I’m a huge fan of the Daylight Backpack, so when I heard that a briefcase with a similar design sensibility was going to be added to the lineup, I was intrigued. I consider myself very lucky to have been able to try out the new Daylight Briefcase a few days before the debut. There hasn’t been time for me to take it anywhere yet, not even the coffee shop, but, based on my first impressions and various tests, I can definitely see myself turning often to the DLBC for my travels near and far.
Let’s start by taking a peek at the pockets, shall we? There are three external pockets, two on the face and one on the back. The lower pocket on the face is angled in such a way that it’s easy to zip/unzip and remove/put in items while the bag is on your shoulder. There’s room for a tablet or a fairly sizable book in this pocket, and I think a Platypus bottle would be great in there. There are no o-rings in this pocket; while Small and Mini Organizer Pouches go in/out with ease, getting a Medium OP into the slanted pocket requires a bit more finagling. Above the slanted pocket is a width-spanning zipped pocket which is divided into two on the inside. Both sections are wide enough for books, tablets, Large size Moleskines, and so forth. The pockets go all the way to the bottom of the bag, so you have about 8” of vertical space below the zipper and 10” of total vertical space. There are two o-rings, one in each far corner. Like with the slanted pocket, a Medium OP won’t fit, but a 3D OC will. I tried to squeeze a Side Effect in there, and that was a bust, unfortunately. The rear pocket zipper runs on a gentle curve, and the space inside is great for papers (both US Standard Letter and A4 sizes), a file folder, or a light jacket. Just for reference: I was able to squeeze in a hooded soft-shell, size L, but it doesn’t look anywhere as sleek as on the product page. There are two o-rings in each corner of this pocket, as well.
The inside of the DLBC is just magical. Magical! There are rail loops to accept an 11” or 13” Horizontal Cache, and I’ve gotta say: it feels like this bag was custom-designed for the 11” MBA (though the 13” fits in wonderfully too). There is a pocket on the front wall that’s very reminiscent of the Synapse interior pouch: it has a stretchy top and looks like a good place to stash a light layer, a notebook, power supply, etc. The Cache slides in and out easily and the smooth Parapack interior facilitates that very nicely (I believe the 400D Dyneema version is lined in 200D Dyneema). There are two o-rings in this main compartment, and, even with a laptop in a Cache, you can still get some folders/papers/magazines, a couple of books if they aren’t too thick, or a few other daily carry necessities.
The DLBC carries with the Simple Shoulder Strap and I think that it’s plenty strong enough for the job. However, if I was tucking the DLBC inside my Tri-Star or Western Flyer, I would probably just swap out whatever shoulder strap I was using on the travel bag (so, I think I’ll be carrying it with the Absolute Strap most often).
Okay, I’ve talked a lot about what the DLBC has, so it’s only fair for me to list what it doesn’t have: first, the handles are webbing, not poron, and the bag has no built-in padding. Personally, I like this because it keeps weight down, but I wouldn’t recommend carrying a naked laptop in the DLBC. There aren’t any pen or tool pockets, so you’d want to add a pouch or two to hold those little items. The main compartment won’t accommodate a Large OP. There isn’t a dedicated water bottle pocket, and my Klean Kanteen is actually a bit wider than the bag. But to me, these are sort of whatevers: the bag wasn’t designed to carry mammoth loads by the handle, and, like the DLBP, the lack of little pockets allows you to customize as little or as much as you want with pouches. You may not agree, but none of those omissions are dealbreakers.
Now it’s time for that part of the post we’ve all been waiting for: DOES IT FIT???
DAYLIGHT BACKPACK: YES
SYNAPSE 19/25: YES (it’s a bit snug in the S19)
SMART ALEC: YES
WESTERN FLYER: YES
TRI-STAR: YES (fits great in middle pocket with room to spare)
AERONAUT 30/45: YES
PILOT: YES (though why would you want to?)
A few pics to follow shortly...
Let’s start by taking a peek at the pockets, shall we? There are three external pockets, two on the face and one on the back. The lower pocket on the face is angled in such a way that it’s easy to zip/unzip and remove/put in items while the bag is on your shoulder. There’s room for a tablet or a fairly sizable book in this pocket, and I think a Platypus bottle would be great in there. There are no o-rings in this pocket; while Small and Mini Organizer Pouches go in/out with ease, getting a Medium OP into the slanted pocket requires a bit more finagling. Above the slanted pocket is a width-spanning zipped pocket which is divided into two on the inside. Both sections are wide enough for books, tablets, Large size Moleskines, and so forth. The pockets go all the way to the bottom of the bag, so you have about 8” of vertical space below the zipper and 10” of total vertical space. There are two o-rings, one in each far corner. Like with the slanted pocket, a Medium OP won’t fit, but a 3D OC will. I tried to squeeze a Side Effect in there, and that was a bust, unfortunately. The rear pocket zipper runs on a gentle curve, and the space inside is great for papers (both US Standard Letter and A4 sizes), a file folder, or a light jacket. Just for reference: I was able to squeeze in a hooded soft-shell, size L, but it doesn’t look anywhere as sleek as on the product page. There are two o-rings in each corner of this pocket, as well.
The inside of the DLBC is just magical. Magical! There are rail loops to accept an 11” or 13” Horizontal Cache, and I’ve gotta say: it feels like this bag was custom-designed for the 11” MBA (though the 13” fits in wonderfully too). There is a pocket on the front wall that’s very reminiscent of the Synapse interior pouch: it has a stretchy top and looks like a good place to stash a light layer, a notebook, power supply, etc. The Cache slides in and out easily and the smooth Parapack interior facilitates that very nicely (I believe the 400D Dyneema version is lined in 200D Dyneema). There are two o-rings in this main compartment, and, even with a laptop in a Cache, you can still get some folders/papers/magazines, a couple of books if they aren’t too thick, or a few other daily carry necessities.
The DLBC carries with the Simple Shoulder Strap and I think that it’s plenty strong enough for the job. However, if I was tucking the DLBC inside my Tri-Star or Western Flyer, I would probably just swap out whatever shoulder strap I was using on the travel bag (so, I think I’ll be carrying it with the Absolute Strap most often).
Okay, I’ve talked a lot about what the DLBC has, so it’s only fair for me to list what it doesn’t have: first, the handles are webbing, not poron, and the bag has no built-in padding. Personally, I like this because it keeps weight down, but I wouldn’t recommend carrying a naked laptop in the DLBC. There aren’t any pen or tool pockets, so you’d want to add a pouch or two to hold those little items. The main compartment won’t accommodate a Large OP. There isn’t a dedicated water bottle pocket, and my Klean Kanteen is actually a bit wider than the bag. But to me, these are sort of whatevers: the bag wasn’t designed to carry mammoth loads by the handle, and, like the DLBP, the lack of little pockets allows you to customize as little or as much as you want with pouches. You may not agree, but none of those omissions are dealbreakers.
Now it’s time for that part of the post we’ve all been waiting for: DOES IT FIT???
DAYLIGHT BACKPACK: YES
SYNAPSE 19/25: YES (it’s a bit snug in the S19)
SMART ALEC: YES
WESTERN FLYER: YES
TRI-STAR: YES (fits great in middle pocket with room to spare)
AERONAUT 30/45: YES
PILOT: YES (though why would you want to?)
A few pics to follow shortly...
Comment