Synik 30 from the Synapse 25, and we liked the looks of the label here too.

Front Exterior Organizational Pockets

With the Synapse, Tom set out to design a bag with intuitive organization — organization that even the less-organized amongst us would use and appreciate, even without thinking about it.

And it’s an abundant amount of organization: the exterior of the bag has five exterior pockets. The pockets are designed and patterned in such a way that they don’t steal space from each other and they look good (not too caved in, not too bulgy) whether full or empty.

The water bottle pocket is intentionally in the center of the bag and is integrated into the design of the other pockets; the former ensures what’s likely to be one of the heavier objects in your bag is balanced in the middle — resulting in a more comfortable carrying experience — and the latter maintains a clean, straight-forward exterior aesthetic.

Interior Banded Open-Top Pocket

Ever-useful, this elastic-topped, open-top pocket stayed exactly as is. You can slide a few books, a tablet, an extra pair of shoes, or a variety of organizer pouches right here.

Speaking of: above that open-top pocket are two O-rings to which you can attach the totally optional Size 1 Handy Little Thing (HLT) Pouch: a clamshell organizer pouch with four zippered pockets, plenty of interior elastic and webbing loops to retain cords and tools, and some clever carry methods. The Size 1 HLT will also fit into the bottom front pocket of the Synik 22.

Same Durable Materials + Expert Construction

No bag lasts forever, but choosing the best and most durable materials and taking care not to abuse it (no washing machine or dryer!) can help a quality bag serve most people well (with maybe a repair or two) for up to 10-20 years.

This bag requires significant skill to sew and construct; it’s not just any sewing factory who can pull this off and do it well, it’s ours, and it’s because of the talent of our crew. It helps that both Tom and Nik do their own pattern work and sew the first prototypes; they’re less likely to ask Lisa and Fong (our Sewing Supervisors) for the crazy or impossible when it comes to manufacturing. That said, Lisa and Fong are the experts when it comes to making sure Tom and Nik’s designs can be made in an ongoing practical fashion.

Edgeless EV50 1/2" Shoulder Strap

Conformity is overrated — except, perhaps, when it comes to shoulder straps. The edgelessness of this strap allows it to more softly conform to your shoulder; we find that this increases comfort. Yet the straps aren’t too soft: the 1/2” thick foam means the strap is robust enough to carry a heavy load.

We spent a lot of time testing these (and having various people test them for us and provide feedback). While it’s impossible to make a strap (or bag, or world, or whatever) that everyone will unanimously love, our hope is here that we’ve made a strap a lot of people will find pretty darn comfortable.

Included Removable Sternum Strap + Waist Strap

As with all of our major backpacks, we include adjustable and removable sternum and waist straps: if you don't like or don't use your waist or sternum strap, remove them! There's also an optional 1" Padded Hip Belt. Worth noting: we slightly lowered the waist strap attachment point on the Synik so that it better fits a wider range of heights and tall folks in particular.

Now, here's what's unique to the Synik...

Now, here's what's unique to the Synik...

Full Clamshell Zipper Opening

The main compartment of the Synik can zip fully-open — clamshell or panel-loader style. That means the main compartment zipper (it’s a beefy #10 YKK Aquaguard) zips all the way down and around the bottom edges of the bag.

We made two minor yet worthy-of-mention updates to the design because of the clamshell opening: first, we included a set of two removable tie-down straps in the main compartment. So, you know, you can strap down clothes or even a Packing Cube without it falling out if you fully unzip the main compartment and open the bag clamshell-style. Second, we added padding to the bottom of the Synik to protect the zipper sliders and chain on the bottom of the bag; that’s a serious potential wear point and, while we’re always glad to repair bags to keep them in service for longer, it’d be rather silly to avoid an opportunity to prevent the need for repair in the first place.

What’s cool about a clamshell zipper opening? Mainly, you can pack your bag like a suitcase. As in, place it on your bed/table/floor and fully zip it open to arrange everything you’ll be packing. That visual access can make it easier to step back and assess/contemplate what you’re packing and whether you’ve forgotten an item or can pare down the packing list entirely. You get to choose exactly how far to open your bag — you can zip open just the top, or mid-way, or lower, or fully open. And the #10 YKK Aquaguard zipper we use on the Synik prevents the zipper from continuing to open on its own: the waterproof material on the interior of the zipper provides just enough resistance to prevent that. So, you really get to decide how far your bag opens (or doesn’t).

