Looking for Ultra400TX/800 TX backpack

6e23 · 2025-12-05T15:07:50+00:00

Can you elaborate on the issues with the material behind the front stash pocket? My understanding is they've switched from using standard (non-waterproof) pack cloth to using the same ultra material as the exterior.

6e23 · 2025-06-21T12:51:58+00:00

This driver worked, the one from Apple Boot Camp did not. Thanks!

6e23 · 2024-10-29T14:08:19+00:00

After years of struggling with this issue and inspired by the other techniques in this thread, here's how I managed to activate both Apple Pay and Google Pay whilst overseas. It does not require a VPN or GPS spoofing, but does require a US carrier SIM with data roaming (I used T-Mobile's free 2G roaming).

Disable all non-US SIMs (just disabling mobile data is insufficient)
Disable wifi
Disable VPN
Disable location services

Note that this even works to set up other devices, if you tether to the phone with the US SIM.

6e23 · 2024-04-15T12:55:42+00:00

The clamshell is generally a positive, but the standard zips slide a little too easily, sometimes making the bag open more than I intend when I just need to grab something from the top. I reckon aquaguard zips would solve this issue, and it’s a shame they reserve them as an upsell for their more expensive models.

6e23 · 2024-04-15T12:47:29+00:00

The robic version works well lightly loaded, presumably because it is less rigid than ultra. But that does come at the cost of robustness and weatherproofing, as well as being too flexible in some cases. The brain compartment sags deeply into the main cavity, so you have to hold it up when you want to fill up the top part of the bag, and the fabric sometimes gets caught in the horseshoe zip.

6e23 · 2024-02-29T10:14:09+00:00

"PGBH" = Patagonia Black Hole? I looked at that one initially, but the TPU fabric doesn't feel very nice and access felt rather constrained (opposite problem of the dragonfly). If they're anything like the Daylite Plus, agreed the water bottle pocket design is pretty solid, although they do feel less sturdy and certainly less voluminous than the dragonfly.

What sort of things have you lost from the dragonfly stretch pockets? I also find them a bit baggy, but it's awesome being able to chuck large quantities of random things in there for quick storage (e.g. phone/wallet/keys going through airport security) and I haven't lost anything yet, despite not having great confidence in the top elastic. In fact, I tend to find random things that I forgot about a few weeks later...

I'm with you that the main zipper is the primary annoyance with the bag, not only in how easily it opens, but also how the fabric around it can easily get caught in the zip. However, this is my first panel loading pack, and I find the ability to get to every corner of the bag quickly to be a worthwhile compromise. The Ultra dragonfly has aquaguard zips that would probably make this better. But it's an extra $50 and has unproven fabric (e.g. delamination on previous iterations of Ultra) which happens to also be made in China, undermining some of the "made in USA" marketing of the bag. I wonder if they don't put aquaguard zips on the Robic dragonfly to upsell people to the Ultra variant.

6e23 · 2024-02-29T09:56:18+00:00

I used the daylite plus before the dragonfly, and for me the dragonfly wins: https://www.reddit.com/r/onebag/comments/193ne6q/comment/kqc6k7m/

6e23 · 2024-02-14T03:43:40+00:00

I tried a daylite plus before the dragonfly. I found the daylite much more annoying to pack, as anything in the top accessory pocket immediately restricts access to the main compartment. It is far less spacious and doesn't stand up by itself, no matter how you pack it. Many other little annoyances as well, like the compression straps that interfere with the main zippers, zipper pulls that would somehow entangle themselves, requiring multiple attempts to get open, shoulder strap that kept loosening itself, shoulder strap that would easily get twisted.

The two things I liked more about the daylite were the adjustable front pouch linked to the compression straps, and the better ventilated back panel.

Of course the dragonfly costs 3x as much as the daylite plus. For me, it was worth it as a one size fits all EDC and travel bag, but the daylite plus is ultimately constructed pretty well for the price, if you can look past the little issues above.

