For me the deal breaker would be the front pocket zippers. There's no way to lock them which makes them useless when traveling in a crowded situation. Other than that, the bag is very nice.
Those two front pockets you can lock to eachother but the other ones are more tricky to lock, I just don't keep valuables in here if I'm in a crowded area but it would be nice to have that option.
I just received my Synik a couple of days ago and am excited to use it in a couple of weeks. Thanks for the great review ~ straightforward and concise. Subscribed.
Nice to see a local person making a video on these. I didn't know they had a showroom and I look forward to checking it out. Love that shot in the tunnel. I was a security supervisor in the tunnel years ago.
U of W station tunnel? I live in the PNW but not in Seattle, just visiting and mandatory pilgrimage to the Tom Bihn showroom. The showroom is really small but worth checking out if you're down there and if you email/call ahead they will give you a tour of the showroom, very cool space and neat to see they make all their bags in-house.
Yes, I did and it fit under the seat on my flights. It doesn't look big, so low chance that the gate attendant will call you out, but if you have it overpacked it might not fit in a personal item sizer if they ask you to.
The Synik is a bag I've always coveted but its price is beyond my means. Your review reaffirms my take: a premium bag with a distinctive design (albeit not for everyone) at a premium price.
@@ccuellar6212 If by cheaper you mean cheaply made I agree. If you mean less expensive, then not necessarily. My bags have #10 YKK's, 500d-1050d (cordura, ballistic) nylon, robust harnesses, etc. What they don't have is Tom Bihn's stellar attention to detail, organization and finish. But that doesn't reflect on their durability or suitability for my purposes.
@@Fetucineea decade ago I had a UA-cam channel which I covered types of travel including budget travel gear. Inexpensive and cheap are definitely not the same thing and I loved finding quality materials in less expensive bags. I currently live in Seattle and have made the trip to Tom Bihn just to see the showroom and factory and have purchased a few pieces. If you are a consummate traveler who travels perhaps 1-2 months a year the quality pays off rather quickly but I still believe in finding bargain brands / pieces! More money for travel that way!
It fits, but it's tight and underpacked. But you know you can always take something out of the bag and wear it, like a bulky sweater, to increase the chances it will fit. I think it would work as a personal item in most situations, but if it's overpacked it may not.
I noticed you didn’t do the packing peanut measurement on this bag. Do you think it would be too hard to do with all the pockets? I think I can get a pretty good idea what the Synik 30 will hold from the packing cubes and water bottles you used, but I love that packing peanut measurement you do in other videos. It gives such a good comparison between bags.
It's doable with the pockets but not as easy, I think I was just running behind on this video so I decided to cut it. I have a few bags I need to do measurements on so I may do a quick Short for this.
Ive rewatched this video and saw how nicely the peak design bags fit - I'm considering them. So far, im using a very large eagle creek bag but i do like separating my clothes.
Great review. One question though. You state that "they have never sold out to a larger company or moved their production overseas." Wasn't Tom Bihn sold to a private investment firm in 2022?
There was an article that claimed that a few months ago, but it has since been taken down. From what I can tell Tom Bihn is still owner-operated, but received some investment from a company that has no controlling stake. I tried looking up more info since that article got taken down, but I can't find anything that verifies a sale. I made some other comments with links to the Reddit posts in another comment by zionlion02. This is a link to the original article, which has since been removed: www.industrynet.com/blog/tom-bihn-inc-acquired-by-snow-hill-capital?fbclid=IwAR1b6OuvNUPt19iLi6gAOaR2KZ1J6wPu68Ul9lWoJ9oBWqKvbQMKeaKXNj8
My left shoulder (the right side of the video) is the Thule Aion on the bottom, and Aer Duffel (discontinued) middle right. Left side of video is Kuhl Eskape, Mystery Ranch District 24, and on the bottom that's either the AER Travel Pack 3 or Able Carry Max Backpack.
@@OneBagTravels thanks! i noticed you didn't use the styrofoam peanuts to test the bag's real capacity. i really liked that feature of your videos. any reason you stopped doing that?
Yes, I have the 30L right now in the Taiga Halcyon, I've taken it out on a few short trips so far. I'm planning on doing a review probably in the next month or so.
They're a fairly small company operating out of a single factory, make everything in-house. It is too bad that they don't sell overseas, but I suspect they would need to outsource production, which I think would reduce the quality on their packs.
