Road Buddy Pre-Order and updates to Daylight Backpack and Maker's Bag

[MikeV]

Hi All- we just posted the pages for our upcoming Road Buddy Pre-Order! And along with that news is the announcement of restocks on Daylight Backpack- now with upgraded shoulder straps (same Contour Strap from the Paradigm and Zeitgeist), and the long-anticipated addition of a back pocket to the Maker's Bags

Check it out:

Road Buddy Pre-Order and May 18 Restock

[ittoujuu]

Road Buddy pre-order let's goooooooo~

In all my searching, this design is one of the (if not THE) best I've seen for the kind of duffel it is, and by that I mean a light-enough-to-carry live-out-of-it travel duffel, as opposed to a cavernous gear hauler with no organization. And to think, a few months ago I didn't even know what the Road Buddy was, because it had been retired and didn't show up in the normal bag listings. I know the Aeronaut is descended from its design, but I actually like the look of the Road Buddy more - it has more spacious end compartments, horizontal rather than vertical exterior pockets, and I like the wider, more square-ish lid compared to the Aeronaut's more rounded lid design. The boxy shape looks really nice for this use - in the Steel color, it sort of reminds me of the original PlayStation.

I had hoped we might get some Fjord interiors here, but the color combos on offer are honestly pretty nice - neutral cloud ballistic for the exteriors that have more pop, a nice coyote interior for Blue, and island for Steel. Right now, the Steel/Island is my frontrunner. I would be strongly tempted by the Navy if 1050 navy was closer to a true navy (it looks much more like 525's Deep Blue, at least in the photos), and Verde gets a nod for being green, though it might be a bit lighter than I'd opt for in a travel luggage piece. I'll have to look up more pictures of Verde stuff in the wild...

I've also been awaiting the updated shoulder straps on the Daylight Backpack, but between a Paramour and a Road Buddy pre-order, I may just hold off on that one until later this year.

[G42]

I had hoped we might get some Fjord interiors here, but the color combos on offer are honestly pretty nice - neutral cloud ballistic for the exteriors that have more pop, a nice coyote interior for Blue, and island for Steel. Right now, the Steel/Island is my frontrunner. I would be strongly tempted by the Navy if 1050 navy was closer to a true navy (it looks much more like 525's Deep Blue, at least in the photos), and Verde gets a nod for being green, though it might be a bit lighter than I'd opt for in a travel luggage piece. I'll have to look up more pictures of Verde stuff in the wild...

1050 ballistic Navy is deeper than Deep Blue somehow...I remember folks discussing it when the 525's first came out. It's partly the sheen/appearance difference from the different materials. Whilst I like Deep Blue, I think Navy is even nicer FWIW.
I do have a 36L Road Buddy from the last run and Verde is a very nice green indeed. I've mostly used mine for road tripping but I don't consider it too light for travel luggage; the 1050 is pretty robust.

[G42]

Couple years ago, I started this thread about the organizational accessories... please add your thoughts and photos to it as you will
https://forums.tombihn.com/forum/tom...bits#post16613

This restock has Q-kits and if you haven't tried them, they're neat:

"Q-Kits - The minis are shaped well to fit in the Synapse and Luminary side pockets and can hold random weird things... my bluetooth earpiece & charger fit perfectly in one. I also use one to hold a mini sewing kit, mini duct tape, eyeglass cloth, etc. The small holds Clif bars/nuts if I want a slightly smaller thing than a 3DOC and I've tried one to hold toiletries before. I like the shape a lot."


They're also a fun way to see what the 1050 ballistics are in person/use before committing to a larger bag

[Surrealle]

Hi All- we just posted the pages for our upcoming Road Buddy Pre-Order! And along with that news is the announcement of restocks on Daylight Backpack- now with upgraded shoulder straps (same Contour Strap from the Paradigm and Zeitgeist), and the long-anticipated addition of a back pocket to the Maker's Bags

Check it out:

Road Buddy Pre-Order and May 18 Restock

Is this a one-time chance at the RB or will we have a couple shots at it?

[moriond]

Is this a one-time chance at the RB or will we have a couple shots at it?

It does seem as though there are a lot of one-shot chances to pre-order that are all coming up in the same time frame, with the Smart Alec, and now the Road Buddy. I think that receiving a newsletter mailing with a banner that read "Road Buddy Duffel is back for one week only! Mark your calendar for 5/18/22 at 7am PST" is probably an indication that this is not going to be around long.

