Brain Bag - Questions

[windy city red]

I own a S25 and was thinking of acquiring a BB but wanted to hear some thoughts from people who own or have experience with both:

1. I sometimes feel the S25 is too slim and long. I’m around 5’ 7”, average to broad shouldered, and wear my bag quite high but I still feel the length. From the product description I know the BB is roughly 2” shorter but does it feel noticeably different ? More comfortable?

2. The BB is also a few inches wider. Does it feel difficult to navigate in a crowd? I’m not planning to pack it to the brim.

3. I noticed the lack of aqua guard zippers. Do the zippers get caught on the rain flaps when opening and closing? And is it often enough to be an annoyance?

Think I’m more concerned about wear comfort more than anything else. Given it’s one of the longest surviving bags there much be a lot going for it !

Love to hear your thoughts.

[G42]

I'm about 5'4" and my torso is less than 20" long, so I find the BB more comfortable to carry than the S25/SN30. The longer S25/SN30 hit me just wrong on my butt, so it's annoying to me.

The BB is relatively wide and deep. If I have it packed full it definitely looms large on my short shelf, but I'm strong enough to carry the weight and I always pay attention to any pack on my back so I don't do that thing where you turn suddenly and knock someone over...
YMMV

When it isn't packed full, I like the side cinching buckles to help slim the pack down.
For smaller loads, the Synapse 19 and Luminary 15 are still my favorites

The rain flaps over the zippers take a moment to think about, but I don't personally find them annoying enough to prevent me from enjoying the pack.

I have a BB that use for car work trips when I'm bringing work & personal laptops plus bulky things...and I just bought a second one to use as my 72hrBugOutBag.

[BrendaH]

Would love to see your Bugoutbag packing list. I just got aBrain bag and this sounds like a good idea.

[G42]

Would love to see your Bugoutbag packing list. I just got aBrain bag and this sounds like a good idea.

I'll post a thread this weekend in the 'not about bags' section - I've had a busy work week

[Surrealle]

I can only really speak to #3 as I don't have an S25 nor have I been in a crowd with it, but I will say it's my favorite work EDC so far (and I've gone through a lot!). The compression straps are awesome, the clip is great for just about any size water bottle, and I love the size of the front pockets. As far as zippers, I find the ones on the BB to be much easier to use than aquaguard zippers, so while I don't know if the flap is more or less effective in the rain, I definitely prefer the flap style overall.

Fyi, I originally had an issue with structure (and as a result, carrying comfort) but once I added an S25 frame sheet in the back compartment, it took the bag from good to awesome. I've been told the A30 frame sheet will also work, though you may need to request the clip for the cache loops that holds it in place at the top.