Tri-Star Backpack Comfort

[Rayhuber]

Hi All,

I'm looking into getting a Tri-Star for business and personal travel, but was wondering how comfortable the backpack straps are for extended wearing?

Currently I use a 31L backpacking bag (palante V2) plus a slim leather briefcase for my 15” laptop + charger.

I’m looking for a single bag to replace these, but it needs to be comfortable enough to walk for a few miles but also professional enough to take to different (internal) company sites.

The tri-star seems to be a good fit, but I’m not sure how comfortable it would be in backpack mode for extended periods. Essentially I would want to always use it as a backpack except when taking it to a plant, when I would use it as a briefcase. When we travel for fun we typically change hotels every night, so we need to carry our bags with us all day.

I normally pack 2-3 button downs, 2-3 t-shirts, 2 pairs of pants, a sweatshirt, 5x underwear and socks, a small toiletries bag, and laptop + charger.

Do you think the tri-star is comfortable enough to use in this manner? The only other option I can think of is a more comfortable backpack maybe like the Synik 30 + a stowable briefcase, but this seems like it would be more weight and not preferable.

[Cristina]

Welcome, Rayhuber! I can’t answer any of your questions about the businessy side of packing, but I know a lot of people on here do have extensive experience with various laptop / briefcase / one bag configurations. Before any of them chime in, I thought you might like to read some older posts about the Tristar.

https://forums.tombihn.com/forum/tom-bihn-forums/questions-about-bags/8102-tristar-and-one-bag-travel

https://forums.tombihn.com/forum/tom-bihn-forums/photos-videos-and-reviews/14787-my-first-bag-review-tri-star

https://forums.tombihn.com/forum/tom-bihn-forums/questions-about-bags/4375-tristar-bag-within-a-bag

https://forums.tombihn.com/forum/tom-bihn-forums/questions-about-bags/12411-tristar-as-an-edc-work-bag

[moriond]

Hi All,

I'm looking into getting a Tri-Star for business and personal travel, but was wondering how comfortable the backpack straps are for extended wearing?

Currently I use a 31L backpacking bag (palante V2) plus a slim leather briefcase for my 15” laptop + charger.

I’m looking for a single bag to replace these, but it needs to be comfortable enough to walk for a few miles but also professional enough to take to different (internal) company sites.

The tri-star seems to be a good fit, but I’m not sure how comfortable it would be in backpack mode for extended periods. Essentially I would want to always use it as a backpack except when taking it to a plant, when I would use it as a briefcase. When we travel for fun we typically change hotels every night, so we need to carry our bags with us all day.

I normally pack 2-3 button downs, 2-3 t-shirts, 2 pairs of pants, a sweatshirt, 5x underwear and socks, a small toiletries bag, and laptop + charger.

Do you think the tri-star is comfortable enough to use in this manner? The only other option I can think of is a more comfortable backpack maybe like the Synik 30 + a stowable briefcase, but this seems like it would be more weight and not preferable.

I’m probably not the best person to answer this, although I’ve carried the Tri-Star since it first came out. But I’m female, petite build and just under 5’4” (161 cm). Most people with similar builds would do a slightly lighter carry.

The issue is not going to be whether your specified packing list will fit, but the comfort of continuous backpack carry throughout the day. Recent options such as the Synik 30, Shadow Guide, or the Techonaut 30 are just going to be more optimized for comfortable extended backpack carry, although it’s true that the Tri-Star (in my opinion) is the most professional looking bag of these selections. The integrated frame sheet support of the newer designs as well as the backpack straps are just going to make for a more comfortable carrying experience, And if I were doing a lot of walking I might add the padded hip belt to the Techonaut 30 ( they can be left attached and stowed behind the skeleton support frame.)

Hopeful someone who is currently doing extensive traveling can give you helpful feedback.

moriond

[Rayhuber]

Hi Kristina and moriond, thanks the the feedback. I had found some of those older forum posts in a search, but not all, so thanks for the links. I think biggest thing that’s not clear is how much other people are really carrying the bags around.

To your point Moriond that’s basically what I was thinking but the issue is that the Synik 30 isn’t really professional enough, so then I would have to also bring another bag as well. I guess I will look into some stowable briefcases as well

[G42]

If you're in the US, you may want to order one and test pack it and carry it around the house for a bit.

https://www.tombihn.com/pages/faq

FWIW, I have carried my older version Aeronaut 30 with the older shoulder straps around for hours through a city and didn't find it particularly an issue, but everyone is different. I would not have wanted to carry it by a shoulder strap or by hand; I pretty much always default to backpack mode for anything of any weight and gave up traditional briefcases 30 years ago.

[Chicagoan]

The Western Flyer tends to carry more comfortably as a backpack.

I own both the TS and WF.

The TS has 3 main compartments.

The WF has 2.

While the extra carrying capacity of the TS is nice, the WF is a lot easier wearing for extended periods of time since it isn't as thick and naturally keeps all the bag's weight closer to the back (and will fit underseat as a personal item on many flights - I've flown basic economy with the WF).

But as I always tell people: if you want a bag that carries like a backpack, get a backpack.

Though most the line now uses the same "edgeless" shoulder straps, the Synapses and Syniks have mesh back panels and are designed for that style carry.

The convertible bags (like the WF, TS, etc.) are great for short-term backpack carry but aren't designed to be full-time backpacks.

In hot climates, you'll trap heat between that solid fabric back panel and your body, and sweat up a storm. That goes for any bag without a vented back panel (I've given myself heat rash wearing a Daylight Backpack while hiking on a hot summer day).