And what’s less than cool? If you don’t secure the stuff in the main compartment, it can fall out when you fully unzip the bag. This, we think, makes clamshell bags less suitable as a hiking pack (you don't want all of your gear splaying out on a narrow trail or tumbling down a scree slope!) See our original Synapse 19 and 25 for the original non-clamshell version of the Synik.

Two-Point Access Suspended Laptop Compartment

The Synik features a built-in laptop compartment with minimal padding (less bulk, less weight, less of a bummer it’s there when you don’t carry a laptop).

The compartment is suspended off the bottom of the bag, and that means your laptop is suspended off the bottom of the bag, too. That suspension is much more effective if you use the Synik internal frame: a soft, frameless bag offers nothing from which to suspend the laptop. Worth noting: the bottom of the Synik is padded, so there's that extra peace of mind as well.

The Synik 22 fits laptops up to the size of the 13” MacBook Pro (but not the older MacBook Air).

You can stow (or remove) your laptop from the dedicated laptop compartment of the Synik from two access points: the first is a zippered compartment within the main compartment of the Synik. The second is a zippered exterior side access on the left side of the bag (like the Luminary backpack.) It’s no biggie in practice, but note you’ll need to do a two-point turn to fit the bigger laptops in the exterior side access to the laptop compartment (not necessary if using the internal laptop compartment access).

We wanted to offer you two access points to stow (or remove) your laptop because it gives you more options. Picture yourself on the airplane with the Synik under the seat in front of you: in this context, using the internal laptop compartment access will allow you to remove your laptop from the bag without pulling the bag all the way out from under the seat. Now, picture yourself at work where you just want to quickly get access to your laptop; this is when you’d unzip the side access to the laptop compartment.

You may be wondering why the internal laptop compartment access closes with a zipper: it’s on the inside after all, so why not leave it open-top? Let’s say you’ve left the main compartment of the bag zipped open and the laptop compartment is open-top; if you put your laptop in the bag through the side access point, you could conceivably push it all the way through and out of the top of the main compartment. The zipper in the internal laptop compartment is a speed bump to remind you not to do that. If you’re not worried about doing that, just leave the laptop compartment zipper unzipped, and it’ll effectively be an open-top laptop compartment.

P.S.: Both the zipper and the slider are plastic and are unlikely to scratch your laptop. Note that the main compartment has a metal zipper that could scratch your laptop, so easy with that one.

Fully Integrated Yet Removable Internal Frame w/ Aluminum Half-Stay

For the Synapse, the bag wasn’t originally designed to accommodate an optional internal frame.

With the Synik, that functionality is seamlessly built-in. Its removable internal frame slides in and out of the back panel through an opening at the top of the panel; you won’t see the frame itself unless you’re adding it or removing it. Some may initially wonder about the opening at the top in which the frame inserts — we did too and thoroughly tested this part of the design and could find no material concern.

The Synik Internal Frame is made of die-cut .055” thick High Density Polyethylene (HDPE), with a nylon webbing sleeve sewn down the center that encases a 8-1/4" / 210mm tall and 1/2” / 13mm wide 6061 aluminum stay. Most of our bags have featured a 1” wide aluminum stay; we made a frame with a 1/2” stay to see if it added the same stability but with 1/2 the weight savings. And guess what: it did.

We considered making the internal frame of the Synik optional but ultimately decided to include it for various reasons, namely:

The internal frame of the Synik assists in ensuring a laptop stowed in the laptop compartment is suspended off the bottom of the bag and ensures there's a firm barrier between the laptop and a rolling luggage handle that's inserted through the luggage pass-through slot.

That said, because the Synik frame is removable, you can, you know, remove it if you'd rather use the bag without a frame.

Rolling Luggage Handle Pass-Through

Some of us use rolling luggage: maybe because we need to pack more formal attire for a work trip, or because it’s more comfortable for us to carry some, but not all, of the weight of our luggage. You guys have been asking us for a backpack with a luggage handle pass-through for quite a while, and you’re probably wondering why we didn’t do this sooner. The answer is: we took our time because we wanted to come up with a solution that worked better than the quick-answer of an elastic strap sewn on to the back of a backpack.

