007- Eagle Creek Packing Cubes (quarter and full, including Specter)

Available from: Various places: REI, Amazon, Eagle Creek, etc.

Bottom line: Efficient way to organize for packing and EDC.

High points: Size is just right for numerous small items.  Modular system fits easily into other bags.  Overall construction quality.  Specter bags are partially water resistant.

Caveats: None for now.  

Wishlist: More conservative colors on the Specter line (black, charcoal, navy, etc)


Why I use this system: Having gotten hooked on one bag travel years ago, and being a frequent camper and hiker, I'm always on the look out for ways to make my trips go smoother.  Being organized and knowing where things are is a key aspect to smooth travel.  Using a kit based system for that organizing means it's very easy to pack for the day's adventure (even if that is just the daily commute).  Numerous small bags work for a kit system (in fact, I combine several brands) but the Eagle Creek Packing Cubes are well made, easy to find in stores, and proportioned correctly for most uses.

Regrets: None.

Eagle Creek Specter Quarter Packing Cubes.

Eagle Creek Quarter Packing Cubes compared to 1 liter Nalgene.

Eagle Creek regular and Specter Packing Cubes with 1 Liter Nalgene.

Eagle Creek Spectre Packing Cubes with a ruler for size comparison.  Regular EC quarter packing cubes are the same size.

Eagle creek regular and Specter quarter packing cubes with a Maxpedition organizer pouch, 1 Liter Nalgene and a ruler for size comparison.  Note the Moleskine standard notebook in the front mesh pocket on the Maxpedition.

Close up of Eagle Creek quarter packing cube.

Eagle Creek quater packing cubes in the full size EC packing cube.  When packed like this, the quarter cubes are very slightly too long and narrow to fit into the full packing cube.  It works fine, but they have to be compressed some on the long axis and have extra space on the short axis.

Eagle Creek quarter packing cubes loaded into the EC full size packing cube.

Eagle Creek full packing cube filled with 4 EC quarter packing cubes inside the main compartment of the Tom Bihn Smart Alec backpack. The SA could easily hold two flu packing cubes.

Eagle Creek full packing cube filled with 4 EC quarter packing cubes inside the main compartment of the Tom Bihn Synapse 19.  

Eagle Creek full packing cube filled with 4 EC quarter packing cubes inside the main compartment of the Tom Bihn Synpase 19 with 13' 2011-12ish Apple MacBook Pro.  This combo does fit into the 19L Synapse but pushes the main compartment close to it's limit.  Depends on how full the auxiliary pockets are.

Eagle Creek full packing cube filled with 4 EC quarter packing cubes packet vertically inside a Kelty Binto.  

006- REI Flashback

Available from: No longer on REI's site. Maybe eBay?

Bottom line: Excellent small outdoor pack, especially when you want to rock the retro hiker vibe.

High points: Terrific, retro styling.  High quality for the prices.  Not many fussy points.  Simple, easy to use in almost every respect.

Caveats: Price (~$45 new- a touch steep for such a simple pack.  No waist strap.  Shoulder straps loosen with the slightest tug.  

Wishlist: A slightly larger version.  A Flashback 22 or 25 would fall into the same range as Tom Bihn's new Guides Pack, but could come in at 40% or less of the cost.

Why I bought this bag: I've had a REI Flash 18 UL for about 5 or 6 years and it has been my go to adventure bag that whole time.  The Flashback seemed like a great update to my older bag. 

Regrets: Doubting my old Flash 18 UL.  While I love the styling of the Flashback, the original flash still fits my actual outdoor needs slightly better, being a touch lighter and slightly more comfortable.  

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.

Bihn's small clear pouch is clipped to an 'o' ring in the side pocket of the Smart Alec.

This pack would easily hold five 1L Nalgenes in a single layer in the main compartment.

The dyneema lining really sets Bihn's bag apart from other manufacturers. 

Cutaway view of Tom Bihn Smart Alec.

004- Vargo Folding Stove

Available from Amazon here.

There appear to be two versions of this stove: one titanium and one aluminum.  Mine is the latter.

Bottom line:  It works!

Caveats:  It took about 20 minutes of steady feeding to boil 16oz of water.  I was not using the best wood, so your milage may vary.  The oil camp cup I used was not particularly stable sitting up there. I can't recommend this combination. A proper camping pot would probably be safer.

Good view to get an idea of the size.  This is the folded stove inside its included pouch.

003- REI and Bihn Daypacks Compared

Left to right:

REI Flash UL 18L, c. 2009

REI Flashback, 18L

Tom Bihn Smart Alec, 26L

Tom Bihn Synapse, 19L

1L Nalgenes shown for scale.

Note: the REI packs and synapse are stuffed with blankets since they would not freestand, but the Smart Alec is mostly empty.

002- REI Passage 1 Tent

I needed a small, lightweight, inexpensive tent for my first backpacking trip in April 2012.  After many hours of searching I purchased the REI Passage 1.  There is just something wonderful about a small tent.  It's just your space, cozy and alone.  As much as I love camping with my kids, this is the way to go when they aren't with me.

This is a great tent.  It is very small but that is a good thing!  The tent fits easily into my REI 65 Liter backpack and is basically my go to all-purpose tent.

Cost:
I paid $119 for the tent and $17 or so for the matching footprint.

Highlights:
- Two + 1 (short 12"ish pole that separates the main poles) pole design is easy to set and take down.
- Color coded tabs on the tent, rainfly, footprint and poles make set up and tear down a breeze.
- Very cozy interior.
- Plenty of gear pockets and a built in gear loft.
- Sets up very quickly and easily.
- Tent is free standing (but not rainfly).
- Nice color scheme for a tent.
- Well ventilated.

Lowlights:
- Rainfly must be completely closed in the rain.
- Rainfly must be staked out to work properly (not freestanding)
- Very little gear space inside tent with you, but there is enough for your pack of boots in the vestibule.

Notes:
- I am about 5'11" and fit quite well in normal conditions.
- You can't fit much gear in the tent with you, but there is about 8" at one end for my day pack, clothes and toiletries.

Images:

Grainy photo, the Passage 1 is the small green tent second
from the right. 

Rear side of the Passage 1 on the south bank of the Ohio.

'Foot' end of the Passage 1.  Vestibule on the left, rear on right.

I would most certainly recommend this tent to anyone who can fit inside it.

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.