Synapses. Syniks. Shadow Guides. Addaxes. They're all made with mesh and/or vented back panels and best suited for longer term backpack style carry.

Fully loaded, the TS is big. And heavy. Even with the cushion edgeless shoulder straps provides, it's heavy.

Either size down to a WF (it holds more than you'd think), get an actual backpack, or offset the weight of a fully loaded bag by getting one that's hip belt compatible (all the aforementioned backpacks as well as the Aeronaut and Techonaut).

I love the TS for weekend road travel.

But if I'm getting on a plane, I'll use the WF and supplement with a smaller crossbody to split the weight across two bags.

[moriond]

I agree with all the points that Chicagoan makes. The Tri-Star is a great (and great-looking) bag for business travel. I don't have the latest version with edgeless shoulder straps, but I would be very surprised if that were enough to negate the other comments.

I'll point you to a review of this bag that was done by Perseffect in April 2018 in the Tri-Star for Business Travel Video thread. This predates the recent adaptation for edgeless straps, and the packing cubes are the older versions of 200d Halcyon, but every feature described there is accurate.

But let me highlight some of the points that were made and point out why this bag is heavier for its size than the Aeronaut 30 that G42 talks about. It's partially because the additional compartments and the 1050d Ballistic Nylon material makes this the case. And while you might get this in 400d Halcyon, because of the three compartments I would recommend that you get the more structured material, because from the other comments on the forum, this bag tends to bulge more and not hold shape as well with the lighter weight materials unless underfilled. (And for your information, I have, and like Halcyon versions of the Western Flyer and Aeronaut 30, so I can compare bag performance of those bags in the two materials).

This is a great bag that looks great in a formal business setting. It's used by lots of people who have that as a requirement. People in finance, such as UK-Limey (early user) even used this with the Cadet in the center partition. (The Cadet is shown in the video I linked -- it's a formal briefcase that has a full complement of space for stationary products, and the bottom is separately padded. I spec'ed it for someone who was carrying one of the 15.6" Lenovo W520 desktop replacements with graphics acceleration that was too large to fit conventional laptop bags -- some years ago).

This bag is primarily designed as luggage, and the rectangular outline, and flat back panel of 1050d Ballistic Nylon (no section with breathable offset mesh, no skeletal support frame) is in line with that.

I do carry it (not with the Cadet, etc. but I have the Cadet, as well as the Daylight Briefcase that is my preferred carry option for a separate briefcase, but that does not hold the 15" laptops. The Pilot, which I also have in Halcyon and Ballistic Nylon, can hold a 15" laptop, and some people carried it in the Tri-Star, but again, this would be an even heavier option.)

You can order the Tri-Star and try it out for yourself, but I think you will find all the statements that Chicagoan and I have made are true about this not being designed for extensive backpack carry.

Just my/our opinions. And I have no back or shoulder problems, but most women in my height and build class would consider this to be "punching above my weight". I won't use this for a trip where I expect to walk around extensively and carry the bag on my back.

HTH,

moriond

ETA: The 60 day return policy and I think the easy return of items ordered with UPS shipping makes it easy for people in the mainland US to try different bag models. I would personally try the Technonaut 30 with padded hip belt if I wanted to walk around with the bag, but I have not been traveling extensively of late. The Synik 30 is not optimized for my height and build (it feels designed for someone with a broader, flatter, back) -- the Synapse 25 works better for me.

[Rayhuber]

Chicagoan and moriond thanks for the additional feedback.

I originally ordered a tri-star but then cancelled that and ordered the Western Flyer instead. It’s a little smaller than I am used to but I think I can make that work and it would be more ergonomic for long carrying due to smaller depth and less weight.

Im thinking that if it is a bit uncomfortable for long carrying I can design a foam insert with some cross ventilation to slot into the zipper pocket that the straps come out of. Maybe even a frame sheet that goes into the pocket with the foam attached on one side and sitting on the outside of the pack. Even with something like that it would probably be a similar or less weight than the technonaut 30.

Anyway, I’ll post some feedback here after I test it out.

[Chicagoan]

Nice!

The WF is a great bag.

Be sure to keep the bag riding high and tight and tighten up those shoulder straps properly. Many folks leave too much slack on the shoulder straps and the bag's weight will pull down and back on the wearer.

There's also a third party company that makes lightweight, honeycomb-shaped spacer frames to create airflow between your bag and your back:

https://vauclusegear.com/products/cool-dry-backpack-gear-6-hex-series

I haven't used one but it looks like an interesting idea if you wanted to carry the bag around for longer periods of time. All you have to do is thread the shoulder straps through the top of the frame and it hangs from those. Super simple installation.

Excited to hear how you like it. That's one of my favorite bags and the one I always use for plane travel.

[Rayhuber]

That looks like a great solution - I went ahead and ordered one of those frames to test it out. Definitely with no hip strap I’ll keep the bag high.

[vauclusegear]

Thank you, Chicagoan, for recommending our Vaucluse Cool-Dry Ventilation Backpack Frame. We are the "third party company that makes lightweight, honeycomb-shaped spacer frames to create airflow between your bag and your back." And thank you, Rayhuber, for ordering the frame!

We are a USA-based company, and our airflow ventilation frames are designed and made in the USA. You can read our customer reviews at this link: https://blog.vauclusegear.com/testimonials/.

We have re-invented the external backpack frame to be lighter and provide more ventilation than traditional mesh and curved designs. We are offering a great discount at the moment, and we offer free t-shirts for reviews.

To sweating less, Brice - President of Vaucluse.