“I use the Tom Bihn Snake Charmer (packing cube) as a diaper pouch and I swear by it. Perfect size for diapering essentials and can easily go from purse to car to bike basket to where have you. Best trade for a diaper bag I ever made.”
– Excerpted from SimplyBike’s post “bike ride to the first farmer’s market of the season”
“I am nearing the end of my trip to Europe (5 countries) with only my Synapse 19 and it has been awesome. Everything I packed is in the photos below. Most of my clothes are Icebreaker, Smartwool and Exoficio; my shoes and flip flops are Vans. I looked like a regular city dweller, neither tourist nor adventurer. I felt so sorry for all those people lugging their rollaways up subway stairs and along cobblestone roads. I even spent the day in the Louvre with my pack because I couldn’t check-in to my hotel until the late afternoon. heck out what a work of art the Synapse 19 is (pictured below on display at the Louvre). I am positive even bigger people can do this with the Synapse 25. It really is the perfect ultralight travel bag.”
Read the full post by conversa in the Forums (with more photos).
“My first outing with my new kit was a one-nighter to SLC last week. Unsurprisingly, the WF/Cadet combo fared well. But I was very curious how the pair would hold up this week on a 3-night trip to rural Idaho that involves two flights on CRJ200 jets and one short hop on a EMB 120 (the latter being a teeny, 30-passenger prop plane in which overhead bin space is practically non-existent). This was a bit of an outlier for me as most of my travel is for 1-2 nights and on larger jets like 737s.”
Read the full post by ScottE22 in the Forums. See also: the Western Flyer and Cadet.
Eric has four of our travel bags — two Aeronauts, a Tri-Star, and a Western Flyer — and he’s made several videos about them designed to help you choose which bag is right for you.
In this, the first video, Eric shows the Aeronaut in both 1050d ballistic nylon and 400d Dyneema®/420d nylon ripstop and explains the differences between the two materials. Also shown are Aeronaut Packing Cubes.
We’ll post Eric’s other videos next week, but if you (understandably) don’t want to wait, here are links to the other two: Tri-Star and Western Flyer and Western Flyer.
See also:
Discuss Eric’s videos on our Forums
Aeronaut, Tri-Star, and Western Flyer
“I’ve been meaning to post this for a while for those of us who are on the shorter side who think the Aeronaut is too big. I am 5’3″. The Aeronaut and the baby weighed 20 lbs each. The Aeronaut carried everything for me and the baby, including diapers for a week, feeding supplies, and even a life vest! I walked a very long way through the airport (on both ends of the trip) with this setup and it was fine.
That is a black Side Effect under the baby with our passports and my wallet.”
Posted by readmore in the Forums. See also: the Aeronaut. As for the Side Effect — a new version will debut next week. Stay tuned.
What Chris Caldwell of SHEP Films (the crew that worked with us on our Materials video — expect to see more videos soon) packed in his Smart Alec for an overnight working trip.
“I’m partial to the WF. It’s all I’ve used for months (I mean one-bag only for up to 5 nights of business or 10 nights vacation). I would consider it as an under seat bag. I wear a size 12 US, and have given up the stress of overhead bin space. The WF, either ridiculously over-stuff, or politely filled has sat under the seat in front of me on 757, 737, CRJ200 and yes even the ERJ145! The WF also offers the option of getting the slip pocket on the back, rather than the back-straps, to create more ease of use when dealing with multiple pieces of luggage. IMHO the tough ballistic exterior, the multiple carry options, and the subtle organization would make it a good choice. Keep in mind, with any Tom Bihn bag, the use of organizer pouches and key straps to keep all your stuff connected is a great feature when going through security or in flight.”
Posted by RhoFro in the Forums:
For the last week, I tracked my package on the UPS site like I was following Santa Claus on NORAD. I knew it wouldn’t come a day earlier, or a day later than expected but what can you do when you have ants in your pants?
I want to thank Beau for helping me with my very first Tom Bihn order; a Tri-Star in steel/ultraviolet and then – 48 hours later – my second order (Ego) because I just had to. NOW I feel like I am well equipped for my trip to Budapest to cover the World Dog Show (and vacation).
Best of all is the box art!
– Tammy
“Inspired by Proctor’s awesome post I began looking for a solution to be able to clip in some non-Tom Bihn accessories I often travel with. I ended up using a cheap keychain carabiner I had laying around the house by threading it through one of the loops of the Key Strap.”
Posted by knifed in the TOM BIHN Forums:
Dear TOM BIHN,
I’m not sure if you are a real person. Perhaps you are a mythological creature that doesn’t exist. Perhaps you are a 8th realm bag God from another galaxy. Or maybe you’re from the future. Either way, thank you.
For the past 10+ years I have been looking for a bag that I don’t need to replace in 6 months. I’m ashamed to say that I’m a bit of a bag addict. I’ve tried them all. The ________, the ________, the ________, the ________, the ________, the ________ of the world and much more. I must have spent at least $3-4k over the years; A drug addiction may have been cheaper. This was a dark time in my life.
A few months back a friend of mine told me to checkout the Tom Bihn Synapse. I heard of Tom Bihn but for some reason never gave it the time of day until then. As soon as I saw the Synapse I relapsed and ordered it in black/wasabi. I also ordered a Tri-star to use as my all purpose bag for travel and gym.
Upon receiving these bags and running through the basic routine — taking them out of the box, playing with the zippers, smelling the fabric, wearing it empty, wearing it with heavy load, etc. — I realized these were unlike any other bag I’ve had. The quality was top notch, the zippers were amazing, the dyneema interior felt tough and looked great, the shape of the bags was sleek, there were tons of configuration options (thanks to plenty of pockets and glorious o-rings), they both sat comfortably on my back. I’ve had other bags that ticked off some of these features… but never all of them. And unlike every other bag I’ve purchased, there was no regret. I was in love.
So thank you Tom Bihn for curing me of my addiction. Thanks for saving me from spending more money on other inferior bags. I know I have found the pinnacle of bag engineering and there is no higher summit. Now if only you made jackets…
Best,
Alex