@@OneBagTravels I’m not sure, I have some very nice Goruck bags, all USA produced as well but able to be ordered in Europe. Sometimes we have to wait a while to have some specific limited editions which is ok to me. I have recently spoken to a bag website shop owner, bag enthusiast like me, the one selling Goruck and multiple other backpack brands asking: why you did not have Tom Bihn in your brands portfolio. He said he had written to Tom Bihn offering to distribute their products in Europe but sadly never had any response 😢
@@928ruf That's a bummer! I imagine you could buy one used and have it shipped, but unfortunate that it's a much more difficult and expensive option. What are your favorite European travel backpack brands, I'm familiar with the big names like Fjällräven, Decathalon, Deuter, Jack Wolfskin, Trakke etc. but I don't know of any smaller companies.
Nite-Ize S-Biner Micro lock. Its a mini carabiner with a little plastic toggle that locks the clips from opening. Low level security, but it's very low-key, doesn't look like you're trying to lock your bag, easy to open, but tricky to figure out quickly if you don't know what it is (amzn.to/2AQoJA8).
I've been seeing mixed messages on this. First a post came out on Reddit referencing an article from Industry Net about the sale of Tom Bihn to Snow Hill Capital. Since then this article has been taken down. Indeed the founder, Tom Bihn, is no longer an owner of the company, and they have a new CEO, Cindy Guan. She answers some questions on the Tom Bihn site (link below). Then this is apparently from a different Q&A with the new CEO, but I can't find the original reference, only a copy paste into a Reddit comment from the link below: "I can confirm that the company is not owned by venture capital, nor private equity. The company is still owner-operated. If you’re wondering what Snow Hill Capital is, that is a family office with a small investment but no controlling stake in the company (we have also reached out to the publication that posted the article without validating the facts to correct the language)" It seems to me that Tom Bihn has not in fact been sold to a private equity company, which as based on a now redacted article from Industry Net. Unless more information has come out since this redacted artlicle that I haven't seen. www.reddit.com/r/onebag/comments/x0uhvb/it_looks_like_tom_bihn_has_been_sold_to_a_private/ www.tombihn.com/blogs/main/q-a-with-cindy
@@OneBagTravels I’m so confused. Best bet is to buy Tom Bihn today because this could be the beginning of the end. As a long time user and extensive traveler I can tell you that currently these are life long bags.
@@ccuellar6212 After visiting their factory I don't get the impression they are making any radical changes. They have a new CEO, but still essentially the same company, still have many of the same workers for decades. I imagine they will put out some new designs, maybe try to compete more in the EDC space, but I imagine they will at least keep their standard base line of bags, and stay with their design style and aesthetic.
@@OneBagTravelsI was going to sell my limited release Synapse 25 Guide's Edition but I may just hang on to it instead. This is sad to hear. Always admired the company.
@@OneBagTravels I ended up buying an almost new synik 30 for 260 USD! It was 360 USD brand new to have it shipped to Canada which was way too much for a bag. Arriving in 2 weeks, im excited
For me the deal breaker would be the front pocket zippers. There's no way to lock them which makes them useless when traveling in a crowded situation. Other than that, the bag is very nice.
Those two front pockets you can lock to eachother but the other ones are more tricky to lock, I just don't keep valuables in here if I'm in a crowded area but it would be nice to have that option.
I just received my Synik a couple of days ago and am excited to use it in a couple of weeks.
Thanks for the great review ~ straightforward and concise.
Subscribed.
Niiccee, hope you love it!
I have a synapse 25 & a Synapse GE 25…. And a Pilot but still pining for a 30L Synik :). Great bags & clean lines for urban/travel use.
Wish they would re-release the Guide Edition!
Just bought this bad boy, cannot wait for it to get shipped out to me. Loved your review, very detailed and helped a lot in my decision to purchase.
Great! Glad it was helpful and hope you love the bag!
@@OneBagTravels I've already taken it one a 4 day trip and it worked beautifully, super happy with it!
Great review. You show off just what a versatile bag it is!
Thanks!
Nice to see a local person making a video on these. I didn't know they had a showroom and I look forward to checking it out. Love that shot in the tunnel. I was a security supervisor in the tunnel years ago.
U of W station tunnel? I live in the PNW but not in Seattle, just visiting and mandatory pilgrimage to the Tom Bihn showroom. The showroom is really small but worth checking out if you're down there and if you email/call ahead they will give you a tour of the showroom, very cool space and neat to see they make all their bags in-house.
