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Moshi’s Tego Sling messenger bag offers cut-proof protection

NEWS – The tide is turning toward sling bags. Thin devices and larger screens are convincing users that bracing their device against their back is great for protecting those fragile slabs of glass from breakage. Being able to slide the sling around and not lean on it while on public transit or for security in crowds adds to the appeal. Moshi has done us all a favor and created a nicely proportioned bag called the Tego with cut-proof materials and an integrated (removable) stabilizer strap.

The entry to the bag is against your body, along with an outer RFIC-shielded pocket for your phone or wallet or passport. Looks like an interesting design, but there are no pictures of the internals. Visit Moshi for more info and Amazon to order one for $135.99

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Moshi’s Tego Sling messenger bag offers cut-proof protection originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on February 9, 2019 at 11:00 am.

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The G-RO Check-In Classic bag might just check all the boxes when you travel


NEWS – One of the biggest challenges that I face when I am traveling on a plane and need to carry photography equipment and other personal items, is how to do so with the least amount of luggage and luggage that I do not have to struggle with. My carry-on bag usually has mostly photography gear like cameras and lenses and accessories, which leave very little room for all of the other daily supplies I would need like clothes and shoes, etc. Recently, I have used spinner luggage, which has been better than my previous luggage, but still presents a challenge when I have to walk for a while after disembarking. Many times I have tripped over or dropped my luggage because of the awkwardness involved with pulling luggage that is usually unbalanced and I usually have to carry one piece in each hand.

However, there is hope!! I have been looking at luggage from G-RO for my next trip. G-RO makes the Check-In Classic that is a “large-capacity checked bag/duffel equipped with indestructible GravityRoll™ Wheel Technology and thoughtful organizational features like a dedicated compartment for shoes and an expansion system that increases volume from 80L to 90L.” It also includes a luggage strap for attaching an additional bag. The size and guaranteed balance mean that I can cram every daily item that I would need into it and then strap on my photography gear carry-on and move quickly through the airport with one hand free and without the fear of my luggage tipping over and/or tripping me especially on uneven surfaces

Here’s a short video on how capable this bag is.

The Check-In Classic by G-RO comes in about 6 different color options and is available on the G-RO website for $475, with the option to pay for it in installments.

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The G-RO Check-In Classic bag might just check all the boxes when you travel originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on January 26, 2019 at 8:00 am.

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Waterfield Sutter Tech Sling Review

REVIEW – Most days, I travel to work and back with just a few items: an iPad, my daily meds, and maybe a charger or keyboard, if I’m planning on spending time writing away from my desk. Occasionally, I have to bring my work laptop home for the night, but it’s not much larger than my 12.9” iPad. I don’t need a bag designed for a three-month trek through the Arctic. I’ve been looking at smaller backpacks, but what I really have been wanting is a well-designed sling bag. So, when the news broke that Waterfield Designs had created a new sling that could fit either size iPad and a little bit more, I was ready to go! We were sent a review unit of the Sutter Tech Sling in brown waxed canvas with a grizzly leather accent piece in the large size. Did it satisfy all my Gadgeteer needs for the perfect sling? Let’s see.

Note: Photos may be tapped or clicked for a larger image.

What is it?

A two-pocket sling that can be worn across either shoulder by changing the bottom strap location with a clip.

Design and features

The Sutter Tech Sling harkens back to the early days of the California Republic. Sutter’s Mill was the place where gold was discovered in the 19th century, and those who came there seeking it brought only the bare necessities for seeking out their fortune. That’s what the Sutter Tech Sling gives you – just enough to get the job done, easily carried.

The main compartment has a padded Device area toward your back, with microfiber facing from the inner wall. If you are a bare device carrier, this will keep your screen polished and ready to use. The rest of the inner area is covered by Waterfield’s signature gold brocade fabric, which aids finding things in the depths of your bag. There is a small tag on the front wall of the device sleeve that just says Made in San Francisco and the company URL – sfbags.com.

