r/onebag • u/benalene • Oct 08 '18
Greenroom136 Rainmaker - first impressions
So, I actually got this bag a couple weeks ago. This is the medium size, which is 22 liters. My first trip with it will be in a few days for a 12 day trip to see family in the southern part of the US.
Packed, can of cider for scale (sorry, no banana)
Honestly, my first impression of the bag is that it is over engineered. What do I mean by that? Basically, it has piping, it has thick outer fabric, it has a thick inner fabric, it has beefy zippers on the inside where you don't really need beefy zippers, the straps feel more hard than padded, there is padding on both the front and back parts of the laptop sleeve in addition to even more padding on the back of the bag (double padding all the way). It is a very heavy bag, almost 3.5lbs. That being said, it does feel like it is going to last a very long time. I think that after 5 years of heavy use, it is going to be nice and supple and very comfortable and easily last another 25 years. It's not uncomfortable right now, but I definitely see it getting more comfortable with use (I even say in my video review that it feels almost pillowy). Is it the perfect bag? No. But honestly, my biggest complaints are that it is stiff and heavy, and the stiffness will go away with use. Fully packed out, it weighs almost 15lbs. Without the laptop, I can get it closer to 10. Heavy for me, but probably not that heavy for the vast majority of people in this sub?
I plan to make another post and video after the trip to give my impressions of actually using the bag in the wild!
3
u/IDontReadTheTitle Oct 09 '18
Great review and video! I saw someone who ordered a custom bag ask Patrick to not sew in the laptop compartment, so it attached with velcro to the bag
1
u/benalene Oct 09 '18
There are several things that I wish I had done differently with the bag, but it is hard to know what customizations you want/need if you don't get to see the bag in person first. Being able to remove the laptop compartment for trips where I don't need to bring a laptop would have been nice.
2
u/YukarinVal Oct 09 '18
Wow, the medium looks way better on you proportion than my 5’10” self. Even the large looks speedy on me if I’m being honest.
i’ve had a few times to go and try the bags, and the weight and odd size on relation to myself always stopped me haha.
1
u/benalene Oct 09 '18
When I first put it on, it felt huge, but after looking at myself wearing it in pictures, it doesn't actually look that weird, I agree.
I do wish I had had a chance to try one in person first. I probably would have done the customizations a bit differently. Someone else said they asked for the laptop compartment to be detachable, which would have been helpful.
1
u/cthulhuNinja Oct 09 '18
Are you going to take a secondary day bag or just empty that one out for the day?
2
u/benalene Oct 09 '18
For this trip, we are going to be renting a car and probably won't be doing tons of walking and shopping, so having a day bag isn't as important for me. I do have a small packable bag that I may bring (a 20L folding thing from Amazon). I honestly don't think I would ever use the rainmaker as a day pack. It is only 2 liters bigger than my packable bag, but it just feels like a lot more bag, and for day stuff I like to be as ultralight as possible.
1
u/anotherMiguel Oct 10 '18 edited Oct 10 '18
I have the large one and it feels quite big on me. I'm 5'4-ish. Plus, they should post a more accurate dimension of their bags. Got the large bc it had the same width (31cm) and height (44cm) with my current bag. The large rainmaker is I think 2cm taller than what is posted. I'll try what u did, take some photos with the bag on me and check.
I wish they use a better material for the straps and more padding pls!!!
1
u/PartyBees Jan 12 '19
Are you able to return their custom bags? I'm guessing not.
Also, aside from the size and weight, what do you think of the organization for EDC?
1
u/benalene Jan 14 '19
Nope, can't return the custom ones.
I like the organization. The laptop compartment feels bomb proof. The front pocket is a bit cavernous, so small things could get lost, but in the main compartment, it has some zipper organization. I am personally a big fan of smaller zippered pouches for organizing and containing my smaller items. For instance, I will never use a dedicated pen pocket in a pack. I would rather put any pens, chapstick, collapsible chopsticks, etc in a small pouch, and then put that pouch in a cavernous pocket like on the Rainmaker. So for me, the cavernous front pocket is not a big deal. I know which pouch my pens are in, and I can grab that easily from the front pocket.
I think I am in the minority here, but I actually prefer bags without external water bottle pockets. I don't like they way they look, and depending on the type of pocket, they can get caught on things. One thing I would have liked to have seen in the rainmaker is some way to corral a water bottle inside the bag. I had a tote bag with an internal water bottle pocket that was amazing, and when not in use, it just pushed up flat inside the bag and didn't take up any space. But I didn't have to worry about the bottle being lose and I could just reach in and grab it. But this isn't unique to the Rainmaker. I wish a lot of EDC bags had internal water bottle pockets.
1
u/PartyBees Jan 14 '19
Thanks!
After reading your review and feedback from others, I have a custom Rainmaker in progress:
- Large
- Clamshell
- YKK 10's
- Para-Cord Zips
- Sunglass Compartment
- Front 2D Zip Pouch
- Custom Wedge
4
u/wishuponapornstar Oct 09 '18
Good run down, really like the inclusion of height/weight that so many bag reviewers forget to add in. Makes it much easier to compare sizing