Is this the Road Buddy 60L?

[Tonya]

Can anyone chime in if this is the 60L RB in these photos?

I could be remembering things incorrectly, but I believe that the old TB website had much more detailed photos and less beauty shots. I could really use more details in photos, especially of bag interiors and scale comparison photos. Anyone else noticed this, or is it just me?

[ittoujuu]

One thing I can heartily agree with for sure is that, if there is a bag that comes in two sizes,they should not, under any circumstances, post glamour shots of people using one of the bags in the product page for the other-sized bag. I noticed that too with the Road Buddy listings - lots of the "people using the bag in a place" photos made me think, "Wait...which one is that?"

[Tonya]

One thing I can heartily agree with for sure is that, if there is a bag that comes in two sizes,they should not, under any circumstances, post glamour shots of people using one of the bags in the product page for the other-sized bag. I noticed that too with the Road Buddy listings - lots of the "people using the bag in a place" photos made me think, "Wait...which one is that?"

Yes, I've had this same quandary on other items also: Oh wait, am I buying the x or the y? I think I want the 60L, but I can't easily tell the 36L from the 60L in the photos. I really need some help with size and scale. Search only turned up a few posts here in the forums, and I only found one video on the 36L online and none on the 60L, and less than a handful of reviews on either.

These were nice to read...
https://forums.tombihn.com/forum/tom...uddy-36-vs-a45
https://forums.tombihn.com/forum/tom...161#post340013
https://forums.tombihn.com/forum/tom...st-impressions

However I don't own the A45 or any of the organizers that are stuffed into these bags, so I can't really can't relate any specifics to any of these posts or photos.

[bartleby]

Hi Tonya, I don't know for sure but I guess that it's the RB36 on the pics you're referring to.

I took some photos without any TB accessories to give you a better impression of the size of the RB36 (unfortunately I don't have a RB60 yet):

Here is what I packed (clockwise from the top): 5 tees, 1 longsleeve, 1 flannel shirt, 1 hoodie, 1 sweater, a rainjacket, my toiletries, a leather belt, 4 pair of socks, Sneakers (US 11), 4 undies, a pair of jeans and a short in the middle. All clothes are size M.



Sneakers and toiletry bag went into the side pockets, everything else in the main compartment.



Bag is not jam-packed you can still add some smaller items.



In addition I took some pics showing myself carrying the bag (I am 6ft, 158 lbs):

Absolute Shoulder Strap attached to the side:







Shoulder strap attached to the top:





Hand carrying:





Hope that helps!

[Tonya]

bartleby Thank you thank you thank you! Your response was perfect and EXACTLY what I needed to see. I pack similar to you for a week's trip, except I usually carry a few more pairs of pants but rarely carry extra shoes. Although being a female, I possibly carry a few more toiletries. My clothes would be much smaller sized than yours so I'm sure I could easily fit more than you packed in that 36L. Based on your photos, I now think I need the 36 instead of the 60. This is such a hard decision. I'm trying to avoid ordering both and sending one back (the overall cost alone is a huge factor!), but that might be my only option.

[G42]

Tonya another thing to try, that I've mentioned in posts in the past, is to make a 2D footprint of a bag, stack up your items and then measure the height.

You can cut up newspaper (if anyone gets one anymore lol) or I've folded bath towels under to match the bag size... Stack your stuff up (or filled cubes), rearrange, etc, then use a ruler or tape measure to see if you're within the height limit.
It's an approximation and doesn't account for squashing, but it works well for the more regular shaped bags like the RB, where the dimensions of the bag are pretty close to the shape of volume.
I think it helps, especially if you like visuals.

[Tonya]

Thanks G42 but I sort of did this, at least an abbreviated version of it. We actually just returned from a trip where I packed out my Bean duffel, which is slightly larger than the 36L but not as boxy. I measured what I took and then compared that to the RBs dimensions, which appeared as if I need the 60L. However, seeing the 36L beside bartleby and how he packed it, I don't think my measurements were accurate or the RB holds a lot more than the dimensions suggest! I almost wonder if TB forgot to include the end pockets in the measurements haha!

