Gear Nerd: 005- Tom Bihn Smart Alec

Available from: Tom Bihn

Bottom line: Excellent compromise between a conservative work/school bag and a useful/comfortable adventure bag.

High points: Best materials I've seen on a backpack. Top loading design. Removable sternum and waist strap.

Caveats: Price ($160 + $10 Shipping). Waist strap not ideal for hiking and load carrying.

Wishlist: A Tom Bihn gatekeeper compatible hiking waist strap that is more comfortable and carries the load better.

Why I bought this bag: I've been looking for the one bag that does it all for a long time and have never really found it. About a year ago I bought a Tom Bihn Synapse 19 (see my post about it here). It is a fantastic little pack and accompanied me on several adventures. However, it was better for travel than for outdoors adventures. I have long used an REI Flash 18 for my outdoor adventures, and have generally been VERY happy with it. However, the Flash 18 is simply too narrow to fit normal size (8.5 x 11) size documents and the like. My iPad 2 would fit with a lot of effort, but deforms the bag. I've come to prefer top loading designs for mist uses, but my pack also needs to be able to carry papers, textbooks, iPad and occasionally the laptop. The Flash can't do that. And the Synapse was a touch fussy about handling bulk items like sweatshirts when hiking. Further, the Synapse lacked any way to attach substantial volume to the exterior. The Smart Alec deftly threads the needle between carrying an office/school load and carrying a weekend load. Plus it gives you the ability to attach items to the exterior in a variety of ways. And it does THAT without looking like a trail pack.

Regrets: As conservative as I like my bags, I'm wishing now that I bought a version of the Smart Alec with a color panel down the top-center. Maybe gray.