Opposite the device sleeve, there are four pen silos and a single pocket that might hold a laptop power supply. It’s not deep, only about 4”, but it does have a little dimension, rather than being just a slip-in design. You could put a full-sized mint tin in it with room for your keys. Speaking of your keys, there’s also a 4” ribbon with a metal clasp right above this pocket which would let you clip a ring of keys in with ease.

In front of the main pocket is a full-length additional open pocket. It is accessed from two zippers located behind bellows on either side of a central leather accent piece. The leather on the bag I was sent is a medium brown (“Grizzly” is what Waterfield calls it – both for the color and the style of finish.) The body of this model is brown waxed canvas. The other color option is a black more polished leather with a black Cordura body. The only external branding is a small embossed stamp in the center of the leather that says simply:

WATERFIELD
MADE IN SAN FRANCISCO

The pocket itself is spacious. I can get my meds pouch, a couple of different charging cables and my dongle pack in there without trouble.

The back of the sling is fully covered by a padded mesh fabric. There are solid D-rings sewn into each lower corner, so the bag can be changed from left- to right-shoulder in a matter of seconds. At the lower end of the strap (which is a generous 45” at its maximum length) is a one-hand-operation spring-closing clamp that allows you to quickly tighten or loosen the strap. This lets you swing the bag around while keeping one hand on your handlebars, coffee cup, dog lead or child’s hand.

With the bag around front, a single zipper lets you into the entire rear pocket, from whichever side you’ve chosen to have as your carrying side. The top central solid D-ring has an extra bar across the straight side so that the strap won’t slip around. It’s an ingenious design, but it could really use a haul loop/grab handle up there. (The Crossbody bolt and the Tech Folios have this, and it’s sorely missing here.)

Every time I pick it up to sling it on, I’m never sure the best place to grab it. Other slings I’ve used have this and it’s the one negative I have with this bag.

One thing you’ll notice over time while using the sling is the little pieces of hardware that are used. Even the zipper pulls, which are cordage sealed in a metal knurled tip, enhance the experience, and quietly whisper “Quality. Thoughtfulness.” every time they’re used.

Performance

The Sling performs well in rain or shine. (We get a lot of both in the Winter in Central North Carolina.) The main weather-proof zippers and waxed canvas repels even the steadiest of downpours, at least long enough to get to your destination. I don’t know if they would withstand a 4-day blow, but I’ve been through some good showers thus far. The rear pocket doesn’t have weatherproof zippers, but they are folded under the bellows, so protected from all but the most punishing of stormy blasts.
I have the original 12.9” iPad in a Moko hard case which is a good bit wider and taller than the current 2018 model. It fits easily naked, but gets a bit tight in the thick case. I usually just carry it in the main pocket, and put either the keyboard or my 10.5” iPad in the device pocket, depending on where I’m going. The smaller iPad Pro fits with it’s Moko case without any issues. Given the height of the interior, it’s easy to toss in a full-sized keyboard (not an extended one!) and still have room for other items.

What I Like

Quality materials and workmanship
Excellent design – just large enough without having tons of extras
Right- or Left-shoulder use

What needs to be improved

Needs a haul loop/grab handle on the top.

Final thoughts

Our devices (both phones and laptop/tablets) are getting slimmer, yet larger, and more difficult to slip into a pocket. Most of them have battery life listed in partial days, rather than hours, and the chargers are not as large or as bulky as for older generations of gear. The result? For most folks carrying tech, the space requirements have shrunk quite a bit from even just 2-3 years ago. No more do we need a full-sized backpack with adapters, mice, chargers, and cables. All that’s required is a sleeve or pocket or two with a little room for personal items added. A sling design keeps the body of your tech next to your body, rather than held at an angle like with a briefcase, yet, unlike a backpack, is easy to get into for quick access by sliding it around. The Sutter Sling has gained my respect as a well-conceived update to earlier slings, that can accommodate your daily minimum carry, be it a laptop, tablet, or books and papers.