While we wanted to come up with a solution that worked better in function and practice, we didn’t want that solution to add bulk or weight to the bag. It occurred to us that there was already an opening at the bottom of the back panel through which the internal frame could be inserted or removed — so what if we added an opening at the top of the back panel? A prototype was made, we tested it, and it worked: the internal frame remained securely in place (popped into its corners on the inside of the bag) and the bag was able to slide over the handle of rolling luggage with the handle popping out of the top opening.

Note the following:

We recommend making sure that the internal frame is closest to the bag itself and the handle of your rolling luggage is on the outside of the frame. This ensures that there’s a barrier between the laptop compartment and the luggage handle.

There are, of course, different sizes of rolling luggage with different handle lengths and widths. If you’d like to place your Synik 22 over the handle of your rolling luggage, that handle will need to be at least 400mm / 15.75" in length and at most 160 mm / 6.25" wide. 

More Substantial (But Not Too) Grab Handle

Does the new handle look familiar? It’s the beloved side grab handle from our Tri-Star travel bag. The depth added to the shell of the Synik gave us the real estate needed to add a more substantial grab handle. Emphasis here on grab, not so much on carry: it’s our position that because the Synik is meant to be carried as a backpack — and a streamlined looking pack at that — the addition of a thick or heavily padded handle would be overkill.

Label Moved To Lower Right Corner

This was mostly a change made for our production and shipping/warehouse crew. While our bags are tagged and coded, the ability to visually recognize and identify a bag quickly can improve efficiency and reduce errors. Moving the label to the bottom right corner helps us differentiate the Synik 22 from the Synapse 19 and the Synik 30 from the Synapse 25, and we liked the looks of the label here too.

Upper Back

Spacer Mesh

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

Specs

Weight

400d Halcyon/420d nylon ripstop exterior: 2 lb 7.9 oz / 1130 grams
525d Ballistic/200d Halcyon Lining: 2 lb 9.6 oz / 1180 grams
420d Classic Parapack/210d Ballistic Lining: 2 lb 10.2 oz / 1195 grams

Frame Sheet: 5.1 oz / 145 grams

Included

1x 8-inch Black Webbing Snaphook/Snaphook Key Strap
1x Black Zipper Pulls w/ Plastic Ends (8-Pack)
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)

Dimensions

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

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

Laptop Compartment

Maximum: 12.35” x 8.65” x 0.75” / 314mm x 220mm x 19mm

Choosing an Exterior Fabric

You like choices and we like to give you choices! That's why the Synik 22 is typically available* in three different exterior fabrics. Our Materials Glossary explains each fabric in great detail, but here are some quick facts that may help you decide which to choose. And we're always here if you have questions: emailus@tombihn.com

400d Halcyon

Weave:
plain weave with 1/4” / 6mm ripstop
Fibers:
400 denier type 6 filament nylon (base fabric); 420 denier ultra-high-molecular-weight polyethylene ripstop grid
Coating:
light urethane
Made in:
Japan

Choose this fabric if

  • You want a lighter weight alternative to traditional nylon fabrics that has remarkable tear strength and good abrasion resistance.
  • You're looking for a fabric with a modern, "technical" appearance.
  • You have pets: 400d Halcyon doesn't collect pet hair, reducing your monthly lint roller costs.

525d High Tenacity Ballistic Nylon

Weave:
2x2 “ballistic” weave
Fibers:
525 denier type 6,6 (high tenacity) filament nylon, twisted
Coating:
heavy urethane
Made in:
South Korea with Canadian yarn

Choose this fabric if

  • You want your bag to be soft and supple yet tough as nails.
  • You want a fabric that's stately enough to be at home at work, the mountains, or a nice hotel.
  • You don't want your bag to collect pet hair or abrade your clothing.

