AvantSol

On 8/28/2019 at 10:13 PM, neromancer said:

I've been using the 3A-5TS from last year as a work bag almost everyday since I got it from it's drop. Thought it would be the bag I'd use for the next 5 or so years, but then along came the 3A-5... Here's a little writeup of a comparison between the two.

For a little context, I commute to work by bike everyday and have to carry a 15 inch laptop, a change of clothes, and an extra pair of shoes. The size of the 5TS and 5 perfectly fit my needs, but the differences on the 5 were surprisingly helpful. The obvious differences are the roll top lid and the two giant fixed pockets in the front. My biggest gripe with the 5TS was that anytime I wanted to grab something from the main body, I'd have to pop open 3 buckles and refasten them closed all over again. The roll top feature solves this nicely by reducing the buckles I need to fiddle around with to 1, and also stowing away the excess material of the flap. Much easier to grab something from the bag with the top rolled in when the bag is still strapped tight to yourself.

The two exterior pockets are a nice addition to the bag. I had the first generation xpac 5TS before getting last year's, and a feature I missed a lot were the two built in zipper compartments on each side of the bag. With the newer 5TS, I tried to recreate these by sticking two MZ1's vertically on each side. The exterior 3A-5 pockets hold much more than the MZ1's ever could, making the MZ1's no longer necessary. The mezzanine pockets behind them are really useful as well and serve as a nice little spot to store items you'd like to grab quickly without having to fuss with any buckles or zippers.

Despite the lack of TS, the attachment loops on the 5 work well if you still want to expand your storage. Though the website only demonstrated you could attach a MK1 and MK3, I was able to attach my MZ1's without any issues. While I opted not to use the MZ1's anymore, I've attached a DSPTCH glasses case to 1 loop, a key charm to another, and a grimloc carabiner to another to hold my keys.

A surprising change was the inclusion of two smaller inner zipper pockets as opposed to the single pocket of the five. Though a seemingly minor change, it helps partition my smaller items nicely. Although the single pocket from the 5TS is larger than one from the 5, the combined volume of the two smaller pockets is greater. Here's to hoping including two of these pockets becomes a standard and not just unique to the 5.

There are some subtle differences you might miss that aren't obvious in the product shots. The lid on the 5 is reinforced with 3 sections that helps act as a guide to properly fold it in. It also helps give it a nice solid shape and structure, making the 5TS lid feel flimsy in comparison. Another small difference is the left and right buckles on the 5 can't slide up quite as high as on the 5TS due to the stitching on the thumb-break closures for the exterior pockets. This slightly restricts the expansion of the 5 vs the 5TS. I'd often pack my 5TS to the max fully expanded for weekend to week long trips. Though the difference is small, I'm a little worried for when I'll have to pack similarly with the 5.

Despite the suggestively simpler name, the 3A-5 is in many ways a worthy upgrade to the tried and true 5TS. The 5 solved most of my gripes with the 5TS and will probably be the bag I'll use for years to come, unless Acronym and Bagjack manage to find another surprising way to improve the bag again (which I'm sure they will). Hope you all enjoyed my sincere writeup.

sorry, didn't link properly on mobile. Here's the post

@BruceLeroy

I have the 3a-5 so the only attachment I really found use for is the 3a-MZ1 haha.

But here's a great writeup from @neromancer with some suggestions. P.s If you get a ts series 5 or 6; I recommend an Mk1 because it can fit a water bottle.

@off-world

The only time a fully load it up is when I'm flying. The trolley strap works wonderfully when attached to carry on luggage when going around the airport.

Bilateral pockets are great

WTB

P23-S RAF (M)

P23A-S RAF (S)

WOULD TRADE MY P30A-DS(S) for the p23a's.

White GT is great

3a-WB2

WTT

P30A-DS (S) full pack 

for 

P23a-s RAF (s)

P23-s RAF (M) + cash on your end

Nvm, got what I wanted lol

@Roofmann which version of the 58 are you comparing it to?

Yeah honestly I was half expecting it to be butchered but it came out very clean. Got pics of it on?

@alo1333 pretty much. Seller will try to convince you with real photos and you'll end up with shit. That's why he easily backpeddled when E called him out trying to use "real gore tex". 

I know kinda a giant Longshot but...

WTT:

J36-S (M) bicolor [raf body, black sleeve] 

For 

J1E-GT (M) condition doesn't matter as long as its not delaming or falling apart. GG

@jeddyhsu f off with the unnecessary downvote, goddamn hater LOL

@Orientalq there's your cheaper acr jacket.

If I'm not mistaken; the difference might be because they use the 'new' gore tex pro. I really like the neck and hood on this jacket. Shame on no aux zip, would have been cool to attach the 58 to it.

@skycrawler thoughts? Does it have any acr typical features(aux zip etc)?

I see. It seems to me you want some justification for paying for less for a rep that is 'equal' in quality to actual Acronym pieces. If acronym is currently out of your reach financially maybe you shouldn't be overly vocal on things you don't know about, eh? Such as construction, pricing, quality, iterative changes etc especially if you haven't tried it on hand to understand these things. And pricing complaints have been a thing since the very beginning of acr and that isn't gonna change going forward. No point trying to justify paying for what at the end of the day is fashion which is just a luxury. 

Wait  @Orientalq do you not own any Acronym?

I don't think water would do that. Seems like an abrasion mark. I think it's to be expected when wearing lighter colors that you might want to be a little more careful on those parts(the alpha green).

Yeah the 68 looks closer to dust.

Alpha green looks sexy. Especially with the contrast zip.

WTB:

J68-S(M) raf or black.

P13-CH (M)

1 hour ago, eidolarr said:

How well does the auxzip/wrist snap work for liner jackets? I'm comparing the J68 and the J58 to wear under a J1 for the winter, wondering how much the auxzip matters.

They do what they are supposed to do well enough. The system is is more for convenience than anything else, like being able just put on/take off one jacket instead of two. But you lose the ability to use the tighter wrist snaps on the 58 if you pan on integrating it. Again it's just option, not mandatory for full functionality. 

P.s. can't use interops when aux is in use. I know, devastating.

WTS

P10A-E (M) BLK Full pack 9/10 NET $1050

J1a-GTKP (M) Full pack 10/10 Net $1900

J63-PB (M) Just jacket SOLD

WTS

P10A-E (M) BLK 9/10 NET $1050

J1a-GTKP (M) Full pack 10/10 Net $1900

WTB

J25-ss (M) any color

*would trade my p10a + cash(your side) for the j25-ss*