Side Hustle

[etain]

Yes I have to agree with the clips vs. the Gatekeepers attachments. I have more than one of both versions and there are times I do prefer the Gatekeeper versions for the bag not moving around. Especially when picking the bag up by the strap to move it around i find it is much more stable. Have even attempted to use the Gatekeepers above the triangle attachment that's for the clip to clip onto. Have even wondered how something along those lines would help stabilize a EC/TC.

[Chicagoan]

Yes I have to agree with the clips vs. the Gatekeepers attachments. I have more than one of both versions and there are times I do prefer the Gatekeeper versions for the bag not moving around. Especially when picking the bag up by the strap to move it around i find it is much more stable. Have even attempted to use the Gatekeepers above the triangle attachment that's for the clip to clip onto. Have even wondered how something along those lines would help stabilize a EC/TC.

I brought the EC down with me to Disney World once...and only once.

Those swivel clips on the 5/8" strap managed to come undone not just once, but several times throughout the trip, and, because it was being used as a camera bag, it made me way too nervous to keep risking my technology just so I could carry the camera in a smaller bag [than my go-to SK].

The EC should really be a Gatekeeper Strap bag, and I'm a little puzzled why, of all bags, they never updated that and the SE with a fixed style shoulder strap.

Luckily I've got 2 SKs with the Gatekeeper shoulder strap, and I'm glad I got them when I did - but I did ask TB CS once if they had any more and, at the time, they did say they had a couple SKs with the Gatekeeper strap, they just weren't listed for sale on the site (since photography and descriptions all have been reverted back to the original swivel style straps).

[G42]

There was quite a large clamor when some of the bags moved from snap clips to Gatekeepers. I'm one of the many who loaded up on bags with clips when they went to Gatekeepers and was happy when they swapped back.
There will always be folks looking for each option I expect, since none of us are exactly the same with our carry contents, style, handling, etc. FWIW, I've never had any bag from any manufacturer unclip on me... presumably that's a combination of luck, lack of defects, and how I pack/carry/handle.

Many straps (including non-TB) are on clip systems, so interchanging is easier for folks who want to do that.
There have been requests over the years for the SCB and MCB to move from fixed to detachable straps for those reasons. For instance, per Darcy, the LCB had a detachable strap so that folks can swap in a cushier strap if they wanted to (the big bags can carry some pretty heavy loads).
I haven't heard a lot of requests to move bags into fixed straps, but that's just cursory reflection, no idea what feedback TB is getting.

For the E/TC in particular, I would be sad if it had a fixed strap since I use them as bag-in-bag organizers by themselves, with the detachable grab handles, and store the 5/8" strap inside for when I need to switch it on a trip to a cross body bag.

[Chicagoan]

There was quite a large clamor when some of the bags moved from snap clips to Gatekeepers. I'm one of the many who loaded up on bags with clips when they went to Gatekeepers and was happy when they swapped back.
There will always be folks looking for each option I expect, since none of us are exactly the same with our carry contents, style, handling, etc. FWIW, I've never had any bag from any manufacturer unclip on me... presumably that's a combination of luck, lack of defects, and how I pack/carry/handle.

Many straps (including non-TB) are on clip systems, so interchanging is easier for folks who want to do that.
There have been requests over the years for the SCB and MCB to move from fixed to detachable straps for those reasons. For instance, per Darcy, the LCB had a detachable strap so that folks can swap in a cushier strap if they wanted to (the big bags can carry some pretty heavy loads).
I haven't heard a lot of requests to move bags into fixed straps, but that's just cursory reflection, no idea what feedback TB is getting.

For the E/TC in particular, I would be sad if it had a fixed strap since I use them as bag-in-bag organizers by themselves, with the detachable grab handles, and store the 5/8" strap inside for when I need to switch it on a trip to a cross body bag.

I should have clarified!

"Fixed" in terms of movement! The Gatekeeper-style SK strap was still 100% detachable, and allowed use of the bag as a strapless organizer inside of another bag.

