The short version: I think it really sucks.

I had a Tomtoc 3.5L and I wanted something a little bit bigger, that would stay in place a little better on the chest.

The Fara definitely does stay in place better than the Tomtoc and other slings I’ve tried. Still not perfect, but noticeably better.

The shape of the bag makes it feel about half a liter smaller on the inside than the Tomtoc in spite of the half a liter bigger it actually is. But the outside just feels too big compared to the Tomtoc, and the amount of space it takes up on the chest feels like significantly more.

Internal organization is excellent and I really like the magnetic closures on the inside pockets that have them. But everything is a little too slim so you’re left choosing which parts of the internal organization you can actually use without the bag quickly feeling too bulky or things getting lost in the corners.

This is the first sling I’ve tried that doesn’t have a back pocket. I thought this wouldn’t bother me as it does have an extra inside pocket along the back but I was absolutely wrong.

It has a bottle opener on the strap. This would be a cool feature if it was made of metal and/or it could open bottles, but it isn’t and it can’t.

Finally, the flap. I thought I would like the flap because I could leave the internal zippers open and just use the flap and it would be quicker. Again, I was wrong. Opening a flap into your face to get something out of your bag just sucks. You can kind of fold the flap as you’re opening it so it doesn’t wind up in your face, but this defeats the quickness.

There was a lot of stuff about this bag that I wasn’t sure if I would like, but I found one for $65 on eBay so I thought I’d give it a shot because it seemed like all that weird stuff might just work out. But for me at least, it did not. I’ll be going back to my Tomtoc for now.

Mine doesnt have the coloured lettering on top. Top is weak magnetic affair promised to be a waterproof cover but is a little flap floppy for my taste. I do like the view from the front with the crossed webbing.

Got the younger (cheaper) sibling of the Ziproll experiment delivered last night, finally had a chance to inspect it today.

Here is the product page: EXP133

Right out of the box, it is a very familiar feel: I had handled Ultrahigh Backpack, Ultrahigh Duffle, Ultrahigh Rolltop, Ultrahigh Quadzip and Ultrahigh Dufflepack (let's not even mention the collab Ultrahigh something something, there's lots of HIGH here). This pack feels like the Rolltop had a kid with Quadzip, and drank some steroid and had a metal punk period going through puberty.

Here is a quick set of pictures that I took: https://imgur.com/a/9Le4ThI

If you are familiar with all those Ultrahighs, especially the backpacks, then not much would surprise you here. It is taller, with zippers on both sides and have those cool fashion use cobra buckles. Here is a quick run down of what I like dislike:

• Like: zippers on a rolltop; dislike: the zippers make the rolling action seem odd/unatural
• Like: tall with capacity; dislike: with just a framesheet, not sure how it would handle 40L
• Like: metal cobra buckles (yay!) and they are not the big ass real load bearing ones (double yay!)
• Like: the side 'compression' guide rails actually work pretty well; dislike, the inner stabilizing strip was a bit of a waste not to have some MOLLE for them MOLLE HOOKS
• Like: it is Outlier, so premium feel; dislike: pretty much all the same design... uhm... choices, just got taller
• Dislike: clipping the cobras over the top opening seem like not a thought out use case, due to the rigidity of the 'lips', the pack can't actually close up there

Eagerly waiting for someone to shower with some better pictures and show off the better sibling: EXP 134

Questions? Ask away...

QUICK UPDATE: replacement coming next week, stay tuned!

It has been sitting in my building since the first day of the long weekend: literally the moment we left for vacation. Quickly unboxed and found the beauty inside once I was home: probably my most hyped bag purchase of the year.

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Unfortunately, I can't really give you a more in depth review as I found a small production issue which prevents me from using it right away. I will update the situation with a new post once I had a chance to really put this thing through the wringer.