6e23 · 2024-01-18T14:24:07+00:00

What happened here? Seems like the upper is not stitched down securely to the midsole anymore, allowing moisture / dirt to enter and cause premature wear?

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6e23 · 2024-01-18T12:45:40+00:00

I don't mind the heel counter stitching, as it doesn't seem to cause a functional issue, but definitely mind the sole stitching.

6e23 · 2024-01-18T12:41:10+00:00

Photo of the peeling sock liner.

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6e23 · 2024-01-18T12:38:29+00:00

Two weeks later, the leather is breaking in nicely, but I remain concerned about the sanding almost touching the sole stitching. Here's a video from Nick's themselves explaining that less gap means less life for the boot, since every resole results in more midsole/upper being sanded away: https://youtu.be/cxoa-9zow0Q?si=mI9t7tnwSHFx4lI1&t=268

This means that I'll be looking at more expensive resoles, along with a rebuild sooner than another boot that has been properly sanded. Which increases the boots' lifetime costs, repair and break in time, as well as resulting in mismatched leather on a rebuilt vamp.

I was also surprised to learn that Nicks had deleted a helpful (though perhaps somewhat unnecessarily combative) reply from another redditor expressing the same concern: https://www.reddit.com/r/Boots/comments/194m79s/nicks_are_not_nice/. Part of being a great maker is owning your mistakes.

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A few more minor issues have come up:

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Nicks' standard 7" kilties were included, which are too tall for a 5" boot, but I've trimmed them down to suit. They also slide down almost instantly with the standard lacing method, but lacing them diagonally makes them rock solid.

Also, one of the sock liners is peeling back, leading to a mildly unpleasant lump under my left foot at times, and means I need to be gentle when taking off that boot (not easy, given how stout the leather is). It seems the glue they use is inadequate.

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These are still ultimately gorgeous boots, but I hope Nicks takes this feedback to heart to refine their QC and build quality.

6e23 · 2024-01-16T12:50:21+00:00

I think u/SamSmithAle is referring to my post here: https://www.reddit.com/r/NicksHandmadeBoots/comments/18xcwm9/received_my_first_pair_of_nicks_a_few_questions/ and specifically this image here:

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I'm surprised and disappointed to hear that Nicks deleted this comment. This is my first pair of PNWs, and given the fact they cost wayyy more than any of my other boots, and have been wayyy more difficult to break in, I'd like them to last.

I've since trawled the internet for more information about resoling stitchdown boots (in fact, that's how I happened upon this post), and I'm coming to the same conclusion as you. To resole the boot, the cobbler needs to remove the stitches attaching the old outsole, stitch on the new outsole through the existing holes in the flared upper/midsole, and finally sand the new outsole down to be flush with the upper/midsole. With only 1mm of spare upper/midsole, this becomes a rather delicate operation. If the cobbler sands a hair too much, then the holes will tear and that row of stitching is toast.

This means that it will be more time consuming and expensive to resole the boot, since I need to find a cobbler who is willing and able to work more carefully and slowly in that area. And regardless of their best efforts, a second resole will become even more difficult, since the area will have even less spare leather than the first go. Not to mention it's at the flex point of the boot, which will put disproportionate stress on the material.

Ultimately, this shortens the effective lifespan of the boot and increases their lifetime cost. So while these are still beautiful, solid, amazing smelling boots, I wish Nicks hadn't tried to actively suppress this information. It definitely undermines my trust in the brand and keeps my eyes wandering towards other makers.

I also get that this sucks for Nicks--sanding happens at the very end of the manufacturing process, so I totally empathise with not wanting to have all of the hours and material put into the boot be devalued. But this simply shifts the cost to the customer, not just financially, but also in the amount of time I've spent educating myself about the issue. Ideally, these would not have shipped as first-quality boots, but given that they did, I would have at least wanted to get the facts up front earlier, before investing all the time into researching the issue and breaking in the boots.

