Paramour, First Look

[G42]

When Tom Bihn announced the Paramour as a mashup between the Paragon and Paradigm, I knew that I would:
- find the alliterative names confusing
- buy one during the pre-order

The flat 2D pockets on the Paragon don't bother me too much, but there's no avoiding the fact that the Paradigm 3D divided front pocket is bigger and easier to access.

TB graciously allowed mine to ship a little bit early so I could bring it on my work trip...

Here's most of what I carry:



Main compartment:
-laptop & yellow file folder in the device sleeve
-SSC with all the random chargers, mouse, etc on end
-E/T Cubelet with my retro personal office stuff like stamps, extra keys, checkbooks, etc.
-Kindle Paperwhite in the chartreuse case
-Zojirushi coffee thermos (same size as the Microlite water bottle that's pictured)




Mesh pouch holding over the ear wired headset and Medium YSS holding small knitting project as the second layer





Front pocket...

-Moab 3DOC with all the random extra 'just in case' stuff I tend to travel with, including earplugs, tiny nylon bag, Kleenex, eye glass cloth, some toiletries, etc.
-Steel 3DOC holding pens, pencil, small tape measure, car phone charger, and random tools & things for work
-3 granola bars & partial bag of nuts in the flat pocket behind one 3DOC
-Small OP for receipts, a flat pack of wipes, and a mask in the flat pocket behind the other 3DOC
-Microlite water bottle in center pocket
-small round squishy case holding two bluetooth earpieces... it can sit on top or tuck behind a 3DOC or even the bottle
-Small Canary OP to stash my earrings in, when I visit a factory floor




There's plenty of room still in both the upper areas of the main compartment and pocket.


I could reduce all the extra stuff and put in some cubes of clothes for this 3 day trip, but I don't feel compelled to single bag travel very often... I rather keep a fairly standard set of stuff and just bring a small second bag (in this case, probably a Pop Tote or mini YD). I think this pack would work out pretty well as a single travel bag though and I may change my mind before tomorrow morning ?

The thing I miss vs the Paragon is the inside upper small 2D pocket. I completely missed the fact that when they went for the Paradigm version of the front pocket, it was really the whole front panel style... It's obvious when looking at the product page pics and reading the feature set, but my assumption apparently overrode my reading ability.


Overall, I'm happy with the pack so far and will probably carry it more frequently than the Paragon for work. Since the front pocket is bigger and 3D, it obviously protrudes out more, so it's not as sleek a carry and that may affect when else I use it.

[ittoujuu]

Thanks for the rundown! There's a lot about the Paramour that's sort of a big "???" until I get it in hand. One of the big things is that, apparently, when fully packed out, this bag is a whopping 10" deep - deeper than the S25, and equal to a packed-out Synik 30. I'm having a difficult time wrapping my brain around how a pack could be 10" deep and 13" wide, and somehow only be 20L. How do you find it wears on the back when underpacked? Does it sort of lie flatter when underpacked in the way the Synapse/Synik seem to? I know the front compartment has to be 3" to hold what it does, but that would mean the main compartment has 7" of depth on its own, which it didn't look like it did in the pictures on the website. Volume can be a tricky thing!

Also, I'm 100% with you on the lack of the inner zip pocket (like the sort the Paragon, Zeitgeist, and Luminary have). While the front pocket seems like a fantastic solution for mid-sized items like water bottles, glasses cases, and smaller pouches, a flat zip pocket on the front inner side of the main compartment would've been perfect to stuff some smaller things, and I'm kind of surprised they didn't add one when they scaled up the Paradigm.

Anyway, looking forward to hearing how it travels and EDCs.

[G42]

Trip went well, some thoughts:

Paramour carried fine and was easy to work out of so far....I'll see how EDC goes over the next couple weeks. For reference, I usually would carry a S19 or SN22, but the new work laptop won't fit in the sleeve, so I had been using a Paragon... normally I feel the S25/SN30 are too tall for my torso, but I just traded for a SN30 to see how it might work for single bag travel for when I don't want to use my A/T30 or BB for whatever reason and am willing to be a little uncomfortable for a trip.

