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

[Badger]

Just popping in to say I have it confirmed that the Black Dyneema DLBC is lined in 200D Steel Dyneema. HTH!

[mattfusf]

I am horrible at comparing colors and the pictures aren't labeled...is this Cocoa or Coyote or am I completely off?

http://www.tombihn.com/mm5/PRODIMG/daylightbriefcase/daylightbriefcase_14b.jpg

Thanks

Matt

[tpnl]

The picture in your link is Cocoa - a brown color.
Coyote is more like light beige.

Hope this helps

Cheers!

[moriond]

I am horrible at comparing colors and the pictures aren't labeled...is this Cocoa or Coyote or am I completely off?



Thanks

Matt

To add to @tpnl's answer that this is Cocoa, the DLBCase colors after grey are: olive, burnt orange, French blue, linen, cocoa, navy, Coyote, Black Dyneema, black, and plum. Then the picture cycles back to grey.

HTH moriond

[jterran]

Will a braincell fit in the DLBC? I know this might seem to defeat the point of the bag but I'm wondering.

[tpnl]

I would suggest No to any of the current Horizontal Brain Cells fitting.
The only one that might fit is the 13" MBP Retina one at 13" x 10.4". However, the 10.4" is already 0.5" too high for the DLBC so it would be a stretch.

Hope this helps

Cheers!

[backpack]

Can the DLBC fit in a Swift? Will the DLBC be made in Parapack?

[moriond]

Will a braincell fit in the DLBC? I know this might seem to defeat the point of the bag but I'm wondering.

Welcome to the forums (as a new poster) @jterran. Unless you have an old model Brain Cell -- like the Size 5 that was designed for 12" Mac PowerBooks back in 2004 -- then the answer is no, the DLBCase will not take a Brain Cell.

The smallest horizontal Brain Cell currently being sold is the 6X, with external dimensions:
13.5" x 11.3" x 1.9" / 343 x 286 x 47mm

The Daylight Briefcase dimensions are:
13.4" x 9.8" x 6.5" / 340 x 250 x 165 mm

So the extra protection of the Brain Cell translates into both wider and taller dimensions than you can insert into the.DLBCase. It's especially true that the height of the Brain Cell won't fit the minimalist design of the DLBC because the Brain Cell includes a sling suspension system in addition to foam and padding.

If you're interested in more protection in a Briefcase that will hold a Brain Cell you could try the Empire Builder (definitely not minimalist) or the Cadet, which is minimalist without a Brain Cell, but which has extra foam padding around the case and also holds the laptop in a cache. This bag will also take larger laptops than will fit in the Pilot or Daylight Briefcase, but can still fit inside the center section of a traveling bag like the Tri-Star. The Empire Builder and Cadet are available for back order.

HTH moriond

[Badger]

Can the DLBC fit in a Swift? Will the DLBC be made in Parapack?

Hopefully someone else (cough, moriond) can help with the Swift question.

To answer the other question: I have no definitive proof of this, but I am fairly sure that the DLBP/DLBC will not be made in other fabrics for the time being. Certainly not ballistic, which is way too heavy and structured to allow the crushability/packability offered by Cordura. While I can't think of any technical reason that they couldn't be made in Parapack versions, I will venture that, given that Parapack was experimented with (and ultimately rejected) for use as an exterior fabric in the Synapse and Brain Bag line, that Parapack may (at least right now) be reserved solely for the exteriors of the Guide's Pack and Founder's Briefcase.

[moriond]

Can the DLBC fit in a Swift? Will the DLBC be made in Parapack?

Yes, you can just fit the DLBC (oriented horizontally) into a Swift. The top of the bag sits about 1.2"/30 mm below the zippers of each clear pocket, and you can secure the top of the bag.

As you know, the bottom of the Swift bag is oval shaped, so the DLBC is actually wider than the widest part of the oval by about half an inch, but because the black Ballistic Nylon boot at the base of the Swift flares out and widens as you go up the bag, it will accommodate the Daylight Briefcase loaded up with a laptop in a cache. I've only tried this with my 13" MacBooks, since I don't have any larger size laptops in caches easily available to me.

With the Nordic Dyneema Swift the empty sections in front and behind the DLBC will tend to sag, while a Swift with sturdier fabric (Ballistic Nylon or Hemp) will hold those sections up better. Although the otherwise empty Swift will stand up with the DLBC holding laptop inside, you'd have an easier/more secure time if the Swift were Ballistic Nylon. This is definitely something I wouldn't be able to do with the Pilot in horizontal orientation.

As for the question about Parapack Daylight Briefcases, I think Darcy would have to answer that. I think that one of the reasons they cut back on Parapack bags over the last half year is that they were having difficulty getting the material in the quality they wanted in the quantities they needed for production.

HTH moriond

[Darcy]

I am horrible at comparing colors and the pictures aren't labeled...is this Cocoa or Coyote or am I completely off?

Captions on the Daylight Briefcase photos are now fixed. Thanks for the heads-up, Matt!

[moriond]

Pictures of Plum DLBC in Nordic Dyneema Swift. The DLBC is holding a 13" MacBook Air in a cache, but is not otherwise loaded.

Top view showing where the top of the Plum Daylight Briefcase sits relative to the clear zippered pockets (measured to rest about 1.2" or 30 mm below the zipper). You can see the sag in the Nordic 400d Dyneema near the bottom of the bag.


Upright Nordic Dyneema Swift holding plum Daylight Briefcase containing 13" MacBook Air in Cache


Sorry, the lighting is really terrible for these pictures.

HTH

[Tiviander]

Can anyone post some interior shots? I would love to see what the divided front pocket and elastic topped interior pocket look like. I have been wanting a CoPilot for a while but feel the ballistic fabric is more bulk and structure than I need. Can a travel mug stand up in a corner?

[moriond]

Can anyone post some interior shots? I would love to see what the divided front pocket and elastic topped interior pocket look like. I have been wanting a CoPilot for a while but feel the ballistic fabric is more bulk and structure than I need. Can a travel mug stand up in a corner?

Maybe @Badger can take some pictures or Darcy may have some? I have really poor lighting at present and take terrible pictures. I will just comment that if you want the structure of a Co-Pilot, which can hold mugs and boxier items like camera lenses, etc., my guess is that you'd be better off getting a Co-Pilot in Dyneema rather than a Daylight Briefcase. This bag is really designed to be minimalist and optimizing for flat object use -- not mugs or anything that takes up that much depth. It's also designed to hold (flat) laptops in the main compartment, and I wouldn't carry a mug next to a laptop.

HTH moriond

[Dee]

Gosh they sold out quickly. I am guessing no one else needed to sleep on their purchase ;)
What this actually makes me think of, is a pimped out packing cube shoulder bag (although a bit bigger). It'll probably be great as a seat bag on trains. Now to get myself in the queue for one.

But to pick a colour. I can't say I love any of them. While I am a purple lover, plum would probably clash with everything. Can't get myself to love navy. I'd love a dark green, but I hate olive. So boring grey or boring black?