Hey Mountain, New account, long-time viewer. I’d like to offer some input on this bag from an outdoors person’s perspective and it starts with a history lesson. Dyneema Composite Fabrics (DCF) were originally developed for the sailing industry for mainsails and jibs. This is an ideal fabric for this application because it has very (very) high tensile strength (pulling force) and does not absorb water (a good quality for something which may become submerged). This fabric found its way into the backpacking industry where anything and everything from backpacks to organizer bags to tents are made from this material. Sounds great, right? Well, not exactly. DCF fabrics do not age gracefully. Because they were designed to be pulled taught all the time, they do not have good recoil/memory. Over time this results in the bag developing crinkles and folds and actually ‘skrinking’. Many consider this very aesthetically unappealing. DCF tent manufacturers actually suggest folding the tent the same way all the time to avoid this. However, in areas of repeat folding along the same lines those folds develop into cracks and holes (less than ideal for those seeking a waterproof bag). Now, if you have $500 to spend on a bag perhaps this isn’t a financial concern for you. If however you’re looking for an investment piece, DCF has a very predictable course of break-down and people considering this bag may want to look elsewhere. For more information, checkout Darwin On The Trail’s video (skip to 6min45sec) - ua-cam.com/video/b3FCVt64YfU/v-deo.html Personally, I think DCF is an overused, overhyped material. A 2, 2.5, or 3-layer waterproof-breathable fabric like GoreTex or a 3-layer waterproof material like XPac is made with a nylon face fabric which will look almost identical throughout it’s entire lifecycle and would provide the same waterproof quality as DCF without the risk of ‘splitting’ and developing holes.
Hi Greywolf! Thank you for the awesome comment. These are the kind of comments that I love and the kind of discussion I really hope to grow on my channel. I definitely hear what you're saying - I actually own/have owned a fair amount of outdoor equipment made from DCF: a few packs such as the HMG SW 2400 and Millet Trilogy 30, and a few different tents including the usual suspects (HMG Ultamid, Zpacks Plexamid) and even a couple of overpriced offerings from more mainstream brands (i.e. the Big Agnes Scout Carbon (damn you REI membership dividend and my weak impulse control)). And am also a fan of Darwin (who I thank for getting me into cold soaking, even though he's back to stoves these days as far as I recall) though there is a world of difference between the 24/7 through hiking world he inhabits and the 2~3 night trips I usually take. 😅 I also agree with you on the points you raise regarding long term wear and durability of Dyneema - as you pointed out, there's a lot of myth and hype surrounding Dyneema usually around the idea of its "indestructability" (often by people who have never scraped a Dyneema pack alongside a rock face and watched it tear open). That having been said, I do think a lot depends on the context and intended use. So for through hikers/hard core outdoorsmen/women, as you mentioned out that beautiful crinkly stiff DCF pack is going to look like a ratty trash bag after a season or two. (In my review of the Rofmia Shift Daypack v2 I actually called out that Dyneema will wear in and get small holes along the crease lines over time) And to your point, when you're living out of your bag for months on end where between water getting into your quilt through small holes in the fabric wear lines could literally mean hypothermia at night, I think it's really important for people to deeply understand the true properties of their gear and not get caught up in the DCF hype - which I do think a lot of people do. (That having been said, I don't (think?) most LW/ULW hikers expect most of their gear to last more than a few seasons - durability usually be the trade off made for lighter base weight) However, I think there are other reasons to select DCF as a material beyond simply its weight savings, general stretch resistance and waterproof nature. The structural properties, texture and general appearance are also important considerations in non-outdoor contexts. As an example, the Rofmia DCF Shift Daypack or Boston Bag are not intended for outdoor context but rather for urban EDC use/relatively civilized (train/plane/automobile) urban travel, etc. And within these contexts (in which design, aesthetics and fashion undeniably play a role) I think that these latter properties should probably be given more weight than the former (though I personally find the light weight and structure to be important here as well - for example it's hard to imagine this Boston Bag would be nearly as attractive if it were made out of a floppy non-structured sil-nylon to achieve similar thinness and light weight as the DCF construction here allows). Additionally, within these use cases - and I say this as a person who has really used the Rofmia Shift Daypack quite extensively as an EDC bag for quite a while - I don't honestly believe that the long term durability and wearing in of DCF is as large of a concern (particularly for the Boston bag if used as a point to point travel bag). Within these use cases, the load demands - and environmental forces - are generally so much less than that expected of a through hiking pack or tent and the consequences of failure (i.e. a few micro holes/wear lines) are much smaller (and could potentially be seen as aesthetically pleasing to those who enjoy gear that wears in, ala leather developing a patina). I fully expect these bags to last many years under normal use within these contexts, which at least for me (and I believe many people) would fall within the normal