The Techonaut / Technonaut Thread!

[Kevin]

It’s good to see all the Techonaut enthusiasm! I have always gone with 1050d on the travel bags, but have been impressed with my Halcyon daylight briefcase. I thought it might be time to try it on a bigger bag, it’s good to see others have had positive experiences with similarly sized options.

[mjmetts]

Since my beloved Original Halcyon does, indeed, seem to be no longer available in larger bags, I ordered the next best thing...black halcyon/coyote TN30. FWIW, for those of you with concerns about halcyon as an exterior fabric on travel bags, I've had my A45 and A30 for years now, and - other than for the past 15 months - they were subjected to pretty heavy use under airplane seats, shoved into bins, thrown into car trunks, lugged into hotels, etc., and they've held up beautifully. YMMV, or course!

Thanks for this! Good to hear from someone who's had solid experience. Like others, I plan on using it as a backpack most of the time so checking it would be the exception, not the rule. Given that, saw no reason not to go with my fave fabric.

[BWeaves]

Aaaaaaah, I preordered a T45 in Coyote 1050 ballistic. I love the heavier ballistic fabric. It doesn't show the outlines of my stuff, and it has enough structure to be easier to pack. Plus it would match my other Coyote items if I keep it. I really don't need another bag, but I want to see it in person. If I like it, it will replace one of my A45s. Too bad I haven't left the house in a year and a half. But I dream.

I like the bigger central space and the laptop pocket and the luggage passthrough, because sometimes I can't backpack everything.

Now, if only the Trinity would appear. I'm very curious about it.

[G42]

Thanks for this! Good to hear from someone who's had solid experience. Like others, I plan on using it as a backpack most of the time so checking it would be the exception, not the rule. Given that, saw no reason not to go with my fave fabric.

I'm also a huge fan of halcyon. My A30 is in the white grid/black Original.
Whilst the 1050 ballistic is technically more durable, it is heavier and less flexible if that matters to you. The big durability question, to me, is how you personally treat you bag and how frequently you will be checking it or otherwise give up control of it.... Keeping in mind that these bags last an incredibly long time, based on the feedback here on the Forums
Given how durable and well crafted the TB bags are, I pick based on appearance for each design and what material hand/flexibility I want

[Surrealle]

For me the decision was less about travel durability and more about the structure and looks. I searched for comparison photos on the Aeronauts and much preferred how the ballistic ones looked when worn as a backpack. The halcyon version wasn't bad but it definitely was more slouchy, and looked a bit less polished (plus I'm hoping to avoid the added cost of another frame sheet).

I suspect the NW would look/function very well on a Pilot though, since it's not primarily one huge main compartment like the TN. Hopefully it comes out on those.

[bijoux]

What is TLDR? (The first heading of Techonaut info)

[latchford]

What is TLDR? (The first heading of Techonaut info)

Too long; didn't read

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipe..._didn%27t_read

[Aeon]

What is TLDR? (The first heading of Techonaut info)

Too long; didn't read.

It's used on the interwebs when a wall/paragraphs of text are deemed too time consuming to, you know, actually read in full. Internet attention spans are miniscule, so TLDR is often accompanied with a request for a summary from people who did read the text wall.

[GrussGott]

Welp, I'm in on the Coyote TN45!


I really think the whole TB team has knocked it out of the park on this one!

I'll mention my love of the overhead bin security again, especially if you get a wall spot on a full size Boeing/Airbus and it fits bookshelf-style with the top handle out and the main compartment facing the bin wall ... that leaves only the QA pockets exposed ...

... btw, someone asked about the whole zipper lock thing so thought I'd post this "old airline trick" just in case someone isn't aware / it helps; since the little locks can be an attractive nuisance, and since leaving the zippers wide open seems naked somehow, what do you do? The ole zipper pull weave trick!

(1.) Start like this:



(2.) Push the left pull-end through the gap on right pull cord:



(3.) Now weave the right's pull-end back through the gap on the left's pull cord:


Done! Now the two zipper pulls are pretty dang locked together!

Obviously this method doesn't stop a thief/pickpocket from poking your zipper open with a ballpoint pen or tool, but it will definitely stop/catch the casual thief ... it even stops the less observant thieves/pickpockets because unless you look really close it's not obvious the zippers are woven together, thus the thief tries to tug open a zipper, but can't, thus alerting you.