Price: $169 for regular size (4.5 liters), $179 for full size (as reviewed, 6.5 liters)
Where to buy: Waterfield Designs
Source: The sample of this product was provided by Waterfield Designs.

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Waterfield Sutter Tech Sling Review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on January 23, 2019 at 11:00 am.

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Pakt One carry-on travel bag review

REVIEW – If you’re an avid traveler who likes to keep the task of packing for trips as simple and as organized as possible, I have a bag that you’ll want to consider for your next one-bag travel trip. It’s the Pakt One carry-on travel bag and it is as feature packed (see what I did there?) as possible without being overly bulky or complicated to use. Let’s take a look.

What is it?

The Pakt One is a duffle style shoulder bag that has been designed with frequent travelers needs in mind.

Design and features

The Pakt One is a 35-liter capacity coated canvas bag that is available in navy which you see here, as well as grey and black. The bag is 20″ (50.8cm) long by 10″ (25.4cm) wide and 11″ (27.9cm) tall. The bag is pretty beefy and weighs in at 3.25 lbs when it’s empty. One side has 2 zippered pockets that are approximately 7″ x 7″.

The pockets can expand to accommodate bulkier items. The pocket on the left side of the bag has pen slot with an open topped slot next to it and a small mesh pocket in front of those pockets.

There’s also a tether with a clip sewn into that pocket that you can use to clip your keys so you’ll always know where they are.

The right pocket is an open compartment without any extra organization in it.

When you flip the bag over on the opposite side, you’ll find another zippered pocket which is 11″ x 6.5″ with an open-topped pocket located behind it.

The open-topped 14″ x 8″ pocket is roomy enough to hold magazines and other papers.

This pocket is held closed with two magnets on either end. The magnets aren’t super strong, but enough to hold the top of the pocket closed as long as you store thin items in that pocket.

The zippered pocket holds a special mesh pocket inside it.

The mesh pocket is designed to hold some of the small items that you usually put in a bowl when you send your belongings through the scanner at the airport. There’s even a red strip on the mesh pocket to remind you to retrieve those items when you’re done navigating through the checkpoint.

On each end of the bag is a canvas loop that you can use to attach the included shoulder strap. There is also a small accessory loop on each end of the bag that you can use to attach other items. Speaking of the shoulder strap, it is adjustable and has durable brass (the navy bag), pewter (the grey bag), or black hardware on the black version of the bag.

The bottom of the bag has metal feet and protected corners.

All of the zippers on the Pakt One bag have canvas zipper pulls which I think is a nice touch. In this top-down view of the bag, you can see that there are 2 canvas handles and 3 dual zippers that you can use to gain access to the main interior compartments of the bag.

One of the compartments opens into a roomy storage area that has a light tan clothlining. In each side of this compartment is a mesh pocket that can hold a water bottle, lotion bottle, etc.

The exterior wall of the storage area has a large zippered pocket that’s approximately 13″ x 8″.

If we flip the bag around to the other side and open that storage area, it has a similar layout with side mesh pockets.

It also has a zippered pocket on the exterior wall of the storage compartment. There is one thing different about this compartment though, it has a zippered mesh window.

You can see this mesh “window” when you unzip the center zippers. The bag is able to open into two halves that fold flat to give you access to the main compartments like you can when you open a suitcase.

The left side has a padded zippered pocket that can hold up to a 15″ laptop. Here I show my little 12-inch MacBook to give you an idea of the overall size of the Pakt One bag.

The divider can be unzipped to give you access to the left storage area.

The mesh window also unzips to provide access to the right storage area. Both sides can be used to hold your clothes and gear. Then the flaps can be zipped back in place to keep everything neat and tidy. If you’re wondering why there’s a mesh window, it’s so you can easily differentiate the sides so you’ll know where your gear is.

They even include a dirty clothes bag with the Pakt One bag so you can keep your cruddy clothes from touching your clean clothes.

