Trinity - another one in Deep Blue

[G42]

Aaaallllrighty then! I received a big box of TB goodies today, including the new Trinity in Deep Blue / Zest (thanks TB Crew!), just like bartleby


Disclaimer #1 : TB provided this bag free of charge for my review; my opinions are oh so my own.


Disclaimer #2: I am sooooo not a flat packer! 3D all the way (or as Cooner designated, 'volume' vs 'layers') both by preference and in deference to some of the things I need to carry with me (i.e., a bump cap in the factories, equipment, etc.).


I stopped carrying a briefcase back in the early 90’s - switched to backpacks - and have never looked back. I don’t like the unbalanced feeling of carrying anything particularly heavy on one shoulder; prefer my hands free vs occupied carrying a bag; and need to carry bulkier objects a lot.
My smaller/lighter ‘shoulder bags’ are usually carried cross body and not for general EDC.


Most of my work clothes need to be durable enough to stand up to long travel & factory environments, so bag materials and straps generally don’t damage my clothes (though I completely understand the concern) and I don’t work in an industry that requires formal or dressier clothing (and I'm sartorially challenged).


All of that boring history is to put my impressions into context - 99% of the time, I am picking bags that accommodate 3D packing. Folks who excel at flat packing will have better insights to share.

So those folks who prefer to flat pack, who like the Cadet, Founder’s, Empire Builder, similar competitor’s bags, etc. should find the Trinity very very intriguing.

Pilot & Synik folks may be on the fence, depending on what/how they pack....lots of organization in the Trinity, but still fairly flat/shallow in comparison to the open section of any backpack, Aeronaut/Techonaut, etc.



These are the range of TB bags volumetrically on either side of Trinity and flat pack or flat pack adjacent, in my opinion.
(easier to view on a larger screen or in landscape mode)

Stowaway	12L	525/630 Ballistic 1 lb 13 oz / 830 grams	14.0" (w) x 9.4" (h) x 8.1" (d) / 355 (w) x 240 (h) x 205 (d) mm
Founder’s Briefcase	13L	420 Parapack 2 lbs 9 oz / 1170 grams	17.7" x 12.4" x 4.7" / 450 x 315 x 120 mm
Pilot	13L	525/630 Ballistic 1 lbs 5 oz / 595 grams	15.4" (w) x 11.4" (h) x 5.1" (d) / 390 (w) x 290 (h) x 130 (d) mm
Cadet	14L	525/630 Ballistic 1 lb 9 oz / 710 grams	16.1" (w) x 12.6" (h) x 4.5" (d) / 410 (w) x 320 (h) x 115 (d) mm
Trinity	21L	630 Ballistic 2lbs 12.4oz / 1260 grams	Filled Exterior 10.75” (h) x 16” (w) x 11.4” (d) / 270mm (h) x 410mm (w) x 290mm (d) Seam-to-Seam 11" (h) x 15.75" (w) x 6.5" (d) / 280mm (h) x 400mm (w) x 165mm (d)
Synik 22	22L	525/630 Ballistic 2 lb 9.6 oz / 1180 grams	11.4" (w) x 16.0" (h) x 7.1 - 9.4” (d) / 290 (w) x 410 (h) x 180-240 (d) mm
Empire Builder	22.5L	1050 Ballistic 4 lbs / 1805 grams	18.3" (w) x 12.8" (h) x 7.1" (d) / 465 (w) x 325 (h) x 180 (d) mm
Western Flyer	26L	525/630 Ballistic 2 lb 8oz / 1130 grams	17.9" (w) x 12" (h) x 7.1" (d) / 455 (w) x 305 (h) x 180 (d) mm

I currently own several Pilots, SN22s, and one Western Flyer (which I hardly use, but keep because - oNordic!).

The rest I have either owned & moved on (see: not a flat packer) or played with at the factory and didn’t buy (still not a flat packer).




First impressions upon opening the box - hey, that’s a tidy looking bag! and smaller/less obtrusive than I thought it would be!
Here it is packed with the stuff detailed later on.




In the horizontal ‘briefcase mode’ orientation, it reminds me of a lot of the multi compartment briefcases my suppliers & some coworkers have carried over the years - lots of horizontal flat sections with a bit of 3D on one side; shoulder carry; usually goes under the plane seat; and accompanies a roller bag... Pretty much like the main TB photos.