expectations of a bag (after all, I would wager most people would not be surprised if a cordura backpack would develop a small tear/hole after a few years of heavy use as well). That having been said, I really think you raise an interesting question around the idea of purchasing a DCF bag as an "investment" - because I also do agree with you that with heavy use even within the contexts above a DCF bag will almost certainly look more heavily "worn in" than a bag made of a heavier, sturdier material. And in this context if people are buying a bag with the expectation that it will literally be indestructible and look as good as new 2-3 years down the line even with regular use - then yes, that misaligned expectation definitely should be reconciled before they drop $500 USD on a bag. Along the same lines, people who might be buying this bag with the expectation that it is "waterproof" and are in a situation where they seriously demand actually, high performance waterproof ness (I'm not sure what situation a Boston Bag would find itself where hard core water resistance is critical but hey, there's all sorts of crazy contexts in this world 😂) also need to make sure they understand the durability of DCF under wear before pulling the trigger. (I actually think I forgot to even talk about the water resistance in this review because the bag doesn't even have taped seams - the DCF use here is largely for aesthetics and design in my opinion). I really appreciate you raising these points - I guess I had been assuming that most people were inherently understanding when DCF is used in a bag for aesthetics/looksand when it is being used for its waterproof ness/theorised durability/weight etc. As you rightfully pointed out, this is a very expensive bag and maybe the hype surrounding DCF is such that many people may have unrealistic expectations for the material - I'm going to pin your comment so others see it and try to briefly touch on this the next time I review a bag made out of DCF.
Love this review! Keywords: light (if possible, but not super light), quite durable, simple with just enough organizations. That's why I have my Goruck GRs, even though they're a bit heavy. And I also like the discussions in the comment section! Two thumbs Up! On a side note: I once commented on your audio quality. It has now improved! Thanks.
Hi Erry! Thank you so much for the kind words - your keyword summary is spot on! And glad to hear that the audio issues have improved - I ended up switching to a different mic which hopefully has been working better :)
The capacity to weight/vol ratio of a bag is an interesting point. My personal gripe is bags that have super over-built dedicated laptop sleeves. Like if you're traveling around the world in 35 litres, are you really going to be bringing a 18 inch, thickass laptop? Not at all. But the extra space bringing a 13" slim laptop isn't useable at all, it's just dead padding. And ignoring the fact you're going to be carrying soft padding (clothes) as well - the pact bags solve this problem pretty cleverly. Same with bags which have excessive material weight, like do you really need ballistic grade material if you're not getting shot at. What's the chance a bag is actually going to break due to abrasion on the fabric, compared to zipper dying, shit getting split in it, theft etc.
+1 to everything you said Eliot, especially about overpadded laptop sleeves - it's something that I've always been annoyed by but never really thought about why until I just read your comment. (I feel the same way about overbuilt external laptop compartments - I am a fan of external laptop access but prefer it to be built as minimally and compact as possible. Unfortunately, some bags give you these huge thickly padded (on both sides!) "pizza boxes" that take away an excess of space from the main volume and aren't usable for much else than carrying a laptop and maybe a few papers). I find that a lot of modern tech equipment (laptops and cameras for example) are actually quite robust and don't require an excess of padding during transit (a reason why I generally eschew thickly padded square camera cubes in favour of thin neoprene camera cases), with the main danger coming (in my opinion) from the bottom of the bag being set down/dropped forcefully on hard surfaces when taking it off your shoulders. Thus a suspended/false bottom compartment with a minimum of padding on the "front/back" would probably be just as effective but significantly improve space usage/weight - the Pakt example that you gave is an excellent one in my opinion. Regarding materials with excessive weight - so like many carry fans, I also own a couple of GoRucks and similar "super heavy duty" bags. I appreciate the general form factor (especially of the GR1) which in terms of construction (with a simple single large main volume, rectangular design and minimal space dedicated to external laptop carry) also tends to produce a better capacity to volume ratio... but then as you said, they make it out of an extremely overbuilt and unnecessarily heavy (for my needs) material that just adds a ton of weight and takes forever and a day to break in (plus the molle straps... le sigh). Granted, I know and respect that the purpose and intended use for which they designed the bag is different than what I would like to use it for (and there are other bags that I think take the same idea and execute it with lighter materials, such as one of my favourite OBT bags - the Heimplanet Monolith Daypack) but I do wonder what percentage of their customer base is actually into hard core rucking events/situations that might involve getting shot at (as you put it :) ) and what percent are actually just using them around the city or for relatively civilised travel (meaning jets, trains and cars as opposed to bushplanes, jeeps and pack animals).