Here I am with carrying the Pakt One bag. Size wise, I stand 5’6″ tall. The bag looks pretty big on me in this picture and yes, it is a large bag. But keep in mind that the Pakt One bag is not supposed to be an everyday gear bag, it’s a duffle style travel bag and it fits the approved size requirements for carry-on bags for all major airlines.

Loading this bag down with your clothes and gear and then running through an airport to catch your flight with the bag swinging from your shoulder will probably NOT be a comfortable experience, but the two grab handles on top can help with that and the bag is pretty comfy for short walks.

What I like

  • Roomy with lots of organization
  • No gaudy branding on the exterior
  • Well made

What needs to be improved

  • Price

Final thoughts

The Pakt One bag has a lot going for it. The design is great with lots of pockets and storage compartments and the ability to open flat for easy access to your clothes. The bag is very well made and feels like an old friend from the minute you get it. It doesn’t need a breaking in period for it to feel like a well-used bag and will probably become your favorite travel bag from day one. If you prefer a shoulder bag to a backpack when it comes to one-bag travel, the Pakt One bag is definitely one to check out.

Price: $325.00
Where to buy: Pakt
Source: The sample for this review was provided by Pakt.

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Pakt One carry-on travel bag review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on January 17, 2019 at 11:00 am.

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Tom Bihn Maker’s Bag review

REVIEW – One of my resolutions, goals, aspirations, or whatever you want to call it, for 2019 is to completely update my EDC and one of my main upgrades is going to be a new everyday gear bag. The first bag that I’m trying out as a contender is the Maker’s Bag from Tom Bihn. Let’s check it out.

What is it?

The Tom Bihn Maker’s bag is a messenger style bag with lots of pockets to keep your gear organized.

Design and features

The Maker’s bag is available in a variety of colors for the exterior of the bag as well as the interior of the bag. You can also choose from two different types of material: 400d Halcyon or 1050d High Tenacity Ballistic Nylon. I was sent a Maker’s bag made of the lighter weight 400d Halycon in Nordic blue with an Ultraviolet 200 Halcyon interior and black seams.

The bag has a Tom Bihn-esque diagonal flap which is held closed with a large pinch buckle clip. The flap tightness of the flap can be adjusted but only by about an inch.

I love the classic good looks of this bag. It has clean lines and isn’t gaudy in any way.

If you flip the bag over, you’ll see that it features a flat webbing grab handle at the top. I typically like a padded grab handle, but you won’t be carrying an extreme amount of gear in this bag, so a thinner handle is no problem.

By default, the Maker’s bag comes with a standard shoulder strap, but I opted for their Absolute Shoulder Strap which is a $20 upgrade. The Absolute strap is very comfortable and well worth the upgrade. But if you already have another favorite shoulder strap, you can probably attach it to the rings on the sides of the bag.

Towards the bottom of the bag, you see an adjustable stabilizer strap which you can use to secure the bag around your waist if you ride a bike. This strap is removable if you don’t need it.

When you open the flap, you’re greeted with a happy checkered purple interior. If you’re not a fan of purple, you can choose other options like blue, grey, green, and red. Opening the flap also reveals the first pocket.

The 12 x 8 inch horizontal zippered pocket opens to provide access to a roomy storage area that has 4 open topped 2.5 x 5.5 inch slots. Note that these are rough dimensions. These pockets are narrow but are still large enough to hold a variety of pens, multi-tool, flashlight, cables, etc. The area in front of the slots is plenty roomy enough to hold items as well.

The main compartment of the Maker’s bag is large open “bucket” with open-topped pockets around the sides. The front area has 3 elastic topped pockets. The center pocket is the largest at around 6 x 7 inches and the pockets on either side are narrower. All 3 pockets are roomy instead of tight pockets that can only hold flat items.

On the sides are two stretchy mesh pockets that are perfect for a water bottle or other items that you don’t want floating in the center of the bag.