The nice part of Gatekeeper Shoulder Straps was that they were just as easily removable - unlike the SCB, MCB and Icon bags. I wouldn't ever buy a bag with a fixed strap myself! Some of my favorite bag makers in the ultralight backpacking space actually are mindful of this, and design bags with replaceable elastics, shoulder straps, etc. so you can repairs *parts* of the bag instead of having to replace the *entire* bag because of time, wear, or both.

And I wish I could say I've never had a bag unclip, but it's especially problematic with the narrow, 5/8" wide, snaphook/snaphook strap (I'm definitely not the only one who has ever mentioned this phenomenon). I would probably chalk your experience up to luck!

Snaphooks have a flexible plastic gate (unlike the metal wiregates on the 1" and wider straps) and that's usually the cause of the problem.

[k_p]

Photos are up of the SH in Mars Red. I'm so happy this colour is coming back!

[MrKnitster]

Photos are up of the SH in Mars Red. I'm so happy this colour is coming back!

Yes, new photos! They re-ordered the list of color options, and added more photos for interiors. That means they've got a few done--hopefully they'll be ready to reorder soon!

[Tonya]

Yes I have to agree with the clips vs. the Gatekeepers attachments. I have more than one of both versions and there are times I do prefer the Gatekeeper versions for the bag not moving around. Especially when picking the bag up by the strap to move it around i find it is much more stable. Have even attempted to use the Gatekeepers above the triangle attachment that's for the clip to clip onto. Have even wondered how something along those lines would help stabilize a EC/TC.

I don't like the clip attachments and clips at all, but they're easy to remove and attach a gatekeeper strap (which I do love) instead. Just use a good pair of wire cutters or garden snips and BE CAREFUL lol.

The problem is that the SH really needs a larger strap than the SK, but the strap attachment isn't any wider than my SK. If I do use a wider strap with a wider gatekeeper, the gatekeeper clip is going to slide around on it. I haven't decided if there's a way to resolve this. Probably not, which is a bummer.

[etain]

So here's the thing I don't need to remove the triangle piece the the snaphook snaps into. I just slide the gatekeeper clip into the same loop that holds the triangle but just behind it. That is into the same loop that holds the triangle. The gatekeeper will be flush against the bag. The triangle can then just be flipped down out of the way. The loop of nylon webbing is basically the same size for both the triangle mount and gatekeeper mounting. For me both kind of attachments have their own function so I don't want to remove anything, just adapt it differently. I have had snaphooks suddenly unsnap too. It's not a good feeling of your bag dropping suddenly floor bound. This kind of mount with the gatekeeper does seem more stable against my body.

[k_p]

It's hard to tell, but the overall label size might be smaller/shorter on this new batch. I was looking at the Mars Red again and the plane wings don't span the entire length of the words above, compared to the labels on the colours in the original run.

[setrombley]

Phew. Black/NW sky sold out in seven minutes???

[Dreamer]

I wanted the stealth black, but it sold out instantly so I got the Aubergine/Dawn combo. I've never ordered an everyday bag in an actual color. Hopefully it won't feel too loud haha. I do wish the black & white label that's on the black stealth bag was on all the bags. And an O-ring for the back open pocket would be amazing since I keep my keys there. I'm excited to be able to fit knitting and a large book in my everyday bag now.

[k_p]

Phew. Black/NW sky sold out in seven minutes???

I think it was even quicker than that -- the Mars Red was low in stock at around 5 minutes, and the Black/NW was already noted as in production by then. This batch looks to sell out faster than the first!

[MrKnitster]

I think it was even quicker than that -- the Mars Red was low in stock at around 5 minutes, and the Black/NW was already noted as in production by then. This batch looks to sell out faster than the first!

And...they're gone!

[Meglet]

Wow, I'm glad I made a calendar reminder for this and got checked out four minutes after 10am. 20 minutes later and it's all gone! Looking forward to receiving my Aubergine/Marigold version soon.

[G42]

I'm sure they'll keep producing batches until the initial surge is satisfied.

Note that the Bantams are still available and they're at production run No. 4 or so?


ETA: they updated the item page to note sold out today and more in production