[Surrealle]

It does seem as though there are a lot of one-shot chances to pre-order that are all coming up in the same time frame, with the Smart Alec, and now the Road Buddy. I think that receiving a newsletter mailing with a banner that read "Road Buddy Duffel is back for one week only! Mark your calendar for 5/18/22 at 7am PST" is probably an indication that this is not going to be around long.

Indeed. It's making it really difficult to budget for these or plan my purchases with only 6 days warning and one chance at them. Probably going to have to sit the RB out, even though I want one.

Bummer.

[b1gsky]

Good news for everyone wishing for a RB return! I still love mine, especially now that I travel less by plane and more by car. Although I did air travel with the RB36 in the past which was fine. Mine is Steel/Cloud and it‘s awesome… I‘m wondering about the RB60, but packed full it would probably be too heavy for me to carry comfortably, so I think I‘ll pass.

[b1gsky]

I had hoped we might get some Fjord interiors here, but the color combos on offer are honestly pretty nice - neutral cloud ballistic for the exteriors that have more pop, a nice coyote interior for Blue, and island for Steel. Right now, the Steel/Island is my frontrunner. I would be strongly tempted by the Navy if 1050 navy was closer to a true navy (it looks much more like 525's Deep Blue, at least in the photos), and Verde gets a nod for being green, though it might be a bit lighter than I'd opt for in a travel luggage piece.

I love Steel, it has a nice greenish undertone to it. Navy is nice too though and definitely looks different to Deep Blue. It’s actually a relatively bright and not all that dark blue in the sun… I‘ve attached a pic I took a while ago when someone asked for YD comparison pics.

[bchaplin]

I do want one of these but am really torn about which size to get. The 36 seems more practical for a 5’2” person, but it does overlap with a lot of other capacities of travel gear I already own. Either would be primarily for road trips. But I wonder how the 60 would pack up in a car where space is at a premium. On the other hand, when not in use, I could probably use it nest other bags inside, helping with my closet situation. Hmmmm. Any advice is appreciated.

[bartleby]

I would also be interested in hearing about the experiences handling a fully loaded RB60 (although I am pretty sure I'll get one anyway). I love my RB36 in Steel! Although, bchaplin, you're right: it's pretty close in volume to a lot of other bags. But I love the rugged look!

In case anybody is wondering how it compares to the A45. I initiated a respective thread in 2018: https://forums.tombihn.com/forum/tom...-a45#post14501

[Ladyrixx]

I thought they had said that The Maker's Bag would be in Alphaviolet this time around. Or at least a blue that's a little closer to TARDIS blue than the Deep Blue.

[ittoujuu]

I love Steel, it has a nice greenish undertone to it. Navy is nice too though and definitely looks different to Deep Blue. It’s actually a relatively bright and not all that dark blue in the sun… I‘ve attached a pic I took a while ago when someone asked for YD comparison pics.

In a vacuum, I do like the color 1050 Navy appears to be (and it does look a bit deeper in your pic than in others I've seen), but...Steel is really steel-ing the show there. That's a really nice-looking shot of it! And adding colored paracord for some pop seems like a good idea.

In case anybody is wondering how it compares to the A45. I initiated a respective thread in 2018: https://forums.tombihn.com/forum/tom...-a45#post14501

A belated thank-you for that reference pic thread. A month or two ago, it was the main source for me to compare the RB to the Aeronaut. It was also the where I first got a sense of what 1050 Navy's color was like. Looking at the two side-by-side was really helpful in contrasting where their designs are similar and where they diverge.

[G42]

bchaplin My A45 and T45 are my least used large bags for travel as i feel they're pretty big for me at 5'4". I usually only take one when I'm carrying an unusually large amount of stuff flying. Usually I think having the capacity divvied up into two bags is more flexible.
With that being said, I do have several of the Large Yeoman Duffels at 71L that I use for storage, camping, etc. - so the RB60 is only appealing to me possibly for car camping, but it's noticeably more expensive for features I probably wouldn't use for that.

Ladyrixx I may be mistaken, but I thought Alphaviolet was at the end of it's supply and being discontinued...there are some bags available but I don't see it in production on anything

bartleby Definitely thanks for bumping that comparison thread!

[BWeaves]

If I didn't already own 2 Road Buddies 36, I'd be tempted. It's my favorite travel bag. It's just that little bit bigger and longer and flatter than the A30, and that makes all the difference. Also, the end pockets are gusseted and just easier to get into.