Excerpted from “Another reason to love Seattle – Bihn bag lost and found”, posted by timothy at his Slashdot journal:

“I would perhaps not admit to losing my nice new bag, if it hadn’t been found. But it was, so I will: on Tuesday morning, I set out for a bagel at The Bagel-Deli Company (340 15th Ave E # 201 Seattle, WA 98112). (Chose one of the lunch specials, the Gobbler, with no mayonnaise, of course.) I had brought along a book to read as I ate, and was carrying it in my Tom Bihn Super Ego bag. But somehow, somehow I forgot I had the bag along with me, and left with the book in my hand instead. On the way back to the house, I stopped for some yogurt, bought two of the (quite good, reasonably priced) QFC house brand fruit-on-the-bottom ones, and walked about, now with the book under my arm, a yogurt in each hand. Still hadn’t occurred to me that I could have had a bag along, one capable of carrying dozens of yogurts and bunches of books. This is called being absent-minded, if you enjoy euphemisms.”

Did Timothy find his Super Ego? When did he realize it was missing? Was there a happy ending? To find out, visit timothy’s journal and finish the story.


Above: a picture from the Imago Metrics review of the Super Ego.

In the TOM BIHN Forums thread “Western Flyer as personal item”….

ledrock asked: “I’m planning on taking my Aeronaut as my carry on bag, and I’m thinking of getting a Western Flyer to use as my personal bag/briefcase, but was wondering if anyone had encountered any problems with airlines claiming the W.F. is too large to be considered a personal bag.”

travls replied: “I’ve used a Western Flyer on United once a month domestically since it came out. It’s pretty loaded, including with a MacBook in a Brain Cell. I’ve been pleased that it always fits under the seat, even when there’s one of those metal boxes for video on the aisle seats. It’s a great choice for that application in my opinion, because everything zips up so there’s no chance of having things fall out when repetitively stowing it and taking it out.”

aiethabell offered a ton of great advice: “So, my suggestions: GET THERE EARLY. If you’re boarding at the tail end of the call, the bins will already be full, and that’s when the attendants onboard look for involuntary gate-checks.”

BJ Nemeth added: “I always put my Aeronaut in the overhead bin, and my “personal item” has been (at different times) a Super Ego, a Brain Bag, and a Smart Alec — all fully packed with a laptop, camera gear, and more. While I have seriously cut into my own foot room, I have never had a problem with flight attendants or other passengers.”

And lpotr4, rabergnc, peregrina added their experiences. Read the full thread in the TOM BIHN Forums and consider adding your own experiences and advice.

“I keep the mbp in the back compartment with the snake charmer and power brick. The front compartment has more than enough room for a fleece, books, files and whatever else I need. It can also take a dslr in the front compartment which is brilliant for me. I went to New York in 2006 and didn’t bring a laptop because I didn’t have a bag that could hold a mbp, camera, books, ipod, and other assorted sundries. Now I can!!” Read seamus’ full review of the Brain Bag in the TOM BIHN Forums or see the Brain Bag for yourself.