From the Ego to...

[matt77]

Hi Folks,

Long time listener, first time caller to the forum :-) I've had my Ego for 6 years and love it. It has and continues to serve me well but my lovely wife (CFO) has now signed off on me getting a new bag and I'm now wrestling with what one.

I think I've narrowed it down to one of the following

- Stowaway
- Synapse 19
...or a left field choice of the Smart Alec

How I get to work (now drive, formerly public transport) and what I carry now has changed from when I brought the Ego i.e. now its

- Surface pro
- lunch
- 750ml water bottle
- keys/building pass
- gym gear (Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu which is top, shorts, towel and toiletries)

I work in a corporate, hence the appeal of the Stowaway but am not convinced about the back-pack way of carrying. I want ideally one bag that can carry all, hence the appeal of the Smart Alec or Synapse 19....I'm 5ft6 so don't want to look like i'm carrying a mountain behind me....

Anyway, any thoughts on either x 3 bags would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks in advance,
Matt

[G42]

Love, love, love my Smart Alec
Since it's being disco'd - you should at least test pack one and see if it suits your needs or not. Your load, described at a high level, could work for all three bags.
S19 is not going away any time soon and Stowaway is new
Test Pack Throw Down!

have fun and post pics!

[kieri]

I second grabbing a Smart Alec to try, but my gut says the S19 will be a better fit.

[nimikor]

The SA can cinch down pretty flat when not packed full so it carries more like a 21 liter bag. I’m finding that I like to put my DLBC in it when I need to carry multiple items but still only want one bag on the commute. It also carries the cache real well.
The Stowaway would be too small for me if I needed to carry food + gym clothes + office stuff given it’s flat compartments.

[matt77]

Thanks everyone. I must admit that I really do like the SA....I've got a 3s braincell (horizontal) with my Ego, does anyone know if the horizontal braincells work with the SA and if so what size, or is it just the verticals? Thanks again!

[moriond]

Thanks everyone. I must admit that I really do like the SA....I've got a 3s braincell (horizontal) with my Ego, does anyone know if the horizontal braincells work with the SA and if so what size, or is it just the verticals? Thanks again!

I'm pretty sure that your Size 3S (Horizontal) Brain Cell is too wide to fit into the Smart Alec, but I checked by looking up the dimensions of the 3S from one of my old forum posts: the size 3S external dimensions are 13.5" x 12.5" x 2.35". The Smart Alec Dimensions are: 18.5" x 11.75" x 7.75". My recollection, from one of my 2009 posts, is that the Size 3S is the widest Horizontal Brain Cell that can fit into the larger and wider Brain Bag (18" x 14" x 9" -- so 2.25" wider than the Smart Alec)
https://forums.tombihn.com/general-b...brain-bag.html

My Size 5 Horizontal Brain Cell (the one for the 12" Mac PowerBooks and iBooks) can fit into the Smart Alec. I might be able to fit my size 6T Brain Cell there (narrower than the Size 4 -- used the 6T with the Lenovo T60p), but I'd have to pull it out and check, as this is not something I ever tried to do).

Be aware that your Ego has more pocket organization than the Smart Alec, especially without the upper modular pocket available for the SA.

HTH

moriond

ETA: The current Brain Bags, made since they started using 525d Ballistic Nylon fabrics last summer, do not have Annex Clips for holding Brain Cells