ALERT: Synapse = TARDIS

[dorayme]

I can believe it, some of my favorite diaper bags were backpack styles.

I've been carrying my Synapse to Upward. It holds everything we need and then some. Rocky usually snags it and carries it around for me.


Inside I have:
12oz. Kleen Kanteen in water bottle pocket
10 drink mix pouches and my iPhone in the forehead pocket
in the main compartment:
mifi with charger
Z's poms and megaphone
Z's and my jackets
7 snack cracker/cookie pouches
3 juice pouches
my storage clipboard
Rocky's Upward coach's manual
comb and leave in conditioner spray bottle

and the lower and two side compartments have nothing in them!
Rocky is 6'0" and not slight in build. Yet the Synapse looks just fine with him toting it, as it does when I tote it. This bag is amazing!

[Janine]

The Synapse continues to do diaper duty. Seriously, this is a great bag for short trips with a wee one (or two). It makes me even more curious about the diaper bag that Tom has been working on. I have my fingers crossed that the diaper bag will be released while I still need to carry one, but in the meantime, my Synapse is rocking that role.

[Janine]

Yes... yes.. this is old... whatever. I found this for you: Amazon.com: Dr. Who BLUE TARDIS Pinback Button 1.25" Pin / Badge ~ Time Machine Doctor: Everything Else

:D

I just saw this post today, @Katy! Thanks! :-D

[Janine]

Long time no posting. The babies keep me very busy. I'm sneaking in a post tonight while Daddy puts Space Monkey #1 to bed.

Why didn't you guys tell me how great the Synapse would be as a diaper bag?!? It's AWESOME! We went to a state park in the middle of December. It was the maiden voyage for my WF, which I love(100000000). I brought my little stuff in the Synapse. We went out to a restaurant one night and I packed the Synapse as a diaper bag. It worked out really, really well. As you already know, the profile is slim and it hugs your back, so it's easy to focus on not dropping the child rather than not dropping the bag. My packing list included:

* a 20-ounce bottle of water in the water bottle pocket

* empty baby bottles in both side pocket. They fit great and stay upright, which is very nice for packing half-full bottles back home at the end of your adventure.

* in the main compartment: disposable diapers, a packet of wipes, two outfits, a few small toys, burp cloths, formula powder in a can, my wallet and phone, baggies for packing home the dirty diapers/soiled clothes, two hats.

It was everything we needed for the kids (who were 7 months old at the time, for those of you who don't know me well) for about 4 hours away from home. Now that the boys are bigger and eating more solid foods, I'd need to add a few jars/packets of baby food, bibs, spoons, and bowls to that list, but the Synapse had enough extra room for those things (though not much more).

Only one thing prevents the Synapse from being the perfect short-trip diaper bag for twins at this age: the bag doesn't stand upright on its own when you put it down on the floor. If it did, I just might take all my other diaper bags to the Goodwill. But when you are using both arms and legs to put a diaper on the possessed serpent that picked up accidentally instead of your sweet, well-behaved little darling, it's really important that the bag you are pulling items from or stuffing items into will stand up and remain open.

That's all for now! Love this bag! I miss you guys!

[Radio bug]

My 7-year-old son uses a Synapse as his everyday bag for school, hiking, etc. and it fits him well. He is tall for a 7-year-old, though.

[JLE]

Thanks for the prompt reply! This is exactly the sort of info I was after. I hadn't even thought of the bottom compartment for shoes so that's a great tip. My feet are bigger than yours (EU39.5) but a lightweight pair would still probably fit.

[dorayme]

I have used my Synapse for an overnight on several occasions. I am 5'2". I wear size 38EU shoes. I have been able to pack in my sleeping clothes (a cotton PJ set), next day's clothes and unmentionables (rolled or in PCSB and I'm not traveling with travel specific clothing, i.e. my pants are jeans, my tops were long sleeve tee shirts), iPad or laptop and fit my shoes (Vibram fivefingers or TOMS) into the bottom compartment. I put my chargers into one of the side pockets. My 3-D bag fit just fine into the top over my clothes, but I had it clipped in the picture shown on the forums. If I were to re-ware, or chose to wash e/o day, I could extend the use of the Synapse as my travel bag for longer.
The water bottle pocket could easily hold your toiletries, or hold them in a bag.
My son's have carried my Synapse, they are 7 and 8.5. They had no issues with it being too long.

[JLE]

Hi all, first time poster, Tristar owner here. I noticed a few people above suggesting the Synapse is big enough for overnight trips. Can someone elaborate please? Specifically, I was wondering whether the water bottle compartment would be big enough for a toiletry bag of some kind, and whether it would be possible to get another pair of (women's) shoes into the bag along with clothes etc?

Also, has anybody given the Synapse to a child (under 10) to use, or is it a bit too long for that?

[Katy]

My Synapse arrived yesterday! I didn't have time to properly appreciate it last night. I didn't have time to properly appreciate it this morning, either, but that didn't stop me (while I simultaneously brushing my teeth and putting a baby in a carseat) from dumping my daily carry items out of my other, lesser backpack and stuffing them into my new Synapse.

