Tom Bihn Synapse 19 Backpack Review - Compact EDC Legend!

[@jesseallen4184]

Great video. I was originally going to purchase the Synapse but thankfully I found out about the Synik 22 and the upgrades on it was everything I wanted in an edc pack. I bloody love the o rings, I use all but three in my Synik.

[@dannypacks]

Thank you for watching and I’m glad the video was helpful! The Synik definitely has some nice additional features and I am also a big fan of the o rings, such a simple and effective system!

[@MrBelongings]

Appreciate you reviewing a older bag that is supposed to be timeless with the knowledge of the new bags that currently exist. Really nice to see a review is the s19( a bag I have traveled the world with) post synik and post evergoods) Nice stuff

[@dannypacks]

Thank you for watching! Definitely glad or have a chance to check out a classic like the synapse and see that it can still hold its own!:)

[@MrBelongings]

@@dannypacks Definitely, I would be curious to have a packing comparison that shows capacity it s19 vs the synik 22. Many people thought the synik would replace the synapse but given that the synik is so expensive, I think more people should give it a look. Also my protip to maximize capacity in the s19 is to use a vapur water bottle. When empty it takes up no room, but the fact that is will fill the water bottle holder in a wide capacity an is dynamic really helps compared to a fixed water bottle.

[@jonmnelson]

Great review! I have a Synapse 25 in black halcyon and it’s great for travel, but maybe a tad big for my everyday needs, which is why I’m thinking about adding a Synapse 19 for edc. The organization and o-rings are genius. I was skeptical at first, but I’m a believer. (I also have an Aeronaut 45 for longer trips). Tom Bihn bags and accessories are the best. Thanks for this video; it’s very helpful.

[@dannypacks]

Thank you for watching and I’m glad the video was helpful! I agree on the awesomeness of the Tom Bihn organizational layout and I was surprised how versatile this smaller bag ended up being!

[@jonmnelson]

@@dannypacks I may have missed it, but have you ever done a video about what you use when you’re not reviewing a bag? I’m curious to know what you like and use personally.

[@dannypacks]

@@jonmnelson I haven’t done a video exactly on that but a little while back I did a video where I talked about the characteristics I look for in my ideal backpack and it includes some of my go to bags (aer lunar pack, bellroy transit, evergoods cpl24, goruck gr1 and a few more that I rotate through)

[@jonmnelson]

@@dannypacks Nice. I’ll look for it. The more I look, the more I’m liking Bellroy, either the Transit or even Tokyo Totepack. Beautiful bags.

[@mastluob2554]

Terrific review - I love this bag !

[@dannypacks]

Thank you for watching and I’m glad to hear the bag is working out well so far!

[@garymeinen3663]

For the price, it should have every feature you can think of, like a passthrough back and a frame, tech pouch, better ventilated back etc, etc.

[@ahmadaamer6]

I took this bag on a trip to Pakistan. It was a good choice. It allowed me to store a lot of stuff without it being weird looking. I really stuffed this bag full. Everything I needed on the plane with me fit in it. It’s an awesome bag and worth every penny. Lastly, I did order the Tom Bihn cache. When I was traveling it wasn’t super useful. Most airports told me to remove the laptop from my bag. One airport told me to leave my laptop in the bag. Maybe it’s more useful for domestic flights. It’s still a nice padded laptop sleeve.

[@dannypacks]

Thank you for watching and for sharing your experience with the bag! That’s awesome to hear it worked so well for you and have definitely had a similar experience with this type of laptop cache setup in many airports unfortunately

[@NightTrainZ]

Hi, does the 19L fit a 16in MacBook? Most likely going to get a sleeve for it.. but unsure if it will fit.

[@PackingLess]

Great review Danny. This bag looks like it basically eliminates the need for packing cubes. Which might suit some who prefer to compartmentalise their bag directly. I personally prefer a bag with one main pocket and maybe fewer stash pockets and put things in packing cubes. That way its much easier to transfer or rearrange the bag as you go.

[@dannypacks]

Thank you Dean and i agree, although I love the layout of the pockets I still lean more towards packing cube organization for travel. Looking forward to some of the upcoming outlier reviews, those type of versatile clothes might eventually enable me to travel longer term with a bag this size! Haha

[@PackingLess]

@@dannypacks yeah I can totally see why people like the Tom bihn bags, I haven’t had a chance to ever see one in person though because they don’t stock them in Australia. As for the outlier gear, yeah I think the trick to packing fewer clothes is learning how to wash and manage laundry while on the road

[@minmatenx]

I bought the zeitgeist. Received it and it's waaaay too small for my liking. Gonna send back and get a bigger one. This one's still kinda small huh?

