I just got my S22 yesterday, and I wanted to note, because I noticed it on yours, too: At certain angles, in certain lighting (or when the light hits it a certain way), it looks darker/discolored in places. I thought my bag was dirty at first, in places, but then I'd move it, and it would no longer be there. It's like the inner-shell coloring peeks through the outer-shell coloring, or something. I'm not bothered by it, but it was interesting. This is the most comfortable bag I have ever worn. I'm 5'2", so the bag is normal sized on me, and I'm glad I went with the S22 instead of the S25 because the S25 would be way too long on me. Good review. Thank you!
Fantastic review! I was actually pretty set on getting the Synapse 19 with the frame and iPad cache and I was planning on wrapping the grab handle to make it more comfortable and substantial. Thankfully someone mentioned this Synik 22 and it fixes all the issues I had.
I was going to start replying about comparing my Synapse to this, but I'll wait for your review on that to leave yet another long comment. lol I like that they included different size options compared to the Synapse line, but I couldn't justify the price for what seems like not a lot of improvement. I personally don't want a clamshell main compartment for a daily backpack, so that was a big turn-off for me.
Thank you for watching and I have to agree on the price difference, I think the Synapse offers a similar amount of value for less which is nice! Excited to share out the video for the synapse over the next couple of weeks!:)
Really like Tom Bihn materials, but a 22 l bag that only holds a 13" laptop, is a less useful design. What is the smallest TB backpack that holds 14" thinkpad?
Thank you for watching and that’s good to hear the larger version feels more comfortable! I’ll definitely have to see if I can check that out at some point, my hesitation with that one is that it looks pretty big for Everyday carry which was one of the big draws to the 22 and the synapse 25 for me. A lot of people seem to really like the 30 though so I may have to give it a chance!:)
It seems like several of your complaints could be fixed by just bumping up to the 30L version. However, the side access for the laptop compartment is still a little small for my laptop (14.1" gaming laptop) when fully packed.
Owen Wagoner it’s annoying that they make you bump up to the 30L which is overkill. I feel they made this bag just a tad too small. An inch more in height would’ve been perfect to fit ALL 13inch laptops. They could’ve made the laptop sleeve opening bigger as well. That’s my only complaint. Everything else fits perfectly for me.
Thank you for watching and I’ll definitely have to see if I can check out the 30l at some point! From what I’ve seen it still seems like the laptop area in that one is not super well padded and although I’ve heard a lot of great things about the Tom BIHN straps I’m not super crazy about how they’ve felt so far. That may be more personal preference tho and there’s still a lot to like about the bag!:)
Thank you for watching and for the positive feedback! I’m glad the video was helpful and I added a link to the black pouch in the description of the video. Hope that helps a bit and please let me know if there are any additional questions I can help answer about the bag!:)
Thank you for watching! Definitely lots of good options in this range, some of the ones that come to mind are the aer City Pack pro, pakt 22l daily backpack, evergoods chz22, bellroy transit Workpack, Fjallraven raven 20, timbuk2 division pack, goruck gr1 21l, mystery ranch catalyst 22
You mentioned that you prefer clamshell bags. Ever have them open up on you? I like everything about the Synik (don't own one...yet) but the fact that it's clamshell makes me hesitate from pulling the trigger. I'm afraid it'll fail one day and open up on me!
Thank you for watching and good question! So far I haven’t had that experience with a clamshell bag, but I could see how that is definitely a concern especially with bags that don’t have durable and aqua guarded ykk zips or if you happen to leave your bag somewhat open and you forget and it opens up all the way when you lift it up. For me I’ve gotten so used to this style and it’s really nice for being able to pack more easily especially when I want to use there bags more for travel that it’s worth the trade offs. For this one in particular the fact that it has the water protection on the inside of the zipper actually makes the zipper a little harder to open which gives a little more peace of mind that it want accidentally open up on you. Hope that helps a bit and please let me know if there are any additional questions I can help answer about the bag!:)
I am considering to buy this bag I really like it however security is a flaw with all the sternal pockets what do you recommend for ad a little bit of security, specially on the bottom pocket?
Curious with the clamshell. If out on a hike or walks with kids; with the clamshell opening does that pose an issue with unzipping and Everything just falling right out?