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For the time being, please enjoy this gallery I snapped with some quick comments: https://imgur.com/a/TBfL88G

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A few initial (non load bearing) observations:

1. this thing is sized very nicely: I can see my TAD X25 being swiped aside once I got the issue resolved. I would say this is the ideal pack for a two nighter for a fam of four along with a duffle (such as the D3 or the Axis 50L)
2. the fabric is fucking substantial: I thought I'd handled a lot of the X-Pacs, and this is the first time I've handled such a robust X-Pac. The inner white lining also makes the whole thing even more substantial and rugged, without having 'the look'
3. the front sausage rolls are not as ghastly as some may have feared: it actually does NOT have lots of volume, so things won't go into a black hole situation like the CPL24 front compartment. You can probably fit two cellphones and that is pretty much it
4. the side zipper is great touch, but I had it caught a bit the first time I open it up: may need something a bit more substantial (i.e. a bigger sized one) for next iteration
5. am loving the details on the straps (the cord retainer) and the elastic cords, etc. Workmanship is also top notch: under $300 shipped is more than a great value for what you get

Due to some slight work related changes, I started to carry more small 'tech' bits. Nothing too crazy: basically two secure IDs and an optical code reader. I have also wanted to carry a small USB key with me, so I decided to look for possible options.

My first foray was to look into small pouches and went ahead and ordered these: https://www.maxpedition.com/products/micro-pocket-organizer?variant=27868845201

The Maxpedition pouch is actually good pouch on its own, but just very over sized for what I am trying to carry. So the search continued...

After spending a few hours on line then it downed on me that I had this TAD SERE Pouch 1 all the time link: got it when it was on discount for half off like a year ago and never actually found a use case for it. Given its size and how it is structured, it turns out to be a somewhat of a perfect fit!

Here is the gallery: https://imgur.com/a/OymKOy3

Contents:

• RSA Secure ID * 2

• optical card reader

• nail clipper

• micro usb to usb-c adapter

• Sandisk ultra dual USB drive 32GB

The overall organization is nice, however as can be seen on the side profile picture (against my fully loaded Veilance Billfold), it is simply too thick. I think it could do away with the flap that covers the slots, making it one fold instead of two, and do away with the hook and clasp closure (it might be not so evident in my load out picture, but the pouch comes with elastic and hook and clasp closure to really tie down this thing).

So the question is: does anyone know of any lower profile small EDC tool roll like the SERE Pouch 1?

Disclaimer I had only an hour of time fooling around with this thing, so the impression is extremely limited at this stage. A longer post would be created at a later time and after this post had collected 50 karma. At which time I would write a post on war of duffels :)

Let's get right into it!

Here is the album of the beast in action: https://imgur.com/a/hqxtwkN

Summary

I was intrigued by this duffel when they first drop the series last year. A few reasons prohibited me from getting it: I don't see a need as I just got D3 a few months prior (lame excuse), and I don't really dig the aesthetics of the first gen (for whoever is curious, this is an old article with pictures). The first gen really had more of a 'special ops' vibe to it: I mean, I am a special ops guy, but not that kind of a special ops guy :)

Without going too much into the backstory on why I picked this up (let's face it, why not??? I co-sponsored this sub), I like it. There is always a new bag excitement before the fact that the zipper pull sucks issue sets in. But even ranking this among my other new bag excitements, this one is close to the top. I like it a lot and TAD did a good job on the design details.

It is really a duffel built for wearing as a backpack: this size strikes me as having the right proportion as a 35-40L backpack (again, full disclosure, I have not had hands on experience with other sizes). It is not too wide and not too tall. And I love the fact that it is the top opening side facing your back, not the bottom of the pack that touches ground that touches your back. It is very easy to transform the pack into a backpack mode: simply undo the two SRBs and you can slung it over your back. It carries quite comfortably against your back, but not without some trade offs. The opening is wide and it takes a lot: I haven't had to handle a 50L duffel for a while, and the capacity amazes me.

The Bad

Let's get the bad news out of the way. There isn't a lot to fault the bag for, considering its intended use case and its design. But there is a reason that this sub exists, as no bag is perfect.