Eliot, Pakt notebook sleeve location solves another problem which I valued deeply. Bare with me. :) If you are really traveling 3 weeks+ and you know you will be on a long stretch without washing clothes, your bag will be really full and heavy. If your notebook is directly against your body, guess what bends along the way along with the frame sheet? Your notebook screen. So... not having it against my body is a must for a travel backpack :)
@@epretto Yes 100%, I've definitely noticed the curve crush of having it next to the framesheet. Your back isn't flat at all right. One thing I've seen people do with the synapse 25, particularly the older versions that didn't have a dedicated laptop sleeve, is actually have it in this one flat pocket which is roughly in the center of the bag. So the layering from your back goes clothes, laptop, organised stuff. Makes a lot of sense having the natural curves and bumps of the body absorbed by your clothes first, not your laptop.
Per usual, superb review! Would love a review of the Veilance Seque Tote in a similar matter, to understand the tote’s true capacity for one bag traveling
Thank you so much Elvis! A review of the Seque tote would be interesting - I never really thought there was much to write about totes but when I read your comments I started to think - hmm, I actually do have a lot of thoughts on this particular (expensive) tote 😂. Stay tuned!
Really appreciate your detailed reviews and your collection of bags is quite amazing! I love the look and material of this bag but I just don’t have any use case for it! Hopefully they are sold out so that I don’t need to fight against my own desire not to buy one! 😂
New viewer. Love your bag reviews! Do you happen to have the rofmia Boston L, or the backpack v2? Would love to see you review those two rofmia bags, as well!
Hi FoundMonster (cool name btw!) I don't have the larger Boston bag as I think that bag would get too heavy to haul around with one hand/shoulder strap at that size (and for that capacity to material ratio - I love dyneema but I would want more structure/padding if hauling that much capacity in a Boston bag form factor). As for the Backpack v2.... stay tuned ;)
How does this bag carry using the strap in a cross body style? I'm thinking of using this as a low profile minimal camera bag for say a Leica M and a lens or two (all separate padded containers) on the street. Perhaps also adding an occasional 13 MacBook or iPad Pro during airline carry-on. thanks Mountain!
Hi Rumble Star! So personally I don't think this would be a good choice for this particular use case. The bag is fairly large just to house a Leica M and a couple of lenses (those would easily fit in a Peak Design Everyday Sling 6L) and even if you threw in the laptop/ipad Pro you can still fit all of that in a Peak Design 10L sling. Conversely, the Rofmia tote is a fairly cavernous 22L and while liter sizes are all approximate, relatively speaking there is still a *ton* of excess space left over. You mentioned you're looking for a low-profile bag, and here the overall large size of this bag versus the contents you want to carry I think would make it more conspicuous than low-profile. Adding to this, this bag doesn't have much structure - it will retain its shape when empty but if you load in something heavy like the Leica M + a few lenses (which given their all metal construction are small but very dense) the bag will definitely sag/wrap around in an unpleasant way if you carry it cross-body. Stepping away from the camera-use case for a moment, to address your question about cross-body carry... it does okay cross body when loaded up more generally (as shown in the video) but again, it does wrap a bit around the body given the lack of internal padding/structure, so it benefits from either side-carry (as I show in the video) or else from judicious packing (flat items against the back to help give it some structure to help ease some of the wrapping.) Obviously contouring to the body isn't bad by any means but it can sometimes make access difficult if the zipper wraps around too aggressively - not a problem with simple point A-to-B carry, but if you're looking to get in/out of the bag (such as to access your cameras when street shooting) I think this will quickly become frustrating. In my humble opinion, for your use case you will likely be better served by a more dedicated low profile camera bag - I personally usually reach for the Peak Design Everyday Sling series for the type of load out you describe (the 10L will fit your camera gear + a 13" Macbook pro or 12.9" iPad pro) or if you prefer, something like the various Billingham bags (not my personal cup of tea but quite popular with Leica shooters and I have to admit some of them look super classy). Other alternatives might include the Moment Camera Sling (also available in the 6/10L ) which is a bit cheaper and comes in an interesting fabric materialway. Don't get me wrong, I love the Rofmia Boston bag but I (personally) think it might not be the best choice for your intended use. Good luck!