Thank you for watching and definitely a fair concern! I haven’t really had any concern with this bag as the zippers have the inner water protective lining and feel a little stiffer so they have stayed in place pretty well so far
Thank you for watching and good question! I haven’t had a chance to test it with the frame sheet and Tom BIHN laptop cache, but I would say the synapse is still a good amount bigger than this one. Hope that helps a bit and please let me know if there are any additional questions I can help answer about the bags!:)
Thank you for watching! With the case it might start to get close to the top of the compartment but I think it should still be able to fit as long as you are not trying to fit it into the zippered laptop sleeve that, would likely only be able to fit a 13” MacBook :)
Thank you for watching and good question! Unfortunately I think that would be a little bit big for the compartment. If there are any additional questions I can help answer about the bag please let me know!:)
Thank you for watching and good question! The main issues I had were that the laptop compartment doesn’t really offer too much protection and that the straps felt a little small and not as comfortable as expected. The bag was also smaller overall than I would have imagined for 22L which isn’t a negative per say but I wanted to make sure that was clear for anyone who was purchasing and though the bag might be able to hold as much as something like the mystery ranch prizefighter or another bag in that size range. Hope that helps a bit and please let me know if there are any additional questions I can help answer about the bag!:)
Good question! I feel like the bellroy classic can hold maybe a little bit more due to its simpler layout and the harness feels a lot more comfortable in my opinion
Traveling Salseros interesting. Was thinking due to separate water bottle compartment and more external pockets that TB will be bigger in main compartment overall. If YOU would have to pick one i guess it would be Bellroy due to internal height?
Thank you for watching and good question! For EDC if you don’t need to use as a shoulder bag or briefcase I would probably lean towards this one as it’s size might be a little more manageable and it’s laptop protection is slightly better. Hope that helps a bit and please let me know if there are any additional questions I can help answer about the bags!:)
Thank you for the positive feedback! And yes that is a very tough choice! Haha I think one will really come down to packing and organizational philosophy. For me I will always gravitate towards the simplicity of the GR1 even though I think the Synik has a great organizational layout. The more tactical look of the GR1 is something I like as well. Also for me, I feel like straps on the GR1 and the overall build quality seems a little bit better. Hope that helps a bit and please let me know if there is anything else I can help answer!:)
Thank you for watching! Just to clarify a regular iPhone 12/13 could potentially fit but it would be pretty tight on the height and that’s if you don’t use a bulky case with your phone
Thank you for watching! And yes that is the navy para pack version. Hope that helps a bit and please let me know if there are any additional questions I can help answer about the bag!:)
what brand would you recommend for a college student; all of these upper ends should last so quality is a given for all so having said that, comfort is my #1 for him and of course equally important is ability to carry of lot of books/binders
Thank you for watching and good question! Tom BIHN is definitely a high quality bag and it will be with him for a long time! Some other options that might be worth considering for a student would be the north face Borealis, osprey apogee, mystery ranch urban assault 21 / 24 or the Fjallraven Raven 28. Hope that helps a bit and if there are any additional questions I can help answer about the bags please let me know!:)
Your reviews are really good. You communicate well and get straight to the product practicality.
Thank you for watching and I’m glad the videos have been helpful! I really appreciate the support!:)
I just got my S22 yesterday, and I wanted to note, because I noticed it on yours, too: At certain angles, in certain lighting (or when the light hits it a certain way), it looks darker/discolored in places. I thought my bag was dirty at first, in places, but then I'd move it, and it would no longer be there. It's like the inner-shell coloring peeks through the outer-shell coloring, or something. I'm not bothered by it, but it was interesting.
This is the most comfortable bag I have ever worn. I'm 5'2", so the bag is normal sized on me, and I'm glad I went with the S22 instead of the S25 because the S25 would be way too long on me.
Good review. Thank you!
Thank you for watching and for sharing your experience with the bag! I’m glad to hear it’s been working out well for you!:)
Fantastic review! I was actually pretty set on getting the Synapse 19 with the frame and iPad cache and I was planning on wrapping the grab handle to make it more comfortable and substantial. Thankfully someone mentioned this Synik 22 and it fixes all the issues I had.
Thank you for watching and I’m glad the video was helpful! Definitely a really solid all purpose bag!:)
I was going to start replying about comparing my Synapse to this, but I'll wait for your review on that to leave yet another long comment. lol I like that they included different size options compared to the Synapse line, but I couldn't justify the price for what seems like not a lot of improvement. I personally don't want a clamshell main compartment for a daily backpack, so that was a big turn-off for me.