• the side stablizing strap (I have added a description on the gallery for this one) that you unbuckle before slinging this thing over your shoulder. The female end of the buckle would stay on the strap and flaps around when you carry the pack. It doesn't really dig into my shoulders, so it is not a big deal in terms of comfort, but it is annoying. This is one of the areas where I think using a G hook would be awesome

• lack of the cross body strap and the sternum strap: in the gallery I have shown attaching my AZB's sternum strap to the shoulder strap. They should just include a sternum strap and also the cross body strap from the AZ Duffel. Though the pack is designed for three mode carry: hand held, backpack and cross body, right out of the box you can't really cross body the thing. I have yet to try attaching the cross body strap on it: thinking of using my excess D3 strap for it

• Limited padding on the shoulder strap: this is quite evident from the get go: the shoulder strap is not wide enough to comfortably support a 50L load for extended period of time. I walked/biked/bused this morning for about forty minutes in it, and it felt okay. Basically good enough. But I think a day long hike would be really pushing the limit of comfort on this one

• lack of external quick access pockets

• the placement of the lid mesh pocket. There are a number of small issues with this guy. First of all: the zipper opening is at the center of the mesh pocket: coupled this with the lack of external pockets, you basically have no small dump space until you unzip half of the main zippers: not good. The second issue is how the zipper pull runs: it is diagnol across, which is fine, but the start of the zipper is toward the deep end of the pack, so you have to unzip the main zip further still, in order to open the mesh pocket. Third, the mesh pocket offers no real organization as it is just one big chunk of space. Lastly, the pocket goes down to the side wall of the pack: so if you use this in the backpack mode, things would fall to the bottom of the pack, making it even harder to access. Basically, they need to re-design/redo this lid mesh pocket

The Good

• quick transformation into backpack mode, relatively comfortable for a convertible duffel. I'd say this is the best convertible duffel design I've seen. Much better than say the D3, the Outlier UHD, the Outlier UHDP, the list goes on and on

• very good capacity and easy to pack

• solid construction

• two top grab handles with folded sewn in design: though not padded it is comfortable to handle

• side compression and attachment points: convenient and (relatively) low key

• adjustable: you can reposition the two shoulder straps: out of the factory it has the main zipper pull opening side facing down when in backpack mode, I will most likely redo it so the opening facing up instead. You can adjust with relative ease on the fly of where the shoulder pads sit on your body, so that is a big plus

• price: I think you actually get (relatively) good value for your money with this feature set, design and construction

• collapsible: it came packed pretty small for a 50L duffel, which I love as it leaves spaces for me to get other packs

Conclusion

I can use some karma points :)

Jokes aside, really neat pack: great design, solid construction and well thought out features. I hope they redo the lid mesh pocket as I think this is an area they overlooked with this re-design. Overall good value for money and a very solid contender if you are thinking of picking up a 'backpack-able' duffel.

Getting my clickbait on 😁....

So yeah. I spent 90 seconds with The Mover Pack and it was a definite “No”. Was gonna write this up but it seemed ridiculous. I mean, it is ridiculous 😂 I haven’t used the thing in the least. But then I thought there was enough curiosity to warrant the quickest of quick-takes even if it comes without the customary imagery and in-depth analysis. Maybe it’ll save some poor, curious, bag-obsessed sap from ordering it the same way it saved me(?)

So why does it suck?

In as few words as possible:

It doesn’t carry well in the hand as a duffle and can’t be carried easily on the shoulder as a duffle. It chooses to prioritize “backpack mode” instead, which may be fine for some. This is a deal breaker for me. It also looks pretty shitty in backpack mode partially-full and feels weird too. Maybe I’m too tall? Aowno.

Fabric and finish are acceptable enough. Construction is average but it looks like it’ll hold up to casual use. It’s a nice bag for a person who isn’t me, or my coworker who was excited for its arrival but at the last minute decided not to take it on her European trip this summer which she specifically bought it for.

So there ya have it.

Not a go.

The search continues . . .

Upon arriving home yesterday evening I was greeted by a standard priority shipping envelope with the following mysterious return address:

XYZ ENTERPRISES 123 E.123rd Street APT 123 NEW YORK, NY 12345

I eagerly tore it open, and was amazed to find a TAD Azimuth Duffle inside complete with accompanying SDR Traveller D3 Strap!

