- The Tom Bihn Synapse is a classic backpack
and a design that's lasted through the ages.
It's optimized for a comfortable carry
and a ton of organizational functionality as well.
So, I'm excited to jump into
all those details in this review.
I'm Tom, the founder of Pack Hacker.
And if you're new to the channel,
we love helping people optimize their travel experience
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Let's jump right into the Tom Bihn Synapse 25.
[upbeat music playing]
At the time of this review, the Synapse is available
in two sizes, -the original 19-liter version
and the 25-liter version that we have going on right here.
Overall, a lot of similarities between those two.
We're going to be more focused on the
25-liter version for this review.
These come in a variety of colors and fabrics.
There are so many internal liner colors
and external colors - too many to name.
So be sure to go check those out
on the product listing page if you
want to see all the options.
They're always changing as well.
Our fabric is the
525 Denier Ballistic nylon,
and our internal liner is the
200D Halcyon fabric in Island Blue.
Ballistic nylon is a great choice for durability
concerning the exterior of packs.
A lot of the most durable packs that we've tested
get up to 1000D or 1680D in the Ballistic nylon category.
However, 525D will definitely do as well.
On the interior, the halcyon liner is similar
to Dyneema branded fabrics. However,
it's not the official Dyneema branded version.
Technically the fabric is 'ultra-high
molecular weight polyethelyne'.
There's a lot of terminology going here.
But with this fabric that Tom Bihn uses,
its not quite as crunchy or swishy as traditional
Dyneema branded fabrics that we have tested in the past.
So we found that it feels a little bit softer to the touch.
It feels a little bit more rubbery.
It's not as swishy and crunchy.
And with that ripstop pattern going on, on the liner itself,
there's not as much room to leave
crinkles inside of the pack as well,
which we've seen with a lot of other
sail cloth products on the market.
There's also a 400 Denier version
that can be used on the exterior of the pack,
in lieu of that 525D Ballistic nylon.
Okay, that was a bit of a tirade on fabrics,
but they are important.
We've found that they can really make or break
the overall experience of using a pack.
From a branding perspective you'll see a simple,
apparent, Tom Bihn logo that's pasted on the back.
The shape of the pack is round. And it definitely
has that turtle-like shape going on
that affects the functionality a little bit,
which we'll get into a little bit later in this video.
I personally do not like the look of this pack.
However, beauty is always in the eyes of the beholder.
We polled our Instagram audience to see the results.
If you want to be involved in future polls,
be sure to head over and follow @packhacker on Instagram.
We'd love to have you there to help with things like this.
Wrapping up the materials list,
there's a bunch of other things going on
that are of high quality.
We have #10 and #8
YKK AquaGuard water repellent zippers.
Three brands of buckles for some reason -
Duraflex, Nexus, and Woojin -
all solid brands for plastic and metal hardware.
EVA foam for comfort - there's a bunch of high density
padding going on around this pack.
And there's a Dry-Lex Aero-Spacer mesh upper backing -
basically this is the mesh back panel
that helps with comfort and breathability.
Overall some solid and durable materials
coming together to make this pack really great.
If anything doesn't hold up over time,
Tom Bihn has a really great warranty,
and they love standing behind their packs.
It is a USA based production facility
and they're always iterating and
tweaking and repairing packs.
Overall these bags keep a pretty minimal exterior,
besides all the zippers going on,
on the outside of the pack.
Side note on zips, Tom Bihn provides
custom zipper pulls you can install yourself.
Let's kick it off with a harness system
starting at the top grab handle here.
What's new here is that they've sewn this together,
creating a more comfortable grab,
and also it's more flush when you are hanging it
on a pole or a hook or something like that.
In older reviews I've simply seen
one thin strip here of that nylon fabric. However,
this has been brought up in reviews
and customers have brought this up as well,
and Tom Bihn has added a little bit more here
for a more comfortable grab.
They've definitely iterated on this pack a ton,
and it shows. Instead of coming up with bag
after bag after bag, its been awesome to watch them
kind of iterate on the Synapse series.