420d HT Nylon Classic Parapack

Weave:
1x1 plain weave
Fibers:
420 denier type 6,6 (high tenacity) filament nylon
Coating:
heavy urethane
Made in:
U.S.A with U.S.A yarns

Choose this fabric if

  • You want your bag’s fabric to have a soft, smooth hand yet be quite durable and have an interesting backstory.
  • You want a fabric that's stately enough to be at home at work, the mountains, or a nice hotel.
  • You don't want your bag to collect pet hair or abrade your clothing.
*There may be times when one of the exterior fabrics mentioned here isn't available. Even with our best efforts, the demand for our bags occasionally outpaces our production capabilities: at times, some products, color combinations, or fabrics might be temporarily unavailable or "In Production." See the In Production color combinations as a guide to what our factory crew is making and what will be available next.
4.9
Rated 4.9 out of 5 stars
Based on 211 reviews
99%would recommend this product
211 reviews
  • Danielle C.
    Verified Buyer
    Bought For Myself
    Product Standouts Thoughtful Design, Comfortable, High Quality Craftsmanship, Durable, Good Storage Size
    1 year ago
    Bought For Myself
    Product Standouts Thoughtful Design, Comfortable, High Quality Craftsmanship, Durable, Good Storage Size
    Rated 5 out of 5 stars
    Everything I wanted & more

    I truly love this backpack. It's a little ridiculous how much I love it, if I'm being honest. Prior to purchasing the Synik 22, I've carried the Synapse 19 (a little too small for my daily needs), the Synapse 25 (a little too big for my 5'3" petite-ish frame. Gifted to my dad who is now a Tom Bihn one-bag minimalist travel convert), the Paragon (not enough structure & organization for my EDC- plus my teen son "borrowed" it months ago & it's happy with its new owner) and the Daylight Backpack (a fave for stuffing into my Aeronaut 30 when traveling & using as a light day trip bag). While all these other bags have many splendid uses, none fit the bill as my EDC like the Synik 22. I easily fit my laptop, lunch bag, light packable rain jacket (for unpredictable PDX weather), wallet, keys, hairbrush, airpods, hand sani, pens, and 2 cubelets with miscellaneous essential oils, and other small useful things. The larger center pocket is perfect for a 21oz hydroflask. I'm a healthcare worker and have put many miles on this bag. The black 525 ballistic fabric has held up impressively well to daily use in the 6 months I've owned it. The clamshell opening is convenient & I've never had an issue or concern that the main compartment of the bag will accidentally open on its own. The zippers are very strong. The backpack straps are ultra-comfortable as well. I'm so grateful to have found my goldilocks EDC in the Synik 22. Additionally, while I continue to aspire to become a one-bag travel…

  • Christopher E.
    Verified Buyer
    Bought For Myself
    Product Standouts High Quality Craftsmanship, Unique, Durable, Thoughtful Design, High Quality Finishings
    7 months ago
    Bought For Myself
    Product Standouts High Quality Craftsmanship, Unique, Durable, Thoughtful Design, High Quality Finishings
    Rated 5 out of 5 stars
    Nearly Perfect

    I did a deep dive on reddit.com/r/onebag, and finally decided to purchase the Synik 22 as an everyday carry bag. Like many of you, I researched all the unique futures and benefits of this amazing bag.

    Things that I love:

    1. Centralized water bottle pocket. A much more elegant solution than the standard 2 pockets on almost every other backpack. I can fit a large 32oz Hydroflask in this pocket with ease, and from the outside you can't even tell that its there.

    2. Night Walk is an amazing color. RIP. I haven't had the chance to try a Ballistic Nylon bag, but I really like Halcyon as a material. You can tell that attention and care went into the design and construction of this bag, and the result is a durable piece of equipment that I think will last for decades with the right care.

    3. Versatility. With the full clamshell zipper I could see myself also using this bag as a travel bag for short trips. The zippers on the clamshell are also "sticky" enough to where you can open it like a traditional non-clamshell backpack if you would like.

    Suggestions for improvement:

    1. Deeper front pocket. The central horizontal zip pocket just superficial to the water bottle pocket could be a little bit deeper. I wanted to throw my iPhone into it, but I was surprised to see that its only 3 or 4 inches deep.