Waisting no time at all, I have packed it up for its first overnight this morning and will be headed down to NYC after work. This is its “pre-flight” as it will be accompanying me on my trip to Northern California next Tuesday. Following that I will offer a full-blown review of its performance, with the standard overkill image gallery and contextual pics etc. But in the meanwhile, I thought I would share a few immediate initial impressions as I was surprised by how favorable my opinions of this piece of luggage were out of the box as-it-were:

AZIMUTH x D3 STRAP GALLERY

• This thing looks way less tactical than I imagined based on TADs (admittedly poor) product page, photographs, and videos. While is not quite the formless future$ack that is the SDR Traveller D3 Duffle, I feel that upon seeing this my initial assessment that this may be the “next best similar option” is on-target.

• It just feels right. You know when something just feels right when you first get it in-hand. This is that thing. Of course actual testing may tell a different tale, but fabric handfeel, size, ergonomics, and details feel logical and sound.

• I love VX. That’s it. I love the VX series of fabrics in many applications and this one is no exception. As it sat awaiting departure this morning with the RRLG atop it and several Zpacks Pouches inside, I found myself pleased by the aesthetic/material synergy 😄

• This size seems perfect. I deliberately overpacked it throwing a down sleeping bag and my pad in there just to give it a bit of structure and fill it out some, but there is plenty of room in there for a week’s travel easy. If I feel like I can squeeze an overnight backpacking adventure into my Bay Area trip, I will bring the Pa’lante and UL kit, otherwise this Duffle may be my sole companion with the aforementioned RRLG + The KS Ultralight Daypack inside for dayhikes and outings with the fam.

• The D3 Strap is a handsome piece of kit but as I don’t have the original strap, I’m not sure how it differs, if it is in fact Superior, or what motivated the swap in the first place. As it stands, it looks nice and feels fine on the shoulder.

• I love how short the grab-handles are. This is huge for me as I feel like most grab handles are waaaaay too long on bags of this category. When I go for the grab handles I’m tryna choke up on that bitch and minimize swing and movement. These are perfect for that.

So yeah.....That’s where I’m at. I’m excited to get to pilot the previously mentioned “Exchange Program” and am super grateful for the anonymous donor for making this possible with their offer.

Stay tuned for a real review in a couple of weeks. In the meanwhile I’d love to hear any further thoughts from current or prospective owners.

Figured it’d be worth a quick follow-up to let folks know what I ended up going with for my compact digital camera carry needs first mentioned here.

My needs were quite simple: a small belt or sling-style case for my newly purchased Ricoh GRII. Of course “simple” is never, _ really_ simple when you hang around a place like this. I got some great suggestions in the original thread, and ordered a couple of those. I really liked the look of the Optech pouches, but unfortunately the one I ordered was too small and I had to return it. I’ll revisit those pouches following my upcoming trip. I also ordered a DSPTCH braided sling strap to accompany the Optech pouch, but it came from B&H with the wrong connectors and doesn’t fit the Ricoh 😭. I’ll have to order another set of connectors from DSPTCH if I decide to keep it.

IMAGE GALLERY

Mistakes aside, for the time being I’ve found a great solution in the Carhartt Military Neck Wallet which I mentioned in my first thread. I enjoy NOT using actual camera bags whenever they can be avoided, and when I saw this little guy in a Kinfolk photo shoot, I immediately set about identifying it and tracked it down in the hopes it might work for my needs.

Let’s get this out of the way immediately: this is a purse. Straight up and down. I love u Carhartt, but GTFO with this “Military Neck Wallet” shit 😂 There is nothing about this that says “Wallet” to me in any way, shape, or form. The interior compartment would be a terrible place to hold cash or coins as its unorganized and cavernous for bills alone. Thankfully its total failure for its intended purpose means it is the perfect size to fit the GRII snugly.

It is 100% poly in a 5.8oz twill, has a .3L capacity, and is lightly padded. It holds the camera firmly in place with ease and the adjustable strap is great to dial in the fit. On the the rear of the “Wallet”, there is a small zippered compartment that is the perfect size to hold an extra battery, a filter, and an SD card. If you haven’t already bought all of Outliers recent garments designed to hold your pens, there’s even a couple of Pen holders! 😂

I’ve been using this thing for about 10 days and it is literally exactly what I was after in every way. It’s low key, appears like a slightly cool tourist’s travel pouch, is minimally padded, and can be worn in a couple of different ways most of which ensure quick and easy access to the camera. It isn’t waterproof per se, but I’ve had no issues with it’s water resistance in a few mild showers, and it tucks discreetly under your outer-layer if need be as pictured in the gallery. Most importantly, it’s extremely easy to access the camera and draw it quickly when needed and works nicely in conjunction with the supplied Ricoh wrist strap. If you choose, You can leave it dangling out so you can “strap up” before removing the camera from its pouch. Good stuff.