[bartleby]

bartleby Thank you thank you thank you! Your response was perfect and EXACTLY what I needed to see. I pack similar to you for a week's trip, except I usually carry a few more pairs of pants but rarely carry extra shoes. Although being a female, I possibly carry a few more toiletries. My clothes would be much smaller sized than yours so I'm sure I could easily fit more than you packed in that 36L. Based on your photos, I now think I need the 36 instead of the 60. This is such a hard decision. I'm trying to avoid ordering both and sending one back (the overall cost alone is a huge factor!), but that might be my only option.

I am not a master packer and surely no minimalist traveller. But if you don't need extra shoes I think you should be fine with the RB36 as you have one side pocket left to be used for clothes or other stuff if you use the other one for your toiletries (fits a lot more than the bag I used). I guess the RB60 is a lot more difficult to carry when fully packed and for a week's trip probably overkill.

[bartleby]

Tonya another thing to try, that I've mentioned in posts in the past, is to make a 2D footprint of a bag, stack up your items and then measure the height.

You can cut up newspaper (if anyone gets one anymore lol) or I've folded bath towels under to match the bag size... Stack your stuff up (or filled cubes), rearrange, etc, then use a ruler or tape measure to see if you're within the height limit.
It's an approximation and doesn't account for squashing, but it works well for the more regular shaped bags like the RB, where the dimensions of the bag are pretty close to the shape of volume.
I think it helps, especially if you like visuals.

Thanks for this trick G42, I never tried this!

[Tonya]

Tonya another thing to try, that I've mentioned in posts in the past, is to make a 2D footprint of a bag, stack up your items and then measure the height... Stack your stuff up (or filled cubes), rearrange, etc, then use a ruler or tape measure to see if you're within the height limit. It's an approximation and doesn't account for squashing, but it works well for the more regular shaped bags like the RB, where the dimensions of the bag are pretty close to the shape of volume.
I think it helps, especially if you like visuals.

Okay I'm sweaty and probably smell like a 13 year old teenage boy (we have a farm and it's dawn-to-dusk planting season, and this year is especially hot and dry - need I say more?) so I don't have much time to spend on this, but I did a "let's pretend it's winter" 7-day packing experiment. So here we go G42 ! In the photo are...

- PCSB filled with 7 undies, bras and socks
- 7 long-sleeved tees
- 1 wool sweater
- 1 cardigan
- 3 pants
- PJs which are a pair of yoga pants, a tank, and a hoodie
- LL Bean family sized toiletry bag (I'm the toilet lady for the entire family lol)

Here's the kicker: all of the above measures 26 x 11 x 13 at its widest.
That seems like it would fit right into the 60L with an inch to spare, but no way would this fit into a 36L. But it's not a lot more than what bartleby packed, or am I deceiving myself?
Open to any and all advice since I probably need to pull the trigger tomorrow morning before my beloved color sells out.

[G42]

Oh, I dunno, looks like you have a decent amount of empty squishable space there...

You're right that it would fit into a 60L with little worry, no need really to optimize, and room for extras.

But if that's the max you'd ever pack and often would pack less, there may be some room to squish & optimize... your Stack 'O Stuff isn't too far off the dimensions of either bag.

Your estimate: 26 x 11 x 13

RB 36L: 21.5 x 9.5 x 11.5
RB 60L: 26 x 12 x 14

PCSB: 3.1" x 7.9" x 11.8


We know that a PCSB fits in an end pocket of a 36L and yours doesn't look full, so maybe some or all of the sleep stuff could also fit in one end pocket with the PCSB?

How big is the toiletry bag (and how'd you get roped into carrying for the whole family!? lol, kidding) - if it's roughly 11.5-12ish x 3-4ish, it will fit in the other end.
That would leave the main compartment of a 36L for the rest. Folding the pants in half or thirds to fit flat in the main compartment, then rolling the t-shirts in a layer above that, then the sweater & cardigan, flat folded (think 12" square or so).

Basically, try folding/arranging your items to fit the RB dimensions... often the way we fold/stack for our dresser drawers isn't the ideal for the bags. But then again, if you don't want to mess with refolding or rolling or whatever, then that just means the bigger bag may be easier for you.

It also depends on whether you'd consider substituting any thinner items for bulkier items; wear one of them instead of packing; bring a separate bag; etc.

There's only a $10 difference between the 36 & 60L, so based on that, if you're not prone to overpacking to fill all available space, get the bigger one and have peace of mind and know that you don't have to think about it too much or optimize anything.
If you're interested in being flexible in a couple of the items you're packing and value a smaller object to lug around and maybe think it would be geeky fun to play around with optimizing, then go for the 36L.

