annnnnnddddd more......
This is a picture of the compression straps on the side of the bag. Because the Berlin is just so big, I usually leave these mostly compressed to keep from having so much bag bulk to deal with. With these straps compressed the bag's bulk is usually not an issue at all. Whenever you need more room you just slowly let out a little more strap. The picture is sideways, the bottom of the bag is to your right. You can also sort of see the way the main strap attaches now too in the top of this picture.
Next up is the new way to attach rolls to your bag (courtesy of my girlfriends yoga mat). The 2 straps are still attached to the bottom of your bag but now they also run through 2 little plastic clips. These clips make it a bit more akward to adjust the length of the straps, but they do help to keep them out of the way when you're not using them. Rolls now sit under the main flap, on the front of your bag, instead of the bottom of the bag because Chrome has added 2 new clips to the inside of the bag (you can see them in the top of my 3rd pic). This makes the roll a little more accessible once it's on, but a bit harder to get onto and off of your bag in the first place. It also keeps the roll from getting too manhandled while swinging your bag around to get in and out of it.
You can see in the next pic, that when you really cinch down the straps the bottom of the bag kind of bunches forward, and the top of the bag pulls down a bit. All in all the new roll system is only OK in my opinion. Which is a shame for me because our company has a couple large clients who are Architects and I find myself carrying a lot of rolls. Where it does shine though, is when you have to carry huge flat boxes. As show in the second pic, stolen straight off the Chrome website.
So that about wraps it up.
I would say that this bag is a huge improvement over previous designs. There are a couple notable differences that really make this bag stand out from most. Such as the improved shape of the main pocket, the second shoulder strap, new main strap attach points, and compression straps on the sides to name a few. The bag is gigantic, but due to the compression straps it is not too bulky. You can fit way more into this bag without it getting akward to get in and out of. My biggest gripe would be the roll straps I think. But that's pretty minimal in my opinion. All in all, worth my money. Makes my day easier for sure.
Questions?