Since it’s a bag that is all about the sections, I installed the myriad of zipper pulls to quiet those down and used different coloured ones for the central laptop pair, since I find it easier to colour code. The beefy #10 zippers are on the 3 main sections & #8s on the rest. Pre-installed tab pull on the shoulder strap compartment.





I would use this bag as a horizontally oriented briefcase and/or in combo with the backpack straps for a minimal 1-3 day trip with laptop & files. Since I am a 3D packer, it would be an unusual occurrence for me to grab this vs a Cambiata or SN22 for the same use case though, unless I couldn’t have a backpack for some reason or was traveling with a roller bag.




The bag arrived today and I’m going to take it on a one day trip tomorrow, traveling predominately by small corporate/private plane to a factory for a meeting. Since I won’t need to go on the manufacturing floor, I won’t bring my bump cap - just so that I can try this bag out (normally I do need the 3D space to carry things like that).


I unloaded the Cambiata I carried today and loaded it all into the Trinity and weighed it - it's a bit over 15lbs with all my stuff (not counting the strap). Since this is all completely last minute, it may not be ideal in terms of what I have loaded where and may get rearranged before the end of the trip.


Back/Clothing section
-Only my Nordic E/TC with misc 'traveling office' stuff




Central Laptop/Files section - this is a really cool layout! center section for laptop and full length pocket on either side
-Laptop is 12.5 x 8.5 x 0.75"
-Plastic zip folder of 8.5 x 11" papers
-A5 GW with several Moleskin Cahier journals
-a lose Moleskin Cahier journal
-Kindle Paperwhite in case









Water Bottle Divided section
-Solaris SSC with all the tech stuff
-Extra battery
-Microlite water bottle
-Seafoam VPC
-Zoji coffee bottle

The water bottle mesh divider is based off of the version in the Luminary which I quite like. It's pretty easy to unzip & lay flat if you don't want the space divided or leave it in place but don't put anything in it, if you want the division but not the 'pocket'.

The two bottles I carry with me whenever I travel are fairly skinny - they actually swim in the mesh pocket - so it's not as useful for that for me, though they certainly don't tip all the way over - it's just that it doesn't particularly hold them either. It would be a good spot for a TSS.
As I mentioned elsewhere, both my bottles are leak proof and routinely are thrown around and go sideways, so it doesn't bother me at all that this section goes horizontal in backpack mode, YMMV.






Front Center Pocket
-iPhone
-Glasses case
-Small GW with writing stuff
-Small OP with masks

NOTE: the divided sections in this pocket do not go all the way down, so you can still get things out easily - they're about 5" deep
The area below those sections can hold other things and it's about another 3.25"







I didn't end up needing to use the two front side pockets as currently packed. As the others noted, they are different sizes; the bigger one can hold two VPCs which is useful.



I attached my Op Tech Mini SOS strap (I prefer these for smaller bags because the size seems more proportionate vs the Absolute) and walked around for a bit - did not feel terribly unwieldy or that it stuck out too far, but it also wasn't completely packed out all the way, so I'd have to evaluate that separately.

With the backpack straps attached, also felt good - again, just a quick check, definitely no time to really delve into it or very for long. The straps are minimal but seem a bit more padded than the Contour straps of the Cambiata but that is just current perception/guess.



Other interesting things to note:

-pockets can steal space from adjacent areas, depending on the shape of what you pack

-the triangle receiver for the snap-on shoulder strap is discreet/unobtrusive for when you're carrying by the Poron handles
-the Poron handles that 'kiss' in the middle are comfy as expected

-the shallower front pocket is the one behind the TB label

-the luggage pass through (horizontal briefcase orientation) is also discreet
-the section below the luggage pass through is where the strap buckle receivers tuck away - that section is open from side to side so you could possibly thread a waist strap as moriond showed or other strap to secure things through there (ETA - clarified)

-the backpack strap pocket is a touch too narrow to hold a magazine, but could hold a journal, my Kindle, etc. as a bonus pocket
-the full pack panel section is lightly padded
-from the top curve of the backpack strap to the lower slider that lengthens/shortens the webbing is about 17" - I pulled everything as small as it would go and it fit, but would normally wear it a bit looser than that - latchford I think you asked about this
-there is a sewn on loop to help you secure excess webbing