Deep Blue/Acai!! That's my first ever Tom Bihn Bag, I'm obsessed with it 😅
Classic color combo!
Finally. Tom Bihn.
Finally! Funny cause Tom Bihn Tristar was one of my first bags, just never got around to reviewing it 😆
I’ve been eyeing the Tristar for a decade. Not sure how comfortable it is in backpack mode? Which bag do you like better?
Awesome review as always! A lot of people use it as a personal item.
Yes, I did and it fit under the seat on my flights. It doesn't look big, so low chance that the gate attendant will call you out, but if you have it overpacked it might not fit in a personal item sizer if they ask you to.
The Synik is a bag I've always coveted but its price is beyond my means. Your review reaffirms my take: a premium bag with a distinctive design (albeit not for everyone) at a premium price.
Yes I think you covered it perfectly. Premium bag with a distinctive design at a premium price.
A cheaper bag will cost you more in the long run.
@@ccuellar6212 If by cheaper you mean cheaply made I agree. If you mean less expensive, then not necessarily. My bags have #10 YKK's, 500d-1050d (cordura, ballistic) nylon, robust harnesses, etc. What they don't have is Tom Bihn's stellar attention to detail, organization and finish. But that doesn't reflect on their durability or suitability for my purposes.
@@Fetucineea decade ago I had a UA-cam channel which I covered types of travel including budget travel gear.
Inexpensive and cheap are definitely not the same thing and I loved finding quality materials in less expensive bags.
I currently live in Seattle and have made the trip to Tom Bihn just to see the showroom and factory and have purchased a few pieces.
If you are a consummate traveler who travels perhaps 1-2 months a year the quality pays off rather quickly but I still believe in finding bargain brands / pieces!
More money for travel that way!
Awesome, this is one of my dream Bags... after the Aer travel Pack 3 😎
Both great packs! =)
I dunno my TP3 doesn’t seem to hold that much. I honestly prefer my Patagonia MLC45
Looks like it fits perfectly in the sizer
It fits, but it's tight and underpacked. But you know you can always take something out of the bag and wear it, like a bulky sweater, to increase the chances it will fit. I think it would work as a personal item in most situations, but if it's overpacked it may not.
I noticed you didn’t do the packing peanut measurement on this bag. Do you think it would be too hard to do with all the pockets? I think I can get a pretty good idea what the Synik 30 will hold from the packing cubes and water bottles you used, but I love that packing peanut measurement you do in other videos. It gives such a good comparison between bags.
It's doable with the pockets but not as easy, I think I was just running behind on this video so I decided to cut it. I have a few bags I need to do measurements on so I may do a quick Short for this.
great review!
Thanks!
Ive rewatched this video and saw how nicely the peak design bags fit - I'm considering them. So far, im using a very large eagle creek bag but i do like separating my clothes.
Matador SEG 30 is great also if you like your clothes separated.
Peakdesign is heavy as hell
@@PlainsAyu the travel bag? Yes. I meant the packing cubes
Great video! Is there a possibility of maybe doing a review of a Techonout?
I was actually contemplating buying one when I was in Seattle, I'll get around to it eventually!
Great review. One question though. You state that "they have never sold out to a larger company or moved their production overseas." Wasn't Tom Bihn sold to a private investment firm in 2022?
There was an article that claimed that a few months ago, but it has since been taken down. From what I can tell Tom Bihn is still owner-operated, but received some investment from a company that has no controlling stake. I tried looking up more info since that article got taken down, but I can't find anything that verifies a sale. I made some other comments with links to the Reddit posts in another comment by zionlion02.
This is a link to the original article, which has since been removed:
www.industrynet.com/blog/tom-bihn-inc-acquired-by-snow-hill-capital?fbclid=IwAR1b6OuvNUPt19iLi6gAOaR2KZ1J6wPu68Ul9lWoJ9oBWqKvbQMKeaKXNj8
I have my eye on the Technonaut 45.
Techonaut is a good pack.
Thanks for the helpful review! Also curious what the two black bags over your left shoulder are?
My left shoulder (the right side of the video) is the Thule Aion on the bottom, and Aer Duffel (discontinued) middle right. Left side of video is Kuhl Eskape, Mystery Ranch District 24, and on the bottom that's either the AER Travel Pack 3 or Able Carry Max Backpack.
@@OneBagTravels Thank you!
