The Synapse 19 has an abundant amount of organization for your everyday essentials, big and small: the exterior of the bag has five pockets with independent volume. The pockets are designed and patterned in such a way that they don't steal space for each other and they look good (not too caved in, not too bulgy) whether full or empty.

The water bottle pocket is intentionally centered in the bag, allowing one of the heavier objects in your bag to be balanced in the middle, resulting in a more comfortable carrying experience while maintaining a clean, straight-forward exterior aesthetic. We've found that most standard 32 oz / 1 liter bottles can comfortably fit in the water bottle pocket. 

Below the opening for the water bottle pocket is another small zippered pocket that is just deep enough for keys, a wallet, glove liners, or a small camera.

The side pockets are generously sized for sunglasses (in a case or alone), a first aid kit, or even a light Windbreaker-type jacket or down vest compressed in a Travel Stuff Sack. The right side pocket has a small organizational pocket; the left pocket has one pen slot and two wider slots for tools or more pens.

The bottom pocket is a great spot for extra clothing or snacks and will easily accommodate a thin sweater, light down jacket, or Windbreaker-type jacket. If you care to add organization, we recommend storing a Size 1 Handy Little Thing here. 

Each of the top four pockets has its own O-ring, and the bottom pocket has two O-rings. You can use them to attach our mini or small Ghost Whale Organizer Pouches or Mystery Organizer Pouches. 

Conformity is overrated — except, perhaps, when it comes to shoulder straps. The edgelessness of this strap allows it the more softly conform to your shoulder; we find that this increases comfort. Yet the straps aren't too soft: the 1/2" thick foam means the strap is robust enough to carry a heavy load.

There's enough length on the shoulder straps to accommodate a wide range of body types. If you need to tighten the straps to the maximum amount, don't worry about having dangling ends — we've included sewn-in strap keepers to help keep those at bay. 

The back panel of the Synapse 19 is padded with 1/4", high quality, closed cell-foam with an exterior of Spacer mesh and 210 denier nylon. This combination of mesh and smooth nylon is designed to provide maximum breathability while still being gentle on your clothing.

On the exterior bottom of the bag is a 1.5" / 38mm webbing loop. Originally, the Synapse was designed for hiking, so the intended use of the webbing loop was for hooking on a flashlight (highly recommended if you ride a bicycle or walk in the dark). If you're planning on using the Synapse for travel, we've found the webbing loop serves as an extra grab handle, allowing you to easily pull the Synapse from under the seat of the overhead compartment no matter which direction you stowed it on your flight.

Included Removable Sternum Strap + Waist Strap

As with all of our major backpacks, we include adjustable and removable sternum and waist straps: if you don't like or don't use your waist or sternum strap, remove them!

8" Snaphook/Snaphook Key Strap

As with most of our bags, we've included a key strap. 8" long from tip-to-tip, a snaphook on either end. Good for attaching your keys to. 

A Set of Black Zipper Pulls

A set of pulls to extend or replace your metal pulls.

Size 1 Handy Little Thing (HLT)

You can attach a Size 1 Handy Little Thing (HLT) to the pair of Cache loops above the open-top pocket, or you can store the HLT in the bottom front pocket of the Synapse 19. It is the perfect clamshell organizer pouch for those looking for a lot of organization. 

Packing Cube Shoulder Bag

The Packing Cube Shoulder Bag is the perfect 2-in-1 packing cube. It's big enough to store rolled up shirts. One you reach your destination, attach a shoulder strap and use it as a crossbody.

Freudian Slip

Love organizing and want even more pockets? The Synapse 19/Synik 22 Freudian Slip adds an additional ten organizational pockets to your bag. One side of the Freudian Slip has two folder pockets that can fit folders/papers horizontally or vertically, as well as three open-top pockets for a small tablet in a Cache or a notebook. The other side has two mesh pockets for bulky items, two pen slots, and a business card slot.

Cache

The Synapse 19 can accommodate a wide range of devices. If you plan on putting a laptop or smaller tablet in the interior banded open-top pocket, we recommend adding a Cache.