Anyone's Synik hip belt attachment loops scratching against your back/sides?

[daaarn]

Hey everybody!

Got my Synik 30L GE a bit ago and unfortunately thanks to the pandemic, haven't been able to use it. As a result, I sort of stored it away, but decided to bring it out today just for fun. That's when I noticed after walking around with the bag on, I could feel a slightly rough scratch against my back/side every so often. When I took off the bag to check, that's when I noticed the hip belt attachment loops poking out. I had taken the actual hip belt off, but the corners of the attachment loops just stick out just a little past the attachment point of the shoulder straps. Anyone else notice this and does it bother anyone else? How do y'all deal with it?

I'm trying to remove the frame sheet to see if it affects how those loops poke out [very cautiously trying to do it since I don't want to damage anything and the frame sheet's a little more rigid than I expected].

[cinderblock]

I’ve read a ton of reviews, lurk on this forum often, and own 2 Synapses myself. This is the first time I’ve ever heard of that loop bothering anyone. I don’t notice them at all, sometimes I forget that they’re even there. Though I can’t offer suggestions, I do hope you find a solution.

[kemote]

Anyone else notice this and does it bother anyone else? How do y'all deal with it?

Finally, someone else who has this same issue. I received my Synik a few months ago and this was one of the first things I noticed. I am not a hip strap wearer and never will be. I also wear my Synik pretty high up on my back which means pulling the straps tighter which pulls the Synik closer to my body. When wearing my Synik, I started to notice this annoying poking feeling on my sides and it got to the point where I couldn't take it any more.

Because I will never use the hip straps, I decided to cut off the attachment loops as close to the bag as possible and melted down the remaining thread with a lighter to prevent fraying and so far it's been working out great. You would never know there were ever loops there. I know it's sacrilege around here to do something like this to your beloved TB bag but it needed to be done. I'm back to loving my Synik again.

[daaarn]

Finally, someone else who noticed this same issue! I received my Synik a few months ago and this was one of the first things I noticed. I am not a hip strap wearer and never will be, I also wear my Synik pretty high up on my back which means pulling the straps tighter which pulls the Synik closer to my body. When wearing my Synik, I started to notice this annoying poking feeling on my sides and it got to the point where I couldn't take it any more.

Because I will never use the hip straps, I decided to cut off the attachment loops as close to the bag as possible and melted down the remaining thread with a lighter to prevent fraying and so far it's been working out great. You would never know there were ever loops there. I know it's sacrilege around here to do something like this to your beloved TB bag but it needed to be done. I'm back to loving my Synik again.

I also wear the bag high up, so it's a persistent issue. When I wear it lower to where the loops are under my belt line, it's not an issue because my pants are thicker material, but when I wear it high, those little loops just keep scratching when I move around. I think the reason why I didn't notice it earlier was because I had actually kept the waist belt or had a jacket on when I was wearing it. The big issue now is that I've shattered the glass on this issue, and now I'm constantly thinking about it.

I really don't want to cut those attachment points off, especially on a Guide's Edition, but I also can't forsee myself using the waist belt consistently either, which is going to make this bag sort of an albatross in my lineup. Prior to the purchase, I was debating between the Synik and the Aeronaut, and now I'm debating whether or not to essentially do an exchange for the latter (since I believe the Aeronauts don't have a hip belt attachment).

Sadly, this is actually the second bag (other one was a different brand) I've gotten where the hip belt attachment loops have been an issue, so I guess this is now a trend for me that I need to avoid (which I'm starting to realize is going to be tough since it seems like a lot of bag makers have those waist straps, despite most reviewers being vocal about not liking them).

I wonder if this is an issue with the smaller Synik, since I was also considering getting a SN22 instead for a true EDC bag vs a travel bag.

[kemote]

I also wear the bag high up, so it's a persistent issue.

Yeah, I hear you about not wanting to do it - especially to a GE. For me, my Synik isn't precious and I am not thinking about resale value or anything like that. I want to be able to use it without annoyance so it had to be done. I would bet this same issue exists on the S22. It's a shame but at least there are options.

[Surrealle]

@daaarn , I don't have a synik yet (hopefully it will be on the way soon!) but you could probably sew them down with a stitch or two so they don't stick out, no? That should avoid damaging the bag/reducing the resale value since you could just cut the stitch out if you ever needed to.

[daaarn]

Yeah, I hear you about not wanting to do it - especially to a GE. For me, my Synik isn't precious and I am not thinking about resale value or anything like that. I want to be able to use it without annoyance so it had to be done. I would bet this same issue exists on the S22. It's a shame but at least there are options.

Yeah, I've been babying the bag since I got it, and since the lock down, I haven't even been able to use it in a real world situation. It's one thing if this happened later on, but since it's so new, this would personally be the best time for me to part with it before I got even more attached to it.

[daaarn]

@daaarn , I don't have a synik yet (hopefully it will be on the way soon!) but you could probably sew them down with a stitch or two so they don't stick out, no? That should avoid damaging the bag/reducing the resale value since you could just cut the stitch out if you ever needed to.

I was trying to brainstorm how to tamp those tabs down, but other than having very poor sewing skills, the loops themselves are actually pretty rigid. And it's at such an angle in relation to the back panel that it would probably take more than a couple stitches to get them to stay down; that is, if you could even find a place to sew it down since it's right at a corner and the fabric in that area is kinda thick and creased.

[Surrealle]

I was thinking you could attach them to the nearest part of the straps. But again, I don't have one of these bags in hand to be able to see how feasible that would be, so I'm mostly just guessing based on the pics. It's also possible--though I haven't tried it in this kind of scenario--that you could take a lighter to the rough parts and smooth them out a bit. (Warm up the edge of the nylon, then press it against a hard surface to mold it). I've used a similar method to seal a paracord knot.

Once I get mine, I'll try to be more help with the brainstorming. Assuming you don't chop them off before then