Is Cambiata overkill for 1 month Asia trip?

[Pandy]

Hi all,
new to Tom Binh. I am waiting for my cambiata in the mail!

I'm going to Asia for about a month and am wondering if the Cambiata would be too big for my every day bag. Some context: we are going to 3 different countries. I don't "backpack" anymore. I stay in comfortable hotels. Activities we would do are low key: beaches, shopping, visiting religious sites, hotel pool, restaurants, street food, and walking tours. I've done these trips before and during the day I would bring a small or medium sized purse, about 10L. For the plane (13 hour flight with 5 hour layover and 5 hour flight being the longest leg) I usually bring a 26-28 litre duffel as my personal item. I'm thinking for this time around, I would combine my purse and personal items to one bag, by using the cambiata for both. This essentially means my "purse" would be bigger but my personal item be smaller.

I know the 21L Cambiata would be big enough as my personal item as I've learned to condense: AirPods instead of headphones, kindle instead of book, phone instead of camera, etc. That said would it be overkill to use as a purse? I do like room in my bag for small souvenirs or snacks I pick up along the way, but I've always been able to use a purse with no issue. Thoughts?

[G42]

Hey Pandy welcome to the Forums!

I like my Cambiata and think it makes a fine personal item on the plane.
For wandering around a city, it is bigger than I would normally carry, but it also depends on what I'm doing. I'm 5'4" and side or cross body carrying for hours would probably annoy me because it's a tall bag on my short self.
On my back would be fine, but not in crowds, museums (they'd probably make you check it regardless), etc.

I would probably put a PCSB inside the Cambiata so that I could put the Cambiata under the seat with larger or less frequently accessed items; put my Kindle, phone, etc in the PCSB and use the swivel carabineers to clip to the seat pocket... And then mostly use the PCSB as the walking around bag, cross body, at destination with the option to take the bigger Cambiata.

Here's a quick couple photos








AND... What colour Cambiata did you get? 🙂

[Chicagoan]

I like the Cambiata so much, I bought a second one, and sold both my Luminary 15 backpacks.

It solves a similar problem - a small, low profile, lightweight backpack that combines both small pockets and a large main compartment.

I can fit all my essential items in the small pockets which leaves the main compartment open.

Which is basically feels like carrying an empty tote bag on your back, which is PERFECT for travel - I actually use mine primarily for day hiking! A lot! :-)

Having a big open volume makes it easy to pack AND easy to see where everything is inside the bag.

And funny you mention the personal item size: I also sold my Stowaway and Night Flight Travel Duffel, because the Cambiata (at least for me) stores a similar amount of items in a more organized way AND makes it more comfortable to carry.

It's a very polarizing bag (folks tend to either love it or hate it) but man, once you can figure out how to make it work for you, it's such a great all-around bag.

Here's my process, told across a few posts, growing from hating the bag to loving it:

1.) First Impressions

2.) Packing for an Overnight

3.) A Second Chance

4.) Figuring It Out

[Pandy]

Wow thank you both G42 and Chicagoan. I will read your linked post in depth.

I am 5'2" but I think it would be okay for me. It looks pretty slim. Great idea adding a smaller pouch that can be used as a purse on lighter days. I think the Cambiata would be great as a beach tote and I am an over packer/like to pick up random tchochkt's as I travel. I think the pouch would be used for short trips from the hotel or dinners out when I can drop off the cambiata at the hotel beforehand.

I have maybe about 20 backpacks. I know, I have a problem. The thing i noticed about myself is while I appreciate a lot of pockets, and take pleasure in filling them up as logically as possible, when I'm actually out and about I end up just shoving things back into my bag because I feel like I don't have the time to place the items back in their original pockets. For example when I'm at a cash register. This results in the bag having even less space because more pockets equals more materials that take up room and block my poorly shoved items from being placed ideally. Not sure if that makes sense? So I'm hoping I won't have this issue with Cambiata.

