001- Synapse by Tom Bihn

After months and maybe years of trying to decide, I finally broke down and bought a Tom Bihn Synapse.  What I have been searching for is a backpack that can go straight from work/school to trail and travel.  I've previously tried the REI Flash 18, the Kelty Beat, a military surplus Medium Transport Pack and the Ful Laptop bag.  I've also tried some alternative solutions such as tool bags, Kelty Bintos and duffle bags.  There are several of variables that go into this choice:

- Style of bag (business vs. backpacking)

- Size of bag (day pack vs. technology carry all)

- Carry method (Backpack vs. shoulder bag)

- Cargo arrangement (favors flat items vs. bulk items)

- Load Style (top load vs. panel load)

- Cost of bag (high end vs. low end)

The Synapse so far is a good compromise.  I bought mine in black/iberian (red).  Despite doing a lot of advance reading about this pack and visualizing the 19L synapse next to my 18L REI Flash 18, I was unprepared for just how small this pack is.

Synapse Criteria :

- Business/school styled, but smallish

- Day Pack sized

- Backpack

- Hybrid of Flat and Bulk, but limited size on bulk items

- Semi-Panel load design (zipper goes 1/2 way around)

- High cost ($140 + $10 Shipping)

Exterior

The Synapse is very cleanly designed.  The waist and sternum straps are removable, leaving a very sleek and compact package. The Splash proof zippers are really cool looking with the rubber gaskets that line the openings. The zippers are of a coil type, not the interlocking variety. I have not tested for water resistance. 

Size
Despite having read almost every online review of the Synapse and trying to visualize it's 19 liter size compared to my 18 liter REI Flash 18, I was still unprepared for just how small this bag is.

iPad 2 in Smart case sitting atop a (poorly lit) Synapse.

Interior
Most of the bag is lined with a checked ripstop nylon fabric. Note that there are sections of the interior that are not lined, including the sides of the main compartment and the vertical dividers between the three vertical rear compartments.

One of the best features of the Synapse it the arrangement of it's compartments.  In addition to the main compartment, the Synapse has 4 additional compartments and small pocket on the rear of the bag.  These compartments are small.  And the two side compartments are an odd shape, narrowing quickly from bottom to top.

The left compartment has three pen slots on the outer wall, the first of which is a little short.  The Right compartment has a fleece pocket sown in to the outside wall.  The fleece is only on the patch part and does not line the exterior side.

Kleen Kanteen 16oz insulated water bottle is a perfect fit.

Loading.
Like the rest of the internet, I'm impressed with how much this little guy can hold.

One drawback to the brilliantly organized back side of the bag is that large items stuffed into the main compartment cause the bag to expand toward your back as opposed to away.  This makes a fully stuffed Synapse awkward to wear.  To mitigate this, I stopped stuffing my fleece jacket in there and carry my clipboard on the side closest to my back to prevent the bag from bowing.

Images:

Cross sectional drawing to show the rough layout
of the pockets and locations of the 'O' rings.

Minor nitpick:  On the top two pockets, the
zippers do not fully close (note the red lining
peeking through).

Two one liter Naglene bottles and 750ml Camalbak sit
neatly in the bottom of the Synapse main compartment.

View of two 1-liter Nalgene bottles and
a 750ml Camelbak sitting in the main
compartment of the Synapse.  The front
(strapped side) of the backpack is folder
down.  At least three more Nalgenes
could fit in this compartment.

1 liter Nalgene in the rear center pocket.  Fits great!

The 1 liter Nalgene also fits into the rear
bottom pocket, but not the rear side
pockets.

Price:
I paid $140 for the Synapse pule $10 shipping.  I have never seen this item on sale.