I wanted a bag for my EDC to and from work that felt neither cramped nor oversized. Because there are days I choose not to bring the AirPods Max and MBA, I didn’t want to constantly switch bags or feel like the bag I am carrying suddenly became too large for the job. The Vitesse Brief fits right into that Goldilocks zone, feeling perfectly sized, lightly packed or stuffed to the gills.
First, I’ve been a Waterfield customer for MANY years. Gary was a sponsor of my blog back in 2001 and paid a respectable $25 a month for a square banner. He paid every month on time and I loved reviewing his bags and then in 2007 visiting his dogpatch manufacturing facility. The team is still based in and manufacturing in San Francisco and yet the prices haven’t increased by much but the quality has. I will always endorse SFBags / Waterfield as a first place to look when finding a quality part.
However, the Waterfield bags I own now (mostly folios in 4 different sizes) are used 1-2 times a week for local travel. My daily for the last 5 years has been the Peak Design Everyday 30L bag (which was just recently revised). The reason is its rigidity and modularity. I commute on a motorcycle. 80% of my trips (not miles) are on a 2-wheeled vehicle so my bag for work usually has:
- 14” MacBook Air (M1 Pro), work issued
- 13” iPad Pro (M1)
- AirPods Max
- AirPods Pro
- Wallet, keys, ID badge
- Shoes, Jeans, Belt, button down shirt, hair brush and Crew Pomade
My desk has cables, docks, displays and chargers for all of my devices so that’s my bare-bones setup. The Peak Design grows well though transitioning into a travel bag and the only carry-on I use for short trips. If it’s a weekend trip to DC, I’ll throw my Leica Q2 in it with a change of clothes, iPad Pro and my SFBags Gear Pouch for wall adapter and cables. For longer trips, I’ll use my Peak Design as an electronics holder with the following:
- 16” MacBook Pro (M1 Max)
- iPad Pro (M1)
- Canon R5
- 24-70mm f/2.8 lens
- 70-200mm f/2.0 Lens
- 50mm f/1.2 lens)
- Mavic Air 2S
- AirPods Max
- AirPods Pro
- SFBags Gear Pouch
- …my wife usually carries the Leica in her bag.
And then my clothing and toiletries will go in my Tumi Alpha International roller in navy blue.
Obviously, everything has an AirTag stored somewhere. The Peak Design has become a total workhorse. I’ve strapped it to the tail of my motorcycle for a 10 day ride around the Colorado wilderness packed with all of the gar above and it’s withstood rain, snow, ice and all of my gear has been kept safe. It’s underrated as a “go-bag” mostly because there’s no MOLLE webbing like the tactical people insist is necessary. I like a sleek bag with nothing to catch on a tree branch and this works perfectly. My molle side-panniers on my adventure bike on the other hand have caught on tree branches and ripped. Minus-1 for MOLLE.
On the weekends, I usually throw my iPad Pro and AirPods Pro into the 13” SFBags Executive Folio along with a MagSafe lighting battery pack and away I go.
While tech changes, having well quality bags that survive multiple Apple generations of laptops and accessories is really priceless. Having SFBags that are now 15 years old around that are versatile and useful has been great. I’m most in line with their Waxed Canvas as the superior material they produce to water resistance and tear-resistant quality. Their zippers and seams have never failed but I can say the same for my Peak Design Everyday 30L. If Peak made a 50L Everyday, I’d most certainly buy one just to have one extra pocket for a pair of shoes and for the bag to not fee as stuffed with an iPad Pro (with Magic Keyboard) alongside a 16” MacBook Pro. Things get tight in there when both devices come with me on a week long trip.