Thank you for watching and I have to agree on the price difference, I think the Synapse offers a similar amount of value for less which is nice! Excited to share out the video for the synapse over the next couple of weeks!:)
I feel like they could’ve made the bag a bit taller to make it easier for the laptop side access
Thank you for watching and I definitely agree on the height! An inch or two taller and a few of the issues I had would have probably been resolved!
You do such a detailed review. Awesome job
Thank you for watching and I’m glad the video was helpful!:)
Really like Tom Bihn materials, but a 22 l bag that only holds a 13" laptop, is a less useful design. What is the smallest TB backpack that holds 14" thinkpad?
Thank you for watching! The new paragon or the shadow guide 23 might be worth checking out
Have this bag and love it.
Thank you for watching and I’m glad to hear you have been enjoying the bag a lot! :)
I picked up the 30 liter version which took care of a lot of those size issues you were talking about.
Thank you for watching and that’s good to hear the larger version feels more comfortable! I’ll definitely have to see if I can check that out at some point, my hesitation with that one is that it looks pretty big for Everyday carry which was one of the big draws to the 22 and the synapse 25 for me. A lot of people seem to really like the 30 though so I may have to give it a chance!:)
It seems like several of your complaints could be fixed by just bumping up to the 30L version. However, the side access for the laptop compartment is still a little small for my laptop (14.1" gaming laptop) when fully packed.
Owen Wagoner it’s annoying that they make you bump up to the 30L which is overkill. I feel they made this bag just a tad too small. An inch more in height would’ve been perfect to fit ALL 13inch laptops. They could’ve made the laptop sleeve opening bigger as well. That’s my only complaint. Everything else fits perfectly for me.
Thank you for watching and I’ll definitely have to see if I can check out the 30l at some point! From what I’ve seen it still seems like the laptop area in that one is not super well padded and although I’ve heard a lot of great things about the Tom BIHN straps I’m not super crazy about how they’ve felt so far. That may be more personal preference tho and there’s still a lot to like about the bag!:)
Can you test the brown buffalo conceal 19l?
Thank you for watching and for the suggestion! That one looks really nice and if I can get my hands on one to review I would be glad to test it out!:)
The zippers look amazing.
Thank you for watching and I agree the zippers on these bags definitely feel really durable! :)
Are you happy with the color? It looks nice in this video but it's always hard to know if it's portrayed right..
navy parapack?
Hello, great review and presentation! :) Please also include a link for the small black pouch with hook.
Thank you!
Thank you for watching and for the positive feedback! I’m glad the video was helpful and I added a link to the black pouch in the description of the video. Hope that helps a bit and please let me know if there are any additional questions I can help answer about the bag!:)
Are there any other bags in this size range you'd recommend?
Thank you for watching! Definitely lots of good options in this range, some of the ones that come to mind are the aer City Pack pro, pakt 22l daily backpack, evergoods chz22, bellroy transit Workpack, Fjallraven raven 20, timbuk2 division pack, goruck gr1 21l, mystery ranch catalyst 22
Thank you honest review
Thank you for watching and I’m glad the video was helpful!:)
You mentioned that you prefer clamshell bags. Ever have them open up on you? I like everything about the Synik (don't own one...yet) but the fact that it's clamshell makes me hesitate from pulling the trigger. I'm afraid it'll fail one day and open up on me!
Thank you for watching and good question! So far I haven’t had that experience with a clamshell bag, but I could see how that is definitely a concern especially with bags that don’t have durable and aqua guarded ykk zips or if you happen to leave your bag somewhat open and you forget and it opens up all the way when you lift it up. For me I’ve gotten so used to this style and it’s really nice for being able to pack more easily especially when I want to use there bags more for travel that it’s worth the trade offs. For this one in particular the fact that it has the water protection on the inside of the zipper actually makes the zipper a little harder to open which gives a little more peace of mind that it want accidentally open up on you. Hope that helps a bit and please let me know if there are any additional questions I can help answer about the bag!:)
@@dannypacks That's reassuring to hear. Thanks for the reply!
How large is your standing desk?
I am considering to buy this bag I really like it however security is a flaw with all the sternal pockets what do you recommend for ad a little bit of security, specially on the bottom pocket?
This is what I am concerned about the most, otherwise it is practically perfect.
Curious with the clamshell. If out on a hike or walks with kids; with the clamshell opening does that pose an issue with unzipping and
Everything just falling right out?
Thank you for watching and definitely a fair concern! I haven’t really had any concern with this bag as the zippers have the inner water protective lining and feel a little stiffer so they have stayed in place pretty well so far
@@dannypacks great thank you for the reply. May go for it and get this.
