Hi Tom Binhers!
I've had the itch to buy some more TB gear and have been looking into a few packs. I'm going on a trip soon and wanted a pack with a little less organizational sections and more of a big opening. I've been looking at the Smart Alec, Brain Bag, and Guide's Pack (I already have a Synapse 25). I was looking at the Smart Alec all weekend, waffling back and forth on pulling the buy trigger on one. Just a few questions.
1) The Smart Alec is supposed to have 1L of space more than the Synapse 25. Is the extra space noticeable?
2) I was looking at the Black/Steel Smart Alec, but did not see the optional lower and upper modules in the matching Steel color. Have these modules ever been produced in steel or should I just get the black variants?
3) The Dyneema/Halcyon has two sides - one feels super smooth to me and another side feels a bit stickier. Does anyone know which side is upwards on the inside of the Smart Alec? I was looking at a review this morning that had pictures of the inside of the bag and was disappointed to see that it looked as if the inside lining on the sides of the Smart Alec was the 'stickier' side. I absolutely love the smoother side of Halcyon/Dyneema but am not as much a fan of the other. I hope this makes sense.
Thanks!