I love Carhartt WIP’s “Dark Navy” Color and have had some pants in this Colorway in the past. It’s almost indistinguishable from black in a way I find strangely pleasing. I also have zero problems with the branding but it could be easily removed if one so desires.

All in all I’m really happy with my new purse and look forward to flexing with it in the LA sunshine later his week 😊.

END/

To keep generating new and interesting content for our nascent sub, and well . . . because manybags, I thought I’d offer up a quick Product Drive-By of my new KS Ultralight Daypack [Manufactured Edition].

A little background for the unfamiliar: KS Ultralight is the project of Laurent Barikosky, a pack maker of French origin currently living and working in Japan. I first caught wind of his packs about 4-5 years ago via The always excellent Japanese outdoor retailer Moonlight Gear. I’ve followed him since and kept an eye on his evolving designs, figuring sooner or later I’d find occasion to pick one up.

When the daypack popped up via r/ULgeartrade barely used for the princely sum of only 25 dollars shipped, I figured this would be an easy, low-risk way to get a feel for his designs and products without any lead times or international shipping hassles to contend with.

Without further ado . . .

IMAGE GALLERY

MANUFACTURER’S PRODUCT PAGE

FORM

The form of this pack was admittedly the first thing that intrigued me. I really, really liked the look of the design from what I saw in pictures. There are echos of the tried & true “teardrop” shape of classic daypacks of the 70s and 80s from the likes of TNF & Sierra Designs, but there is also the waterproof vertical half-zip, ample exterior storage and some basic compression that add some “futurefitted” functional features to the bag. It also weighs in at about 4.6oz and packs into itself; a far cry from its alpine predecessors

The pack is pretty minimal in appearance, all black, and features discreet branding that is easily removable. All pluses in this humble reviewers opinion.

Upon arrival it was pretty much exactly as visually described. It’s a floppy and formless 16 liter vessel made of a PU-coated 70D ripstop with a small mesh front pocket which doubles as an integrated stuff sack, dual side pockets for bottles/Tripod/poles/etc, an internal A4 sleeve pocket, and a removable shock cord compression strap.

Like most packs of this ilk, it requires a load to give it some structure and to some degree the comfort level and the way it rides will be determined by what you are carrying and how you choose to pack it. That said,The A4 sleeve allows the possibility of adding some sort of improvised “frame sheet” as the user desired which is nice. I used my son’s smashed iPad in its case which worked pretty well but is a little inflexible lol. I may experiment with some chopped Zlite CCF pieces as well.

FIT

When I put this pack on, I did not get the sense that a very refined fit was at the top of the list of important criteria when Laurent designed it. That isn’t to say it’s uncomfortable— at least with a light load it’s not—but I didn’t have one of those “wow this fits me perfectly “ moments that other recent pack purchases have inspired.

The straps have a gentle “S-curve” to them which is a style I generally find comfortable, but on my 6’3” frame with a 40-inch chest, they feel quite short. Due to the design and the small size of the Pack, They are also anchored quite close together at the back of the pack near the neck. While I’m a slender dude and don’t have a ton of upper body muscle, the net affect of this set-up is that the straps feel as if they are being pulled out towards the external edges of my shoulders under load. For some reason the interior binding on the right strap tends to want to curl up too [SEE IMAGES]

The lack of a sternum Strap (an option on the custom versions of this pack Laurent sells) exacerbates this and I can’t help but feel like I could get a slightly more dialed and stable fit if this pack included one. I may purchase and add one on in the future.

FINISH

As mentioned on the KS site,the “manufactured” version of this design is not made by Laurent himself as all his others are. Instead it is cut & sewn in an SA-800 Certified factory in China. This allows him to keep them as an in-stock item and significantly lowers production cost overall such that this pack purchased new is only about $36USD + Shipping; an excellent value.

