Packable EDC backpacks/messengers other than Daylight?

[aedifica]

Hi @Amator, and welcome to the Forums! Your post was in moderation at first merely because it was your first post; after this your posts won't need moderator approval.

How much room does your packable rain jacket take up, and what shape does it pack down to? That might be a limiting factor on what bags would work well for your load.

The Pilot might work for you (depending on how the rain jacket packs down) but it doesn't compress very flat. You might want to take a look at @bouncing's post Could you fit a Pilot inside an Aeronaut 45? for some discussion of that idea. Your Tortuga Setout may have a different pocket arrangement that makes it easier to put a fully-packed Pilot in the backpack than it would be to put it in an Aeronaut; I'm not familiar with the Setout.

How do you feel about using a Daylight Backpack and adding a Cache or another laptop sleeve to provide padding? I think the DLBP (Daylight Backpack, not to be confused with the DLBC or Daylight Briefcase) probably wouldn't give you the Dora the Explorer look you want to avoid. It's very packable, and though it doesn't stick out far I think it's tall enough and wide enough to look like the right size on you.

The Luminary 15 isn't as packable as the DLBP. I'm still thinking about whether I think it would hold your items easily; its shape might mean it doesn't work as well for the purpose as a DLBP or a Pilot, or it might mean it would work better. Let us know about that rain jacket!

[Amator]

Hello everyone! I'm looking for advice/recommendations.

I travel one week per month for my job. I use a 45L travel backpack (Tortuga Setout) on these business trips, but use my Synapse 25 for shorter trips. The Setout is great, but after I've arrived at my destination, it's way too large for an EDC bag during the week. What I would like is a backpack or messenger that is slim and packable so that I can carry it inside my 45L backpack.

I'm a big guy (6'1", 350 lbs) so I want something slim and packable, but yet doesn't make me look like Dora the Explorer with a tiny backpack. I also have a decent amount of tech gear that I need a packable EDC bag to carry:

* 13" MacBook Pro
* 12.9" iPad Pro with Smart Keyboard
* Roost laptop stand
* Magic Keyboard/Mouse
* Dongles (right now I have these in a Peak Design Tech Pouch, but it's way too big for this purpose)
* Noise-cancelling headphones
* A5 traveler's notebook
* fountain pens
* packable rain jacket

While I like backpacks, I think a messenger may fit my contradictory "slim/packable, but big" criteria a little better. I'm also concerned about the lack of padding on the Daylight. I really like the aesthetic of the new Luminary 15, but I don't think it would hold all of that stuff, and I'm not sure how packable it is. Right now, I'm thinking the Pilot might be a good option if it can hold my above gear and if it's packable. I kind of like the idea that if I use it as a personal item, it can fit vertically under the airplane seat so I can still extend my legs, and if I'm two-bagging it on the trips, backpack + messenger seems way easier to carry than backpack + backpack, like my last trip when I carried my Synapse 25 as my personal item/EDC bag.

Maybe there's something else I'm not considering? In any event, I'd appreciate any feedback or suggestions. Thank you!