A quick measure: the main compartment measured outside at the bottom seams is 5" (so the inside is partly taken up by the device sleeve)... the front pocket seam on the side is about another 2.5", but if you look at the side views of the bag on the product page, you can see there there is another panel bridging the pocket to the main front & then the front of the pocket material, that both allow expansion.

My perception so far is that the volume carried by the Paramour is base loaded due to the design, right? So in profile, it's like an 'L' shape, protruding out more on the bottom. The space above in the dividers in the front pocket is where some folks will probably love or hate it, depending on what you carry.
The Synapse/Synik family, due to the dispersion of pockets, has the volume in profile like a 'D' shape (or an egg, as people often mention here)

[ayazgood]

Has anyone else actually received theirs yet? Got the email that shipment was imminent a couple of weeks ago, and crickets since then. TB shipped for free a strap that was being held to ship at the same time, so I guess I won't complain as I'm holding my breath. :rolleyes:

[ittoujuu]

When we received that e-mail that they were slightly ahead of schedule, I had thought maybe it would come sooner rather than later. However...I'm suspecting that my choice of "sure, just lump all the orders together" when choosing my shipping will end up snowballing my three outstanding TB orders into one mega-box (which will probably ship when the Road Buddy is ready to go). I'm curious to see some more impressions/reviews on it.

[G42]

ayazgood you might want to reach out to TB Customer Service directly and ask. Normally if you have items that are held to ship with a pre-order they do all ship together in one box... That's kind of the point in consolidating the shipping, so maybe there was a hiccup.

ittoujuu yep, if you ordered from both pre-orders, they should all ship once everything is ready, unless you go in, pay for more shipping, and ask for whatever is available to ship at that time

[ayazgood]

ayazgood you might want to reach out to TB Customer Service directly and ask. Normally if you have items that are held to ship with a pre-order they do all ship together in one box... That's kind of the point in consolidating the shipping, so maybe there was a hiccup.

ittoujuu yep, if you ordered from both pre-orders, they should all ship once everything is ready, unless you go in, pay for more shipping, and ask for whatever is available to ship at that time

Turned out there was some sort of system glitch that caused my Paramour order not to be shipped. Not sure if this affected just me or also affected other Paramour orders. In any case, mine is now on the way...:D

[Kevin]

I was able to get my hands on the Paramour last week just in time for a long weekend at the lake. Initial impressions were great!

I also have a guides edition Paragon which I am a bit conflicted on. The aesthetic is great and I find the simple padded tech pocket on the inside very convenient. Unfortunately the rain flap feels a bit cumbersome at times and the organization just isn’t quite right. I find the interior zipper pocket can easily get overstuffed and the outside pocket can be a bit hard to reach into when packed out.

The paramour seems to address these issues with a much more convenient exterior front compartment which is really the star of the show. This compartment is divided in thirds with a water bottle pocket in the middle. It wasn’t clear to me from the product photos, but the outer portions of this compartment each have a piece of liner sewed to the back. This creates a handy pocket on each side for a cell phone or small notebook. This gave me just enough organization for my needs.

This is also my first TB backpack with the 400D Halcyon exterior fabric. This combination plus the lack of rain flaps makes the main compartment much easier to get in and out of. On this bag it also seemed to do a good job of compressing down when under packed while still maintain enough of a shape to stand up straight.

I really like this bag as a simple every day carry, and can’t find much to complain about. Like others my initial thought was that the interior zipper pocket from the paragon might also make sense here, especially since I may not need to overstuff it as much with the additional storage on the exterior. Taking a closer look at the two side by side, I am not sure a pocket like that could fit and be deep enough to be useful. There is an o ring in that position now and I am still experimenting with some different pouches to see if I can get something that works well there.