More to come as I use the bag

[G42]

This is the central front pocket... hopefully you can see by following the seams that the pen/pencil and larger pockets do not go all the way down and there's space below them

[moriond]

Comment: the waist strap passed through the back of the Trinity was in response to the suggestion Cristina made. It actually is slightly more comfortable in the overall carry experience and I used it as a waist strap (not to secure more items to the bag). Remember that I am just under 5´4” with standard length torso. I should add that I can even pack shoes into the Night Flight Travel Duffel, and that most of my clothes fit into the medium TriStar packing cube. But I’ve used the TriStar large packing cube for extra slacks and formal occasion dresses.

moriond

[latchford]

-from the top curve of the backpack strap to the lower slider that lengthens/shortens the webbing is about 17" - I pulled everything as small as it would go and it fit, but would normally wear it a bit looser than that - latchford I think you asked about this

I did ask about that. Thank you for taking the time to measure the strap ❤️

[G42]

Of course I've already changed things this morning before I leave...

-two bottles still in the Water Bottle/Divided section; moved the Small GW with pens there; added a Mini OP with snacks... they easily fit in the space next to the water bottles




-moved the E/TC, VPC, & SSC to the Back/Clothing section closest to backpack straps... These are my bulkiest items and interfere less with the smaller Front pockets this way





-moved the Small OP with masks to the Front Side pocket under the TB label and added another one that holds the separate badges to get into the locations in traveling to

-moved the Kindle in case to the other Front Side pocket

-Front pocket now has the extra battery laying horizontally below the pockets in that space I mentioned... next to it is an added small non-TB pouch which holds two sets of earbuds (one for each phone, it's easier for me)
-work iPhone & glasses still in that Front pocket



With strap, additional stuff, and two filled bottles, 19 lbs

Going to carry by strap outbound and backpack straps on the return, so those and the clothing straps are all still installed

Around 10" at maximum front to back depth, though not evenly so, due to how packed

I definitely don't need all this stuff on this trip, but I habitually leave the SSC, many of the cubes, & OPs, etc., packed at all times and just move them from bag to bag, so I have everything I need for a wide range of trips. I find it a good way to not forget things and my schedule often changes last minute, a trip gets extended, or I get stuck in an airport overnight 🙄

If I were to carry the Trinity regularly, I'd switch how I carry the chargers & stuff, since the SSC is the bulkiest thing right now.

[G42]

In transit, looking stylish





ETA, any Pratchett Discworld fans here? I took this pic and had a strong sense that The Luggage was patiently watching & waiting for me...

[Cooner]

Thanks for the extensive write-up, and thanks for the shout-out! ;)

I'm still waiting for UPS to drop off my Night Flight today. :D

[G42]

Some comparison photos of the Trinity vs the Cambiata... the sizes are slightly different, but they're both basically designed to be max personal item size and rectangular to maximize that volume. Note - the Cambiata is empty here.









Both of them sit up on their own, which is great if you're working out of them!


Whilst I love my S19s for carry and all the efficient built-in Tardis like pockets, it generally - by design - will not sit up on its own. Fine for hiking, wandering around, regular EDC to my regular work location, but especially when I'm in transit working or hot desking somewhere, I really appreciate working out a bag easily.
No different than how I like that I can use the Swift for knitting and it sits up and acts like a work surface/repository or the way I can live out an A30 with it acting like a bureau.


With the Op Tech Mini SOS strap (could have used an Absolute as well), I was perfectly able to maneuver the bag whilst climbing those narrow hatchway stairs into the small 6 person King Air plane. The regular strap would probably have been fine, just not as comfortable since I had 19lbs of load.
I also really like the grippy surface and the slight bounce


Due to the nature of the trip, I didn't spend lots of time walking with it or standing around, but it was fine and the double Poron handles are great as expected. Side carry will just never be my preferred option as previously discussed.



I came back with an empty coffee bottle but added another pound or so of stuff that had to come back with me; fit in just fine. Switched to backpack mode, put the strap into one of the pockets but could have left attached.


The straps are comfortable to me and seem more tailored and a bit cushier than the Contour straps, but again, didn't do lots of walking/standing around.... and I'm on record stating that the more minimal Contour straps of the Luminary, Zeit, Cambiata, etc. are all fine for me and I generally prefer the Bound straps vs Edgeless on the other bags, though that quite probably has more to do with the angle of attachment on some bags and how they sit on the front of my shoulders/upper chest vs the cushion level.