    2. A more elegant and integrated strap keeper. The straps were extremely long when tightened, which was easily fixable with the Tom Bihn strap keepers. This solution is okay - the…

  • Curtis T.
    Verified Buyer
    Bought For Myself
    Product Standouts Thoughtful Design, Comfortable, Durable, Sewn in USA, High Quality Craftsmanship
    8 months ago
    Bought For Myself
    Product Standouts Thoughtful Design, Comfortable, Durable, Sewn in USA, High Quality Craftsmanship
    Rated 5 out of 5 stars
    Perfect size, design, and workmanship

    I graduated from a Synapse 19 which I've used for over 6 years to a Synik 22 due to a larger laptop (from a Thinkpad X220 to a T14). The Synik is more comfortable with improved padded shoulder straps and offers better protection with a padded bottom when compared to my old Synapse. One downside is that it is slightly heavier and the main compartment zippers are harder to zip and unzip but hopefully they will break in with more use. Overall, very happy with my purchase.

  • Johnny D.
    Verified Buyer
    Bought For Myself
    Product Standouts Thoughtful Design, High Quality Craftsmanship, Versatile
    1 year ago
    Bought For Myself
    Product Standouts Thoughtful Design, High Quality Craftsmanship, Versatile
    Rated 4 out of 5 stars
    Solid, lives up to the hype, but minor annoyances.

    This is my first Tom Binh bag, and a relatively steep carry purchase in my world. All the positive hype was justified. The craftsmanship, thoughtfulness, and materials are all exquisite. I got the Night Walk Halcyon, which is (as many say) nicer in person than the pictures show.

    I can't say much more than what's already been said (at length) by others. This bag and the 3D pockets, all with their own volume internally - gobbles up gear, and has a surprising capacity. Accessibility to your items, and the "findability" of things makes this bag a pleasure to use.

    One thing I realized after buying the bag is that it gets even better with additional pouches and accessories. I'm not really/usually a fan of pouches/pockets/organizers in pockets, but with the O-rings and deep volume of the front/side zips, unless you want to rummage around the bottom of the (deep) pocket, it can be irksome to find the thing you want/need/are seeking even though you know "exactly" where it is. This is also irritating when the bag is more fully stuffed (which mine rarely is, as i use it as an EDC bag). Finally, from other user-feedback, I expected the chin pocket to be larger than it actually is. After viewing a bajillion comparison videos on YouTube, etc., It seems that the larger Synik/Synapse bags have a much, much larger usable chin volume than the smaller versions. It's not even that the pocket volume itself is unusably small, it's just that the zip opening prohibits some small-medium organizers…

  • Patrick G.
    Verified Buyer
    Bought For Myself
    Product Standouts Thoughtful Design, High Quality Craftsmanship, Good Storage Size
    1 year ago
    Bought For Myself
    Product Standouts Thoughtful Design, High Quality Craftsmanship, Good Storage Size
    Rated 5 out of 5 stars
    Worth the wait!

    Like many people I agonized about which new backpack to purchase. I’ve had a satchel-style bag since college (early 90’s) so even moving to a backpack left me with some trepidations. When I finally decided on the Synik 22, the burnt orange color was backordered, so I waited some more and was so glad I did. The construction is fantastic. I will likely carry this bag until I am too old to even need one. All the compartments fit my small items (pens, cables, etc.) just right. The smaller size back laptop section fits my iPad Pro with no problem getting it in or out. Again I don’t believe I’ll ever need another bag for myself, but I’ve recommended it to many others already. Thanks again

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Sewn in Seattle

Our bags are designed and sewn right here in Seattle, Washington, U.S.A.

That allows us to be control freaks in the best way possible; we have direct control and oversight of the quality of our materials, our products, and the jobs and working environment that we help create. It also offers us a unique spontaneity: when we have an idea for a new product or accessory, we can design it, figure out how to build it, add it to our website and be ready to ship it out our front door all within just a few weeks. How cool is that?

Intrigued? You can find out more about the unusual way we do business on our Company Philosophy page.

THE BIHN Guarantee

Everything you buy from us here at TOM BIHN is satisfaction guaranteed. We’ve been in business since 1972 and we stand behind what we make.

If something goes wrong and it's our fault, we'll fix it for free. Repairs due to normal wear and tear or due to other things that are not our fault will be performed, when possible, at a reasonable charge right here in our Seattle factory where your bag was made. Defects in materials or workmanship are uncommon and almost always evident while the product is still new. Keep in mind that bags and packs are often subject to extreme wear in everyday use: do not expect them to last forever. Only true love lasts forever! You can expect a TOM BIHN product to give years and years of hard service.

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