[@jesseallen4184]

@@PackingLess Tom Bihn’s shipping to Australia is $65 USD. Bloody expensive. I’m in Australia too and it cost almost $500 AUD shipped for my Synik 22.

[@PackingLess]

@@jesseallen4184 Damn, yeah we really get the short end of the stick in terms of shipping costs, and not just from the USA. Getting stuff from Europe is just as pricey

[@jooky5]

What do you think’s the max water bottle size that could fit?

[@jano.9575]

Great review. What size Ghost Whale Organizer Pouch are you using in the side pocket? Thanks.

[@dannypacks]

Thank you for watching and I’m glad the video was helpful! That is the small size

[@jano.9575]

@@dannypacks Thank you.

[@fifteenalpha]

Any poking due to lack of frame sheet?

[@dannypacks]

Thank you for watching! It is possible to feel sharper items a bit, I typically had my laptop or a book on ten back to create some structure to help prevent that

[@felw4292]

Do you think the center water bottle pocket fits a 32oz nalgene? Thank you!

[@dannypacks]

Thank you for watching! I think that size would be a little too big for that pocket (even if it managed to squeeze in it would likely start pushing into the other compartments and make them a little awkward to pack out

[@ShoelessPoimen]

Hey Danny, always great reviews! Question for you. Since you've reviewed various TB bags in various materials how does the Halcyon compare to their Ballistic or 420 materials in weight, sturdiness/toughness, ability to keep clean, and floppiness? I imagine any of the TB bags will be less stiff than my Goruck GR2 26L in 500 denier. I love that bag but I do miss having a bag with better organization so I was looking at possibly selling it to buy the Synik 30 but wasn't sure which material to chose.

[@dannypacks]

Thank you for watching! The Halycon is definitely going to be a little lighter and floppier (which I actually like better for Tom Bihn bags as it makes the silhouette look a little smaller), I don’t think it feels quite as durable as their ballistic but I haven’t had any durability concerns so far. I haven’t had a chance to use any goruck 500d yet (sadly my gr2 26 shipped as 1000d) so I can’t do a true comparison but from what I’ve seen it does seem like it’s still a little stiffer than the Tom Bihn fabrics. The organization on the synik is awesome and it’s a great bag overall the only thing I would mention is that the laptop protection on the synik will not be as good as the GR2

[@brentsilva6406]

Design wise how is this different from the Synik backpack?

[@dannypacks]

Thank you for watching! The biggest differences are that the synik opens fully flat (clamshell), the synik includes a frame sheet / luggage passthrough, and the synik also has a build in compartment for a laptop or tablet

[@brentsilva6406]

Thank you

[@jesseallen4184]

Hey mate. I just noticed you have a review on the Peak Designs Zip backpack. Between the Synapse and the Zip, which one do you find more comfortable and has the better harkness system?

[@dannypacks]

Thank you for watching and good question! Overall I prefer the synapse / synik harness, I think the straps are more padded and comfortable. One thing to note is that since the synapse doesn’t come with a frame sheet you can sometimes feel the items from the main compartment poking your back (the synik comes with a frame sheet so ir avoided the same issue). Hope that helps a bit and please let me know if there are any additional questions I can help answer!:)

[@jesseallen4184]

@@dannypacks that’s perfect, thank you for the quick reply. I love my Synik 22 but I was considering the Zip as a secondary edc pack but a lot of reviews find it uncomfortable.

[@nizamialickolli8603]

Good review cannot make up mind on synapse 19 or luminary 15 just to use every day carry to shops or going to football games maybe sometimes carry small camera sony rx

[@dannypacks]

Thank you for watching and I’m glad the video was helpful! I haven’t had a chance to use the luminary yet but both seem like pretty good options, the synapse may be better if you want some additional pocketing and the luminary might be better if you prefer a slightly simpler layout

[@atharhashmi5762]

Good work

[@dannypacks]

Thank you for watching and I’m glad the video was helpful!:)

[@אוסטרוסומליה]

I like the look of this pack a lot, but not this colour. The dark blue one especially when a little worn out, looks very low key

[@dannypacks]

Thank you for watching and the bag looks pretty cool in dark blue as well!