Is Synapse 25 still bigger in volume when laptop sleeve and frame sheet is used (compare to synik22)?
Thank you for watching and good question! I haven’t had a chance to test it with the frame sheet and Tom BIHN laptop cache, but I would say the synapse is still a good amount bigger than this one. Hope that helps a bit and please let me know if there are any additional questions I can help answer about the bags!:)
Do you think this bag can fit a 16" Mac Book Pro in a laptop pouch inside the main compartment?
Thank you for watching! With the case it might start to get close to the top of the compartment but I think it should still be able to fit as long as you are not trying to fit it into the zippered laptop sleeve that, would likely only be able to fit a 13” MacBook :)
Hi, In your opinion, do you think a 14inch labtop 322mm (width) , 216.8mm (depth) and 16.5 mm (height) be able to fit into the labtop compartment?
Thank you for watching and good question! Unfortunately I think that would be a little bit big for the compartment. If there are any additional questions I can help answer about the bag please let me know!:)
What are the things which you did not like mentioned from the beginning of video. I am not sure if i really understood them during a video.
Thank you for watching and good question! The main issues I had were that the laptop compartment doesn’t really offer too much protection and that the straps felt a little small and not as comfortable as expected. The bag was also smaller overall than I would have imagined for 22L which isn’t a negative per say but I wanted to make sure that was clear for anyone who was purchasing and though the bag might be able to hold as much as something like the mystery ranch prizefighter or another bag in that size range. Hope that helps a bit and please let me know if there are any additional questions I can help answer about the bag!:)
Traveling Salseros speaking about the size ... how does it compare with Bellroy Classic v2
Good question! I feel like the bellroy classic can hold maybe a little bit more due to its simpler layout and the harness feels a lot more comfortable in my opinion
Traveling Salseros interesting. Was thinking due to separate water bottle compartment and more external pockets that TB will be bigger in main compartment overall.
If YOU would have to pick one i guess it would be Bellroy due to internal height?
Why is the Synik 22 $290 while the Synik 30 is $300? Seems like the 22 should be priced down more
Thank you for watching and that’s a fair point! It does feel like it could have been reduced a bit more given the difference in size!
Which one do you recommend the most ? This one or the Topo global briefcase 3-day for EDC ?
Thank you for watching and good question! For EDC if you don’t need to use as a shoulder bag or briefcase I would probably lean towards this one as it’s size might be a little more manageable and it’s laptop protection is slightly better. Hope that helps a bit and please let me know if there are any additional questions I can help answer about the bags!:)
@@dannypacks Well, thank you for the answer! this leads me to my last decision (TOUGH ONE) between this one or the GR1. Very nice videos BTW.
Thank you for the positive feedback! And yes that is a very tough choice! Haha I think one will really come down to packing and organizational philosophy. For me I will always gravitate towards the simplicity of the GR1 even though I think the Synik has a great organizational layout. The more tactical look of the GR1 is something I like as well. Also for me, I feel like straps on the GR1 and the overall build quality seems a little bit better. Hope that helps a bit and please let me know if there is anything else I can help answer!:)
Does an iPhone not plus fit in that small front pocket?
Thank you for watching! Just to clarify a regular iPhone 12/13 could potentially fit but it would be pretty tight on the height and that’s if you don’t use a bulky case with your phone
This is the navy parapack version, correct?
Thank you for watching! And yes that is the navy para pack version. Hope that helps a bit and please let me know if there are any additional questions I can help answer about the bag!:)
What's your height? You might have mentioned it but I don't think you said....
Thank you for watching! I am 5’11” :)
How tall are you? Trying to figure out how it would fit on me.
Thank you for watching! I am 5’11” :)
what brand would you recommend for a college student; all of these upper ends should last so quality is a given for all so having said that, comfort is my #1 for him and of course equally important is ability to carry of lot of books/binders
Thank you for watching and good question! Tom BIHN is definitely a high quality bag and it will be with him for a long time! Some other options that might be worth considering for a student would be the north face Borealis, osprey apogee, mystery ranch urban assault 21 / 24 or the Fjallraven Raven 28. Hope that helps a bit and if there are any additional questions I can help answer about the bags please let me know!:)
@@dannypacks thank you!!! I will look at these!
is it waterproof?
Thank you for watching! I would say it’s water resistant but not waterproof
Please review aer tech pack 2
Thank you for watching and Im definitely hoping to get a tech pack 2 to review as well!:)