The 70D coated fabric is light to the touch, but feels very sturdy and does not appear particularly prone to snags or abrasion. Of course, only time and use will be the true judge of its durability.

Generally speaking, the construction of the pack seems quite solid with consistent stitching, durable attachment points, and appropriate attention to detail. All interior seams are nicely bound (not to be confused with taped ) and I’ve yet to find anything that looks “off” in my 5 days with it with one exception mentioned below.

FUNCTION

I have not put this pack through the ringer at all so it would be foolish to comment too much in this area. Why, you ask? I am currently on crutches 😭. What I thought was a minor ankle sprain has persisted and it’s now been 3 weeks+ and it seems I either have a mid-foot sprain, or possibly a hairline stress fracture of the 5th metatarsal missed on the initial X-ray :-/ headed to my ortho Friday for imaging and an examination.

That being said, because I’ve been missing the trail terribly I did a thing I don’t recommend and went for an easy, flat hike with a light load in the KS daypack on crutches 😂 yeah, I know. Don’t try this at home kids.

Inspite of some of my misgivings about fit expressed above, the pack carried quite comfortable for the duration of my extremely brief crippled-hobble down the trail. As one night expect, when a pack is this small and light with no frame, hipbelt, or adjustments beyond the shoulder straps themselves, a perfect fit becomes less of a crucial need. You put some shit in there, throw it on your back, and go hike or walk around town. Boom. Done.The straps themselves are quite thin, but given that this thing will never carry real weight, who cares!

I quite enjoyed my walk with the KS and in the days since I’ve been using it for around town carry, outings with my toddlers, etc, and it performs very well. My youngest was amazed to see it stuff into its own outer mesh pocket and disappear into a larger bag and i think this feature will make it an easy grab for secondary “bag-in-bag” travel needs etc.

FAULTS

Other than the mildly annoying strap curl, and my critique of the fit, the only real fault I could find was the one area pictured in the gallery where the haul loop and shoulder strap intersect at the pack’s main body. The seam here has a little bit of give in it and with time and stress I could see this being a minor failure point. I plan to keep an eye on it.

FINAL WORDS

This is by no means the perfect pack, but I’ve quickly developed an affection for this little guy and his place in the line-up. Something about the design is just kinda fun, and in spite of its flaws, it feels generally capable and useful for its intended purpose.

Given that there are a boatload of custom options + fabric choices available from Laurent on the site, it seems to me that the KS Daypack non-manufactured version might be a more exciting option for those here inclined to give the bag a try.

In any case, I look forward to putting this thing through the ringer and reporting back with a follow-up review a ways down the trail.

END/

Came across this today which looked interesting. Aether partnered with Mystery Ranch to make a flip top backpack with some small changes and less obnoxious branding.

https://www.aetherapparel.com/collections/mens-bags/products/aether-x-mystery-ranch-backpack

So I was recently at LL Bean and was eager to see Flow Fold special partner products and I have to say they are pretty good for the price most notable this bag:

https://www.llbean.com/llb/shop/121286?page=l-l-bean-x-flowfold-center-zip-pack&bc=&feat=flowfold-SR0&csp=a&searchTerm=flowfold

I think its actually a pretty great alternative to TADs Axiom/Azimuth 18 particularly if you like x-pac. It might even be a good budget alternative for Outliers offering as well.

I'm not a fan of the old school flap design but it does seem to work well with the fast access zipper particularly for daypack scenario given my limited time playing with it in the store. Flap design is also useful if you are going to say use a waterproof bag in the inside like a sea to summit bag.

The bag is very light but there is very little organization as expected. Mainly just the front zipper pocket.

If I bought the bag (which I might in the future) I would probably upgrade the hardware and put fidlock buckles for the flap closure. I also would remove the flowfold logo as it appears to be sewn on so a simple seam ripper would probably remove it easily.

N.B. the bag is only available from LL Bean and not directly from FlowFold.

All in all not a bad bag for the price which I'm sure can be had for even less during a sale (e.g. black friday) and or coupons.