That’s all I can think of for now, what is everyone else thinking about their bags?

[ayazgood]

Just got my Paramour in black halcyon. First impressions are as expected - an improved version of the Paragon. The Paramour carries the same (same back panel and straps), but is much easier to get into and has a usable front pouch. I don't care about not having an interior pocket, and the height and multiple pockets of the front pouch seem really useful. My use case is (1) as a lightweight tote for my work laptop and occasional files, and (2) a daypack for walking the dogs, including easy carry of large and small water bottles. The Paramour should be better for both purposes, particularly in halcyon. Another big plus - it lays flat when the front pouch is not in use.

ONE MAJOR DISAPPOINTMENT - why didn't TB include a zip away feature on the front pouch pockets, to allow it to be used for bulkier or wider items, like in the Luminary?

I guess my Wilderness GE Paragon will be available on Ebay soon. :) It was always a bit colorful for office use anyway...

[G42]

ONE MAJOR DISAPPOINTMENT - why didn't TB include a zip away feature on the front pouch pockets, to allow it to be used for bulkier or wider items, like in the Luminary?

That's an interesting observation. I would hazard a guess that it's because it would add cost and complexity to a bag that has a wide open main compartment and was designed to be less complicated than a Synpase...

[bchaplin]

Just got my Paramour in black halcyon. First impressions are as expected - an improved version of the Paragon. The Paramour carries the same (same back panel and straps), but is much easier to get into and has a usable front pouch. I don't care about not having an interior pocket, and the height and multiple pockets of the front pouch seem really useful. My use case is (1) as a lightweight tote for my work laptop and occasional files, and (2) a daypack for walking the dogs, including easy carry of large and small water bottles. The Paramour should be better for both purposes, particularly in halcyon. Another big plus - it lays flat when the front pouch is not in use.

ONE MAJOR DISAPPOINTMENT - why didn't TB include a zip away feature on the front pouch pockets, to allow it to be used for bulkier or wider items, like in the Luminary?

I guess my Wilderness GE Paragon will be available on Ebay soon. :) It was always a bit colorful for office use anyway...

I can't remember where I saw this, but I'm pretty sure that one person did a delicate operation on their Paradigm (which is similar in design), to remove seams and create one wide-open pocket. (Of course that would make it less useful for carrying water bottles, so maybe not a good idea...)

[Walker]

G42, can you confirm that the back of the Paramour is the same fabric as the front? I did READ the description on the product page, “. . . this features a smooth back panel in the same material and color as the exterior color chosen for the rest of the bag . . .”

Still want to confirm :). Thank you so much!

[G42]

G42, can you confirm that the back of the Paramour is the same fabric as the front? I did READ the description on the product page, “. . . this features a smooth back panel in the same material and color as the exterior color chosen for the rest of the bag . . .”

Still want to confirm :). Thank you so much!

Yep, same fabric, same as with the Paragon, DLBP, etc.
Reading the description is great, but it's the picture that stays in your mind, right? Here's my messy extra room



Mine is Taiga 400d Halcyon

[Walker]

Thank you so much, @G42.

LOVE your Taiga Paramour.

I have its smaller sibling in stealth black, which I love very much. My sister has the Paradigm in Night Walk; its back side is black, as per the product description.

I am hoping that the Paramour will be made in the Night Walk. I will buy one.

[Walker]

Yep, same fabric, same as with the Paragon, DLBP, etc.
Reading the description is great, but it's the picture that stays in your mind, right? Here's my messy extra room



Mine is Taiga 400d Halcyon

G42, I appreciate your taking the time to take a photo of the back of your Taiga Paramour and posting it. You are so correct, photos stick to the brain. And photos say it all.

Thank you so much again. Now, to wishing, wishing, wishing for the Paramour in Night Walk to come my way for my birthday in December. Sooner would be most welcome, too.