to save some space I recommend just taking the lens out of its little pouch, the cube is padded specifically to provide protection also you can use the clips to connect the cube and tech pouch to each other, should you want to :) I don't know the spacing of the internal webbing of the unicorn, but you could additionally clip both pouches to it. they would be harder to access because they are sideways that way but it might provide extra security if you're ever worried about dropping stuff when accessing the pack through the middle zip. anyhow, great overview! I was just wondering what could fit in the x small cube but stayed to see how you set it up with the pack :D
I can appreciate your struggle. My bag sweet spot is 20-24L for a daily which most of my bags are. This however is tiny. It is definitely not 21L, more like 18L, I pulled out my daily stuff from my GR1 21L and it was full which is about a bit more than half in my GR1. It’s also very narrow, I’m squeezing out a little more volume by pulling out the velcro shovel which I don’t need for any support in the back. It may be a good idea for you too since you mentioned your carbon laptop last video. There’s enough padding from the harness and still a plastic sheet in there, hell, might pull that out too.
Thanks for the comment! Glad to hear I'm not alone in feeling the bag's volume is overstated. It may not be, but it's certainly not as usable or flexible as other bags. Don't get me wrong, I love the look and profile, but given the stated volume, I expected more room. Appreciate the suggestion! I totally thought about removing the shovel, and may give it a shot. The only thing is I've got a long torso, so after adjusting the straps the way I like the shovel is sticking out pretty significantly, and I think it has become more structural than before. Doing this definitely has already freed up some room from the rigidity in the bottom of the pack, but taking it out completely would be even better space wise. I'll definitely play around with it!🍻🤙