I played around with strap length and doubled up the excess webbing to tuck into the built-in strap loops. Depending on how long I'd be walking, I'd probably use the sternum strap as I do with every bag, because it helps keep straps in place based on my body shape/comfort preference.



At different times to sling the bag around, I used both the grab loop that lives in the backpack strap pocket and the shallower one on the side of the bag - both useful.





Again, easy to get into the plane, had it slung on one shoulder at that time, slide down the arm, grab by the grab handle and sling into the cargo area, easy peasy.



More photos of the packed bag in backpack mode









ETA: forgot to mention that there are a lot of o-rings and whenever I wanted one, lo & behold, there was one



Overall, I think observant_hobo has made a lot of good points here https://forums.tombihn.com/forum/tom...464#post349464


This is a horizontally oriented thorough briefcase with some neat added features that will appeal to a specific set of users and/or use cases, especially folks who like the Empire Builder and similar bags.

[observant_hobo]

Very cool! I particularly like the way it looks in natural light, quite a nice color combo. I'm actually digging this bag the more I see it.

Quick question: is the laptop compartment the same as the others in terms of fabric? Any padding/sling in there?

[G42]

Very cool! I particularly like the way it looks in natural light, quite a nice color combo. I'm actually digging this bag the more I see it.

Quick question: is the laptop compartment the same as the others in terms of fabric? Any padding/sling in there?

hey observant_hobo


It's really hard to get into that laptop section to show you, since by design it's super compact/efficient, so I'm going to excerpt this from the product page:

"The center main compartment is designed to store up to 16” laptops and is purposefully compact to prevent your device from shifting back and forth when you’re carrying the Trinity in any mode. It has two elasticized dividers running the width of the pocket, situated on each wall of the compartment – great for carrying files or separating out your devices into sections. The bottom dome has sewn-in foam to create a soft padding for your devices. The Trinity is designed in a way that allows the center compartment to compress when the front and main compartments are packed, thus creating more protection for devices."

That center area is all lining fabric, so all happy Zest in this instance - padding in the dome below is 'hidden' by the lining.



I didn't have any qualms with my work laptop in there without an additional case and would have also been fine putting a second laptop in one of the 'pockets' next to it, with only the layer of halcyon separating them. Most folks would probably put files like I did or maybe a tablet or all of the above. Laptop in center/center and additional files, tablets, laptops, in the other two - all sandwiched by the other two full main zippered compartments.


I really think, based on your previous posts, that you and folks like PaulT00 would find this the most intriguing in person, though I get that for anyone overseas, the price, currency conversion, taxes/duties, and expense to return ship might make it harder to take a flyer on until more are out in the world for folks to see.


Still have to play with clothes in it, but since it is so compact, I would lean towards NOT using packing cubes and only using the built-in tie-down area except for undies... for me, those would need a Travel Stuff Sack and/or cube of some sort, probably in the other compartment.


ETA, here's a quick photo of the VPC, E/TC, and a size 2 Travel Stuff Sack in the Water Bottle/Divided section. You can see that they don't fill the full vertical space, so there's room for more stuff.

The TSS has a bra, pair of socks, and several pairs of underwear, not packed full, and fits with some squish into the water bottle pocket... the stuff could have fit into the VPC or E/TC too, but I had them still loaded with other non-clothing stuff.

This was for simply for demonstration, because you can also stuff the TSS full and leave the mesh closed/flat or zip out of the way completely.





Tomorrow I'll try out some of the other TB and Eagle Creek cubes I have.

[observant_hobo]

Thank you very kindly. I missed that on the product page, good to see they checked that box.

Still have to play with clothes in it, but since it is so compact, I would lean towards NOT using packing cubes and only using the built-in tie-down area except for undies... those would need a Travel Stuff Sack and/or cube of some sort, probably in the other compartment.

I am 100% in agreement with you in terms of my personal packing style. I had the full complement of packing cubs for the Tristar/Western Flyer but I hardly ever used them as the bag's internal structure makes them redundant. I think that's even more true in a smaller bag like the Trinity that already has a ton of fabric — the "packing cubes" are basically already built-in. I do think, though, that packing cubes make a lot of sense for larger "volumetric" bags that have no internal structure.