This actually saved my cousin 15 years ago in Belgium - we were in a queue getting on a train and as we turned to walk up the few steps of the train car a pickpocket moved like lightning & deftly grabbed a zipper-pull, but it didn't open the zippers & my cousin just slightly felt it ... the thief quickly moved to the tool in the zipper trick but by that time my cousin was already turning around and the thief took off into the crowd ... but her sunglasses & a few other items still fell out! Had she not felt that slight tug from the confused thief she'd have lost some stuff!

The incident caused a ruckus because we yelled after the thief and multiple people move in to help - later, after we were on the train and on our way, a few other passengers came over to tell us the whole train had been hit and a few people has lost significant stuff as the thieves were deft at pushing through the zippers of locked bags. It was very lucky, but it worked, and we always use it now!

Even beyond pickpockets it's just a good thing to prevent a zipper from being accidentally pulled open ... it's one reason why I love the burly TB zippers!


In any event, I can't wait to try the Techonaut!!

[Foxx]

Is anyone getting a frame sheet for their T45 and/or halcyon exterior? I have 525d for both my Synik's but I was thinking for trips where I really need to pack the kitchen sink that halcyon's flexibility might be useful. But I'm worried about its lack of structure being uncomfortable when fully packed (I plan on using a padded hip belt as needed)

[Surrealle]

Is anyone getting a frame sheet for their T45 and/or halcyon exterior? I have 525d for both my Synik's but I was thinking for trips where I really need to pack the kitchen sink that halcyon's flexibility might be useful. But I'm worried about its lack of structure being uncomfortable when fully packed (I plan on using a padded hip belt as needed)

If I was getting a Halcyon version, I probably would. I use their frame sheets a lot and worst case scenario, if you don't need it just take it out. (And if you REALLY don't need it, you can likely sell it fairly easily, or return it if you're still in the window).

[GrussGott]

Is anyone getting a frame sheet for their T45 and/or halcyon exterior? I have 525d for both my Synik's but I was thinking for trips where I really need to pack the kitchen sink that halcyon's flexibility might be useful. But I'm worried about its lack of structure being uncomfortable when fully packed (I plan on using a padded hip belt as needed)

For me & my body shape I don't find the framesheets useful for anything other than comfort, i.e, laying flat on my back vs. bulges & bumps - that's not to say that's not important! I *love* the S25 frame sheet, but have found the S30's less noticeable, especially with my 16" MBP in there.

For the A45, I've had a similar experience (i usually keep my 16" MBP in the strap pocket in a cache) and not found the hip belts not beefy enough for anything other than left/right stabilization which I don't need unless I'm running down a hill or biking, and I don't do either of those things with the A45 in BP mode.

The times I"m wearing an A45 in BP mode and running would be, say, across LAX to catch a flight, but there I usually ultra-tighten the bp straps and hold them while I"m running so that provides enough stabilization without the need for the hip belt.

For the T45, given it's design, I'm guessing for me it'll be even more stable especially with a laptop so, as TB found, I won't get it unless I find it needs it.

Just how it works for me, YMMV!

[ayazgood]

The latest newsletter says the first pre-order ends Monday, but a Second pre-order will open 8/3 at 7:00am PT. Question for Darcy - Will there be any changes in color options?

[Foxx]

The latest newsletter says the first pre-order ends Monday, but a Second pre-order will open 8/3 at 7:00am PT. Question for Darcy - Will there be any changes in color options?

What does the pre-order "ending" mean? Does it change the ship time? All the black versions I'm interested in seem to show available for pre-order and shipping early October but I want to make sure I don't need to make a decision by Monday if it changes something.

[hellomatt]

What does the pre-order "ending" mean? Does it change the ship time?

Here’s what the newsletter says; a second preorder will be for a later ship date:

While the first Techonaut pre-order is still open, we expect it will close sometime Monday.

We'll open a second pre-order (with a slightly farther out estimated ship date) on Tuesday, August 3rd, at 7:00am PT. This will end up being a great thing, as we'll be able to get a head start on making the first pre-order batch and hopefully ship them all out just a little sooner than expected.