Hi Eugenio! Haha thanks for noticing! 😊 It's actually an X-Pac apron by the Japanese outdoor brand Snow Peak. (I really wish someone made a Dyneema apron though I can understand what that might not be the most practical 😅)
@@TheMountainborn Right!!! X-Pac.. I saw the x pattern and that is how I have noticed it! :) I have several things from snow peak on my what watch list . I guess I have one more now...
Hi AC! I believe that Rofmia will ship abroad and they have an English version of their site here: en.rofmia.com/shift-series-2 I'm personally a huge Rofmia fan, so highly recommend you check it out!
Yeah, Rofmia has really blown up in the years since I recorded these reviews (and deservedly so, they are awesome). They periodically publish the restock schedules and release at the exact date/time they say which is awesome. If you haven’t already, click on the “notify me” button on the bag on their website and they’ll send you information when it comes back in stock (usually once every few months) - just be quick to snatch them up when they land as they’re usually gone in a few minutes!
I will never understand how people are willing to pay so much money for something they can have for a fraction of the price... I got a similar back from Decathlon (paid 15 USD for it), and made an interior lining with some organizer pockets and pouches inside (done from scrap material)..... All in all, i got a similar back (made from Nylon, not Dyneema) that weighs less than 75 Grams, and only cost me about 25 USD... But "too each their own", as they like to say...
Please note - this bag currently retails for 48,000 JPY, not 45,000 JPY as I accidentally wrote in the title card. I regret the error.
Hey Mountain,
New account, long-time viewer. I’d like to offer some input on this bag from an outdoors person’s perspective and it starts with a history lesson. Dyneema Composite Fabrics (DCF) were originally developed for the sailing industry for mainsails and jibs. This is an ideal fabric for this application because it has very (very) high tensile strength (pulling force) and does not absorb water (a good quality for something which may become submerged). This fabric found its way into the backpacking industry where anything and everything from backpacks to organizer bags to tents are made from this material.
Sounds great, right? Well, not exactly. DCF fabrics do not age gracefully. Because they were designed to be pulled taught all the time, they do not have good recoil/memory. Over time this results in the bag developing crinkles and folds and actually ‘skrinking’. Many consider this very aesthetically unappealing. DCF tent manufacturers actually suggest folding the tent the same way all the time to avoid this. However, in areas of repeat folding along the same lines those folds develop into cracks and holes (less than ideal for those seeking a waterproof bag). Now, if you have $500 to spend on a bag perhaps this isn’t a financial concern for you. If however you’re looking for an investment piece, DCF has a very predictable course of break-down and people considering this bag may want to look elsewhere. For more information, checkout Darwin On The Trail’s video (skip to 6min45sec) - ua-cam.com/video/b3FCVt64YfU/v-deo.html
Personally, I think DCF is an overused, overhyped material. A 2, 2.5, or 3-layer waterproof-breathable fabric like GoreTex or a 3-layer waterproof material like XPac is made with a nylon face fabric which will look almost identical throughout it’s entire lifecycle and would provide the same waterproof quality as DCF without the risk of ‘splitting’ and developing holes.
Hi Greywolf!
Thank you for the awesome comment. These are the kind of comments that I love and the kind of discussion I really hope to grow on my channel.
I definitely hear what you're saying - I actually own/have owned a fair amount of outdoor equipment made from DCF: a few packs such as the HMG SW 2400 and Millet Trilogy 30, and a few different tents including the usual suspects (HMG Ultamid, Zpacks Plexamid) and even a couple of overpriced offerings from more mainstream brands (i.e. the Big Agnes Scout Carbon (damn you REI membership dividend and my weak impulse control)). And am also a fan of Darwin (who I thank for getting me into cold soaking, even though he's back to stoves these days as far as I recall) though there is a world of difference between the 24/7 through hiking world he inhabits and the 2~3 night trips I usually take. 😅
I also agree with you on the points you raise regarding long term wear and durability of Dyneema - as you pointed out, there's a lot of myth and hype surrounding Dyneema usually around the idea of its "indestructability" (often by people who have never scraped a Dyneema pack alongside a rock face and watched it tear open). That having been said, I do think a lot depends on the context and intended use. So for through hikers/hard core outdoorsmen/women, as you mentioned out that beautiful crinkly stiff DCF pack is going to look like a ratty trash bag after a season or two. (In my review of the Rofmia Shift Daypack v2 I actually called out that Dyneema will wear in and get small holes along the crease lines over time)
And to your point, when you're living out of your bag for months on end where between water getting into your quilt through small holes in the fabric wear lines could literally mean hypothermia at night, I think it's really important for people to deeply understand the true properties of their gear and not get caught up in the DCF hype - which I do think a lot of people do.