[G42]

Quick packing experiment as if I were doing a one or two night work trip with relatively minimal stuff and decided to take the Trinity.

The photos aren't great (for everyone who will go bonky that the lines are not straight to the horizon, sorry, annoys me too, but I don't have much time) but it should give another reference set of info.

Bag is not completely full and definitely no optimized by any stretch.



Packed Trinity









Backpack Strap Pocket

• This pocket is mostly the full length of the bag, to hold the straps. The side closest to the bag is sewn down to create separate sections for the luggage handle pass through vs the backpack strap receiver buckles (potential place for waist strap) - but the inside of the pocket goes all the way across.
• If you're not using the straps and leave them at home, it gives you another zipped pocket.
• If you are actively using the straps, you could still put things inside that aren't too bulky and the friction/packed pressure should hold them in place, especially because the top/open part of the pocket is the top of the bag in backpack mode.
• You can fit 2-3 Small OPs in the backpack zipped pocket or anything that is about that total size, noting that it will simply bulge out more as you put thicker & thicker items in.

Back/Clothing Section (only using tie-downs)

• 1 pair jeans
• 1 polo shirt
• 1 dress blouse
• 1 workout pants
• 1 workout t-shirt
• 1 long sleep pants
• 1 sleep shirt

This all ended up being about 4" thick and pushes into the Central Main Laptop Section a bit, but still easy to put the laptop in & out...









Central Main Laptop Section (not shown)

• work laptop
• small amount of paperwork, in the side away from the Clothing Section

Front/Work Stuff Section (water bottle mesh unzipped, and lays flat out of the way)

• Eagle Creek Sil Nylon Tube Cube - ~13 x 5 x 3" - holding several pairs thick wool socks; undies; bra (more items than I'd actually bring)... all squishy stuff, cube not stuffed full - this was to show that something long along the bottom of the main pockets is useful; I could have rolled my sleep stuff and tucked them in down there instead. I don't know that they make this exact version anymore, the current ones say 5 x 14.25 x 1.5" which would still fit
• E/TC 7.3 x 5.7 x 3" simulating toiletries, could have used a 3DOC 7.1 x 4.3 x 2" or VPC 7.7 x 5.3 x 3.2"
• SSC 8.3 x 4.9 x 4.3" holding charges & stuff, not unpacked at all from my normal load, so has a mouse, car charger, the huge 2pc work laptop charger, and several phone/Kindle/misc things - not all of which I would need if I were just doing a quick 1-2 night trip. I'd probably NOT use a pouch and load into the Front pocket, but this acts as a good placeholder for other stuff
• Microlite water bottle

Front Pockets

• Moleskin Cahier notebook in side pocket
• Kindle Paperwhite in case in other side pocket
• Small GW with pens/pencils/etc.
• Tissue packet
• Extra batter pack
• iPhone

I'm not a diehard minimalist packer by any stretch (and don't want to be), but even I can see that if I wanted to only bring a toothbrush & comb; tiny toiletries and/or depend on the hotel; only the essential electronics; leave all the random 'just in case' stuff at home; merino wool/thin travel clothes; etc. etc. there's still a full 21L to exploit, it just needs to be flat/layered vs fat 3D.

It also occurred to me whilst packing this, that whether I carried it on my back or at my side, this would be a great time to use a sling bag or fanny pack for the quick handful of extra items and still be very minimal and both items could go under the seat.

[Shortie]

Thank you for showing the Trinity with clothes packed. That is really helpful.

[aposkeves]

Fantastic write up G42. I am in the market for a new bag for daily carry/business travel and was about to order the Synik 30 and am now considering the Trinity. I have the Techonaut 30 which I love but it's not ideal for business travel.

[G42]

Thanks aposkeves and Welcome to the Forums!

The SN30 is a great travel bag/EDC carry as well, just backpack oriented first - like the Techonauts - vs this new Trinity is briefcase oriented as primary carry.
It definitely feels that touch more formal/traditional in that it's not a backpack first.
If you do get one (I know they don't ship until November), hopefully you'll share impressions and photos 🙂

As you can see from these first posts, we Mods were given bags for review and we all have different stuff to pack, body shapes, perspectives, etc. so if you have questions or anything you want one or more of us to try out for you, please let us know!