And stuffing.

And stuffing.

I'm pretty sure that a few laws of physics were broken. My Synapse is currently holding:

3-ring binder
Kindle in a padded sleeve
my purse (a Vera Bradley Sophie)
my knitting (two small projects)
my pencil case (I didn't have time to empty it and put my pens in the side pocket)

which isn't very much, but is nonetheless notable because there is so much room left over.

There is clearly some kind of shenanigans going on here. Maybe Tom has a very small black hole sewn into the lining of every Synapse. Or maybe he has them enchanted like Hermione's little beaded clutch or a wizard tent. Or maybe he waves a sonic screwdriver at them to give them qualities of the TARDIS. Shenanigans, I say: the inside is bigger than the outside.

ps. My Synapse is Indigo/Solar. Does anyone know where I can get a patch that says "Police Box"?

Yes... yes.. this is old... whatever. I found this for you: Amazon.com: Dr. Who BLUE TARDIS Pinback Button 1.25" Pin / Badge ~ Time Machine Doctor: Everything Else

:D

[backpack]

Synapse and I first outing.

First, I moved most of my Large Cafe Bag essentials to the Small Cafe Bag.
Non, need to be handy right away, items were placed in the Synapse.

I had important documents to send right away so the Synapse had to put his TARDIS on.

I had to fit a huge envelope full of file folders, 10 or 12 of them, a Large Pouch with a plastic pocket to hold 2 sheets of heavy paper, a backup Tyvek enveloppe which I ended up needing, a Clear Quarter Pouch and one Small Clear and One Medium Cordura Pouch in the inside big compartment pocket.
The bottom pocket contained two TJ mini milks, the small pocket a Mini Pouch, the bottle pocket, a gel pen.

I took my bunched up windbreaker and a new box of cushioned sole inserts and threw them into the Packing Cube Backpack (Aeronaut).

When I went outside there was a gust of wind and I grabbed my fall/winter/early spring jacket.

I went to the post office and got everything set up, only to find out that "somebody", (not the Goldfish Girls and not me) placed a binder clip inside one of the folders, the metal pressure was starting to show wear marks two second after the envelope had been securely closed. GRRRRRRRRRRRRR!

So the Tyvek envelope had to be cut, the clip removed carefully, the whole stack of folder transfered in the same order in the other envelope and the whole addressing thing had to be done again.

When that was done I put everything back into the Synapse, grabbed it and the Packing Cube Backpack (Aeronaut) and took my post office customer number.

I didn't have to wait long, the lady was very cute and I had to pay half the price of a Small Shop Bag. A great way to awaken my grizzly within.

After being done, I set up to remove the new package of sole inserts from the Packing Cube Backpack (Aeronaut) and fold it.

I used the Packing Cube Backpack (Aeronaut) for shopping yesterday and forgot to remove plastic packaged wires and connectors from the lower pocket. ( not smart, more ursine reaction resulted)

The Synapse had the hardest first time use/outing of all my Tom Bihn Bags with the execption of his big Brother the Steel Brain Bag who helped me carrying two iBooks at the airport, while I organized the check in of a huge cart full of our possessions for cargo and issue of a 3 contiguous seat tickets for myself, my husband and most important our beloved cat.

It is indeed a TARDIS, it was able to swallow the folded Packing Cube Backpack (Aeronaut) in addition to everything else, in case anybody wants to know each side pockets can hold a TJ milk or soy milk mini cartons.


The Synapse and I had a tussle when I first set him up for long walking/bus/metro hopping and at first, I had the same reaction I got with the Brain Bag.

Sometimes, women and backpack straps do not mix if -everything- is not properly in place. :)

Just like with his big brother, the Brain Bag, a five minutes adjustment of the carrying straps and the sternum strap and some shaking on my part, the Synapse fit itself to my contours.

Just Loooooove it!


I am beyond happy to have found the smaller, everyday version of my Large Cafe Bag/Brain Bag ideal travel pair!


PS: Tom and the Crew deserve an award for being geniuses!

[jaon]

I think the correct question is "What color do I want first?" :-)

I've figured that one out, I think. What I need is a TARDIS paycheck.

[Janine]

I think the correct question is "What color do I want first?" :-)

[TavaPeak]

Have been wanting to order a Synapse, but can't decide on a color yet, now that they are all back in stock. And I could really use one this weekend for a getaway. At least I can try out my new 3D bag. Sheesh - you guys are really giving me a bad case of Bihn-itis.

[Moose]

I completly agree with the "shenanigans going on". Its sort of like the "laws" of physics were turned into "guidelines" when Tom created the Synapse. Dorayme is also correct, wait till you pack it for a weekend. Its a thing of beauty.
Take care, and enjoy the new bag.
Moose

[dorayme]

Just wait until you pack it for a weekend trip, it will blow your mind!