(That having been said, I don't (think?) most LW/ULW hikers expect most of their gear to last more than a few seasons - durability usually be the trade off made for lighter base weight)
However, I think there are other reasons to select DCF as a material beyond simply its weight savings, general stretch resistance and waterproof nature. The structural properties, texture and general appearance are also important considerations in non-outdoor contexts. As an example, the Rofmia DCF Shift Daypack or Boston Bag are not intended for outdoor context but rather for urban EDC use/relatively civilized (train/plane/automobile) urban travel, etc. And within these contexts (in which design, aesthetics and fashion undeniably play a role) I think that these latter properties should probably be given more weight than the former (though I personally find the light weight and structure to be important here as well - for example it's hard to imagine this Boston Bag would be nearly as attractive if it were made out of a floppy non-structured sil-nylon to achieve similar thinness and light weight as the DCF construction here allows).
Additionally, within these use cases - and I say this as a person who has really used the Rofmia Shift Daypack quite extensively as an EDC bag for quite a while - I don't honestly believe that the long term durability and wearing in of DCF is as large of a concern (particularly for the Boston bag if used as a point to point travel bag). Within these use cases, the load demands - and environmental forces - are generally so much less than that expected of a through hiking pack or tent and the consequences of failure (i.e. a few micro holes/wear lines) are much smaller (and could potentially be seen as aesthetically pleasing to those who enjoy gear that wears in, ala leather developing a patina).
I fully expect these bags to last many years under normal use within these contexts, which at least for me (and I believe many people) would fall within the normal expectations of a bag (after all, I would wager most people would not be surprised if a cordura backpack would develop a small tear/hole after a few years of heavy use as well).
That having been said, I really think you raise an interesting question around the idea of purchasing a DCF bag as an "investment" - because I also do agree with you that with heavy use even within the contexts above a DCF bag will almost certainly look more heavily "worn in" than a bag made of a heavier, sturdier material. And in this context if people are buying a bag with the expectation that it will literally be indestructible and look as good as new 2-3 years down the line even with regular use - then yes, that misaligned expectation definitely should be reconciled before they drop $500 USD on a bag. Along the same lines, people who might be buying this bag with the expectation that it is "waterproof" and are in a situation where they seriously demand actually, high performance waterproof ness (I'm not sure what situation a Boston Bag would find itself where hard core water resistance is critical but hey, there's all sorts of crazy contexts in this world 😂) also need to make sure they understand the durability of DCF under wear before pulling the trigger. (I actually think I forgot to even talk about the water resistance in this review because the bag doesn't even have taped seams - the DCF use here is largely for aesthetics and design in my opinion).
I really appreciate you raising these points - I guess I had been assuming that most people were inherently understanding when DCF is used in a bag for aesthetics/looksand when it is being used for its waterproof ness/theorised durability/weight etc. As you rightfully pointed out, this is a very expensive bag and maybe the hype surrounding DCF is such that many people may have unrealistic expectations for the material - I'm going to pin your comment so others see it and try to briefly touch on this the next time I review a bag made out of DCF.
Love this review! Keywords: light (if possible, but not super light), quite durable, simple with just enough organizations. That's why I have my Goruck GRs, even though they're a bit heavy. And I also like the discussions in the comment section! Two thumbs Up! On a side note: I once commented on your audio quality. It has now improved! Thanks.
Hi Erry! Thank you so much for the kind words - your keyword summary is spot on!
And glad to hear that the audio issues have improved - I ended up switching to a different mic which hopefully has been working better :)
Love this review and bag. Now subscribed. Hope to see more great reviews. Thanks for your hard work.
My pleasure David! I'm so glad you found this video useful!!!