Excellent
Thank you so much 😀
Hey, can you do a review on Shimoda X30? I wonder if it works as a personal item.
Never heard of that pack, I'll check it out!
Do you know how big is the main compartment in liters?
Just guessing it's probably 2/3 the volume of the whole pack, so like 20L.
@@OneBagTravels thanks! i noticed you didn't use the styrofoam peanuts to test the bag's real capacity. i really liked that feature of your videos. any reason you stopped doing that?
@@intravenousradio I usually do the peanut test, sometimes I skip it if I'm running behind on getting a video out because it's kind of time consuming.
Are you planning to review the TB Techonaut?
Yes, I have the 30L right now in the Taiga Halcyon, I've taken it out on a few short trips so far. I'm planning on doing a review probably in the next month or so.
Looking forward to it!@@OneBagTravels
No packing peanuts test??????
😬
is Synik waterproof?
Nay
Quite sad they have not done the effort to look for an European official distributor
They're a fairly small company operating out of a single factory, make everything in-house. It is too bad that they don't sell overseas, but I suspect they would need to outsource production, which I think would reduce the quality on their packs.
@@OneBagTravels I’m not sure, I have some very nice Goruck bags, all USA produced as well but able to be ordered in Europe.
Sometimes we have to wait a while to have some specific limited editions which is ok to me.
I have recently spoken to a bag website shop owner, bag enthusiast like me, the one selling Goruck and multiple other backpack brands asking: why you did not have Tom Bihn in your brands portfolio.
He said he had written to Tom Bihn offering to distribute their products in Europe but sadly never had any response 😢
@@928ruf That's a bummer! I imagine you could buy one used and have it shipped, but unfortunate that it's a much more difficult and expensive option. What are your favorite European travel backpack brands, I'm familiar with the big names like Fjällräven, Decathalon, Deuter, Jack Wolfskin, Trakke etc. but I don't know of any smaller companies.
What is this micro lock you mentioned?
Nite-Ize S-Biner Micro lock. Its a mini carabiner with a little plastic toggle that locks the clips from opening. Low level security, but it's very low-key, doesn't look like you're trying to lock your bag, easy to open, but tricky to figure out quickly if you don't know what it is (amzn.to/2AQoJA8).
I spot a hero clip
👀👀
They just did in fact sell to a larger company :)
I've been seeing mixed messages on this. First a post came out on Reddit referencing an article from Industry Net about the sale of Tom Bihn to Snow Hill Capital. Since then this article has been taken down. Indeed the founder, Tom Bihn, is no longer an owner of the company, and they have a new CEO, Cindy Guan. She answers some questions on the Tom Bihn site (link below).
Then this is apparently from a different Q&A with the new CEO, but I can't find the original reference, only a copy paste into a Reddit comment from the link below:
"I can confirm that the company is not owned by venture capital, nor private equity. The company is still owner-operated. If you’re wondering what Snow Hill Capital is, that is a family office with a small investment but no controlling stake in the company (we have also reached out to the publication that posted the article without validating the facts to correct the language)"
It seems to me that Tom Bihn has not in fact been sold to a private equity company, which as based on a now redacted article from Industry Net. Unless more information has come out since this redacted artlicle that I haven't seen.
www.reddit.com/r/onebag/comments/x0uhvb/it_looks_like_tom_bihn_has_been_sold_to_a_private/
www.tombihn.com/blogs/main/q-a-with-cindy
@@OneBagTravels I’m so confused. Best bet is to buy Tom Bihn today because this could be the beginning of the end. As a long time user and extensive traveler I can tell you that currently these are life long bags.
@@ccuellar6212 After visiting their factory I don't get the impression they are making any radical changes. They have a new CEO, but still essentially the same company, still have many of the same workers for decades. I imagine they will put out some new designs, maybe try to compete more in the EDC space, but I imagine they will at least keep their standard base line of bags, and stay with their design style and aesthetic.
@@OneBagTravelsI was going to sell my limited release Synapse 25 Guide's Edition but I may just hang on to it instead. This is sad to hear. Always admired the company.
I cant decide between this and far point 40 :/ the 40 seems way too big and i like how this can fit under an airplane seat, what would you recommend?
Tough decision! There's always the Porter 30, smaller than the Farpoint but similiar design, less comfortable carry though
@@OneBagTravels I ended up buying an almost new synik 30 for 260 USD! It was 360 USD brand new to have it shipped to Canada which was way too much for a bag. Arriving in 2 weeks, im excited