Each time they come up with a new iteration,
its getting better - more colors, more functionality,
a little bit more thought through on the design.
These little increments provide a huge gain in the long run.
The straps themselves are quite simple.
It's a dense padded foam here with a kind of
stretchy like material on the outside of them.
Below we have a properly anchored sternum strap
with adjusters on each end of the buckles,
where they attach.
There's also an optional clip for a hydration bladder hose.
Onto the bottom of the pack - there are two loops
that attach either a waist belt or a hip belt,
depending on if you'd like to use one of those or not.
With a bag of 25 liters, you're mileage may vary.
We personally don't think that you need that,
however, there are options
if you want that additional support.
With all the straps going on here,
it is not a dangle free experience.
And we feel that Tom Bihn could make this bag even better
if they added some elastic keepers, or some sort of mechanism
to keep those straps out of the way.
We really hope they add these.
Tom Bihn is good at listening to their customers
and iterating based on reviewer's feedback,
so we wouldn't be surprised if we saw this
in a future iteration of this pack.
And lastly there's a piece of nylon webbing
at the bottom to attach additional accessories.
There's a ton of internal organization in this thing,
and overall everything feels really well laid out.
So let's jump into the details.
One thing in this pack, it's hard to use each liter of space
efficiently inside of this bag.
The rounder, more turtle shell shape and a bunch
of internal pockets make it harder to utilize than say,
something more rectangular and wide open.
Take a look at the Cotopaxi Allpa 28 liter
or the GoRuck GR1 26 liter,
if you want more of a giant bucket that you can pack
and really fill out.
However, if you like internal organization
and a lot of smart design thinking
and where everything is laid out,
this is a really great option for you.
Starting with the front pocket -
it goes down about 8 inches in depth,
and that's going to be great for anything
that you want quick access to;
the easiest pocket to access on the entirety of the pack.
Behind that is a very deep pocket for a water bottle,
and you can fit a pretty large one in here as well.
It's placed in the middle to optimize
the balance and the weight of a fully loaded water bottle,
and also it doesn't look weird
just hanging on the outside of your pack.
There is stretchy mesh pocket on the sides,
and that Halcyon liner fabric as well.
Although the Halcyon fabric is weather resistant,
the stretchy mesh on the side is not.
So if you are going to put a water bottle pocket in here,
make sure it's high quality and there is no way
to have it leak. Otherwise,
that's going to get into the side pockets,
as well as the main compartment of the pack.
Also there is an O-ring at the top
of the water bottle pocket.
This works well with a lot of the accessories
that Tom Bihn sells, as well as anything
that you just need to clip on for a quick grab.
Next up, these side handles.
These are easily accessible if you swing this bag
around your body to the front from your back.
The wearer's left features ample space, an O-ring
and a Halcyon pocket with three divisions.
These divisions are good for pens, pencils,
dongles, travel chapstick, sporks, etc.
You get the picture.
The wearer's right is pretty much the same
except we just have a giant Halcyon liner pocket
that's not divided at all.
We've also been testing a key chain
that we've attached to the O-ring.
There's enough slack in the lanyard to where
we can open doors while it's still attached to the pack
and it's swung around to our front.
And again Tom Bihn has a ton of additional accessories
that you can add and customize to your liking.
Next up - the lowest pocket on this bag
is one of my favorites, and there is more space
inside of this thing than you'd initially think.
For example - we've got a Mac Book charger, flat notebook,
and Matador Advanced Packable Day Pack in this thing
(for size reference) and we still have room to spare.
And there are three O-rings on the top as well.
The main compartment of the pack
opens up in a horseshoe fashion, not a full clam shell.
This is the compartment that I have the most issues with.
First of all - it's not as large as you'd imagine
because of all the other pockets
going on inside of this pack.
And that's fine if you pack it right, but just note that.
On the front side of the flap
there is a Halcyon pocket with a stretchier top.
The main area of the pack is already decently small,
and this divider thing seems a little bit unnecessary.