The capacity to weight/vol ratio of a bag is an interesting point. My personal gripe is bags that have super over-built dedicated laptop sleeves. Like if you're traveling around the world in 35 litres, are you really going to be bringing a 18 inch, thickass laptop? Not at all. But the extra space bringing a 13" slim laptop isn't useable at all, it's just dead padding. And ignoring the fact you're going to be carrying soft padding (clothes) as well - the pact bags solve this problem pretty cleverly. Same with bags which have excessive material weight, like do you really need ballistic grade material if you're not getting shot at. What's the chance a bag is actually going to break due to abrasion on the fabric, compared to zipper dying, shit getting split in it, theft etc.
+1 to everything you said Eliot, especially about overpadded laptop sleeves - it's something that I've always been annoyed by but never really thought about why until I just read your comment. (I feel the same way about overbuilt external laptop compartments - I am a fan of external laptop access but prefer it to be built as minimally and compact as possible. Unfortunately, some bags give you these huge thickly padded (on both sides!) "pizza boxes" that take away an excess of space from the main volume and aren't usable for much else than carrying a laptop and maybe a few papers).
I find that a lot of modern tech equipment (laptops and cameras for example) are actually quite robust and don't require an excess of padding during transit (a reason why I generally eschew thickly padded square camera cubes in favour of thin neoprene camera cases), with the main danger coming (in my opinion) from the bottom of the bag being set down/dropped forcefully on hard surfaces when taking it off your shoulders. Thus a suspended/false bottom compartment with a minimum of padding on the "front/back" would probably be just as effective but significantly improve space usage/weight - the Pakt example that you gave is an excellent one in my opinion.
Regarding materials with excessive weight - so like many carry fans, I also own a couple of GoRucks and similar "super heavy duty" bags. I appreciate the general form factor (especially of the GR1) which in terms of construction (with a simple single large main volume, rectangular design and minimal space dedicated to external laptop carry) also tends to produce a better capacity to volume ratio... but then as you said, they make it out of an extremely overbuilt and unnecessarily heavy (for my needs) material that just adds a ton of weight and takes forever and a day to break in (plus the molle straps... le sigh).
Granted, I know and respect that the purpose and intended use for which they designed the bag is different than what I would like to use it for (and there are other bags that I think take the same idea and execute it with lighter materials, such as one of my favourite OBT bags - the Heimplanet Monolith Daypack) but I do wonder what percentage of their customer base is actually into hard core rucking events/situations that might involve getting shot at (as you put it :) ) and what percent are actually just using them around the city or for relatively civilised travel (meaning jets, trains and cars as opposed to bushplanes, jeeps and pack animals).
Eliot, Pakt notebook sleeve location solves another problem which I valued deeply. Bare with me. :) If you are really traveling 3 weeks+ and you know you will be on a long stretch without washing clothes, your bag will be really full and heavy. If your notebook is directly against your body, guess what bends along the way along with the frame sheet? Your notebook screen. So... not having it against my body is a must for a travel backpack :)
@@epretto Yes 100%, I've definitely noticed the curve crush of having it next to the framesheet. Your back isn't flat at all right. One thing I've seen people do with the synapse 25, particularly the older versions that didn't have a dedicated laptop sleeve, is actually have it in this one flat pocket which is roughly in the center of the bag. So the layering from your back goes clothes, laptop, organised stuff. Makes a lot of sense having the natural curves and bumps of the body absorbed by your clothes first, not your laptop.
you sold me... waiting for mine to arrive
That's awesome! I hope it arrives soon for you - let me know how you like it!
Per usual, superb review! Would love a review of the Veilance Seque Tote in a similar matter, to understand the tote’s true capacity for one bag traveling
Thank you so much Elvis! A review of the Seque tote would be interesting - I never really thought there was much to write about totes but when I read your comments I started to think - hmm, I actually do have a lot of thoughts on this particular (expensive) tote 😂. Stay tuned!
Great looking bag but boy that is expensive
Really appreciate your detailed reviews and your collection of bags is quite amazing! I love the look and material of this bag but I just don’t have any use case for it! Hopefully they are sold out so that I don’t need to fight against my own desire not to buy one! 😂
Ahahahhahaa I feel you my friend. The struggle is real!! (let's see: pay rent or buy a new bag? 😂)
New viewer. Love your bag reviews! Do you happen to have the rofmia Boston L, or the backpack v2? Would love to see you review those two rofmia bags, as well!
Hi FoundMonster (cool name btw!)
