Hi BIFL,
I've been scouring the web looking for the perfect bag for my lifestyle. I'm a surgical resident - what that means is that my day is not usually my own and I have to be ready for anything. I drive to the hospital in scrubs and may need to change into more professional wear on arrival. I need to have everything with me in case something comes up, in case I have a presentation or research to work on)
The reason I would prefer a duffel style bag is for ease of access of the contents. Yes, it would be hypothetically easy to shove a pair of shoes and dress shirt to the bottom of a large back-pack, but then it gets wrinkled, things from above spill onto it, etc. In my mind, a duffel style bag is easy for quick access. There are some bags that open like suitcases to unveil zippered storage areas - these I imagine being too cumbersome.
No budget, just want a bag that will survive the next 7 years of daily carry
No size criteria but it must be large enough to fit my stuff and not ridiculous to carry every day.
Currently I am using an Everlane backpack with 3 compartments and there is simply not enough space or functionality for my things.
Bag must contain:
- Laptop sleeve or compartment for a 15" laptop
- An external pocket for quick access to keys, wallet, watch
- Enough storage space for a change of clothes (shoes, dress shirt, pants, socks) as well as an additional set of scrubs (pants and shirt)
- Organizational aspect to the internal pocket for chargers, pens, my goggles
- Enough space for my breakfast, lunch, and energy bars.
Ideal other features:
- Weatherproof (ie, not mesh, it doesn't have to be "breathable" like some gym bags) - it doesn't have to stand up to hours in the rain but it must be protective.
- External sleeve for water-bottle
- Enough additional room for a textbook and notebook
So here are some bags I've been considering (in no particular order):
- Tom Bihn Western Flyer - ($330 + $45 for laptop cache) great reputation for BIFL-ness; 26L a decent size, organizational components; classified as a laptop bag. Cons here are that it is quite narrow and I worry about my lunch and packing shoes. Also, the company in generally seems to operate under the assumption I will use packing cubes religiously.
- Filson 258 Computer Bag - ($425) also has a good reputation; on the smaller side with 22L max capacity. I don't know how these stand up to weather; ideally the material could handle some splashes here and there. Mostly worried about the size.
- Mission Workshop Transit Duffel - ($245) 31L size, laptop area is separate and zippered; weatherproof; some internal organization; aesthetically somewhat of a cube.
- DSPTCH Gym/Work Bag - ($192) 23L duffel with dedicated shoe compartment or dirty clothing compartment; laptop sleeve; appealing looks; my concern with this bag is the mesh material is functional for workout gear but not weather resistant in anyway.
- Chrome Surveyor Duffel - ($160) 44L so getting on the larger side; it seems to meet most of my criteria but I wonder about the use of plastic on the components - if one of the d-rings breaks there goes my bag.
- Qwestion Weekender - (250 euro) 29L; again, seems to fit the bill fairly well; I find the bag less attractive in design, it looks more along the lines of a woman's bag; I don't know if its BIFL worthy and its from overseas; not lifetime guaranteed
- Abel Archer Duffel - ($400) 42L; I like the laptop sleeve in this one, provides some organization to the large pocket; no other internal organizers but easy to modify (which seems ridiculous for a $400 bag); I don't know how water resistant it is; I quite like the aesthetics of it. There is also none in stock at the moment and it's a small company.
- Hex Black Calibre Gym Duffel ($149.95) 42L; nice features; largfe size; not too expensive; actually a pretty reasonable choice but I don't know if its going to stand up with time
- Timbuk2 Commute Bag ($149.00); large size is 22L; seems like it might be too small for the job and the quality I felt in store was questionable.
- Redoxx Miniboss ($255); 24.3L; side loader style as opposed to a true easy access duffel; great reputation for quality.
These are other bags that come up often, but I don't think they are quite suitable:
- GORUCK GR1 Rucksack - ($395) 26L or larger option (GR2); at the end of the day, the bag will not solve my problem of easy of access to my lunch, laptop charger, clothes, etc. but I love that its weatherproof and the design is very appealing.
- AER Duffel Pack 2 - ($170) 24.6L backpack with lots of nice features; I don't know, I'm not sure where I would store my food away from the clothing.
Well, I sure hope someone reads this!
Let me know your thoughts, if you have any experiences with the above or other products.
Cheers!
Submitted October 07, 2018 at 01:35PM by Dynexxx https://ift.tt/2ObUPyP
