The Little Briefcase that Can Fit Almost Anywhere: early Daylight Briefcase review

[bunchgrass]

Moriond - thank you for the information and the photo of the DLBC, SE and FJN. It was quite helpful. I see a DLBC in my future.

[nukediver]

(Also, grr, I sorta hate Cordura because it's owned by Koch Industries, but what can you do?)

I did not know that. Grrr also. Ugh.

[moriond]

Moriond - thank you for the information and the photo of the DLBC, SE and FJN. It was quite helpful. I see a DLBC in my future.

Here's another picture and post that ended up in the Freudian Slips for Synapses thread that might help with an idea of relative sizes:

I took this picture to post in @Badger's Daylight Briefcase review thread, but I'll post it here, because it shows the FS for S25 inside the DLBP on the right:

The left side shows the Daylight Briefcase in Plum with a Rhodia A4 notebook on top of a plastic A4 filebox being inserted into the main compartment, and a Kindle PaperWhite and iPad Mini being inserted into the divided front horizontal zippered pocket. There's room for a larger case around the Kindle, and also paperbacks beneath it, but I usually carry this without a case now, or inside a Side Effect. A 400d Steel Dyneema Side Effect is shown being inserted into the front diagonal zippered pocket. This won't take a very full pouch if you've also loaded up the other pockets, but I've moved my Kindle and iPad Mini outside of the SE. You can also insert a regular Medium Pouch or Medium Double Organizer Pouch here -- it will just fit, but there's no O-Ring to secure it.

On the right is the French Blue Daylight Backpack with FS for S25, The center top pocket holds a laptop hard drive and the pocket to the left a Field Notes Notebook. File folders are inserted vertically. The zippered pocket at the top goes half way down, and has two O-Rings. (So does the one on the other side of the FS). I've attached a Yarn Stuff Sack via the triangular clip for feeding yarn. I also tried @Badger's trick for attaching a keystrap to the drawstrings of a size #1 Travel Stuff Sack, but it hangs a bit low in the pocket. Using the Double Carabiner Clip to the secure the end may work a bit better,

In front is a Small Plum/Wasabi Cafe Bag. You can see that the Daylight Briefcase uses the new logo with Skyscraper that also appears on the Aeronaut 30.

HTH moriond

[jmoz]

Now I wait. I'm too cheap to pay for expensive shipping, so I won't have the bag for my conference next week, but I'm so happy that TB made exactly what I've been asking for for the past year (almost exactly).

[tpnl]

Here is a pic of the DLBC enjoying its fall season debut up North!



... and here is the apparently required pet picture to go with it - this is Peanut!



Cheers!

[marbenais]

Badger, do you have a Co-Pilot to compare/contrast with the Daylight Briefcase?

As long as dog pictures are bribery, I'm SET. I've got at least ten thousand, easily, of this adorable girl :

Rosalind is hoping for a new leash, soon -- we've been using the Krebs leashes which debuted here with the original Citizen Canine three years ago, but the clips have repeatedly failed during casual walks (not under stress -- when the leash is loose and she's just prancing along, not pulling) so we've been making do with other leashes which are less enjoyable for the human hands. Maybe I can get her a Skookum Dog bungee leash in, oh, surprise, violet.

[Badger]

Badger, do you have a Co-Pilot to compare/contrast with the Daylight Briefcase?

I used to but not anymore. I remember it fairly well though, so I can try to answer specific questions.


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[Pokilani]

I'm playing too then.




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[tpnl]

... and a few more pics of the DLBC used as my EDC today:




Here is what I took today in the DLBC:



Main compartment:
Work issued Dell e7440 14" laptop in a Thule 13" case
Black File Folder
Compact camera
... lots of extra room for at least a 1" binder

Back horizontal zippered pocket:
Black Notebook

Front horizontal zippered pocket:
Flashlight
Bluetooth earpiece in small Navy TB Pouch
Jawbone Mini Bluetooth speaker in case
Iberian 3D Organizer Pouch with laptop accessories - power supply, network cable, HDMI to VGA cable, USB cable

Front zippered slash pocket:
Passport
Samsung Note II Phablet

The DLBC was only packed to medium capacity. I could definitely add a compact umbrella, toque and mitts (I am going to need them soon!). It is amazing how lightweight this combination is.

Here is the required DLBC pet picture to go with the TB bag:



This is Winston (who thinks he is a dog) "No dad - don't make me wear another black bag - I want the linen color one like the person in a previous post is getting!"

I love my DLBC!

Cheers!

[adalangdon]

Dear @tpnl, I don't believe I've ever seen photos of your kitties until today, although you have previously alluded to a feline presence in your home. They are super cute. Cat pics should be a compulsory part of your future product demo posts! Is your cow kitty male or female? (My fella does exactly the same "I can't deal with the world right now" pose sometimes)

ETA- Ah, Winston. Got it :-)

[meekasmom]

cordura....no way with pet hair. why can't they make some ballistics bags for those of us owned by furry critters...

[marbenais]

I used to but not anymore. I remember it fairly well though, so I can try to answer specific questions.

Hmm, I'm looking more for pictures of the two together, to get a better idea of the sizes more than just what I get from the measurements. Part of the Co-Pilot's identity is the big three front pockets, without a huge amount of space in the main compartment, so I'm wondering how a non-empty Side Effect would fit in the Daylight Briefcase, as opposed to how it fits in the Co-Pilot, same with a very full size 2 Travel Stuff Sack.