Is it a pain in the @$$ to carry as a cross body or messenger style when it's full?

I got the deep blue ballistic colour. I wish they had that with the orange zest lining but they said theyre not making any more Cambiatas for at least another 4-8 weeks.

[Chicagoan]

There's an open top pocket on the front of thr Cambiata that's a really great catch all for stuffing random things without penalizing capacity or organization in the rest of the bag - I'll typically use it to stash gloves, a hat, etc. I want quick access to so I don't wind up digging through the rest of the bag to find something. PLUS you can toss things inside the big main compartment, too.

The nice part of bags with one large main compartment is that they're a lot more forgiving than bags that split the capacity across a series of smaller compartments.

Excited for your Cambiata to come in the mail and be sure to post about the experience (with pictures, hopefully!) once it does so we can find out how it works for you.

[G42]

Deep Blue is a great colour, though yes, it would be great with Zest too! I hope they make more combos on the next production run.

I call what you're describing as the 'dump and run' version of EDC; this bag is great for that. Keeping some basic stuff in the built in pockets (tissues, wipes, sunglasses, etc) is easy and then drop everything into the main compartment and/or use a couple pouches to help corral things. The Vertical Packing Cubelet works well inside this bag too, by the way.

The initial review I did is over here
How annoying you find the cross body carry when it's full is really subjective; it wouldn't be my first choice for hours of steady walking, but everyone is different.

Once you get the bag, please let us know your first impressions and how your test pack goes!

[latchford]

Not sure which part of Asia you're travelling to but I live in Singapore and I didn't buy a Cambiata for a couple of reasons:

- Lack of a mesh back panel. I previously owned a Paragon which also didn't have a mesh back panel and my entire back would overheat whenever I carried it. I do run rather hot though so your mileage may vary (YMMV). I'm not here to deter you from taking the Cambiata with you but it's something to take into consideration especially if you're travelling to Southeast Asia as it's been brutally hot this month and the upcoming months have historically been even hotter. I think G42's suggestion to bring a PCSB along as well is a great idea if you find that the Cambiata isn't quite the ideal walking around bag.

- Too little padding in the shoulder straps. As previously mentioned, while I don't have a Camabiata, I own a Daylight Backpack which has the same straps and they're too thin for the load I carry because I take water with me everywhere due to the 24/7/365 hell weather here. Again, YMMV as everyone's body is different and the only TB backpack shoulder straps that work on mine and don't cause pain in my shoulders and collarbone area are the Edgeless Straps on my Synik 22 and the retired Smart Alec. However, the thinner straps are an advantage in hell weather beacuse they don't feel as warm as the Edgeless Straps.

One advantage of the Cambiata is its slim profile that doesn't stick out too far from your back. Tourists are returning to the region and it's getting pretty crowded around here so you'll have an easier time getting around if you happen to end up among a sea of people.

Also, having a big, mostly empty main compartment as Chicagoan mentioned is a great idea since you'll be shopping and may also pick up snacks and souvenirs along the way. It's definitely much easier to just toss your purchases in your pack and move along than to fiddle with mutiple pockets. I use my Smart Alec, which is basically a huge bucket, in this manner. Except I don't buy souvenirs. Just food 🙃

[Chicagoan]

Not sure which part of Asia you're travelling to but I live in Singapore and I didn't buy a Cambiata for a couple of reasons:

- Lack of a mesh back panel. I previously owned a Paragon which also didn't have a mesh back panel and my entire back would overheat whenever I carried it. I do run rather hot though so your mileage may vary (YMMV). I'm not here to deter you from taking the Cambiata with you but it's something to take into consideration especially if you're travelling to Southeast Asia as it's been brutally hot this month and the upcoming months have historically been even hotter. I think G42's suggestion to bring a PCSB along as well is a great idea if you find that the Cambiata isn't quite the ideal walking around bag.