I don't have the larger Boston bag as I think that bag would get too heavy to haul around with one hand/shoulder strap at that size (and for that capacity to material ratio - I love dyneema but I would want more structure/padding if hauling that much capacity in a Boston bag form factor).
As for the Backpack v2.... stay tuned ;)
How does this bag carry using the strap in a cross body style? I'm thinking of using this as a low profile
minimal camera bag for say a Leica M and a lens or two (all separate padded containers) on the street. Perhaps also adding an occasional 13 MacBook or iPad Pro during airline carry-on. thanks Mountain!
Hi Rumble Star!
So personally I don't think this would be a good choice for this particular use case. The bag is fairly large just to house a Leica M and a couple of lenses (those would easily fit in a Peak Design Everyday Sling 6L) and even if you threw in the laptop/ipad Pro you can still fit all of that in a Peak Design 10L sling. Conversely, the Rofmia tote is a fairly cavernous 22L and while liter sizes are all approximate, relatively speaking there is still a *ton* of excess space left over.
You mentioned you're looking for a low-profile bag, and here the overall large size of this bag versus the contents you want to carry I think would make it more conspicuous than low-profile. Adding to this, this bag doesn't have much structure - it will retain its shape when empty but if you load in something heavy like the Leica M + a few lenses (which given their all metal construction are small but very dense) the bag will definitely sag/wrap around in an unpleasant way if you carry it cross-body.
Stepping away from the camera-use case for a moment, to address your question about cross-body carry... it does okay cross body when loaded up more generally (as shown in the video) but again, it does wrap a bit around the body given the lack of internal padding/structure, so it benefits from either side-carry (as I show in the video) or else from judicious packing (flat items against the back to help give it some structure to help ease some of the wrapping.)
Obviously contouring to the body isn't bad by any means but it can sometimes make access difficult if the zipper wraps around too aggressively - not a problem with simple point A-to-B carry, but if you're looking to get in/out of the bag (such as to access your cameras when street shooting) I think this will quickly become frustrating.
In my humble opinion, for your use case you will likely be better served by a more dedicated low profile camera bag - I personally usually reach for the Peak Design Everyday Sling series for the type of load out you describe (the 10L will fit your camera gear + a 13" Macbook pro or 12.9" iPad pro) or if you prefer, something like the various Billingham bags (not my personal cup of tea but quite popular with Leica shooters and I have to admit some of them look super classy). Other alternatives might include the Moment Camera Sling (also available in the 6/10L ) which is a bit cheaper and comes in an interesting fabric materialway.
Don't get me wrong, I love the Rofmia Boston bag but I (personally) think it might not be the best choice for your intended use.
Good luck!
Great, now I want a $500 bag
😂 Welcome to my life hahahha
Niiiiiiice! Is that a new Dyneema Apron?
Hi Eugenio! Haha thanks for noticing! 😊 It's actually an X-Pac apron by the Japanese outdoor brand Snow Peak.
(I really wish someone made a Dyneema apron though I can understand what that might not be the most practical 😅)
@@TheMountainborn Right!!! X-Pac.. I saw the x pattern and that is how I have noticed it! :) I have several things from snow peak on my what watch list . I guess I have one more now...
Hi, is there a chance you could review the arktype dashpack waxed canvas some time in the future? Thanks great channel.
Hi Fezza! Sure, I will add it to the list and reply back on this comment to let you know if/when I review it!
Thanks! How can I buy this if I live in US?
Hi AC!
I believe that Rofmia will ship abroad and they have an English version of their site here:
en.rofmia.com/shift-series-2
I'm personally a huge Rofmia fan, so highly recommend you check it out!
Trying to find one of these if anyone here has a line. Thank you :)
Yeah, Rofmia has really blown up in the years since I recorded these reviews (and deservedly so, they are awesome). They periodically publish the restock schedules and release at the exact date/time they say which is awesome. If you haven’t already, click on the “notify me” button on the bag on their website and they’ll send you information when it comes back in stock (usually once every few months) - just be quick to snatch them up when they land as they’re usually gone in a few minutes!
I will never understand how people are willing to pay so much money for something they can have for a fraction of the price...
I got a similar back from Decathlon (paid 15 USD for it), and made an interior lining with some organizer pockets and pouches inside (done from scrap material).....
All in all, i got a similar back (made from Nylon, not Dyneema) that weighs less than 75 Grams, and only cost me about 25 USD...
But "too each their own", as they like to say...