“You have a customer for life.”

“Dear Tom Bihn Bags,

I bought one of your messenger bags when the company was in Santa Cruz. That bag has been through a wild series of events over the last 13 years — it’s been stuffed and unstuffed a zillion times, dragged through hundreds of airports, banged up, kicked around on trains, spilled on, rained on, used as a protective barrier against police shooting rubber bullets, attacked by a dog, stolen off a bus (and recovered), used to secret beer into movies, — there’s more, but through all that, the bag has held up and is still functioning. The zipper finally gave out, and the reflective strip on the cover has fallen apart, but goodness, this thing is in relatively good shape and has been a fantastic bag for a long time.

I’m ready to buy a new bag — especially with an adjustable strap — and while there are great bags out there, beautiful even, I’ve never seen any that match the quality and durability of my Bihn bag, so I’m getting another.
Thanks.”
– D.

“Hi there,

I just wanted to drop you a line and let you know how pleased I am with my Empire Builder. When I purchased it three years ago, people thought I was crazy for paying so much for “just a bag.” Well now their bags look a right mess and mine looks as good as the day I bought it. It’s survived three years of law school and countless trips unfazed. And the integration of the laptop carrier is genius. Thanks for making such a thoughtfully designed and durable product. You have a customer for life.”
– J.

“Tom & team-I just wanted to thank you for the excellent service. I
know I’m local but I ordered my Ristretto after hours on the 19th expecting
it to take a couple of days to arrive. It arrived today and as usual it is
everything I expected. I wanted something I could tote my iPad and a few
other items without lugging my notebook bag. Well built and well thought out.
Thank you for another great product.”
– M.

“I just wanted to thank you again for your consistent efforts in fulfilling my order. I have received all of it and am glad I ordered from your company. The quality and customer support has been excellent, and in the future I will gladly refer others to the Tom Bihn company.”
— K.

Email us with your feedback.

Photo: Medium Cafe Bag in Egypt

TOM BIHN Medium Cafe Bag in Israel, Greece, Egypt and Czech Republic.

Posted by Tony on our Facebook page. See also: the Medium Cafe Bag.

Field Journal Notebook review by Tim McNulty

“Tom Bihn’s Field Journal Notebook sets the standard for outdoor note taking.
Its functional, durable design offers a sturdy writing surface. An
adjustable shoulder strap sets the perfect position for making notes or
sketches afoot. Unfastened, my journal is at my fingertips. Zipped
closed, it holds up admirably while crashing through wet brush. Light,
compact, but large enough to tuck in a map, checklist, field guide to
the mosses or a favorite book of poems. Easily accessible pockets for
pencils, handlens, energy bar, keys. This is the one to have on your
ramblings, near or far.”

Tim McNulty
Poet and naturalist

Introducing the TOM BIHN Field Journal Notebook

American Mensa Gift Guide features the Aeronaut, Field Journal Notebook

American Mensa Gift Guide: The TOM BIHN Aeronaut, FJN

See the entire American Mensa 2010 Holiday Gift Guide.
American Mensa Gift Guide: The TOM BIHN Aeronaut, FJN

See also: the Aeronaut, the Field Journal Notebook.

In-stock: Ego, Swift Ristretto for iPad, ID, 16oz Lifefactory bottle, more

Now in stock and shipping within one business day:

The Ego in all colors: Black/Crimson/Steel, Black/Steel/Wasabi, Black/Black/Steel.

The Swift in all colors: Black/Black, Steel/Black, Kiwi/Black, Crimson/Black, Olive/Plum, Plum/Black, Olive/Linen, Conifer/Black.
Some Synapse

The ID in all colors: Black/Crimson/Steel, Black/Steel/Wasabi, Black/Black/Steel, Black/Black/Cayenne.

The Vertical Brain Cell in sizes 4Z (15″ MacBook Pro) and 1 (17″ MacBook Pro).

The 16oz Lifefactory Glass Water Bottle in all colors: Graphite, Turquoise, Raspberry, Royal Purple.

The Synapse in some colors: Olive/Solar, Black/Steel, Indigo/Solar, and Conifer/Steel.

Photos by blackfungi: Black/Wasabi Medium Cafe Bag in Hong Kong

Photos by blackfungi: Black/Wasabi Medium Cafe Bag in Hong Kong

TPhotos by blackfungi: Black/Wasabi Medium Cafe Bag in Hong Kong

See more of blackfungi’s photos — and larger versions of the above — in the TOM BIHN Forums. Also: the Synapse, the Medium Cafe Bag.

Passports with Purpose 2010: Help Them Build a Village in India

The Vacation Gals Review TOM BIHN Bags
Via the Vacation Gals
“Two years ago Passports with Purpose raised $7,000 for Heifer International. Last year the travel-blogging community raised $30,000 to build a school in Cambodia. This year we’re aiming to raise $50,000 to build an entire village in India! And you can help (and perhaps even win some cool prizes along the way).

Passports with Purpose is the brainchild of four motivated, passionate, philanthropic bloggers — Pam Mandel, Debbie Dubrow, Beth Whitman and Michelle Duffy — who were officially joined this year by PR gal extraordinaire Meg Paynor, also of Seattle. They’ve been working so hard behind the scenes to make it easy for us travel bloggers to get involved in raising money for such worthy worldwide charities as this year’s recipient: LAFTI, an independent, nonprofit organization dedicated to improving the lives of the Dalit (untouchable) population in India.”

Here’s how it works: The Vacation Gals have procured three awesome prizes, including our Western Flyer carry-on travel bag. Donate $10 at Passports With Purpose and you’ll receive raffle ticket that can be applied towards any prizes — and there’s lots to choose from. This is a great cause and all of us at TOM BIHN are proud to be a part of it. We wish you luck in the raffle!

The ID in Car and Driver Magazine

Pretty cool: our ID messenger bag was recently used to compare trunk sizes of the Acura TSX and Volkswagen CC in Car and Driver magazine.
TOM BIHN ID Messenger Bag in Car and Driver Magazine

TOM BIHN ID Messenger Bag in Car and Driver Magazine

"http://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/comparisons/10q4/2010_acura_tsx_v6_vs._2011_buick_regal_cxl_turbo_2010_volkswagen_cc_2.0t_r-line-comparison_tests">See the entire comparison tests at Car and Driver.

Dog Jaunt: The Imago as a travel bag for you + dog

TOM BIHN and Dog Juant

We’re fans of Dog Jaunt — a travel blog for people who travel with their dogs — so we were excited to find out that Mary-Alice, author of Dog Jaunt, is a TOM BIHN fan. She shared with us her experience taking her Imago to Paris:

“I liked carrying my Imago in Paris because it’s light and because it tidily held Chloe’s gear as well as mine — the two big internal pockets corralled our water bottle and her collapsible bowl (in one) and her rolled-up sling (for use on the metro) in the other, and then I stowed all my gear (wallet, guidebook, etc.) in the main compartment.”

One FPS: Ristretto as makeshift Air 11 bag

TOM BIHN Seattle Factory -- Irma's Saw

David Chartier is using the Ristretto for iPad as a temporary case for his 11″ MacBook Air. Tom has designed a Ristretto sized specifically for the 11″ MacBook Air — we expect to make it available for pre-order within three weeks.