- Too little padding in the shoulder straps. As previously mentioned, while I don't have a Camabiata, I own a Daylight Backpack which has the same straps and they're too thin for the load I carry because I take water with me everywhere due to the 24/7/365 hell weather here. Again, YMMV as everyone's body is different and the only TB backpack shoulder straps that work on mine and don't cause pain in my shoulders and collarbone area are the Edgeless Straps on my Synik 22 and the retired Smart Alec. However, the thinner straps are an advantage in hell weather beacuse they don't feel as warm as the Edgeless Straps.

One advantage of the Cambiata is its slim profile that doesn't stick out too far from your back. Tourists are returning to the region and it's getting pretty crowded around here so you'll have an easier time getting around if you happen to end up among a sea of people.

Also, having big, mostly empty main compartment as Chicagoan mentioned is a great idea since you'll be shopping and may also pick up snacks and souvenirs along the way. It's definitely much easier to just toss your purchases in your pack and move along than to fiddle with mutiple pockets. I use my Smart Alec, which is basically a huge bucket, in this manner. Except I don't buy souvenirs. Just food 🙃

To be fair, your back will get as sweaty with a Cambiata as it would a Daylight Backpack - I've worn both hiking.

I think the main problem is that TB doesn't make a simpler, economical daypack with a mesh back panel - if you wanted a "run and dump" bag that also had a mesh panel AND was lightweight...that would probably be the smaller Shadow Guide, but that's basically a fabric bucket with a top lid and straps, lacking all the little pockets and organization you get on the Cambiata.

But yeah, it is fairly low profile considering the fact it has 2 liters MORE capacity than a Synapse 19! Reminds me of the retired Luminary in that regard.

Great news is you've always got that shoulder strap you can clip back onto the bag if it gets a little warm to wear - there's a mesh pocket under the top lid that's a perfect place to stash it when you're not using it.

[Cooner]

I don't have a Cambiata but I just wanted to second (third, fourth) the suggestion of getting a smaller bag to pack inside the larger one, either pre-packed with a few essentials or folded, flattened, or rolled up to take minimal space until reaching your destination. A PCSB, a Side Kick, a small collapsible backpack, something like that.

On the flight itself you can stow the large bag under the seat or overhead and pull out the smaller bag to use during the flight if you've packed it with your basic travel essentials (AirPods, Kindle, small battery charger, etc.)

And since you'll be there for several weeks, you'll have the flexibility to decide day by day whether you want to go out with the larger bag to carry more stuff or go to the beach or pick up souvenirs along the way, or grab the smaller bag as a purse with a few essentials for a quick trip out or a day you want to travel lighter.

Have a great trip!

[Pandy]

Not sure which part of Asia you're travelling to but I live in Singapore and I didn't buy a Cambiata for a couple of reasons:

- Lack of a mesh back panel. I previously owned a Paragon which also didn't have a mesh back panel and my entire back would overheat whenever I carried it. I do run rather hot though so your mileage may vary (YMMV). I'm not here to deter you from taking the Cambiata with you but it's something to take into consideration especially if you're travelling to Southeast Asia as it's been brutally hot this month and the upcoming months have historically been even hotter. I think G42's suggestion to bring a PCSB along as well is a great idea if you find that the Cambiata isn't quite the ideal walking around bag.

- Too little padding in the shoulder straps. As previously mentioned, while I don't have a Camabiata, I own a Daylight Backpack which has the same straps and they're too thin for the load I carry because I take water with me everywhere due to the 24/7/365 hell weather here. Again, YMMV as everyone's body is different and the only TB backpack shoulder straps that work on mine and don't cause pain in my shoulders and collarbone area are the Edgeless Straps on my Synik 22 and the retired Smart Alec. However, the thinner straps are an advantage in hell weather beacuse they don't feel as warm as the Edgeless Straps.

One advantage of the Cambiata is its slim profile that doesn't stick out too far from your back. Tourists are returning to the region and it's getting pretty crowded around here so you'll have an easier time getting around if you happen to end up among a sea of people.