Regardless of which one, I haven't heard that any of the 1050s are in short supply for this pre-order, though you could always check with Customer Service. I think the only pre-order material shortage that TB gave a heads up about was Wasabi in the Knitting goods.
(The Night Walk short supply has been shared for a while and the DLBP was a restock, not a pre-order....they seem to be trying to only offer pre-orders of combo's that they know they have enough material for, which makes sense)

[Tonya]

How big is the toiletry bag (and how'd you get roped into carrying for the whole family!? lol, kidding) - if it's roughly 11.5-12ish x 3-4ish, it will fit in the other end.

Eh I'm the mom aka family pack llama, so if you're not one yet, just you wait haha! But seriously, no reason to carry 4 shampoos, toothpastes, etc on a trip so this is my consolidation prize. Yes I meant that as I spelled it. It's actually the Bean medium and website specs say 9¾"H x 11½"W x 3½"D so maybe it would fit into one side pocket of either RB?

Unless I plan an extreme adventure trip (not on my radar anytime soon), this is almost the max I would pack, and yes, with the RB I probably wouldn't use the PCSB but instead utilize the side compartment in the same way. I really like having base layers separate for easy grab-and-go when headed to the shower (whether camping or hoteling it). I hate searching for undies or socks and the panic when I mistakenly think that I'm out or forgot to pack them.

I'll often wear the PJ yoga pants to walk or hike in, so I might pack an extra tank and pair of those if we have a lot of outdoor activities planned in decent daytime weather, but that would be the absolute max for nearly all of our trips. I usually only carry one jacket/coat/etc in winter and one pair of shoes year round, and those are already on me. (We keep bathhouse flip flops in all of our sizes inside our camper, so no need for those.) This would be my max for 7 full days of travel, which we rarely do. It's usually a 5-7 day trip so I would be wearing day 5 or day 7 clothing.

We also have a large and very nice rolling suitcase that husband and I will often share for air travel or couple's getaways, and I'll always have that option for extended solo trips that require more than the RB can hold, but I hate using it unless necessary. I'm not a rolling luggage kinda person because we don't live or often travel in areas where suitcases roll easily, but I have to admit that they're great for airports and urban areas.

But then again, if you don't want to mess with refolding or rolling or whatever, then that just means the bigger bag may be easier for you. It also depends on whether you'd consider substituting any thinner items for bulkier items; wear one of them instead of packing; bring a separate bag; etc.
There's only a $10 difference between the 36 & 60L, so based on that, if you're not prone to overpacking to fill all available space, get the bigger one and have peace of mind and know that you don't have to think about it too much or optimize anything.
If you're interested in being flexible in a couple of the items you're packing and value a smaller object to lug around and maybe think it would be geeky fun to play around with optimizing, then go for the 36L.

Yes I really like packing as things come out of my closet, and then unpacking in the same order with unused/clean items. I don't have time or desire to geek out with optimizing clothing options. Oh don't worry, I geek out plenty in other ways - I probably spend a week organizing, planning, minimizing, and packing sketching supplies lol! Those are in a separate EDC that I keep on me, so no worries about the RB there.

Regardless of which one, I haven't heard that any of the 1050s are in short supply for this pre-order, though you could always check with Customer Service. I think the only pre-order material shortage that TB gave a heads up about was Wasabi in the Knitting goods.
(The Night Walk short supply has been shared for a while and the DLBP was a restock, not a pre-order....they seem to be trying to only offer pre-orders of combo's that they know they have enough material for, which makes sense)

Good to know, but we haven't seen Verde in a while and it's a color that I absolutely love, so the RB in Verde is a dream come true!

Thank you so much for your input. Greatly appreciate that you were willing to help me think thing through! I still don't know what I'll do, but this has given me more to chew on, which is a good thing.

[Tonya]

Unimportant update lol! I ended up ordering both the 36L & 60L just to be safe. I'll return one, but before doing so, I'll try to post a comparison JUST IN CASE (hint hint, TB, because I would love to have more RBs for Christmas gifts) this bag ever resurfaces again.

[bartleby]

Curious, which one will work best for you! Comparison pics will be more than welcome!