It doesn't even make sense how great this bag is.
I got this bag (Guide's Edition) back in 2021 thinking I'd use it for hiking and travel, but it pretty much immediately became my Everything All The Time bag. Before this I was devoted to a messenger bag for work, but the Synapse won me over with its subtle organizational prowess (those side pockets!) and its wily ability to hold much more than it should. I'm an English teacher, so I work it hard, routinely carrying three or four books, several fat stacks of papers, and a laptop––not to mention a whole panoply of writing utensils, paper clips, personal items, and the all-important jumbo coffee mug. And somehow there's always still room down below for an extra layer, a scarf, an extra-long laptop cable, and other essentials. Oh, and a one-liter water bottle goes in its own perfect slot, competing with none of the rest for real estate. No sweat.
I can't even make sense of how this bag does what it does.
This past summer, I tried temporarily moving my work stuff to another bag (one of my old favorites) so I could set the Synapse up just for summer adventures. I couldn't believe how the same items I'd removed from the unstrained Synapse could barely be jammed––awkwardly and lumpily––into the other bag. And it's a sizable bag! I used to think it was great! But there we go with the Synapse's subtle wiles. The way it's designed is kind of magic. I don't get it, but man, do I love it.