2023 Wish List

[Medleysdad]

Agree with return of Night Flight Duffel. I would also love to see the original packing cube rucksack come back.

And how about a shoulder/crossbody that is bigger than the Icon but without the mega organisation of the travel oriented pilot and copilot. A gap in the range? 10-12 litres. Paragon style simplicity in a shoulder bag?

[G42]

Welcome to the Forums Medleysdad !

[proximal]

I'd like to see the return of Snake Charmers in Halcyon.

[Aemilia57]

Bring back the Stowaway?

[EDC]

Packing cube backpack please

[tomsa]

A return of the Smart Alec with the Shadow Guide’s back (mesh padding, laptop area, etc.) would be my top wish for 2023

[G42]

Welcome to the Forums tomsa !
The Smart Alec is a great bag

[Bib Fontana]

Let's talk Xpac.

1.) More Xpac color options, in preferably brighter colors than black, blue or gray.

2.) Using lower price point (and lower weight) bags to try and rally an audience for Xpac. Why not make the DLBP and/or DLBC from Xpac? If you've never owned a bag made from the material before, it's asking a lot to try and sell someone on a $300 Addax or Synik. To me, honestly, it makes more sense in those bags, because they're simpler and weigh less - for comparison, my hiking backpack, tent, AND sleeping bag combined weigh as much as the ADX31 does. One of the biggest perks to the material is a high strength-to-weight ratio. I love Xpac, and I own a lot of bags made from it already, but it feels like it undermines the strengths of the material to use it on heavy, complicated bags. When I saw the next bag to be made from Xpac was going to be the Synik (and the larger size, at that?) I definitely had a head tilt moment.

I am down!

Weight isnt an issue for me and actually would love to own an olive xpac synik 22 or synapse 19 with a zest or solaris interior. Yoooooooooooo

[Astrid]

Bring back the Ristretto and in cool colors. The Ristretto is an amazing bag and best in halcyon but unfortunately it was rarely available in halcyon and available colors in Ballistic were limited and often ermm, dowdy. Marketing on this bag was also a fail imo and may have slowed sales. The description on the Ristretto said it would comfortably hold a 13" Macbook but in fact it handles 14 inches well and that makes it an interesting option for those with a windows laptop (yes, there are some of us).

[John1970]

Let's talk Xpac.

1.) More Xpac color options, in preferably brighter colors than black, blue or gray.

2.) Using lower price point (and lower weight) bags to try and rally an audience for Xpac. Why not make the DLBP and/or DLBC from Xpac? If you've never owned a bag made from the material before, it's asking a lot to try and sell someone on a $300 Addax or Synik. To me, honestly, it makes more sense in those bags, because they're simpler and weigh less - for comparison, my hiking backpack, tent, AND sleeping bag combined weigh as much as the ADX31 does. One of the biggest perks to the material is a high strength-to-weight ratio. I love Xpac, and I own a lot of bags made from it already, but it feels like it undermines the strengths of the material to use it on heavy, complicated bags. When I saw the next bag to be made from Xpac was going to be the Synik (and the larger size, at that?) I definitely had a head tilt moment.

I've owned and jettisoned a ton of xpac bags over the years, mostly because I don't like the hand (I can tolerate the X50, which incorporates cordura, but that's been about it for me). But I bought the RX30 S30 out of curiosity and it instantly found a place in my rotation; it feels great and not any heavier than my other S30s. I want to see it migrate to the other Syniks and to the Synapses, but agree with you that some smaller bags in RX30 might generate interest.

[Astrid]

A slightly wider Side Effect. An inch would make a big difference in how useful it is. I'd love to be able to comfortably slip my samsung s22 into the outside pocket but it's just a little snug.

[Chicagoan]

I've owned and jettisoned a ton of xpac bags over the years, mostly because I don't like the hand (I can tolerate the X50, which incorporates cordura, but that's been about it for me). But I bought the RX30 S30 out of curiosity and it instantly found a place in my rotation; it feels great and not any heavier than my other S30s. I want to see it migrate to the other Syniks and to the Synapses, but agree with you that some smaller bags in RX30 might generate interest.

My logic is this: if Halcyon is in short supply and not a material they'll be using for much longer, how could you not use it as an audition for a material that's also as light as it is strong?

Packable Xpac totes!

DLBPs and DLBCs!

Maybe start there, offer a few colors brighter and more interesting to look at than black, and see what sells.

[a-morales]

from the retired designs I would like to see the parental unit be brought back or something similar.

From a new bag perspective, ideally I would like to see a single strap sling bag along the lines of the “kavu switch slinger” or the “nomatic navigator sling”. Something that would stay on my back and not flop around like a shoulder bag, but would still allow me to swing it around to my chest to access the pockets.

[G42]

Welcome to the Forums a-morales !

[Tiviander]

I loved the Donner bag, carried them for years, owned several, bought them for friends and family. There were a couple of adjustments I would have made if I was designing it but overall, an excellent bag. I would adore a TB version of that. Larger than a SK, more organized than a PCSB, not as structured as a CP. With at least one zipper compartment for security.

I would love to see a larger/wider Side Kick with an open slip pocket on the back for stashing a map or a newspaper. If that's not in the cards, then how about a Tom Bihn version of the Donner bag by the now-defunct Overland Equipment?

I've tried the Icon, but couldn't handle the off-center zip opening that made it difficult to get larger items in and out of the bag. I've also tried the Co-Pilot, but my quick access items were too tall to fit the front compartments eg. 11" umbrella, 24oz. Takeya water bottle. I know these are problems I could probably fix with some creativity and a lot of getting used to, but I realize what I am truly wishing for is a bag with the features of Overland Equipment's Donner bag which I used for 10+ years until the velcro bits wore out after a second replacement. You know how it feels when you've found your perfect bag, right? You use it every day for years, and every bag you come across will invariably be compared to it and found lacking. ;-)

Anyone else familiar with the Donner bag? I figure I shouldn't be posting a pic of it here, but if you google, you can see it has a front flap covering several organizational components (including a zipped mesh section, a soft-lined phone pocket, flat pockets for anything from wallet/credit cards to pens and chapstick) and the main body has a wide zippered top for easy access to plenty of space inside plus a back slip pocket, and it also has two wonderful external side pockets that practically "disappear" when you don't use them. Genius! It was during my search for such innovative design that happily led me to Tom Bihn. I'd really love to see these features incorporated into a new bag!