The on the back wall is a large dual zippered 12 x 9 inch pocket that can hold a tablet or a small laptop. Note that the back wall of the bag and the front of this pocket are not padded so you’ll want to keep that in mind and use a separate pouch to protect it. Luckily Tom Bihn has that covered with their optional Cache which I will show you below. Also in the main compartment are 4 o-rings that you can use to attach items. There are two on the front wall of the bag and two on each side above the mesh pockets.

Let’s load it up!

Here you can see the main items that I carry with me every day (minus the Wildflower calendar – I just had that on hand to take to work at the first of the year when I took this pic). Clockwise: Pixel 2 XL, A5 sized hardbound notebook, Ti Pocket pen, 2019 Wildflower calendar, comb, my Cummins ID badge, a little zippered pouch that holds eye drops, nail clippers, packets of stevia sweetener, and a small Altoids tin of ibuprofen. Then there’s a wallet, tiny click flashlight, Leatherman Squirt multi-tool, Carmex lip balm, DUNU wired earbuds, TicPods Free wireless earbuds, candies, zippered gear pouch that holds cables, micro SD cards, etc.

And here we have everything from the previous image stowed neatly in pockets so that the center area is open (my Pixel 2 XL is just in there to show the space) and free to hold my lunch and other items I might need to take with me for the day.

Now the great thing about the Tom Bihn Maker’s bag is that it is small but still roomy enough to carry a lot more while also standing up without flopping over which is a feature that I absolutely have to have in a bag.

I don’t typically take my 12MB with me to work at my day job or a tablet, but if I did, Tom Bihn’s Cache or Freudian Slip would make perfect accessories for the Maker’s bag to protect those devices and hold even more gear.

Tom Bihn Cache

The Cache is a black neoprene sleeve that has a dual zipper that goes around 3 sides of the sleeve. It’s available in different sizes that can hold an iPad mini up to a 13inch laptop. The sleeve provides just the right amount of padding to protect the tablet or computer without being bulky. The price for the Cache is $30 – $45 depending on the size.

Tom Bihn Freudian Slip

Another optional accessory is the Freudian Slip which adds quite a bit of extra organization and storage in a lift out “bag”. It comes in 4 different colors including the Swift Cloud color (otherwise known as grey) which was sent to me.

It features two large zipped and gusseted pockets that each have 2 open topped pocket slots inside them that can hold pens and other items.

Along the bottom of the Freudian Slip is a long horizontal zippered storage area that can make a great pen holder.

If you flip the case over, there are two flat pockets. The top one which has the magazine in it in the image above can hold your tablet or laptop and the one below it is a mesh pocket that you can use to hold power adapters and other bulkier items. The Freudian Slip is priced at $50.

But wait, there’s more!

Tom Bihn also sent me a bag of their cord zipper pulls which they sell with different colored cords.

What do they do? You can use them to make the zippers on the bag even easier to open by adding a longer pull.

There are different ways to attach them, but you can see what I’ve done with one of them. They are really handy! A pack of 8 pulls is $5.

What I like

  • A medium sized bag that holds a ton of gear
  • Stands up without collapsing or falling over
  • Pockets, pockets, pockets
  • Well made, no Velcro!

What needs to be improved

  • I’d love to see a different flap clip option instead of the plastic squeeze style clip.
  • A bit of padding on the bottom would be nice.

Final thoughts

I have enjoyed using the Tom Bihn Maker’s Bag. It’s a well-made bag that is compact and much less bulky than the Timbuk2 messenger bag that I’ve been carrying for years, but it’s still roomy enough to hold all my gear with enough room to spare for my lunch and other items. It has lots of pockets that keep my neat freak personality happy and it sits upright without falling over. For those reasons, it’s become my new favorite daily gear bag.

Price: $130.00
Where to buy: Tom Bihn
Source: The sample for this review was provided by Tom Bihn.

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Tom Bihn Maker’s Bag review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on January 11, 2019 at 11:00 am.

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