Tom Bihn Synik 30

Pros

• Tom Bihn appears twice in top 5 (Synik 30 at #3, Synapse 25 at #5) - cult following is real
• A cult favorite for unique organization and quality.
• It has a luggage pass-through and is an incredibly well-designed and well-made backpack, but it is substantially more expensive (a new S30 is $345) than a similarly-sized North Face bag.
• take the Synik out for errands or walking about and it attracts absolutely no attention from anyone. I am just a dude wearing a backpack. It is my ultimate favorite backpack for that "hybrid" sort of travel/daily carry use, primarily for...
• Tom Bihn Synik 30 can't be beat, but it sounds like you are looking to do a backpack only for this trip.

Cons

• The Bihn has organization on a the outside face of the bag while the Goruck is all inside and requires opening the bag. Pretty big difference really. Pretty big aesthetic differences too!
• The 30 is on the bigger side for a EDC bag. It’s not crazy bulky when under packed so it is functional but if you don’t actually need all the space you can look at a Synik 26 or 22.
• I did look at Tom Binh Synik 30 - great bag but might not fit my need of carry gear as less padding.
• I am a super fan of the Synik 30, but I stand by a statement I've made a bunch—the Synik is not the best travel backpack; it's the best do-everything backpack.
• Yeah my other bags are clamshell (Tom Bihn Synik 30, Technonaut 45), so was a little skeptical about the top loader.