Also, having a big, mostly empty main compartment as Chicagoan mentioned is a great idea since you'll be shopping and may also pick up snacks and souvenirs along the way. It's definitely much easier to just toss your purchases in your pack and move along than to fiddle with mutiple pockets. I use my Smart Alec, which is basically a huge bucket, in this manner. Except I don't buy souvenirs. Just food 🙃

I friggin love Singapore. It’s my favourite country and yes that’s where we are going. Along with Thailand and Indonesia. It’s going to be hot. It’s a good point about the back overheating. None of my backpacks are technical and have the mesh so I’m not really thinking about that-moreso questioning if the cambiata is just too darn big for every day.

I guess what everyone is saying is bring a smaller bag/pouch and decide based on how the day is planned. In a sense this takes me back to square one except this time around both my personal item bag and purse would be smaller 😂 which is not a bad thing.

loving this thread, I’m learning so much like
“Dump and run” thanks G42!

[latchford]

As someone who carries either a Synik 22 or Smart Alec around town and has used a Synapse 19 as a daypack when travelling, I don’t think the Cambiata is too big. I think the capacity ranges of those bags are the sweet spot for your essentials plus extra space for stuff you’ll be picking up along the way without being too big. Being able to stash purchases into it also keeps your hands free and reduces chances of leaving behind anything you’re carrying outside of your pack.

I also carry a Side Effect or Side Kick with all my essentials inside my S22 or SA. I take out and use the SE or SK as a purse whenever I don’t need or want to haul a backpack around.

Another advantage of the Cambiata is the outside pocket that’s perfect for easy access to a water bottle. I know I keep harping on water but please do stay hydrated during your visit here. Have an awesome time in Thailand, Indonesia and of course, Singapore 🇸🇬!

[Pandy]

Thanks everyone for the great advice!

Here are pictures of the bag!


Also, I found these extra hook type things (don’t know what they’re called). I am shocked….so shocked…I’m going to start a new thread about this but basically, I wanted this exact item because I have a really cool neon yellow shoulder strap I was hoping to use on this bag instead of the strap it came with. That neon yellow strap has dog leash clips at the end, so it can’t just hook onto the bag. But with these hooks that they gave me, I can swap out the strap! And what I didn’t mention, is that I am a mom so this now means I can easily use this bag as a diaper bag in that I can clip it to my stroller — my stroller hooks are also dog leash clips. More context about that in the post I’m going to write. (For my trip, I’ll have a separate baby bag that will be clipped to the stroller at all times and handled by my husband who won’t have a bag of his own, so it’s irrelevant to me in this case).

I didn’t know if this clip even existed. I couldn’t find it on the website. Lo and behold not only does it exist but they gave it to me for free? I checked the Cambiata site and it doesn’t indicate that the bag comes with these clips.

[G42]

😁

Those are Secret Magic Clips (TM)* that TB whipped up during the launch for those of us who pined for the ability to attach our own clip straps vs Gatekeeper strap.

Looking forward to reading your full review!



*'Secret Magic Clips' is a joke and probably not available for TM

[Pandy]

😁

Those are Secret Magic Clips (TM)* that TB whipped up during the launch for those of us who pined for the ability to attach our own clip straps vs Gatekeeper strap.

Looking forward to reading your full review!



*'Secret Magic Clips' is a joke and probably not available for TM

Okay so, I re-read the Cambiata page and nowhere does it say these clips are included. However going back to an email exchange I had with TB, they did mention that it would be included. I think they ought to put it on the page; the inability to swap out the strap or put my own stroller clips on the bag is what held me off. I mean I guess they did mention it over email but I had no idea what they meant by d-ring adaptors and there’s no photo of such a thing on their website.

Going to wear this bag over the next few weeks as a diaper bag. Trip is months away so that review will probably come separately!

[Pandy]

My Cambiata with my neon strap from another bag. Inside is a 24 oz hydro flask which fits perfectly in the bottle holder.