Not to mention that it kind of gets in the way
as you're opening this thing up
and trying to organize it and pack it.
Plus, the horseshoe compartment doesn't allow you
to open it completely, so it hangs out pretty wide
on the interior of the pack.
And there are two pieces of nylon webbing
at the top as attachment points, just to note.
On the backside we have two
additional looped attachment points.
These are sold by Tom Bihn depending on the size
of laptop that you have in there.
A nice custom-type fit which is great,
until you upgrade your laptop
and you need to buy another one.
This is designed very well and great
in theory. You can easily slide this thing out
when you get to TSA - just slide this laptop out
and keep it connected to your bag.
Boom! You go through and it's a breeze.
My friend Winston has used this
on about 20 different flights, and only one time
has a TSA agent told him to completely remove his laptop.
We like those odds.
In the testing of this cache though,
I have found it less than ideal
for a couple different reasons.
First of all there is some depth to the fabric here,
so it makes it a little bit harder to slide in and out -
you kind of need to pull it forward to get it out easily.
That could definitely change if the zipper went
all the way to the back of the pack.
We'd be curious if Tom Bihn has thought about that
in their testing and iteration.
Lastly, if the main compartment is full,
it's just hard to slide this thing in and out.
So you kind of have to like,
separate the pack, and then jam it down in there
when you're done taking it out.
Sometimes it's going to be easier to just unzip this cache
and remove your laptop from it,
depending how full this main compartment is packed.
Behind the main compartment
you can put an optional frame sheet here.
We would definitely recommend that,
especially with the 25 liter version.
It gives the pack a little structure,
makes it more comfortable to carry.
And again gives it that structure,
so it can kind of stand up straight on its own,
depending on how you have the inside packed out.
As for some other accessories inside of the pack,
we've been experimenting with
two additional pieces from Tom Bihn.
The first is the medium Tri-Star Packing Cube.
The mesh material is great since you can see
what's going on inside of the pack.
The skinny form factor fits really well
inside of the main liter capacity.
However, since it's a little bit skinnier
and the zipper is in the middle,
it can be a bit of a challenge to pack
because you don't have that depth on the sides
to kind of hold everything in place.
Secondly, we've been using the Travel Laundry Stuff Sack.
There's some really awesome design thinking in here -
clean clothes go on one side
and dirty on the other after you've worn them.
The only thing is,
is the cylinder shape makes it a little bit harder
to organize your clothing inside,
especially if you're concerned with wrinkles.
Generally we've found the rectangular shape
of packing cubes suited better for urban-focused travel.
At the time of this review, I had been testing the
Tom Bihn Synapse 25 for about three weeks,
including a weekend train trip to Chicago.
Also, I've chatted with my buddy Winston,
who has been using the 19- liter version of this pack
in black for over six months.
Although I personally don't like
the look of this bag overall,
the more I use it the more I started really digging
a lot of the design thinking, the iteration,
and the organizational features that come along
with the Tom Bihn Synapse.
For a bag with a bunch of internal organization,
it is hard to beat.
So to wrap this thing up with some pros and cons -
there are a bunch of considered customizability options
to tailor your organizational needs.
There's a bunch of thoughtful
design iteration that went into this thing,
and overall its a pleasant user experience.
There's some great interior liner fabric going on here,
one of our favorites to date.
On to some of the cons.
The rounded size and internal pockets
are not optimal for packing larger items.
The laptop cache is clever, but not ideal with a full bag.
The interior Halcyon stretch pocket isn't ideal
and it can get in the way.
Tom Bihn puts a ton of care, effort, and detail
into the decisions they make when creating packs,
and the Synapse 25 is no exception.
They've continuously made minor improvements over the years
that add up to huge gains that you can really feel,
when you're using the bag.
Although we have a couple gripes within the main compartment
and don't love the look of the pack,
the overall greatly outshines these gripes.
And the system could work perfectly for you,
with the right gear and a bit of strategic planning.
Thanks for taking a look at our review
on the Tom Bihn Synapse 25.
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Focused trable ... trable?
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For compert ... compert.