Yet another incredibly detailed review of a Tom Bihn bag by Imago Metrics. This time it’s a review of the Brain Bag. My favorite part of the reviews by Imago Metrics are the pictures of everything they were able to fit inside the bags. They give you an excellent idea of the capacity of the bags. See for yourself!

Looking for a review of the Buzz that mentions every piece of hardware, every type of fabric, with pictures of all the gear that can fit inside of it?

Look no further than the review of the Buzz by Imago Metrics. This review dissects the Buzz with a scientific fervor and fascination with detail rarely seen. Imago Metrics even tested the Buzz by giving it a 10 minute shower.

Read the full review.

At the first annual RainyDay Magazine GadgetFest, RainyDay readers were given hands-on time with all kinds of gear and gadgets reviewed by the magazine in the past year, ranging from Wacom Tablets to environmentally-friendly cleaning products.

We sent our Brain Bag backpack, Brain Cell laptop case and accessories to the GadgetFest, where our bags were voted by RainyDay readers as “Best Computer Bag” and #6 in the Top Ten GadgetFest items of any category.

Thanks to the RainyDay readers who voted for us and congratulations to the person who won our bags in the GadgetFest door prize drawing! You can read more about the GadgetFest here.

“We’ve been testing out the Super Ego bag ($140) from Tom Bihn for a couple of weeks now and we have to say that it definitely gets the job done — no matter what that job is. Despite its average looking size in photos, it’s not just your normal messenger bag — the Super Ego is big. This thing can hold all kinds of stuff, and could easily function as both your laptop and overnight bag on a weekend trip. The bag is made of quality materials with tons of pockets. The Super Ego can also be customized with different color center strips of fabric and even a real seatbelt buckle to replace the plastic one. Now that’s hardcore.”

Uncrate

The Super Ego

Take a look at the entry posted over at Slacker Manager about the Empire Builder.

Excerpt:

Anyway, I’d been looking around for a bag that’ll carry my laptop, assorted files and papers, some reading material and other miscellaneous jive. Basically something that could serve as my travelling office. Most computer bags have enough space for the computer, but little else. Not to mention zero style points. Somewhere along the line, I ran into references to Tom Bihn’s stuff. They make their stuff just up the road from me, in Washington state and outsource production to shops in other states when needed. I haven’t been to one of their stores and the only bags I have are the two I mentioned, but judging from their website and other reviews, all their gear is as well made as these. I say gear because that’s really what it feels like: high quality outdoor gear. Here in the Pacific Northwest, where Gore-Tex jackets are everyday apparel, this kind of bag fits right in.

Read More

See also: The Slacker Manifesto

The Empire Builder Briefcase

Check out the MacMove review of the Brain Bag:

“The acquisition process for the pack was a positive experience. Their customer service rep was friendly and knowledgeable and their communications were clear and prompt. I received a shipment notification via email, including a UPS tracking number so I could follow the order throughout its journey.

I’ve got to agree with everything Eric says here. Bihn is a company that knows what they’re about and their customer service, packaging and branding all scream quality and attention to detail.”

Read the full review.

Excerpt:

The Smart Alec, like the company states, is "like no backpack you’ve seen." There are several elements that make this backpack stand apart from many others on the market; these include the zippers, durability and style.

The zippers are probably the most enjoyable part of the bag. Not only are the zippers waterproof, they move incredibly smoothly and, even after quite a bit of use, it looks like they are unlikely to ever get jammed up. There are three zippers on the bag, one on top, and one on each side and they all have large pull strings.

Read the
full review

See the Smart Alec

Check out this review of the Super Ego by Josh Spear:

"I’ve been heavily testing a bag I received from Tom Bihn a few months ago — they call it the Super Ego. I’d definitely use the word ‘Super’ to describe this bag — it’s the most versatile, rugged, and usable bag I’ve ever tried. It has splash proof zippered pockets, an enormous front pocket packed with compartments for organizing every accessory I could think of.

It has places for water bottles on the sides, and secure zipper pockets inside for valuables. The real kicker with this bag is that it has a back zippered compartment large enough to hold a laptop, four books, a dozen magazines, your pillow, a few LP’s and lunch. I tried several times, unsuccessfully, to fill this bag up. I’m probably making it sounds enormous, but I assure you it fits ‘underneath the seat in front of
you’.

It has a nice padded shoulder strap as well as a waist buckle to take some weight off your shoulders. The Super Ego isn’t a ‘school bag’ or a small messenger bag for a few papers — it’s truly built for travel. It’s also really customizable with lots of color and feature options. This is an all around excellent bag, I give it a special JS nod of approval!"

Josh Spear Reviews the Super Ego

Excerpt:

"I especially like the flap, as it provides an added level of protection of
keeping out the elements and makes the bag look a bit nicer. Besides a zippered
outside compartment on the flap itself (it even has the water-resistant zipper,
like the one found on the eM²), there are quite a few pockets inside for
pens/pencils, PDAs, digital cameras, business cards, an iPod, or anything else
you might have lying around. There’s also a little clip for keys. On the back of
the bag, there’s an open pocket for magazines, papers, or the like."

Read the target="_blank">full review

The ID Messenger Bag

Take a look at the Rainy
Day Magazine review
of the eM2,
the Brain Cell,
and the Laptop Keyboard Cover.
Included in the review are some great pictures.

target="_blank"> alt="Laptop with Brain Cell and Keyboard Cover" width="400" height="100" />

Little known fact: the laptop featured on the
Laptop Keyboard Cover
page is my 15" Powerbook. Sometimes I’m not very good at remembering to put the
keyboard cover on my Powerbook, but even when I don’t use it to separate the keys from
the screen, it’s great to have around to gently clean my Powerbook with,
getting rid of dust and Riley
hair.