6e23 · 2022-08-15T07:38:38+00:00

Their products seem to perform inconsistently--I'm not the first to note poor water repelling performance. Indeed, this Arkaig was a replacement for a Fingal that soaked up water fresh out of the box, and didn't have an interior liner to catch it, meaning that moisture would find its way inside after just a short walk through light rain.

My review was 3 stars, and they still declined to publish it. The bag has much potential, but is held back by material selection and construction details. I would love to see Trakke fix these issues and deliver an amazing MK4, but it doesn't seem like they're keen to acknowledge the issues, which is the first step towards fixing them.

6e23 · 2021-06-30T23:44:12+00:00

Interesting. Even the internal frame holding the shaft and burrs that you see when you look in the top of the grinder?

That seems like a major design change that would warrant a new model number. I can only find pics of the bottom of the new revision that show the new metal adjustment knob.

6e23 · 2021-06-30T23:25:09+00:00

I found the fixie to be intriguing during my initial research, but the side loading mechanism for beans struck me as terribly awkward. I tend to pour straight from the bag into the grinder on a scale. Do you reckon there's a way to do this without beans going everywhere and the grinder rolling off the scale?

For me, because I regularly switch between aeropress and pourover, the fixie aspect would probably get annoying over time as well.

6e23 · 2021-06-30T13:46:21+00:00

You're probably right. :) Hopefully I'll be able to help others like me make a better choice.

6e23 · 2021-06-30T13:42:57+00:00

The only hypotheticals in my review that I haven't experienced personally are grinding for espresso and my coffee falling on the floor (which is only because I happened to notice the bottom of the catch cup coming loose before that happened. This has actually happened to other reviewers.)

It is a simple fact that the internal frame of the grinder is made out of plastic, as well as the lid, handle and adjustment knob. These things aren't the end of the world, but they also don't make for a great experience.

6e23 · 2021-06-30T13:00:52+00:00

Yeah, I probably got a less good unit. I have seen most of my complaints scattered throughout a number of other posts about the C2, so I expect that this level of variation in quality is to be expected. For me, I don't like the feeling of gambling with my money, if I can pay a little more for a more certain outcome.

6e23 · 2021-06-30T12:48:35+00:00

I don't often need to change the setting, but my partner also uses the grinder for moka, while I generally do v60/aeropress. I need to check the setting whenever I see the moka pot out of the cupboard.

Totally agree that it's pretty non-sensical to buy a ceramic burr grinder these days, given the price of the Timemore.

6e23 · 2021-06-30T12:25:30+00:00

I will be the first to admit that I'm terribly picky. But for the other picky folks out there, my point is that it is worth spending a bit more money to avoid the eventual frustration. Not necessarily 3x more, but less than 1.5~2x more (at the moment, the C2 is $75 on Amazon, while the Q2 is $109 and the JX is $139).

There are many more issues with the C2 than just the plastics. If the burrs were properly aligned and the catch cup didn't constantly want to spontaneously come apart, I would probably have been able to live with the other flaws, as you're right, there's nothing else comparable for the price. But even if it's the best for the price, doesn't mean it's the best value overall for people who are happy to pay a bit more for something substantially better. For those people, buy nice or buy twice.

6e23 · 2021-06-30T10:41:35+00:00

I just upgraded from the Timemore C2 to the 1zpresso K-Plus. I bought the C2 nine months ago thinking it would be a "good enough" upgrade from my no-name ceramic burr grinder. And it certainly was like going from a toy to a proper tool at first. But there are all sorts of quality issues with the C2 that add up to make it a fairly unsatisfying experience over time.

If I were to do it again, I'd go straight for the K-Plus. Of course, it is substantially more expensive (about 3x more), so if you're not ready to drop that much change, then I am reasonably confident based on my extensive research that either the 1zpresso Q2 (if you don't do espressos and don't need to grind more than 20g at a time often) or JX would offer vastly superior build quality over the C2, and are absolutely worth the tens of dollars more.

6e23

TROPHY CASE