Rosalind says hello to the cats in this thread -- she loves cats!

[moriond]

Badger, do you have a Co-Pilot to compare/contrast with the Daylight Briefcase?

@marbenais, I'll try to answer this, but my pictures won't be as good as @Badgers's and the lighting is fading here:

Photo comparison Black 400d Dyneema/Wasabi Pilot, Plum Daylight Briefcase, and Steel Ballistic Co-Pilot.

Top view


Side view


From top front angled view


Bags pushed back from front:


The Plum DLBCase is holding an 11" MacBook Air in cache, an A4 Rhodia NoteBook and an A4 File Box. The Pilot is holding the Cache for 13"MacBook Air and Pilot Packing Cubes. The Co-Pilot is holding a Small WF Packing Cube filled with clothes, but is not stuffed, and the front compartments are not loaded.

From the side view you can see that the Pilot is taller, and is designed to carry larger contents, which makes it work better as an overnight bag if you need to carry clothes and bulkier items in addition to papers. In fact, it can handle a size B4 file box (just barely, and probably only works for the Dyneema version -- I checked this out when I was trying to determine how well the Pilot worked for oversize music and larger music scores). If you need this extra space, it's great. If you are going minimalist for either A4 or letter size documents and a laptop, that's more height than you need.

Both Pilot and Co-Pilot are blockier bags to carry, although the Co-Pilot shown here is not full. Again, that works for you if you need the front compartment space to carry items that require more volume, like a water bottle, or boxy items. If you prefer a more body hugging profile (Imago users take note), then you'll prefer the Daylight Briefcase. If that's not a feature you prioritize, then it won't be a factor in your choice, but it really helps in crowded workshops and conferences, or in urban commuting (during rush hour).

I also find it easier to access the zippered pocket sections of the DLBCase while carrying it, based on the few days I've had this bag. (Note: I wasn't expecting this bag's arrival, but received word that my current order had shipped. In my area UPS delivers to home addresses from about 4:30 p.m. - 7:30 p.m. and to work addresses early in the day -- usually by 1:30 p.m. for me. So on Friday, the tracking showed this package on the truck at 7:37 a.m., but by 5:00 p.m. Nothing had shown up, and they were locking the doors for the weekend. Then, the UPS note showed delivery -- after 5:00 p.m. -- with a note that this had been left outside the front door, on Halloween! I figured Darcy must have switched to my home address, but I was still at work, and was wondering whether some trick or treaters would find this nice box on my doorstep, I didn't actually know it would contain the new announcements until I got home, and this was all a bit hair-raising.)

HTH moriond

ETA: And for those who want a comparison with the Imago, again, the DLBCase has different features from the Imago, just like it has a different use profile from the Pilot. The biggest difference is that the Imago has access to a main compartment through a flap, and most of your access is to that single, large compartment. (This is sort of like the difference between Aeronaut Style in travel luggage and Western Flyer or Tri-Star compartments; or maybe it's like the difference between having one large volume area in the Smart Alec backpack compared to the organization and compartments of the Synapse and Brain Bag.). The Imago's bottom and side corners are slightly curved, making it a bit less "briefcase" tailored for papers and laptops/tablets. The newer DLBCase design has pockets that are more conveniently sized and oriented for holding smartphones and tablets. I think that knitters who have the Imago may still prefer to use it for carrying along small projects, simply because of that one large compartment and access under the flap.

ETA2: I should also probably mention that the back zippered pocket of the DLBCase (the one in which I stuffed a folded DLBPack), is designed to be more capacious than the back pocket of the Imago, which is basically good for holding magazines or flat papers. They've made use of the more flexible Parapack lining (compared with Ballistic Nylon). So you could also stick a small jersey into this back zippered pocket. I'll just say that I can easily add my Ibex merino jersey (Women's Giro L/S) that I showed could pack down into a Side Effect, or even smaller, into an Eagle Creek Specter II Quarter Packing Cube), into the back zippered pocket. The Imago back pocket is open, so this wouldn't work as well, although I could stuff in the jersey. Again, this is a handy feature if you walk into an air conditioned conference hall.


Just my thoughts. YMMV.

[moriond]

OK, Here are the pictures to go with my ETA2 of the previous post, This is the same Daylight Briefcase shown in the previous sequence. I just flipped it over and inserted a merino jersey to the back zippered pocket.

Ibex Woman's S Long Sleeve Giro folded below Plum Daylight Briefcase carrying 11" MacBook Air in cache, Rhodia A4 Notebook, and A4 File Box from previous photo set


Merino Jersey inserted in back zippered pocket of Plum Daylight Briefcase


All zipped up with Ibex merino jersey inside


HTH moriond

[GoStanford]

Mods (folks lucky enough to get the DLBC to preview) - any photos showing the interior would be much appreciated. Do we know what the black dyneema interior will be?

ETA: Aaaaaah - scroll down through the 19 photos of the DLBC on the website. There is one with a file folder with printouts or swatches of Dyneema and I REALLY think there are some new colors in there - a green that is darker than wasabi and a coral/orange that looks lighter than Iberian. Has this already been posted and did I miss something?!